Amazon Kindle Fire HD Review

Introduction:

It’s funny how things go sometimes, especially in the case for Amazon, who for one, didn’t have any piece of the tablet market a year ago. Since the release of the Kindle Fire, they’ve proven to everyone in the industry that they’re a force to be reckoned with – even more when the Kindle Fire currently occupies the number two spot right behind the iPad in terms of market share. Well people, they’re back with an even better model with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which is gunning to continue their success since it’s packing a wallop at only $200. We’ll get into the details soon about that, but for right now, let’s find out how Amazon fares this time around.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable (no charger included)
• Getting to know your Kindle Guide

Design:

So what can we say about the Amazon Kindle Fire HD’s design? For starters, it doesn’t break the mold in any bit, since it’s merely just like another other 7-inch slab out there on the market. Nonetheless, it’s undoubtedly appreciable and more favorable than the original Kindle Fire. Donning a matte soft touch exterior, it maintains a very clean appearance – while the metallic strip in the rear adds a tiny bit of character. However, despite its rounded edges, the tablet’s wide figure in portrait makes it rather challenging to hold with one hand. In all honesty, especially with its $200 price point, we really can’t complain about its design.




Unlike their first try, Amazon has blessed the Kindle Fire HD with a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, that’s mainly reserved for video chatting services like Skype, which is preloaded from the get-go. Sorry people, there’s no camera app to snap self-portraits.



Towards the right edge of the tablet, we’re presented with its 3.5mm headset jack, separated volume controls, and dedicated power button. Unfortunately, it’s ridiculously difficult to feel out its volume controls and power button since they’re flush to the surface. Luckily, we’re happy to report they have springy responses when pressed.

In addition to the microUSB port found on the tablet, which is provides for charging and data connectivity, Amazon is kind enough to also include a microHDMI port for a mirrored experience. To tell you the truth, that’s a surprising item to find for a $200 tablet.



Even though we’re grateful to find a front-facing camera, there’s still no rear-facing camera with this one – nor is there any expandable memory. However, it features left and right speakers that are incorporated into the metallic strip of the tablet.



Display:

Sizing up at 7-inches once again, that’s the only relationship the Kindle Fire HD has with Amazon’s first Android-based tablet. Donning an IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, it’s undeniably sharper in every respect over its sibling – both in the detail and color department. Naturally, its pixel density of 216 ppi is ample enough for us to distinguish even the most miniscule of text, and at the same time, it simply boasts a high-contrast appearance combined with a rich color production to make it one attractive package. Yet, we do notice just a hint of bleeding around the outer edges, but it doesn’t prove to be of any hindrance. Overall, it’s a satisfying improvement that’s viewable in outdoor sessions with the sun present.

Interface and Functionality:

On the surface, there isn’t much of a visual change with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD’s interface, seeing that it’s identical to what we’ve seen already with the original Kindle Fire. Underneath it all, it’s running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – though, you really can’t tell by just browsing around since it’s heavily skinned. It also lacks the core Google apps such as the Play Store, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube.

Personalization is still non-existent with this tablet, and just like before, the main item we’re greeted to on the homescreen is again the same 3D carousel of recently accessed items. Of course, we can access specific apps by selecting any of the categories listed on the homescreen – while, the notifications panel is still unchanged.



However, there’s one wildcard that Amazon has hidden under its sleeves – advertisements! Since this is Amazon that we’re talking about, we’re not all that surprised to find them advertising a variety of different content (like products and movies) to us directly from the lock screen. Needless to say, it fits into Amazon’s culture perfectly, as some people can be tempted to buy something impulsively with the nudge of the advertisements. Overall, the experience pales in comparison to what we find with the stock Android, but then again, it’s Amazon’s way of differentiating themselves.



Honestly, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a content driven tablet device – with productivity being more on the backburner. With that, it’s no surprise that we’re given only a small handful of organizer apps out of the box. Essentially, we find things like the Contacts, Calendar, and Email apps, which are pretty basic as they can get. All in all, they’re usable for the most part, but they don’t offer the same level of complexity and control as its full-blown Android counterparts.



In portrait, there isn’t much of a problem typing away on its on-screen keyboard – mainly because it’s responsive and that our thumbs encompass its entire layout. Conversely, it’s more challenging to use the landscape option due to its cramped confines, which makes us more cautious with our approach.



Processor and Memory:

By now, we all know that the Google Nexus 7 has set the expectation for $200 priced tablets, considering it’s running a quad-core processor under the hood. However, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD decides to pack instead a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 ARM Cortex-A9 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. Seriously, we can’t complain much about it, since it performs admirably with a variety of real-world operations – while also running graphically intensive games with little slowdown or lag.

As we’ve seen already, Amazon is really pushing for cloud storage with its tablet, but this time around, they’ve graced the Kindle Fire HD with a modest 16GB of internal storage, which is double the amount over the original Kindle Fire or the $200 Nexus 7.

Internet and Connectivity:

Certainly knowing it’s able to execute most operations with little fluff, we’re greeted with a smooth web surfing experience with the Kindle Fire HD’s Silk web browser. Even though it’s aided with some server-side processing, which is purported to offer speedy page loads, we don’t actually notice a commanding improvement over other tablets. Regardless of that, we’re more content to know that it loads pages relatively quick – with navigational controls being on the responsive for the most part. Actually, there’s a minute amount of jerkiness with its movement, but it’s never to the point intrusive.



Currently, the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD is available in 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi form only. Interestingly, it lacks some other modern conveniences like a GPS receiver, but it still offers Bluetooth connectivity.

Camera:

Outfitted with only a front-facing camera, which is stated as being an HD one, it’s mainly reserved for video-chatting. Needless to say, it’s sufficient enough for the task, but there’s no dedicated app for snapping self-portraits of yourself. In the end, it’s a nice addition to find with the Amazon Kindle Fire – especially when the original model omitted it.

Multimedia:

Looking over the music player on the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which also happens to sync purchased songs from Amazon, there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary with its presentation. Commanding a decent amount of presence, its stereo speakers pump out some serious tones that are blistering with a lot of substance – and that’s without any distortion as well!



Rather than having to download a third party app to watch videos that are stored locally, the Kindle Fire HD now offers a native app, which happens to support a wide array of codecs. In fact, it’s able to play our test video that’s encoded in MPEG-4 1920 x 1080 resolution. Moving swiftly with plenty of clarity, its bright output and vibrant color production seemingly complements the experience.



Showing its flexibility in the multimedia department, there’s a microHDMI port that provides the comforts of having a mirrored experience on a high-definition television. Therefore, if you want to watch some of the available content from the Amazon Prime Instant Video service on your TV, you’ll be able to do just that.

Battery:

Between mixed light usage consisting of web surfing and emailing, battery life is adequate enough to power us through a solid one day of usage – so it’s pretty much in line to other 7-inchers out there. Factoring in all of the elements in play, like its high-res display and 1.2GHz dual-core processor, we’re pretty content with the amount of time we’re able to get out of a single charge.


Conclusion:

Looking at the next year ahead, Amazon has something to be happy about since it now has an established consumer base in the tablet industry, which is especially intriguing knowing that they had none of the pie a year ago. With its new Kindle Fire HD tablet, it’s almost certain they’ll continue to reap the benefits of success seeing that it packs a considerable amount of value at $200. Throw in some personalized advertisements that somehow seem to tickle our impulsive actions to buy, it seems poised to grow Amazon’s already existing grasp in the general retail world.

However, as a tablet that’s competing in the market, it’s a hard sell when we know that Google’s very own Nexus 7 has upped the ante in the super affordable tablet category., offering quad-core Tegra 3 processor and unpersonalized Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. With the experience, the average consumer isn’t going to nitpick it whatsoever – partly because the basics and essentials are all there to get them by. Therefore, if you live, sleep, and dream about Amazon’s extensive ecosystem, you should pounce on the chance to pick up the Kindle Fire HD. Otherwise, if you’re not too involved with it, there are other alternatives that prove to be more engrossing.

Software version of the reviewed unit: 7.1.5_user_1534720

Amazon Kindle Fire HD Video Review: