- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Amazon Kindle Fire HD
- 8.9"
- 32 GB
- WiFi 3G
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Released November, 2012
Rated 83% by by c|net (Nov, 2012)Its larger, higher-resolution screen better facilitates Amazon's still-new Kindle Fire interface, and its faster processor makes for a much smoother and zippier experience than what its 7-inch counterpart delivered.
Conclusion Check out the Amazon Kindle Fire HD
First reviewed November, 2012
Features Key features of the Amazon Kindle Fire HD
8.9”
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Its size is large enough to discard mobile sites in favour of the full-fat versions, and the capacitive screen is extremely responsive and allows multi-touch gestures.
screen size
8.9"
7"
7"
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Sep, 2012)Images and text are sharper thanks to the higher resolution and higher contrast of the screen.
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Nov, 2012)Everything just looks a bit sharper and cleaner here compared with the Nexus 7's still-great screen, and when viewed from extremely wide angles, the Fire HD's screen better retains its brightness, color integrity, and contrast ratio.
screen resolution
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Nov, 2012)The 7-inch version of the Kindle Fire HD features an in-plane switching (IPS) screen, running at a 1,280x800-pixel resolution.
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Nov, 2012)While the iPad Mini carries with it the trump card advantage of Apple's ecosystem and industry-leading App Store, the Fire HD 8.9’s lower pricing, superior streaming capability, and higher-resolution screen make it a better deal if you’re looking for a media consumption device.
processor
Kindle Fire HD by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Its processor is a dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP 4460 chip, and there's 1GB of RAM on-board.
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Nov, 2012)As a larger tablet, the Fire HD 8.9 better facilitates the Kindle Fire’s new operating system and its faster processor produces much smoother navigation.
Performance Real world tests of Amazon Kindle Fire HD
cpu speed
Kindle Fire HD by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)It's a solid upgrade to the original Kindle Fire, with a superior screen and faster processor.
Kindle Fire HD by c|net (Nov, 2012)Riptide does have optimizations specific to the Nexus 7's Tegra 3 processor, but my understanding is that those are for graphical effects, and do not directly address frame rate.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Capacitive -
254 ppi -
1920 x 1200 -
Nov, 2012 -
be online anywhere that has cell coverage -
1.5 GHz -
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich -
Detects movement for interactive apps -
bypass PIN entry, easier to unlock with one hand -
use multiple fingers at once for more complex interactions -
Can be operated hands free
cons
-
Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash -
Poorer input sound quality
Reviews Word on the street
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 |  Rated by 611 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by L.-Patterson--graphic-designer (Dec, 2012) Rated 100% by by L.-Patterson--graphic-designer (Dec, 2012) Rated 20% by by Brian-K.-Williamson |
Screen
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)This is a mid-grade screen, with whites looking a little off - a little yellowish - but performance for the price is excellent.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 83% by by c|net (Nov, 2012)On the 8.9, images and text are even sharper, thanks its 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution and high contrast.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Text looks pretty sharp on the Kindle Fire HD's screen, although the stark black-on-white of the ereader app's page shows off that whites are just slightly off-white on the IPS screen.
Apps
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)The Kindle Fire HD interface is based around a carousel of content, with a heavy focus on the various Amazon-owned portals - the Kindle book store, LoveFilm movie streaming and the Amazon MP3 store and cloud music service.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)It's affordable, it's portable and it gives you easy access to the expansive worlds of music, video and literary content that Amazon owns.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)The music player is split into two sections, "Device" and "Cloud.
Music
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Songs are streamed at 256kbps, which may well be higher-quality than some of your own files.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)As with movie-watching, Amazon really wants you to embrace its own music services when you use the Kindle Fire HD.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)You can match-up 250 of your own songs for free, or pay £21.99 a year to import up to 250,000.
Battery
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 83% by by c|net (Nov, 2012)Look for more definitive battery life results once CNET Labs has a chance to put the tablet through its paces.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)It's non-removable and charges using a microUSB cable.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)Amazon says that it'll last for up to 11 hours off a charge, and our testing was generally consistent will this level of performance.
Type
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)It's also not as smooth or lag-free as Android Jelly Bean or iOS.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)It lacks those systems' speed and immediacy, possibly in part because it's based on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which isn't as snappy as the later Jelly Bean edition.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Oct, 2012)This combo doesn't quite provide as much power as the Tegra 3 processor of the Google Nexus 7, but is a decent spec for an Android-based system.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Google Nexus 10 OK operating system Google Nexus 10 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 3 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 OK sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 4 | Kobo Arc Longest battery life Kobo Arc vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 5 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 4-way tie: Supported card formats Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 6 | BlackBerry PlayBook Really high resolution front camera BlackBerry PlayBook vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1" 2-way tie: Biggest screen Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1" vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
 | 8 | Asus MeMO Pad Newest on the market Asus MeMO Pad vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
November 25, 2012
Which device is easier to use? Will the kobo download all ebooks
I have an iPad but want something smaller( not an iPad mini) to read on and play but smaller in size than iPad. I can't decide between an arc or finale fire HD. I'm looking at 16gb model
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March 30, 2013
Infinity has a speed of 1.33Ghz?
Transformer Infinity TF700 has a 1.6Ghz @ 4 cores 1.7Ghz @ 1core?
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How do you send a message on fire hd?
Tell us more! Can you give any other details that would help someone answer your question? i have a kindle 3g keyboard. i would like to get the fire hd to see movies and to send emails notes...
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