It’s fair to say that the market is now saturated with tablets in various forms. While the cheaper models tend to be more basic and cater well for the budget consumer, high-end tablets have a number of new and innovative features that are worth checking out. Here, we’ll look at some of the pros and cons of the new Kindle Fire HD compared to popular Android tablets and iPads.
High Definition Display
The latest model from Amazon is labelled HD for high definition, and in this aspect the Kindle Fire HD is certainly an improvement on the older Kindle Fire. The new display of 1920×1200 pixels on the 8.9” tablet gives a pixel density of 254 ppi, while the 7” tablet offers 1280×800 and 216 ppi. Both are lower pixel densities than tablets such as the iPad Mini 2, with 2048×1536 and 326 ppi, and the Samsung Nexus 7, with 1920×1200 pixels and 323 ppi, but it’s still a good definition for reading and browsing – anything over 200 ppi is recommended. Screen glare has also been noticeably reduced.
More apps
Kindle Fire HD gives access to the entire range of Amazon digital content, including Kindle eBooks, MP3 downloads and a growing number of apps and games. Android tablets do have the edge on Kindle when it comes to the quantity of apps out there, and while the new Kindle Fire does run some Android apps it doesn’t run them all. The iPad Mini is even better, with a huge number of apps. Quality and quantity of apps is something that Amazon is continually working on to ensure that it can compete effectively.
Increased Power and Better Usability
The new Kindle Fire has been praised for its usability and responsiveness, which is good news as these were concerns with the original model. With more hardware power and improved software, the new Kindle Fire is satisfyingly quick to respond to user actions.
Cameras and Video Recording
The quality of cameras and video recording is arguably not as important for tablets as the top range of smartphones, but they are still useful features to be aware of. The new Kindle Fire 7” doesn’t have a camera, but the 8.9” model does. It’s still only a front-facing camera, while the new iPad Mini and Nexus 7 both have rear-facing cameras too.
In summary, the new Kindle Fire has a number of great features which are great improvements on older models and when compared with iPads and Android tablets, still stands up to stiff competition. If you’re not looking for something app-heavy or über-technical, it may be that the Kindle Fire HD ticks all the boxes you need.
Image by Zhao, used under Creative Comms license
