REVIEW: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet
Our highest resolution, largest HD display. Designed for entertainment — perfect for web, apps, movies, games, and magazines
Name: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9
Type: Android tablet
Screen Size: 8.9 inches
Dimensions: 9.45 x 6.5 x 0.35 in
Weight: 20oz
Price: $269.00 16GB, $299.00 32GB
Amazon tends to release its new hardware first in the US, with a lengthy wait before other countries receive it. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9” has taken 6 months to arrive in the UK, trailing well behind its smaller 7 inches sibling the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, but despite the wait its still feels like both an up-to-date device and a keenly priced one.
The reason for this is its highly-detailed screen, with a huge 1,920x1,200 resolution. At 8.9 inches across it’s smaller than the 9.7 inches and 10 inches screens on the Apple iPad 4 and Google Nexus 10 respectively. Doing the maths it has an impressive 254 pixels per inch (PPI), which was indistinguishable to us from the iPad’s 264PPI or even the 300PPI on the Nexus 10.
Design Review
The rear of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is finished in soft-touch plastic for a finger-friendly feel, and the body feels dense and strong, rather than just heavy. If you’re after something that’s more portable than a standard 10.1-inch tablet you’re in the wrong place, though. The chunky screen bezel ensures that this isn’t a particularly small tablet.
It’s also practical rather than pretty. Amazon hasn’t tried to hide the seam that circles the tablet’s edge, bordering the rear and side of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. In addition, the on-body buttons are graceless while the glossy strip of plastic on the rear that holds the speaker grilles is quirky rather than elegant.
Stunning HD display
When it comes to HD displays, great resolution is just the start. Meanwhile, Kindle Fire HD delivers rich color and deep contrast from every angle, with an advanced polarizing filter and custom anti-glare technology.
Rich, immersive, video. Beautiful, vivid photos. Crisp, detailed text. You even can enjoy your favorite content on a large, beautiful 1920x1200 display, capable of playing movies and TV shows in up to 1080p high definition.
Most tablet displays are made up of two pieces of glass - an LCD on the bottom and a touch sensor on the top, separated by an air gap. With an air gap, light reflects off of every surface as it passes through from the front, creating multiple distracting reflections that reduce display contrast.
As we known that most tablet displays made up of two pieces of glass, an LCD on the bottom and a touch sensor on the top, separated by an air gap, creating multiple distracting reflections that may reduce display contrast. Kindle Fire HD try to solves the air gap problem by laminating the touch sensor and the LCD together into a single layer of glass, creating a display that's easy to view, even in overhead light.
Type: Android tablet
Amazon tends to release its new hardware first in the US, with a lengthy wait before other countries receive it. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9” has taken 6 months to arrive in the UK, trailing well behind its smaller 7 inches sibling the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, but despite the wait its still feels like both an up-to-date device and a keenly priced one.
The reason for this is its highly-detailed screen, with a huge 1,920x1,200 resolution. At 8.9 inches across it’s smaller than the 9.7 inches and 10 inches screens on the Apple iPad 4 and Google Nexus 10 respectively. Doing the maths it has an impressive 254 pixels per inch (PPI), which was indistinguishable to us from the iPad’s 264PPI or even the 300PPI on the Nexus 10.
It’s also practical rather than pretty. Amazon hasn’t tried to hide the seam that circles the tablet’s edge, bordering the rear and side of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. In addition, the on-body buttons are graceless while the glossy strip of plastic on the rear that holds the speaker grilles is quirky rather than elegant.
Speakers
The speakers are excellent, for a tablet, among the best we've heard
As well as a great screen, the new tablet also has great speakers. With Dolby audio support; dual stereo speakers, and auto-optimization software for clear, crisp, balanced audio, the stereo speakers sound far better the mono speaker on the iPad, though we prefer the forward-firing speakers on the Nexus 10, as they don’t get muffled when you place the tablet flat on a surface.
Connectivity
Kindle fire HD has Ultra-fast Wi-Fi
With this Kindle fire HD you will enjoy fewer dropped connections, more than 40% faster media streaming, and be able to go further from your wireless hotspot than with other tablets. Kindle Fire HD is capable of automatically switching between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequencies, which will allow you to use this less congested 5 GHz band for better range and less interference.
Software
Amazon takes Google's Android OS and comprehensively retools it with an all-new based on content carousels. The focus is more on Amazon's own MP3 and Kindle digital services along with video from its subsidiary, LoveFiLM, and while we can download further apps from Amazon's own store. Meanwhile, Lending Library for free, as frequently as a book a month, with no waiting and no due dates.
The Kindle Owners' Lending Library features over 270,000 titles, including all 7 Harry Potter books, and over 100 current and former New York Times best sellers. Kindle Owner also can enjoy unlimited, commercial-free streaming of over 35,000 popular movies and TV episodes such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Thor, Rango, The West Wing, Glee,SpongeBob SquarePants, and Parks and Recreation.
With over 20 million songs from thousands of artists, Amazon's MP3 music store is home to one of the largest music libraries on earth. Music you buy from Amazon is saved to the cloud for free, and you can play or download it anytime.
As with previous Kindle Fires, there’s nothing about the Fire HD 8.9 that Screams cheap!
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