Kindle Fire HD 8.9
- Reviewed by
- November 7, 2013
Since its launch two years ago, the Kindle Fire has developed a reputation as a budget tablet. The mostly plastic construction and the low price (Kindle Fire pricing starts at $139 for the cheapest 7-incher) give it the whiff of a second-tier device, especially compared to the iPad’s sleek aluminum body.
Instead of competing on looks or design, the Kindle Fire has traditionally gone for utility. It’s
a vehicle for shopping and consuming stuff on Amazon, designed inside and out to allow you to easily buy everything you could possibly want or need from the online retailer. It’s cheap, accessible, and easy to use. It’s a great device for families with kids. So while it may not be beautiful, it delivers the goods, which is all it’s built to do.
The new high-end Kindle Fires — both the 7-inch HDX released last month, and this new 8.9-inch HDX hitting the market today — show that Amazon is no longer interested in skimping on its mobile hardware. This larger version of the Kindle Fire in particular is not a second-tier tablet in any way. It uses best-in-class components, and its bod ain’t too shabby, either.
The new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX borrows many of the same industrial design cues from its little brother. The light weight and the faceted plastic back make it easier to hold than the previous model of the Fire, as well as many other tablets on the market. And even though it’s sleeker and meaner, it’s still a bargain among 9-inchers. Pricing starts at $379 for the 16GB version, and tops out at $494 for the 64GB, ad-free version.
The big hardware letdown is the rear-facing camera. Although that shouldn’t be a surprise, as the cameras found in nearly all tablets are borderline worthless. It takes photos quickly, but they are grainy and don’t come close to any photos shot with a smartphone made within the last four years. This is disappointing because the on-tablet photo editor is actually quite fun to use. In addition to the usual image adjustments, you can draw on photos, add text, add stickers, and create meme-style graphics. And while you and I may laugh at people taking photos with a 9-inch tablet, a lot of people will really use this camera — especially with the editing software. So it’s a shame the sensor isn’t very good.
The other issue is one that’s plagued the Kindle line since its inception: its forked Android lineage. Yes, the Fire OS runs Android apps. But Amazon would like you to purchase those apps from Amazon’s app store. There’s no Google Play store access. You can side-load apps, but it’s a pain, and it’s unlikely most consumers will go through the trouble.
But if you’re a faithful Amazon customer looking for something more substantial than the 7-inch Fire, the lightweight 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX is the tablet to consider. The bigger screen is worth the extra money, and you don’t lose any performance, just some portability. And even though it’s more expensive than its smaller kin, it’s still a great value among full-size tablet options.
ll photos by Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
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