Amazon announced in late September arrival of the third generation of its Kindle Fire tablets: Kindle Fire new HDX with screen sizes of 7 “and 8.9″. These tablets were first sold in Spain during the month of November, the first version of 7 “and a week later the 8.9″
Kindle Fire tablets have always been known for offering good performance at an affordable price as well as a highly integrated interface with Amazon stores and digital content applications.
courtesy of Amazon, I had the opportunity to try out the Kindle Fire HDX 7 “for a few weeks and then I bring my impressions after a detailed analysis.
Index
- External appearance and design
- Screen
- Interface
- Multimedia
- Applications
- Price
Technical specifications and performance
Conclusions
and design
The Kindle Fire HDX has a design very similar to its predecessor , since it has a black plastic body with rectangular shape and rounded corners.
In my opinion it is not a particularly nice tablet, especially if you place it next to the iPad Air, but it apparently seems functional and durable. In fact it has experienced a slight fall during our analysis and has not suffered any damage.
is a small-sized tablet , as befits its screen size 7 “.
Its dimensions are 186 x 128 x 9 mm and its weight is 303 grams . Compared to its predecessor, the Kindle Fire HD, the new tablet has reduced its size, thickness and weight substantially.
When compared with other recent tablets such as the iPad Mini Retina or the Nexus 7 (2013), the dimensions and weight are similar, although the Kindle Fire remains the HDX thicker.
class=”row-1 odd”> class=”row-2 even”>Kindle Fire
| Model | Screen | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle Fire 7 “ | 7.0 “ | 193 x 137 x 10.3 | 395 gr. |
| HDX | 7.0 “ | 186 x 128 x 9 | 303 gr. |
| Nexus 7 | 7.0 “ | 198 x 120 x 10.45 | 340 gr. |
| Nexus 7 (2013) | 7.0 “ | 200 x 114 x 8.65 | 299 gr. |
| iPad Mini | 7.9 “ | 200 x 135 x 7.2 | 312 gr. |
| Mini iPad Retina | 7.9 “ | 200 x 135 x 7.5 | 331 gr. |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 | 8.0 “ | 210 x 124 x 7.4 | 319 gr |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 8.0 “ | 211 x 136 x 7.95 | 345 gr. |
front Kindle Fire HDX find no physical button or inscription, even the brand or model of tablet. The 7 “screen occupies most of the tablet and is surrounded by a black frame which coincides with when off. Above the screen you can see the camera in the center position.
back is the plastic cover with two different textures. Most plastic is built with rough finish for easy grip and prevents slipping, while found in the area above a horizontal strip of shiny and smooth plastic.
In the center of the back is embedded logo Amazon in shiny plastic. On the left, near the edge of the tablet, we can see the volume buttons, and the right are the power button too close to the edge.
Amazon has learned from his mistakes and the power buttons and volume of Kindle Fire HDX are much easier to press than the Kindle Fire HD. However remain somewhat difficult to locate the touch and is easy to confuse the volume controls to hold the tablet upside down horizontally.
latest top are two speakers, left and right, providing Dolby Digital Plus, as discussed below.
right edge only find the headphone jack, and the left edge have the micro-USB charging connector and PC connection. The Kindle Fire HDX has no HDMI port but the connection has to be made to the TV wirelessly using Miracast those TVs or devices that support it.
top and bottom edges Kindle Fire HDX are free of buttons and connectors, as shown in the following images.
HDX Kindle Fire is a light and easy to carry device Thanks to its small size and weight. Fits in any handbag and you can even carry in the pocket of some clothes. The device attaches great hands and conveys a sense of solidity to sustain it.
Screen
Kindle Fire
HDX incorporates an IPS LCD panel 7 “ which has increased its resolution regarding the Kindle Fire HD, from 1280 x 800 to 1920 x 1200 pixels and reaching a pixel density of 323 ppi .
high pixel density screen HDX Kindle Fire is one of its great strengths, as this tablet Nexus equal in sharpness to 7 (2013) and is close to the density of the Retina iPad Mini.
class=”row-1 odd”> class=”row-2 even”>| Model | Screen | Resolution | Technology | PPP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle Fire 7 “ | 7 “ | 1280 x 800 | IPS LCD | 216 |
| HDX Kindle Fire 7 “ | 7 “ | 1920 x 1200 | IPS LCD | 323 |
| Nexus 7 | 7 “ | 1280 x 800 | IPS LCD | 216 |
| Nexus 7 (2013) | 7 “ | 1920 x 1200 | IPS LCD | 323 |
| iPad Mini | 7.9 “ | 1280 x 768 | IPS LCD | 163 |
| Mini iPad Retina | 7.9 “ | 2048 x 1536 | IPS LCD | 326 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 | 8 “ | 1280 x 800 | Super Clear LCD | 189 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 8 “ | 1280 x 800 | TFT | 189 |
pixel density makes reading small text and makes browsing web pages is a highly recommended experience.
The screen technology Kindle Fire HDX shows a vivid and bright colors , a deep black and has some excellent viewing angles reproducing consistent color from any position.
Furthermore
Amazon says the Kindle Fire screen HDX uses dynamic contrast juste , which adjusts the color of each pixel based on the ambient lighting.
Another allegation is that Amazon has a perfect color reproduction by using blue LEDs instead of white LEDs.
However
this technology brings a negative side effect, since the edges of Kindle Fire escapes HDX some blue light that is seen when the screen background is white.
This has generated some controversy and Amazon has had to clarify that this is the normal behavior of the screen. In my case I notice this especially blue light on the left to read web pages or eBooks edge, but in practice it is not annoying and you get used.
Like the Kindle Fire HD, Amazon has managed to significantly reduce screen glare Kindle Fire HDX eliminating the space that usually exists between the touch sensor and the LCD screen.
definitely screen Kindle Fire HDX did me good impression . thanks to its excellent resolution, a bright picture, wide viewing angle and uniform color reproduction.
Technical specifications and performance
opted for Amazon Kindle Fire HDX by a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core 2.2GHz with Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB RAM .
is a very powerful technical characteristics at the height of the latest releases on tablets and high-end phones, and contribute to the interface and applications move very smoothly in this tablet.
HDX
Kindle Fire starts in less than 30 seconds and quickly awake when asleep. Turning the tablet, the screen rotates quickly even though we are playing a video with no noticeable slowdown.
Benchmark results are, as expected, quite spectacular compared to other tablets.
Geekbench benchmark 3 HDX Kindle Fire apart from other tablets with scores on a multi-core 889/2659 points mono / tests.
Quadrant benchmark , the Kindle Fire HDX get 20,034 points , an exceptional brand again.
browser testing Browsermak 2.0 , the Kindle Fire HDX get 2,029 points , below the Nexus 7 (2013).
SunSpider benchmark of JavaScript, Kindle Fire gets HDX finish tests 699 msec. , below other tablets (which in this test is better).
benchmark 3DMark , the Kindle Fire HDX has earned a very high score on the test Storn Ice Unlimited, and the other two (Ice Storm Ice Storm and Extreme) fall short of the power of this tablet.
Unfortunately we could not run the test AnTuTu as the test is never reached, probably completed by a compatibility issue.
As for games, I have had the opportunity to try several of them, like the action game The Amazing Spider-Man or car racing game Asphalt 8: Airborne 
HDX is available in versions with 16, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage . In our case we tested the 16GB version, which is somewhat low for a tablet, especially as you start to download games, movies, pictures and videos.
Since it is not possible to install an external memory card to expand the storage capacity, our recommendation for those you who are thinking about buying this device is that without think twice with 16 GB you will have enough .
Regarding supports Bluetooth connectivity and WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n dual band dual antenna.
speed test we have done, the Kindle Fire HDX achieved an excellent speed of 67.4 Mbps and 9.4 Mbps upload connection in a 100/10 fiber optic ONO.
In Spain Kindle Fire version of HDX with 3G/4G connectivity is not marketed, so to be able to use the Internet is necessary to have an access point Wi-Fi to connect .
Kindle Fire
HDX further includes a light sensor , accelerometer and gyroscope , but lacks GPS and NFC . These absences are not particularly worrisome given that a tablet is usually too large to use as a browser and use NFC not just become popular device.
webcam , located on the front, has a 720 HD resolution and is focused on videoconferencing as the Kindle Fire HDX even includes a camera application. The quality offered is acceptable , without being either no wonder.
Kindle FireHDX has two stereo speakers that support Dolby Digital Plus and are located on either side of the device when it is in landscape mode, providing maximum separation rightly speaker to watch movies or listen to music.
The sound emitted by the Kindle Fire HDX is powerful and clear . Unfortunately the speakers are located on the back, which makes the sound does not come with as much power as if they were in the front, and the sound is perceived somewhat distorted unless it rests on the back.
In our tests the battery performance has been very positive. Although Amazon does not provide information on the battery capacity, it has been difficult to ascertain which carries a 4,550 mAh . Amazon itself which states that the Kindle Fire HDX has an autonomy of 11 hours under normal use.
our test HD video playback indefinitely with maximum brightness, the Kindle Fire has endured HDX 7 hours and 22 minutes , virtually the same autonomy as the Nexus 7 (2013).
Kindle Fire interface HDX
impossible to guess that the Kindle Fire HDX internally runs Android 4.2.2 , since Amazon has addressed almost completely mask the Google operating system in the eyes of users with its layer Customization Fire OS 3.0 (known internally as Mojito).
HDX Kindle Fire does not show at all a typical desktop Android , where the user can place shortcuts to applications, folders and widgets , but the layer software included Amazon Android above limits completely customizing the tablet by the user and access to advanced features.
.Since
not fit the screen 10 options need to scroll horizontally to select the desired tab unless we’re in landscape mode. This is both cumbersome and, in our opinion would have been more comfortable display 10 small icons on the screen simultaneously.
The main menu also displays recently accessed content through a carousel icon. This content can be applications, web pages, books, pictures, etc.. and is constantly changing, so often you are moving forward and not backwards Carousel looking for a particular icon.
navigating this carousel, the central part of the screen shows related content when we are watching the tablet vertically. For example, to put us on the icon manager email, in part center are three icons access to “New Message” , “This week” and “Favorite Contacts” . In other cases, the Kindle Fire offers HDX purchase suggestions based on what other users have purchased who purchased the same content. This is definitely a good tactic to sell the company to the user Amazon products.
At the bottom we have icons that lead to important applications or other content on our tablet. We can scroll vertically to see more icons in this list, and may rearrange, delete or add new icons.
Since the Kindle Fire HDX has no physical buttons, all screens displayed in the bottom bar multiple virtual buttons , being the most common. Home, Back, Options, Search and Favorites
The lack of physical buttons is sometimes awkward as virtual buttons are not always displayed. For example, to see a full-screen apps, games, e-books or videos, the button bar is hidden and you need to press a small button on prior to said bar is displayed.
our review would have been more practical to include some physical buttons to be able to quickly access the main menu or previous page without having to multitap.
Amazon Kindle Fire has been added to a function HDX multi-task . Dragging your finger from the button bar is open applications recently. This works in any application and screen, making it very convenient to jump from application to application. Not as spectacular as the Task Manager Android and allows to run two applications simultaneously on the same screen, but serves its purpose.
By clicking on one of the shortcuts ten top , you enter the tab corresponding to that content.
Buy brings up a page where you can buy physical products on the Amazon store or digital products (Books, Apps, Music and Games).
Paragraphs Books, Music, Games and Applications pages lead us to where we can purchase new content for our Kindle Fire HDX and access our Library to view purchased content available on or above the device. The stores are well organized and it’s easy to purchase new content for our tablet.
tab Videos displays a list of the videos you have downloaded to the Kindle Fire HDX. In the U.S., where Amazon Instant Video streaming service movies and series available, this tab also allows access to the catalog of videos available on this platform. However, the Kindle Fire HDX have no way to rent or buy movies.
Web opens a web browser, which will be discussed later.
tabs photos and Records respectively show all the photos and documents we have on the device as well as those items available on Amazon Cloud Drive storage service content Amazon’s cloud.
Deals shows discounts for the purchase of products.
Given the high
Kindle Fire HDX integration with Amazon services shop, sometimes gives the impression that the device is constantly pushing acquire new content , either by recommending content purchased other users or showing shortcuts to go to the Amazon store.
Just as you can not add items to the desktop, is not possible to add or remove tabs . However Kindle Fire HDX includes the concept of Collections. Clicking on an icon you can choose “Add to collection” and create a new collection, which comes to a folder. You can also add icons to the home screen, as indicated above, in which case they appear at the bottom of it. Finally it is possible to add collections to the Start menu.
Some characteristic features of Android, as the notification bar , it does are present on the Kindle Fire HDX, but also has been customized by Amazon.
bar display, the top displays a list of shortcuts to common functions (automatic rotation, brightness, wireless networks, seamless mode, support and configuration) and then notifications are displayed as such.
In tests we performed we found that you can run normal applications that modify the notification bar.
virtual keyboard featuring Kindle Fire HDX duly fulfills its mission and even offers the ability to type words by dragging your finger across the letters (mode Swype ).
As was the case with the Kindle Fire HD, advanced users may feel frustrated by the limitations of personalization HDX Kindle Fire, which does not allow even change the wallpaper. However, for those less advanced users, the Kindle Fire tablet HDX is simple and can be used without any prior knowledge of Android.
Multimedia
As mentioned, one of the tabs you can access from the home screen is Music . Here we can see all the music you have on the device organized by playlists, artists, albums, songs, and genres.
The music player is pretty standard: the album cover shows ringing and offers the typical options for shuffle and repeat. If you click on the name of the artist, the Kindle Fire HDX leads to the Amazon store where we can buy more songs from the same interpreter.
Thanks to the rear speakers that has the Kindle Fire HDX the sound is pretty good. Obviously low not sound like a stereo, but it’s the best I’ve heard on a tablet.
Additionally it is possible
play music from the cloud , so buying the Apple music store as CloudPlayer using the service, which allows you to import your music collection from your computer to be available from anywhere .
Another
tabs which can be accessed is Videos , which allows you to view both videos you’ve recorded with the camera as others who have transferred to the device.
playback quality of the videos is excellent, thanks to the power of the tablet and the wonderful high-resolution screen that incorporates.
To test the compatibility video player with different formats to Kindle Fire have gone HDX to our usual battery of short videos and strange formats.
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class=”c15″> Birds.mkv class=”c15″> HDDVD.mkv class=”c15″> Monsters.mkv class=”c15″> Suzumiya.mkv class=”c15″> Matrix.mkv class=”c15″> Potter.mkv
| File | class=”c11″> Screen | class=”c11″> Codec | class=”c11″> Codif. | class=”c11″> Bitrate | class=”c11″> Audio | class=”c11″> Subs |
| class=”c15″> 1080 | class=”c15″> H.264 | class=”c15″> H@L4.1 | class=”c15″> 40 | class=”c15″> – | class=”c15″> – | |
| class=”c12″> 1080 | class=”c15″> VC1 | class=”c15″> L3 AP | class=”c15″> 18 | class=”c15″> AC3 | class=”c16″> – | |
| class=”c15″> 1080 | class=”c15″> H.264 | class=”c15″> H@L4.1 | class=”c15″> 10 | class=”c15″> DTS | class=”c15″> Yes | |
| class=”c15″> 720p | class=”c15″> H.264 | class=”c15″> H@L5.1 | class=”c15″> 3 | class=”c15″> Vorbis | class=”c15″> Yes | |
| class=”c15″> 480p | class=”c15″> XVID | class=”c15″> AS L5 | class=”c15″> 1 | class=”c15″> HE AAC | class=”c15″> Yes | |
| class=”c15″> 720p | class=”c15″> H.264 | class=”c15″> H@L3.1 | class=”c15″> 0.6 |
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