This little tablet is pretty much bottom of Amazon's tablet range and I love it! I've had several Kindle e-readers, my children have previous Kindle Fire 7" tablets, and I've also got a tablet from the top of Amazon's range (the 2013 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9") which I use a lot. They are all great if you've got a lot of Amazon content, so why am I so keen on this new smaller tablet? Well, it is the size that makes it a winner in my book. It is smaller, neater, fits into a smaller handbag or pocket, and much easier to hold with one hand, even for someone like me who has relatively small hands. It's very much like a paperback book in its form factor and that is, I think, why it works so well for reading. Some people won't like reading for extensive periods from a back-lit screen. I don't find it a problem (and there are four different background colours you can have white, green, black (with white text) and sepia) although for reading in bright sunlight you will be better off with an e-ink Kindle instead.
The screen quality isn't as sharp as my HDX but it is pretty good for both reading and video. By the way, some early reviews commented that BBC iPlayer wasn't available for this version of the Fire. I am pleased to report that it now is and it works well. If you like downloading videos, or if you are likely to use a lot of apps, I'd advise buying the 16GB version. Browsing the internet using Amazon's Silk browser is fine and I do like the updates to the email app which makes it easier to manage your messages e.g. by swiping to delete from the inbox list. The sound quality from the speaker is adequate and again nowhere near as good as my HDX, but actually that doesn't matter to me at all because I rarely play music using a tablet's built in speaker. Earphones or a bluetooth speaker always produce better results. It's great that Amazon have included a bluetooth connection in a budget tablet (the first Kindle fire didn't have it), and this can also be used to connect a wireless keyboard. Built in to the Fire's operating system is the ability to create Word, Excel and Powerpoint compatible files, so you could use this for productivity on the move with the addition of a separate keyboard. Finally, this tablet isn't the most speedy to respond. Again, not a patch on the super whizzy HDX. Once again, I don't care. In the grand scheme of things, having to wait a second or two more for my tablet to open an app or a book doesn't actually matter. A true first world problem! Battery life is fine, and unlike some previous tablets, Amazon are including the fast-charging adapter in the box which is great. Built in to the software is "Smart Suspend" which turns off the wifi when you aren't using your tablet to help preserve the battery and this certainly seems like a good idea.
So, to sum up, I love this tablet for its size and form factor. The build quality is also good as I have now come to expect from Amazon devices. I bought the black one and I've got it in the leather origami cover Standing Leather Case for Fire HD 6 (4th Generation) and it looks like a little leather bound note book. This would definitely be a recommended add-on purchase. By using components that are more than good enough for most people (rather than top of the range) and selling this at a very reasonable price, Amazon has created a bargain here and issued a real challenge to other manufacturers of budget tablets. There is still a place in my life for my larger, heavier, more expensive HDX, but most importantly, there is a place in my pocket for this little beauty!
Outstanding quality, amazing price!
I ordered this product mainly as I wanted to get myself a basic Kindle (my husband already owns one is very happy with it), and thought £20 more for the bonus of having an actual tablet is worth paying for. As a Kindle this is as good as I expected and more. The touch screen provides various ways of adjusting the screen/ font settings and makes it so much easier to navigate between pages and chapters when reading a book. I have used the Kindle for a few days now and still discovering new little tricks to may reading experience a better one. As a tablet I think is simply an outstanding product. The screen is super sharp, compared to my husband's new iPhone 6, I can barely make a difference in the quality. Web browsing is a bliss, pages load up quickly, the screen is sensitive and responsive. Amazon app store is very well organised and just as good as the iTunes store. We have had an iPad 3 for several years now, and I can honestly say when I use my Kindle I don't catch myself thinking I am using a substandard product. The android interface is pretty well organised and if I want to be picky, probably a tad more complicated than an Apple one, but that is a given I guess. On the whole functions are easy to find and logical. The screen allows for various ways of swiping which reveals different functions depending on what section you are in. I thought the short tutorial about making the best of your email usage that appeared when setting up my email was very useful and well presented. I have already set up my 4.5y old daughter with her own profile and uploaded a number of free game apps for her. The parental settings are very well thought out and allow for a much better control of content. I do like the fact that if my daughter is playing a free app, the advertorial links that often appear on them are blocked automatically, so she is not able to buy something by mistake (I know, I know she still needs to know my password, but extra security does not hurt). There is a possibility to set up and delete numerous profiles which makes the Kindle Fire HD a perfect children's tablet. £79 is a heck of a reasonable price for something is good. The 6inch screen is just right, both a e-reader and something I can drop in my handbag on the way out that allows for entertainment on the go. Personally I think that Amazon are on a winner with this product and the added bonus of unlimited Cloud storage elevates it to something that would be very difficult to match by their competitors. Well done!!
Top reviews from United Kingdom
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2014
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2014
I ordered this product mainly as I wanted to get myself a basic Kindle (my husband already owns one is very happy with it), and thought £20 more for the bonus of having an actual tablet is worth paying for.
As a Kindle this is as good as I expected and more. The touch screen provides various ways of adjusting the screen/ font settings and makes it so much easier to navigate between pages and chapters when reading a book. I have used the Kindle for a few days now and still discovering new little tricks to may reading experience a better one.
As a tablet I think is simply an outstanding product. The screen is super sharp, compared to my husband's new iPhone 6, I can barely make a difference in the quality. Web browsing is a bliss, pages load up quickly, the screen is sensitive and responsive. Amazon app store is very well organised and just as good as the iTunes store. We have had an iPad 3 for several years now, and I can honestly say when I use my Kindle I don't catch myself thinking I am using a substandard product.
The android interface is pretty well organised and if I want to be picky, probably a tad more complicated than an Apple one, but that is a given I guess. On the whole functions are easy to find and logical. The screen allows for various ways of swiping which reveals different functions depending on what section you are in. I thought the short tutorial about making the best of your email usage that appeared when setting up my email was very useful and well presented.
I have already set up my 4.5y old daughter with her own profile and uploaded a number of free game apps for her. The parental settings are very well thought out and allow for a much better control of content. I do like the fact that if my daughter is playing a free app, the advertorial links that often appear on them are blocked automatically, so she is not able to buy something by mistake (I know, I know she still needs to know my password, but extra security does not hurt). There is a possibility to set up and delete numerous profiles which makes the Kindle Fire HD a perfect children's tablet. £79 is a heck of a reasonable price for something is good. The 6inch screen is just right, both a e-reader and something I can drop in my handbag on the way out that allows for entertainment on the go.
Personally I think that Amazon are on a winner with this product and the added bonus of unlimited Cloud storage elevates it to something that would be very difficult to match by their competitors. Well done!!
Images in this review
