We’d heard Amazon would be looking to update the Kindle Fire line with some new tablets, and the news has finally been made official. Amazon is announcing the new Kindle Fire HD, and a new class of Fire — dubbed the Kindle Fire HDX.
Kindle Fire HD
The former is the base model that Amazon will be pushing to those who want an affordable device that can access all of Amazon’s various services (such as video, Kindle eBooks, shopping, music, and more).
For just $139 (8GB model with offers), you’ll get the following specs:
- 7-inch 1280×800 display
- Dual-core 1.5GHz processor (60% faster than the original)
- 8GB or 16GB of internal storage
- Dual stereo speakers
- Dual-band WiFi
- 10 hours of battery life (mixed use)
- Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito” (based on Android)
"Two years ago, we revolutionized the tablet industry with the breakthrough $199 price point for tablets—now we’re doing it again with the$139 price point," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. This puts it right up against Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite in the pricing arena, an e-ink reader that doesn’t do nearly as much as the Fire line has been able to do.
Pricing here is a little less confusing to swallow, with only a few options to consider. Alongside the aforementioned baseline price of $139, you can get the 16GB model with offers for $169, the 8GB model without offers for $154, and the 16GB model without offers for $184.
Kindle Fire HDX 7″ and 8.9″
Since the HD line has now become standard for the baseline Kindle Fire models, Amazon had to find a new name for the tablets they’re bringing to the high-end of the spectrum. It’s the Kindle Fire HDX, and it comes in both 7-inch and 8.9-inch flavors.
Both models are nearly the same, though the 1920 x 1200 resolution on the 7-inch model is bested by the 2560 x 1600 on the 8.9-inch. Beyond that, both share a lot of the same characteristics:
- Quad-Core 2.2 GHz processor
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Dual-band, dual antenna MIMO WiFi
- Optional 4G LTE with AT&T or Verizon
- 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage
However, there are some other differences. The 7-inch model only has a front-facing camera, while the 8.9-inch’s model’s front camera is joined by an 8 megapixel rear camera. The battery life is also a bit different, with Amazon promising 11 hours of mixed usage on the 7-inch model and 12 hours of use on the 8.9-inch (17 hours and 18 hours when reading, respectively).
HDX Pricing
The HDX starts at $230, though that’s for the ad-supported 7-inch 16GB WiFi-only version Amazon likes to sell to keep costs down. There are a lot of different price points to take heed to, though, so let’s jump right into them:
7-inch HDX WiFi-only
- With offers – 16GB for $229, 32GB for $269, 64GB for $309
- Without offers – 16GB for $244, 32GB for $284, 64GB for $324
7-inch HDX WiFi + 4G
- With offers – 16GB for $329, 32GB for $369, 64GB for $409
- Without offers – 16GB for $344, 32GB for 384, 64GB for $424
8.9-inch HDX WiFi-only
- With offers – 16GB for $379, 32GB for $429, 64GB for $479
- Without offers – 16GB for $394, 32GB for $444, 64GB for $494
8.9-inch HDX WiFi + 4G
- With offers – 16GB for $479, 32GB for $529, 64GB for $579
- Without offers – 16GB for $494, 32GB for $544, 64GB for $594
Availability / Pre-order
Whew, that was a lot. There’s something here for everyone, so be sure to think long and hard about which one fits your needs and head to Amazon to place your order. They’re currently up for pre-order, with the Kindle Fire HD said to be launching October 2nd.
As for the the HDX 7-inch‘s earliest known date of availability, it’s October 18th for WiFi and November 14th for 4G. The HDX 8.9 is listed for November 7th with WiFi and December 10th with 4G LTE. Be sure to click the respective links above to be taken to their product pages, where you can then select which exact version you’re opting for. In for one?
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