The Amazon Kindle Fire never lit the world on fire with any of its offerings. It has always been considered to a pretty solid device but hasn’t gotten the traction. The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX might be the one that really gets the fire stoked, though. Announced today, the newest tablet from Amazon comes with some impressive internals that should bring equally impressive performance to users. This could be Amazon’s best chance to bite into some of the market share of the big names, and there’s perhaps no name bigger in mobile devices than Apple. Does the Kindle Fire HDX have enough to knock off the iPad Mini this holiday season? We put the two side-by-side for a spec showdown to find out.
iPad Mini |
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX |
|
| Size | 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.3 (in) | 7.32 x 5.04 x 0.35 (in) |
| Weight | 11 oz | 10.97 oz |
| Screen | 7.9-inch LCD | 7-inch LCD |
| Resolution | 1024 x 768 pixels | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| OS | iOS 6 | Android 4.2 with Fire OS 3.0 UI |
| Storage | 16GB | 16/32/64GB |
| SD Card Slot | No | No |
| Processor | Dual-core A5 | 2.2GHz Quad-cord Snapdragon 800 |
| RAM | 512MB | 2GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, 4G LTE | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, 4G LTE |
| Camera | Front 1.2MP, Rear 5MP | Front Camera with 720p recording |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.0 | Yes, version 4.0 |
| Battery | 4,440mAh (10 hours of use) | 11 hours of use |
| Charger | Lightning connector | Micro USB |
| Marketplace | Apple App Store | Amazon Appstore |
| Price | $330+ | $230+ |
| Availability | Verizon, AT&T, Sprint | October 18, 2013 |
The iPad Mini comes from a more impressive legacy than the Amazon Kindle HDX thanks to the successes of Apple tablets that came before it. But looking at the specs, the Amazon Kindle HDX looks like the more impressive device. The iPad Mini has always felt a little underwhelming, lacking the Retina display present on later models of the larger iPads, and was a very safe entry into the 7-inch tablet category for Apple. Amazon has been in that market for a while and the Kindle HDX looks like it’s the company’s best chance so far to have a hit. It has a powerful chipset and 2GB of RAM acting as its driving force and has what appears will be a gorgeous display. It does seem to be missing a rear camera and could suffer some loss of love from Android fans because of the Fire OS user interface and lack of access to the Google Play Store for apps, but it’s still packing an impressive punch for $230, or $100 less than Apple’s iPad Mini, though the Apple ecosystem and its huge collection of apps might justify the difference for some.
An interesting showdown between these devices that won’t take place in the specs is the customer support. Apple has long been considered one of the better companies when it comes to helping their customers and its in part thanks to their Genius Bar, the collection of people behind the desk at the Apple Store that will walk you through any issue you might be having. Amazon Kindle HDX has that service built right into the device with a 24/7 help menu called Mayday. It could make the Kindle HDX the go-to option for the less tech-savvy, a market that its price point also helps reach.
How well the Mayday feature truly works, we’ll have to wait and see. But starting October 18, 2013, it looks as though Amazon will be giving Apple and all other tablet makers a run for their money.
