The Amazon Kindle Fire: Benchmarked, Tested, And Reviewed

Meet Amazon's Kindle Fire

When Amazon announced it was going to produce a tablet, we weren't surprised. At some point, everyone knew that the company would expand beyond its e-reader base and jump onto the more functional tablet bandwagon. The question was always how far, exactly, Amazon would go in bridging the divide between its popular Kindle and successful tablets like Apple's iPad 2. After using the Kindle Fire for the last week, we can say it's probably not what you were expecting.

Let's start with what the Kindle Fire is not: it isn't an iPad killer. But that doesn't make it a bad product. In fact, that's not even a fair comparison, really. If you've already started reading reviews of the Fire, then you know this is a different beast intended for a different type of customer.

Physically, the Kindle Fire is hardly even comparable to the 10.1" tablets we've reviewed. It's 0.3" thick and weighs 0.89 pounds, making it thicker and heavier than many models with larger screens. The Fire's 7" display gives it a look similar to Research in Motion's smaller PlayBook.

Top to Bottom: Kindle 4th-gen, Kindle Fire, iPad 2, Xoom

Aside from the power button on the bottom of the Fire, Amazon's tablet is otherwise button-free. And while there's a headphone port, there is no dedicated volume control. The speakers are up along the top edge, and the whole tablet is surrounded by a rubberized plastic shell, similar to Toshiba's Thrive. The difference is that Amazon opted for a smooth finish, so it's easier to see fingerprint build-up.

Bottom (Left to Right): Headphone jack, microUSB port, power button

Top: Speakers

Even compared to 7" Android-based tablets, the Kindle Fire is still a completely different piece of hardware, intended to serve a unique purpose. Notably, it's missing a slew of features, including a GPS, front- and rear-facing cameras, and a microphone. That rules out video conferencing using Skype or mapping out directions to the bar across town. Clearly, when Amazon designed its Fire, it was going for a device more similar to its e-book readers.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
SpecificationsLengthWidthHeightScreen SizeResolutionAspect RatioWeight
Amazon Kindle Fire7.5"4.7"0.45"7"1024x60016:100.89 lb.
Apple iPad 2 (3G)9.5"7.31".34"9.7"1024x7684:31.33 lb.
Motorola Xoom9.86.6".5"10.1"1280x80016:101.5 lb.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.110.1"6.9"0.34"10.1"1280x80016:101.3 lb.

This makes sense, of course. The company's priority was never to replace your netbook, or even to give you a jaw-dropping tablet experience. Amazon makes its money by selling products and services, and its Kindle Fire makes it easier to consume both. If you're already a fan of Amazon's offerings, this is a tablet that caters to your base desires.

  • JeTJL
    Should of done other comparisons with Tablets around the Kindles Price range like the Coby Kyros. I personally don't have either the Kyros or the Kindle Fire. But recently My sister bought it and she is thoroughly enjoying it. I received a Ipad2 though because of the Academy at my School that I belong to and I'm quite pleased with it, even though I'm a big android fan.
    Reply
  • How do I win a Radeon 6990?
    Reply
  • acku
    9523250 said:
    How do I win a Radeon 6990?

    Ummm.... what? :heink: This is a Kindle Fire review.....

    Cheers,
    Andrew Ku
    TomsHardware.com
    Reply
  • Goldengoose
    ackuUmmm.... what? This is a Kindle Fire review.....Cheers,Andrew KuTomsHardware.comJust give him the 6990, the poor fellow just wants to play BF3.
    Reply
  • amk-aka-Phantom
    ackuUmmm.... what? This is a Kindle Fire review.....Cheers,Andrew KuTomsHardware.com
    Ever heard of bots? There're tons of those on Tom's nowadays.

    GoldengooseJust give him the 6990, the poor fellow just wants to play BF3.
    A GPU of a 560 Ti level maxes it out @ 1080p, no need for a 6990.

    Back to topic...

    Notably, it's missing a slew of features, including a GPS, front- and rear-facing cameras, and a microphone.

    ROFL, and who needs a tablet without all that? That's right, Amazon fanboys. That company is an utter POS that is not unlike Apple, designing underpowered useless products and delivering them as "innovative". The only "innovative" thing here is a complete dependency on the company's online services... oops, nevermind, Apple did it first :kaola:
    Reply
  • donovands
    Wait, what? Is there such a thing as an Amazon fanboy?
    Reply
  • donovands
    The iPad took a part of the market away from the PC, in the sense that there are folks out there who don't need the full functionality of a PC and the media consumption tablet gave them a device more suited for their needs. The same thing is happening here, if not as dramatically. The Fire may not have all the functionality of an iPad, but there's a lot of folks out there that will get the Fire *instead* of the iPad because it provides all the functionality they need. It isn't an iPad killer. But it *is* going to hurt iPad sales.
    Reply
  • SneakySnake
    I think it's hilarious how the best selling droid tab this year is completely closed off, limited, and controlled. Sounds familiar doesn't it :P

    And do not say "ya, but you can root it!!!". That's nice, people can jailbreak their iPads. You cannot include rooting and jailbreaking when you talk about something being open
    Reply
  • acku
    __-_-_-__"That rules out video conferencing using Skype or mapping out directions to the bar across town."There are some new devices called WEBCAM and bluetooth or usb GPS that would enable that. you might want to check this huge innovation. -.-
    The Fire doesn't have either of those things. Not going to work. You should check out the specs of the Fire first.
    Reply
  • BlackHawk91
    Actually this tablet surprised me, I didn't expect that much from the kindle fire.
    Reply