Is This Amazon's New Kindle Fire HD?
Amazon has completely redesigned the Kindle Fire HD tablets.
BGR has obtained photos of what appears to be the unannounced next-gen 7 inch Kindle Fire HD tablet that Amazon will supposedly reveal later this month. The pictures arrive by way of a "trusted source" and reveal an extensive design overhaul, ripping out the rounded shape on the back of the current models for a more angular design. The buttons have also been completely redesigned and reshuffled, and the stereo speakers are now located at the top-rear of the device.
The pictured 7 inch Kindle Fire HD device will reportedly feature a 1920 x 1200 display powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) SoC, possibly clocked at 2 GHz. The tablet will also include 2 GB of RAM, a front-facing camera, Wi-Fi connectivity and an optional cellular connectivity. Storage options will include 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB, and the forked OS will be based on Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean".
Not shown in the batch of pictures is the 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD model. This version will be updated with a 2560 x 1600 screen powered by the same specs offered in the 7 inch version, and will also include an additional 8MP camera on the back. Both tablets will be more comfortable to hold and lighter than the previous generations.
A third Kindle Fire 7 inch model will also be released to replace the current entry-level model, sporting a higher resolution of 1280 x 800 (the current model has a 1024 x 600 screen).
Sources claim that Amazon may stagger the tablet launches like it did last year, releasing the 7 inch models first and then the 8.9 inch version in November. Amazon revealed the Kindle Fire HD devices on September 6, 2012 and made them both available for pre-purchasing. The 7 inch tablet didn't become available until September 14 followed by the 8.9 inch model on November 20.
According to the screens, the volume buttons, power buttons and speakers appear to be mounted on the back, leaving the face of the tablet void of anything but the screen and the front-facing camera. So far this tablet design appears to be Amazon's best yet, especially with the Qualcomm chip and double the RAM. We're eager to see how these two tablets perform in benchmarks this fall.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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michael908 They are really being aggressive with their hardware now. I was looking for nice midsized tablet and they both look really nice if they are competitively priced.Reply -
back_by_demand Sure we are interested in corners, if they are rounded it could cost a billion dollarsReply -
wopr11 ....................................... YES IT IS! ...............................................Reply -
g00fysmiley power button, volume rocker adn speakers on the back... i get the speakers, but power button and volume ... pretty much going to have to buy a case for it then... setting it down might turn it off >_<Reply -
rwinches Wow, clicking on the source link for more pics is soooo difficult.Reply
http://bgr.com/gallery/exclusive-next-gen-amazon-kindle-fire-hd-photos/bgr-amazon-kindle-fire-2-1/ -
firefoxx04 I really like the Kindle fire HD I bought for my dad but I hate how restricted it is.. I guess I could install some modded firmware (or whatever they do) and run a regular android.Reply
Paid too much for it to ruin the warranty though. -
bryonhowley I had considered the Kindle Fire when I was looking for a small tablet but for me the lack of a micro-SD slot was a no starter. I ended up getting the Nook+ at Target for $149. Even though it is sold more as a e-reader than a tablet it is very easy to root and can be turned into a full tablet with no problem at all.Reply
For me not having a camera was not a big deal at all as I have a really nice camera in my phone anyway I do not need a 9" camera also. Had the Kindle had a sd slot I would have got one. -
joe gamer I have the current kindle fire HD 7 inch, there's no way I'll ever buy another Amazon tablet, the interface is fucking terrible. I've rooted it and added the play store but it is still a pain in the ass to use and nothing ever works quite right.Reply
The Good:
Amazon prime videos
Amazon Freetime kids app(videos)
The Bad:
Almost every app requires a kindle specific version
No play store
No customization
Limited storage
No SD card
Terrible interface
Fucking Ads everywhere
Inex-fucking-scusable:
On the kindle freetime app the kids books are locked into a 2 page landscape view with tiny little text. While I can read the text(barely) neither my daughter nor my mother are able to, "this is controlled by the publisher and there is no way to adjust it" great, so if you're young enough to read kids books you can't, and if your're old enough to read them to your grandchildren, well you can't do that either? How about a zoom feature, it's 2013 surely a zoom feature is possible right? "this is controlled by the publisher and there is no way to adjust it"...Fuck you Amazon...
Basically it plays video...Anything else has been neutered so badly that it's useless.