Amazon Officially Announces New Kindle Fire HD & Kindle Fire HDX Models

dgstorm

Editor in Chief
Staff member
Jan 5, 2011
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For months we have seen rumor upon rumor and leak after leak regarding the next-generation Kindle-Fire HD products. Now Amazon decided to quell all of the speculation and innuendo with a full, official reveal. One of the most surprising new additions to the lineup is that they have revamped their "skinned" version of Android and now have their own name for the customized OS. They call it, Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito.” We will do a separate article with more details on this new development.

In the mean-time, here's the full skinny on their new tablet products.

First up we have their base model and most affordable product in the lineup, the Kindle Fire HD. This is the replacement for the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. With the launch of this new product we also have a statement from Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. He said, “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.”

The pricing actually varies a bit for all of the models. Amazon will be offering a version in each storage category which will display ad supported special offers and specific screensavers on the lock screen. This will be the discounted model, while a model without the "special offers" will be a bit more. Here's a price breakdown for the two models of the Kindle Fire HD: The 8GB model with special offers is $139, but without special offers is $154. The 16GB model with special offers is $169, but without special offers it is $184.

Here's the spec and feature breakdown:
  • 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)
The next products we have in their lineup are the new higher-end fare. Amazon announced the Kindle Fire HDX series. They have the same specs except for differing screen sizes (with corresponding resolutions), different battery life and different cameras. Here's the scoop,
  • The 7-inch model has 1920 x 1200 resolution
  • The 8.9-inch model has 2560 x 1600 resolution
  • 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
  • 7-inch model has only a front camera, but the 8.9-inch has an 8MP rear camera too
  • The 7-inch model promises 11 hours of mixed use on battery and the 8.9-inch gets 12 hours of mixed use
Here's the full price breakdown of the new HDX lineup, including the differences with and without the "special offers":

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
You can already get these on a pre-order at Amazon. The Kindle Fire HD is launching October 2nd. The date of availability for the HDX 7-inch is October 18th for WiFi and November 14th for the 4G option. The HDX 8.9 will be coming November 7th for the WiFi edition and December 10th for the 4G LTE.

Head on over to Amazon for more info: Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more via Kindle-FireForum
 

edap

Senior Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,120
106
Hardware wise, these Amazon tablets are becoming much more promising choices so long as your heavily invested in Amazon’s ecosystem and take advantage of all their Prime membership benefits.
 

edap

Senior Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,120
106
Many of these juiced-up new tablets sport a unique video help desk feature that Kindle hopes will give it a leg-up over Apple Inc and Google Inc during the holiday season.
Kindle Fire HDX tablets feature what Amazon has called the "Mayday Button," a panic button that calls up a tech-support representative right on the screen, who can then tell a user how to operate the device or do it for them remotely.
The service, free for HDX customers, is Amazon's way of trying to stand out in an increasingly crowded field of devices that perform much the same functions.
 

loonamark

Member
Jul 10, 2013
16
3
Hmm my Nook Tablet is starting to feel dated after 2 years and on top of that I need something that will support streaming 1080p 5.1 surround sound 10+gb mkv movie files over DLNA which the nook chokes on badly it can barely handle 720p. Its fine if the tablet downmixes to stereo tho so that is no problem since I would probably be using headphones. On top of that the 7inch screen is a tad small for me so I am looking at the 8.9inch tablets which in this case is the Kindle Fire HDX sence the hd doesn't come in the 8.9inch size. Wondering if the 16gb 8.9 inch with wifi only would be able to handle my needs. I also use the nook for reading which not not a big deal for these things.
 

edap

Senior Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,120
106
I feel that the 'Mayday' customer service feature, which is unique to Amazon, will be a huge help to mainstream users of the device. In my case, I won't have to call my son for tech support anymore. It will be available any day or hour, and Amazon is shooting for a maximum 15-second response time. Users will be able to move the video box around the screen as it suits them, and they won't be seen by the Amazon representative.
 

edap

Senior Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,120
106
UPDATE

The Kindle Fire HDX comes in both 7" and 8.9" variations, but only the smaller option is currently shipping. This lightweight device has an attractive 1920 x 1200 323 ppi display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM. It comes with either 16, 32, or 64GB of internal memory along with optional 4G LTE from AT&T or Verizon. Since this is a Kindle, you can get it with or without ads, depending on how much you're willing to spend. The lowest price offered is $229.
 
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