Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Versus iPad Mini 2 – The Final Showdown
So far, there hasn’t been a week without another rumor related to the release of a new Nexus tablet or of a new iPad min 2, each of them having a sharper screen built in. Regular clients adore the tiny tablets, as well as their Retina display, this is why we believe that the Retina display feature is one of the must haves of a mini tablet, and that the upcoming devices of this kind are not going to have any success if they won’t have a Retina display incorporated. However, people seem to forget easily about Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet which is medium sized, and has already a razor sharp display. In this article, we are going to compare Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and Apple iPad mini 2.
The Size
Amazon’s Kindle Fire 8.9 HD has a display a little bit bigger than its rival (an inch more than the rumored iPad Mini 2), and it is a little bit thicker and taller than the other tablet. Considering this, we can actually state that in terms of size it strays from the iPad mini 2, being more similar to the iPad.
The Kindle Fire is actually a light tablet, even though it is slightly thicker than the skinny iPad mini 2 .
The Weight
When it comes to their weight, we can declare the iPad mini 2 winner of this round as it will probably weigh aproximatly 300 g, while the Kindle Fire 8.9 HD has 567 g, almost two times heavier than the iPad Mini.
The Build
In this situation, the iPad mini wins the round again for having incorporated in its case more expensive materials such as anodized aluminium. However, the Kindle Fire isn’t too far behind considering that it has a very good grip and a solid build.
The Display
In this round, Apple’s iPad mini isn’t very strong. The size of its display it’s a plus with only 7.9 inches, but when it comes to the screen’s resolution, the iPad mini loses a few points because it isn’t endowed with the latest technology. Some of the texts or images you open with it might be fuzzy and unintelligible.
In the other corner stands the winner of this category, the Kindle Fire 8.9 HD endowed with one of the best displays available on the market right now. The razor sharp display of the Kindle Fire packs 254 pixels in every inch. Not to mention that the medium size of the display – 8.9 inches – is also a pretty good feature, being in between a full-size tablet and a mini- sized one.
The Processor
Since we’re talking about a battle between CPU’s we can state that the Kindle Fire’s HD 8.9 processor makes iPad mini’s 2 hide in shame, while it could devour it as a snack.
However, Apple’s integrated software and hardware is more updated than that of the Amazon’s Kindle Android technology which is behind with nearly a year and a half. We can say that thanks to this, the iPad mini 2 covers some of the lost ground in the processor battle.
Bottom line, if you want a fast and high performance from your tablet, you should go with the Kindle Fire.
The RAM
In this category, the Kindle Fire stands better. The internal memory of the Kindle is 1 GB, almost double than iPad’s mini, which packs only 512 MB of RAM.
The Storage
We can’t decide on this one. While the Wi-Fi only version of the Kindle Fire comes packing 16 GB and 32 GB storage, its LTE variant comes in models of 32 and 64 GB storage.
And, in the other corner we have the iPad mini 2 which will spread its storage methods in models of 16 GB, 32 GB and also 64 GB.
Wireless networking
The options you have in this category are Wi-Fi and LTE. The Kindle Fire HD is the only tablet sold by Amazon prepared for mobile data usage. And this, if you decide to go with the pricier version of the Kindle, the LTE model.
The incorporated cameras
While we’re here, we believe that a tablet is already too big for having an awesome camera built in. However, if you want you’re tablet to take quality photos, then you should definitely go with the iPad mini 2. While the iPad mini 2 has two cameras, one in the front of 1.2 MP and the rear one with 5MP, the Kindle Fire has only one in the front packing 1.3 MP, meaning you can only use the Kindle for photos of yourself and for video calls.
The battery life
Regarding this matter, the Kindle Fire’s HD battery is more powerful than that of the iPad mini. But considering the razor sharp display of the Kindle which would eat a lot more energy than the display of the iPad mini, we can say that evens up. Regardless to that, in regular usage both the Kindle and the iPad mini will last a full day.
The Software
The home screen of the Kindle Fire 8.9 HD is drew as a carousel, and most of the content it comes with is Amazon related, meaning not anyone could be a fan of that. Considering that, you should be a fan of the digital and retail services of the Amazon, if you consider buying the medium-sized tablet.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9′s cheapest model comes with some included offers, namely adds. Even though they don’t bother much and are located only on the lock screen, you can pay 15 american dollars to have them removed. The fee can be paid whether when you have your Kindle delivered or later.
On the other hand, Apple’s iPad mini 2 will be organized just as all the other iOS gadgets, meaning you get the familiar Apple software, Apple hardware and even the Apple App Store. As we all know by now, this combination has made a huge number of clients satisfied with this choice. Besides, with the iPad mini 2 you will also receive access to Apple’s library applications which are quite full of diverse content.
Start-up pricing
The start-up price for the Kindle Fire, the Wi-Fi only 16 GB model is 270 U.S. dollars, while the same version of the iPad mini 2 will cost around 330 U.S. dollars.
While the LTE model of the Kindle Fire starts at 400 US dollars, iPad mini’s LTE model starts at 460 US dollars.
Conclusions
Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is likely to be aiming at Apple’s full-size iPad with Retina display included, than it is at Apple’s iPad Mini 2. However, you must admit that this has been an enriching battle of specs.
If you find yourself to be at a crossroad between iPad’s 9.7 inch display and iPad mini’s 2 low resolution, then you should consider taking a look at Amazon’s Kindle Fire 8.9 HD, which brings a combo between medium sized display tablets and a sharp resolution.
As seen above, the software of the mini tablet and that of the medium-sized Kindle is quite different, and before deciding to go down with Amazon’s Android custom software you should make sure that it fits with what you need. However, many Amazon clients find the perfect balance within the Kindle. We all agree that its main specs such as life battery, display and performance are some of the best in the tablet market. Also, the price fits the merchandise.
If you would like to see more details on the matter, go ahead and check out the comparison we made between the Kindle Fire 8.9 HD and the full-sized iPad 4.
