Kindle Fire HD versus iPad Mini : The Clash of Tablets

The first tablet which was able to make a good competitor for Apple’s iPad was the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s tablet which was released in 2011. Kindle Fire represents more affordable tablet, while iPad dominates the high end spectrum of the tablet market. Even though there has been no official announcement, there is a wide belief that iPad Mini will be announced during October. Comparing the rumored iPad Mini specs with Kindle Fire HD’s specs, we will try to answer the question : “Which device is better : Kindle Fire HD (which runs Android OS) or iPad (which  is supposed to run iOS 6).”

   

 Btw check out the Kindle Fire HD 8.9'' vs the iPad 3!

 

iPad Mini mockup

 Display, Connectivity and Prices

 The Kindle Fire HD is shipped in two variants : 7-inch variant (for $199) and 8.9-inch variant (for $299). 8.9-inch 4G LTE variant is also available, for $499. All variants come with 16 GB of internal storage and support dual-band Wi-Fi.  The 7-inch Fire HD has a 1200 x 800 resolution, which can record 720p videos and 8.9-inch version has 1900 x 1200 resolution, which can record 1080p videos. iPad Mini is believed to be a 7.85-inch device with 1024 x 768 resolution. It is also believed to support 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi. Its expected price is $249-$299.

 Processor Power

 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is powered with a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, 8.9-inch Fire HD is powered with a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU. Since it is still unknown if A6 chip will power iPad Mini, we can’t make a fair judgment on this field. 

Apple vs Amazon Appstore

 Kindle Fire HD has a very closed ecosystem – you can download apps only from Amazon’s Appstore, and there you can find 50,000 apps for Kindle Fire HD. Even though the device itself is pretty cheap, it is Amazon’s tactic to make money on other products. iPad Mini, on the other side, would have 225,000 specifically designed apps for iPad, and 600.000 apps on the App Store, and it could run all of them. 

 

Conclusion of the iPad Mini vs Kindle Fire HD debate (so far)

 Kindle Fire HD beats the rumored iPad Mini feature-to-feature, but both tablets have their bad and good sides. Kindle Fire HD’s most important advantage is the low price, and iPad Mini’s main advantage is that it is an Ipad. But, one thing is certain on the other side - Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch version has a great advantage over rumored iPad Mini.