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Should I Buy Kindle Fire HD - Is It Worth It?

Updated on May 24, 2013
Read on to see if this new tablet is worth a look.
Read on to see if this new tablet is worth a look. | Source

Is Kindle Fire HD Worth It?

If you are wondering whether or not the new Kindle Fire HD is worth an upgrade, there are some important things that you need to know about this new generation of Kindle.

The original Kindle Fire was a huge success with millions of units sold, and it offered super function for a very low price. However, the tablet left many consumers wanting more. Among the primary complaints were the lack of a camera, the sound quality, no removable memory, and the overall speed and perforance.

Read more below about what Kindle has done to address these issues to make Kindle Fire HD worth another look.

Tablet With Great Speakers and Audio

The new version of Fire has taken a leap forward when it comes to sound. In fact, this tablet computer is now among the best sounding devices on the market - so good that you shouldn't concern yourself with any external speaker source.

Included in this model is exceptional Dolby digital audio that is capable of producing a surround sound experience without all of the speakers and automatically adjusting the sound quality to be the best if can be for music, movies, or video calls.

This is no wimpy tablet speaker set either. With dual-driver stereo speakers the unit puts out sound, even with deep base, that would seem impossible. Kindle Fire HD hits this one out of the ballpark.

Does Kindle Fire HD Have a Camera?

Unlike the original Fire, the Kindle Fire HD does have a camera and does indeed take pictures. In fact, the front facing HD camera is pretty nice and it will make cool things like video calls very easy. The tablet was built to work well with Skype video calls so now you can communicate with someone around the world easily with this device.

There is still no rear facing camera (the one that would point away from you), but we always think even a small digital camera, if not a DSLR, is the best best for photography.

Kindle Fire HD Removable Memory

Memory is really important in a tablet since it's not simple to just pop open the case and add more space like it is on a desktop computer. The original Fire had no memory card slot since Amazon believed that consumers would be content with their (admittedly excellent) cloud-based storage of all of their favorite movies and music. But consumers wanted more.

The Kindle Fire HD has not added the card slot, but it did dramatically increase the potential for onboard storage. You still get unlimited space on the cloud for your Amazon content, but now can choose between 16GB or 32GB or memory under the hood. That will take you much farther than the 8GB that the prior version had. It's not an SD card slot, but it's a great improvement.

If you have no idea what 1GB of memory really means to you, here is an example. A high definition movie of typical size can take up to 2GB of space, and a 2GB music player can typically hold 400 or more songs. So, you could expect to get a handful of HD movies on the device - plenty for your next trip.

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What About the Speed?

Speed is another key feature of a table that makes it fun to use, especially when you plan to stream media like HD movies or digital audio through it. The Kindle Fire HD uses a dual-band and dual-antenna for its Wi-Fi connection which offers much greater performance than the old standard. This not only means that the speed is better, you will even be able to venture further away from a hotspot and still get a connection.

The processor is HD-ready and has a 3D graphics core for peak performance. This makes everything run better and makes the screen more responsive. The HD still isn't the fastest tablet on the market, but it is really good.

Is a Tablet Upgrade Worth It?

With improved sound and performance and a front-facing camera, the HD is a step up.

How did it do in moving up from the original? The front-facing camera is huge for staying in touch with grandma from afar or with a spouse on the road. The added speed and smoothness achieved with the improved processor is a welcome touch. We still want the memory card slot, but Amazon Prime is excellent and the option for 4 times more memory than the initial version is huge. Finally, the sound is as good as it gets in this niche, so we love to watch shows and movies or play our favorite tunes.

All in all, the Kindle Fire HD seems to have accomplished its goal of making this next version worth the upgrade.

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