Rather than using the tired bus analogy, let's just say that it's been a rather long wait for UK buyers to be offered the chance to buy a Kindle Fire. It was available in the US, but however tempting the price was, it wasn't possible to use one with a UK Amazon account. We've already reviewed the Fire HD, so now it's time to see which of the two is the better buy.
As with the Nexus 7 and Nook HD, Amazon's tablets are sold with little or no profit. The idea is that you'll buy content - books, music, films and more - from Amazon, meaning it still gets your money in the long run. See also: Group test: what's the best cheap tablet?
Kindle Fire vs Kindle Fire HD: Price
The Fire costs £129, making it £30 cheaper than the Fire HD. Bear in mind that both tablets will display 'special offers' on the lock screen unless you opt for the version without them - this bumps the price by £10.
The offers are basically adverts for books and MP3s. Some people might find these deals a handy way of grabbing a bargain, while others might be annoyed by them. We've heard reports of users complaining that their tablet turns on from standby to display these offers, although it didn't happen during our time with them.
Kindle Fire vs Kindle Fire HD: Design
The Fire has thinner borders around the screen than the Fire HD, and looks less clunky and old fashioned. It still won't win any style awards, and it's not especially light at 400g - the same weight as the Fire HD, give or take.
The Fire measures 189 x 120 x 11.5mm, making it 17mm shorter and a fraction thicker. Its design is different to the Fire HD in that it's very similar to a traditional E-ink Kindle, and designed to be used in portrait mode.
Both speakers are at the top, with the power button on the bottom. On the Fire HD, the speakers are on either side in landscape mode, which is great for watching videos.
Oddly, the Fire has no physical volume buttons, which is an annoyance. Next to the power button is a micro USB connector for sync and charging, and a standard headphone jack.
Note that neither tablet comes with a mains charger - you have to buy this (the PowerFast) separately for £18 (although it was reduced to £9 when bought with the tablet at the time of writing). You can, of course, buy any USB charger which provides 5V at 1.8A.
Kindle Fire vs Kindle Fire HD: Screen
For £129 (only £20 more than a Kindle Paperwhite), the Kindle Fire is a 7in tablet with an IPS (in-plane switching) screen. This is the same type as used in iPads and means vibrant colours and wide viewing angles. The Kindle Fire's screen also happens to have great contrast.
The 1024x600 resolution is better than most tablets at this price, but everything looks noticeably fuzzier than on the Kindle Fire HD's 1280x800 screen (and much worse than the Nook HD's fantastic 1440x900 display).
You particularly notice the lower resolution when browsing the web, but for reading books and watching videos, it's fine. If your budget is strictly limited to £130, you won't be disappointed with the Fire's screen.
The other difference is that the Fire has only a two-point touchscreen, whereas the Fire HD can detect up to 10 fingers at once. This is of little consequence, though, since two fingers are all that's required for most things such as pinching to zoom.
Kindle Fire vs Kindle Fire HD: Storage
This is one of the Kindle Fire's weak areas. There's only one model, and it has 8GB of storage. After the OS and other system files are accounted for, there's around 5.5GB for your own stuff: apps, books, music, movies and photos. That's not a lot, and there's no memory card slot for adding more.
You get free cloud storage for all the content you buy from Amazon but it's hardly convenient to have to delete apps and other media from your tablet because you've run out of space locally.
With the Fire HD, you have a choice of 16GB or 32GB. Again, the user storage is a few GB less in each case, but it's really a no-brainer to spend the extra £30 for the 16GB model (the 32GB model isn't quite such good value at £199).
Kindle Fire vs Kindle Fire HD: Camera
If Skype is a priority, don't buy the Kindle Fire - it has no camera at all. The Fire HD has a 1.3Mp front-facing camera which can also record 720p video (if you download a third-party app which has this capability).
Next page: connectivity, software, performance, battery life and extras
