Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 Review

It’s been quite a year already, and thus far, we’ve seen plenty of movement in the always-competitive budget segment of the tablet market. Still fresh on our minds, the latest version of the Google Nexus 7 has shown us why it’s the tablet to beat in the space right now, as it boasts that fine combination of killer hardware that’s complemented by its equally outstanding price point.

With another year under its belt, electronic commerce giant Amazon is back with its latest budget level tablet in the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX – a force that intends to challenge Google’s very own offering. Backed with all the usual sort of hardware improvements and a higher resolution display, the Kindle Fire HDX is poised to give its competition something to worry about. However, the question that remains is whether it can actually provide consumers with a deeper, all-encompassing experience that can make us believe it’s as good as the full Android experience

Design

Amazon’s Kindle tablets have always been uninspiring to say the least with their designs, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering their price points. Although it’s sporting a new design and all, the Kindle Fire HDX remains in the same category as its predecessors before it – far from being cheapo like some of the inferior stuff out there, but still bland as a whole.

Breaking things up this time around, the Kindle Fire HDX sports beveled edges that contour around the sides of the rear casing to give it a prominent boxy look. It obviously gives the tablet its own unique look, but for the most part. Strangely enough, the top edge of the contour is adorned in a glossy plastic finish – whereas the rest of the body is comprised out of a soft touch matter finish, which does a good job in masking smudges and fingerprints.

Holding it, the beveled edges help to give it a comfortable feel in the hand, especially with two hands clasping it together, but it still requires a wider grip when it’s held in portrait with a single hand – more so than what we find with the Nexus 7.

Along the contoured beveled edges of the tablet, we spot its power button, volume controls, speaker grills, 3.5mm headset jack, and microUSB port. Even though the power button is a bit recessed, its placement is acceptable when holding the tablet in landscape – not so much though in portrait. And of course, this wouldn’t be a Kindle without the big “Amazon” logo splashed across the rear casing.

Interestingly, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX bears only a front-facing camera, which is mainly reserved for video-chatting services like Skype. Knowing that other comparable tablets sport rear cameras as well, it’s a little disappointing to know that Amazon refuses to step up to the plate with this. Sure, we’re not adamant about snapping photos with tablets, but the added convenience would be appreciated nonetheless.

Display

Not to be outdone, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX packs along a 7-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD display that no doubt makes it one of the sharper looking fellas in the space. Actually, it matches the Nexus 7’s resolution, which means that it delivers sharp visuals with its 323 ppi pixel density. Therefore, whether it’s near or far, everything simply comes off highly detailed to the eye – with no visible pixilation.

Details aside, this new LCD panel produces colors that are more lively (though cooler) than before, but best of all, the company has employed this new Dynamic Image Contrast system that enables it to adapt with indoor and outdoor usage. Essentially, in addition to modifying the brightness, it also adjusts the contrast to better make it suitable for the scenario. Frankly, we’re just humbled that it maintains its clarity in all viewing angles – plus still being visible outdoors with the sun present.

In the end, it’s no doubt sharp and proves to be visible in a variety of conditions, but as a whole, there’s nothing too out of the ordinary with this. Yes, we love that it matches the Nexus 7’s display, however, it doesn’t overstep it in any other way