Kindle Fire HD vs Apple iPad mini, the specs battle
Kindle Fire HD versus Apple’s iPad Mini, which gadget will win the specs battle? They are both good products, in our opinion. And we’re comparing them below.
The first thing that attracts the attention of a gadget fan is the design of the device he wants to buy. The looks of both devices are great, but the Apple one has a lot more going on for it design-wise. They are very comfortable to use and light: the iPad Mini weighs 308 grams and the Fire HD is 395 grams. They also have the kind of body which can be grabbed without dropping it the next second. Amazon’s latest gadget is not very thin: compare its 7 mm x 2.3 mm x 10.3 mm to the 7.2 mm in thickness measured by the iPad Mini and you get the idea.
The processors
In the war of processors, results are tight. That’s due to the fact that Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD fares better when it’s about performing standard processing activity. The reason behind that is its 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor. The iPad Mini does not do well in this area, but it delivers better results when it’s time for a graphics showdown. Its 1GHz dual-core A5 CPU has the same great speed as the Amazon tablet for mundane activities. But if you want to play a demanding game, the the iPad mini is a better choice for a gamer.
Matters related to memory capacity are also torn in two. Apple’s newest tablet offers 16/32/64GB capacities. However, out of the two, the Kindle Fire HD is the poorest in this area: it comes with only 16 and 32GB for storage.
The display and the battery
The touchscreen installed on the Kindle Fire HD is so much better than what Apple got for its latest creation. Amazon chose a 7″ display for its tablet, which means a total of 1280 x 800 pixels. These values are close to perfection, because they are here to assure great quality when it comes to content. Apple’s iPad Mini sports a 7.9″ touchscreen; the resolution is made of 1024 x 768 pixels. This goes to show that you may have the bigger display, but that does not mean better-looking text, images, an astounding-looking game, clips and so on. Contrast ration on the iPad Mini is 4:3, whereas the same spec displayed by the Fire HD is superior: 16:10.
The Kindle Fire HD has a battery that can go on for around 8 hours. The battery that Apple implemented on their iPad Mini does better: we recorded a total of 9 hours. It’s clear to see which of the two is better when you want to perform more activities in one day.
As for an operating system, the iPad Mini uses the iOS, while the Fire HD comes with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. This translates into not that many features, options and other stuff compared to what an iOS brings to the table.
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But there is an advantage when using the Kindle Fire HD: this gadget lets the user to access the Amazon Prime services for the registered users. Among the other cons of its outdated operating system is the fact that its number of apps does not feature much variety. That’s mainly because the Fire HD does not have default access to the Google Play Store, so it has to make do with something else that is inferior. Needless to say, the Apple iPad Mini boasts all the usual offerings of an iOS.
The cameras
Cameras are represented by a 1.2-megapixel version on the iPad mini and the Fire HD, too. But the Apple device has a second cam on its back compared to its rival. The overall quality of pics we snapped with both tablets was good.
All things considered and disadvantages aside, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD is the cheaper tablet. It costs $200 and if you want a model with more space you have to pay an extra $50. Whereas the price you have to cough up for the Apple iPad mini is $330 and can go way up if you want a model with more storage space.
Conclusion
The iPad mini is made to feature compatibility with all sorts of carriers. This doesn’t hold true for the Amazon tablet. But this is something which the company decided to improve on their future Fire HD model that will also come with better features and a larger touchscreen.
