The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (Coming Soon) - Best Value/Performance Tablet?

Anthony10 · October 2, 2014

Starting at only $379, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 comes in at a great price point for those looking for a tablet or even a laptop replacement (I'll get back to that later). It is a great alternative to Apple's iPad Air which starts at $499. Some may even say it is a great and cheaper alternative to Microsoft's latest Surface, the Surface Pro 3.

You may be saying, "Well everything looks pretty similar to the old Fire HDX, so why should I buy this one?" And to that I would reply this: Although many things are the same as the old Fire HDX on this new one, the added things such as an Adreno 420 GPU, upgraded processor (Snapdragon 805 vs 800), and upgraded Dolby Atmos audio, the new Fire HDX adds all these things and still manages to come in at this great price point of $379. Truly impressive.

Specs of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9:

Display: 8.9" 2560x1440 (339 PPI) IPS "Low Glare"

Processor: 2.5ghz Quad-Core Snapdragon 805 Processor w/ Built in Adreno 420 GPU

Audio: Dolby Atmos, Dual Stereo Speakers, Built in Microphone

Battery Life: 12hours long with "Mixed Use"

Internet Connectivity: Dual-band, dual antenna (802.11AC with MIMO+HT80) Wi-Fi, Optional 4G

Camera: Front Facing 720p Camera, Rear Facing 8MP Camera

Storage: 16gb, 32gb, 64gb

Dimensions: 9.1" X 6.2" X 0.3" (231 X 158 X 7.8mm)

Weight: Wi-Fi Version: 13.2 oz (375 grams), 4G Version: 13.7 oz (389 grams)

Now do you see what I mean? Compared to it's competitors (iPad Air, Nvidia Shield Tablet, Samsung Galaxy Tab) it boasts much more performance for your money! Now I'm not saying you're going to be playing Battlefield on this tablet, but for productivity, this thing has it all! A great screen, light and thin, relatively fast processor (for mobile), great battery life, and let's not forget a great price. What more could you want? A keyboard and trackpad you say? A stand and case you say? Well.. that.. is really where the Fire HDX caught my eye.

As minuscule as accessories may seem in the grand scheme of things, they really do matter. Just look at PC Gamers for a second, they spend hundreds of dollars on headphones, mice, keyboards, etc. When it comes down to the basics, the accessories do matter.

The Fire HDX will have accessories that will be sold separately. These include the Leather Origami Case ($69.99), Fire Keyboard ($59.99), and HDMI Fire Adapter ($24.99).

These prices may seem crazy high to you, but I am an owner of an iPad, and have spent well over $100 on aftermarket accessories that just don't work. I give big props to Amazon for selling official accessories alongside the Fire HDX, and the fact they are actually useful! They are still a bit pricey though...

The Fire Keyboard is a real deal maker for me. It has a trackpad (big thumbs up for that!) so you can use your tablet like a laptop, can magnetically attach to the Origami Case, and is thin/light. The only constructive criticism I have with the Keyboard is that for the laptop experience using the Fire HDX, you must have a Origami Case. I can see this being a deal breaker for many people, because for the laptop experience, you will be paying an extra $130 on the keyboard and case, a major dislike many have about the Surface Pro 3's keyboard.

The Leather Origami Case comes in black, red, and blue. It houses a simplistic and functional look to it, which has a kick stand for hands free viewing in landscape or portrait mode. It seems to only have one viewing angle, which I can see being a problem, although with its IPS screen should not be a problem. You do however run into the same problem you do with the Surface Pro 3, it does not work without a flat surface, which is something that will be a major problem for on the go usage.

The HDMI Fire Adapter is pretty self explanatory, it allows for your Fire HDX to be connected to your TV. I can see this being a very handy accessory for presentations, as the Fire HDX has such a high resolution it should be able to output a clear image.

Summary:

All in all, the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 boasts extreme value for users wanting on the go productivity with it's slim and light weight design, but still high performance specs. I can see myself using one for school for note taking or light photo and video work. The only major concerns I have with it are these:

-No stylus included, and no place to put the stylus

-Accessories are very highly priced

-Kickstand on Origami Case only works with flat surfaces

Other than that, I see this as a very compelling tablet that would be a great alternative to its competitors. Where the flaws lie, the competitors haven't even come close too in most scenarios. Can it replace my laptop? No. But it sure does come close, and if they could fix the major issues I have with it, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 could become my go to recommended tablet. What I would like to see on any revisions of this product are a stand that can be used on most surface (preferably the type most laptops use), lower priced accessories, and a built in stylus. I would be willing to pay personally upwards of $500 starting price for this tablet with those revisions. With broadwell tablets still far out of reach (broadwell rumored to not launch until Q1 2015), I definitely see this tablet's potential, and I hope consumers do, too.

To sum it up (TL;DR), the new upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 seems to be a great value and performance tablet. It is a great alternative to other tablets and comes in at a great price point. With a few revisions, it could be advertised as "the super duper ultra best tablet ever" and I would agree with it.

Thanks for reading.