Kindle Fire HD vs. iPad and the B&N Nook (and More)
Amazon just unveiled their new line up of Kindle Fire tablets and as with any game-changing product (see here for a full review), we like to compare it to existing, and sometimes rumored devices. Today we’re looking at how Amazon’s Kindle Fires stack up to the reigning champion, the iPad, as well as the first Kindle Fire, the Nook tablet, Microsoft’s upcoming Surface tablet and Google’s Nexus 7. So, here we go!
Screen Size and Display
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Kindle Fire: 7” 1024×600 pixel (169 pixels per inch)
Kindle Fire HD series: 7” 1280×800 resolution , 8.9” 1920×1200 (254 ppi) – HD display with polarizing filter and anti-glare technology for rich color and deep contrast from any viewing angle
iPad: 9.7” Retina Display with 2048×1536-pixel resolution (256ppi) with Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, LED-backlit
Surface Tablet: 10.6” ClearType Full HD Display
Nexus 7: 7” 1280×800 HD display (216 ppi), Back-lit IPS display, Scratch-resistant Corning glass
Nook Tablet: 7-inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen 1024 X 600 resolution (169ppi), Fully laminated with no air gaps for remarkable clarity and reduced reflection & glare-read indoors or outside
Weight
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Kindle Fire: 400g
Kindle Fire HD series: 7” 395g, 8.9” 575g
iPad: WiFi 652g, WiFi+cellular 662g
Surface Tablet: RT 676g, Pro 903g
Nexus 7: 340g
Nook Tablet: almost 400g
Memory/Storage
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Kindle Fire: 8GB
Kindle Fire HD series: 7” 16 and 32GB, 8.9” 16 and 32GB, 8.9” 4G 32 and 64GB
iPad: 16, 32, 64GB
Surface Tablet: RT will be available in 32GB and 64GB while the Pro will be available in 64GB and 128GB.
Nexus 7: 8 or 16 GB, 1GB RAM
Nook Tablet: 8 or 16GB, can add up to 32GB via microSD
Battery Life
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Kindle Fire: 8.5 hours continuous use
Kindle Fire HD series: 7” 11 hours continuous use, 8.9” —
iPad: 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video or listening to music
Surface Tablet: RT features a 31.5 W-h battery while the Pro features a 42 W-h battery. No data yet as to how long these batteries last
Nexus 7: 9 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of web browsing, 10 hours of e-reading, 300 hours on Standby
Nook Tablet: 11.5 hours of reading or 9 hours of video without recharging
Processor
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Kindle Fire: Dual-core, 1.2GHz OMAP4430
Kindle Fire HD series: 7” Dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP4460, 8.9” Dual-core 1.5GHz OMAP4470
iPad: Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics
Surface Tablet: Nvidia Tegra ARM chips for the RT version and Intel Core i5 for the Windows 8 Pro version.
Nexus 7: Quad-core Tegra 3 processor
Nook Tablet: 8GB 1GHz TI OMAP4 (dual-core) processor with 512MB RAM, 16GB: 1GHz TI OMAP4 (dual-core) processor with 1GB RAM
Wireless
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Kindle Fire: Single-band Wi-Fi. Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks
Kindle Fire HD series: Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi (MIMO) for faster streaming and fewer dropped connections than standard Wi-Fi. Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks
iPad: WiFi Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 4.0 technology; WiFi+Cellular Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 technology, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 4G LTE (700, 2100MHz) US and Canada only, Data only
Surface Tablet: 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
Nexus 7: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth
Nook Tablet: Wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi® (802.11b/g/n), FREE Wi-Fi® in all Barnes & Noble stores
Camera
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Kindle Fire: None
Kindle Fire HD series: Front-facing HD camera
iPad: 5-megapixel iSight camera, VGA FaceTime camera
Surface Tablet: front LifeCam for chatting and the rear LifeCam angled at 22⁰ so users can flip out the Kickstand and record meetings and events hands-free.
Nexus 7: 1.2MP front-facing camera
Nook Tablet: None
Input/Output
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Kindle Fire: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) port for connection to a PC or Macintosh computer or to connect to the Kindle PowerFast charging accessory, 3.5 mm stereo jack and integrated stereo speakers
Kindle Fire HD series: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) port for connection to a PC or Macintosh computer or to connect to the Kindle PowerFast charging accessory. Micro-HDMI (micro-D connector) port for high definition video output to televisions or A/V receivers, 3.5 mm stereo jack and integrated stereo speakers with exclusive Dolby audio engine. Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) support for streaming audio to compatible headphones and speakers. Built-in microphone.
iPad: WiFi 30-pin dock connector port, 3.5-mm stereo headphone mini-jack, Built-in speaker, Microphone; WiFi+Cellular 30-pin dock connector port 3.5-mm stereo headphonemini-jack, Built-in speaker, Microphone, Micro-SIM card tray
Surface Tablet: RT features microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae while the Pro features microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae. Both features speakers and dual microphones tuned for Skype. Multi-touch screen, Touch Cover, Type Cover and the Surface Pro comes with Pen with palm block
Nexus 7: Micro USB, Microphone, NFC (Android Beam)
Nook Tablet: built-in microphone, 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, Charging port, Expandable microSD slot
Sensors
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Kindle Fire: No Information
Kindle Fire HD: No Information
iPad: Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope
Surface Tablet: Gyroscope, Accelerometer
Nexus 7: Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Gyroscope
Nook Tablet: No Information
Location
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Kindle Fire: No Information
Kindle Fire HD: No Information
iPad: WiFi Wi-Fi, Digital compass; WiFi+Cellular Wi-Fi, Digital compass, Assisted GPS and GLONASS, Mobile
Surface Tablet: No Information
Nexus 7: GPS
Nook Tablet: No Information
Operating Software
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Kindle Fire: Customized Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Kindle Fire HD: Customized Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
iPad: iOS 5
Surface Tablet: Windows 8 and Windows RT
Nexus 7: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Nook Tablet: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
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