On Thursday, Barnes & Noble Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled the latest iteration of the Galaxy Tab NOOK series of e-reader-cum-tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK.

The Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK is a co-branded version of the recently launched 8-inch Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab S2 with a few bells and whistles tailoring it to eBook consumption.

Although now nearly two years old, the third-generation Kindle Fire, the Kindle Fire HDX, is the most likely competitor to Barnes & Noble’s latest offering.

The Kindle Fire HDX is available in two sizes, one with a 7-inch display, the other 8.9-inch display, and an optional LTE version, but the underlying specs are the same. For this comparison, we’ll use the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch version.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK vs. Kindle Fire HDX:

Design and dimensions

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Touted as the “thinnest, lightest, ultra-fast device”, the Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK sports a metal frame with curved edges and a glass front. Measuring in at 134.8 x 198.6 x 5.6mm, the Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK weighs just 265 grams (9.4oz).

Kindle Fire HDX: To keep things light, the device’s capacitive touch layer is directly integrated into the glass display, with a unique magnesium unibody from a single piece of machined magnesium and a blend of glass and nylon. The Fire HDX 8.9-inch has a larger screen, so it’s no surprise that it measures in at 158 x 231 x 7.8mm and weighs 374 grams (13.2oz) in the Wi-Fi-only version. The 4G version tips the scales at 384 grams (13.5oz).

Display

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: 8-inch Super AMOLED display with 2048 x 1536 QXGA at 320 ppi.

Kindle Fire HDX: 8.9-inch display with 2560 × 1600 resolution at 339 ppi, 100 percent sRGB for perfect color display.

Processor

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Exynos 5433 SoC with four Cortex A57 cores at 1.9GHz, and four Cortex A53 cores at 1.3GHz with 3GB of RAM.

Kindle Fire HDX: 2.2GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, with Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

Samsung galaxy Tab S2 NOOK Library view

Operating System

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Android 5.0 Lollipop layered with reader-focused tools and icons like the Nook Shop and Search functions and a shortcut to take readers to their current book. .

Kindle Fire HDX: Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito” on top of Android.

Storage options

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: 32GB built-in memory, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.

Kindle Fire HDX: 16GB (8.8GB available to user) or 32GB (25.6GB available to user) or 64 GB (54.3GB available to user) of internal storage.

Battery

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: 4,000mAh good for up to 14 hours of continuous video play. No break down on reading time provided.

Kindle Fire HDX: Up to 12 hours mixed use, up to 18 hours when reading.

Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Built-in Wi-Fi with free Wi-Fi at Barnes & Noble stores.

Kindle Fire HDX: Dual band, dual antenna, (MIMO) Wi-Fi, optional 4G.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: 8MP AF rear camera, 2.1MP front camera, QHD video recording (2560 x 1440) at 30 fps and UHD video playback (3840 x 2160) at 30fps.

Kindle Fire HDX: Front-facing 720p HD Camera. 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, Electronic Image Stabilization, and a wide-aperture 5P f/2.2 lens.

Reading comics on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK

External ports

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: micro USB port, microSD slot.

Kindle Fire HDX: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) port for connection to a PC or Macintosh computer or to charge your device with the included PowerFast charger.

Sensors

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Accelerometer, finger scanner, gyroscope, compass, Hall Sensor, RGB sensor, GPS, GLONASS.

Kindle Fire HDX: Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS (4G).

Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Available in Barnes & Noble stores across the U.S. and online at www.nook.com for $399.99.

Kindle Fire HDX: Starts at $379, available on via Amazon.com.

Other features

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK: Integrated fingerprint scanner for secure access, Multi-Window splits the screen to run two apps simultaneously, and Pop-Up Window helps consumers seamlessly move from one app to the next. It comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Solutions, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote – making it suitable for work as well.

Kindle Fire HDX: Accessibility features such as Screen Reader, Explore by Touch, and Screen Magnifier. Dolby Audio, Dual Stereo Speakers and Mayday button for quick tech support from Amazon experts.

Images via Barnes & Noble