The new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is the company’s newest product launched on the international market. However, a slower chip and a rather low resolution could represent great disadvantages in front of its competitors with better performances, higher prices and a larger fan base.
For anyone interested in a 10” tablet, the Fire HD 10 HD has decent specs for gaming, media consumption and even laptop duties. Its price alone is an attractive feature for many potential users. The 16GB version is offered for $230, while a 32GB model can be purchased for $260. At these mid-range prices, both products are less expensive than an iPad Air, which can go up to $450. Samsung’s newest tablet, the 10” Galaxy Tab S2, has a starting price of $500.
The truth is that not all Fire HD 10 features can be compared to Apple and Samsung’s similar products. In designing a low-cost product, Amazon has preferred not to upgrade two key elements: efficiency and display quality. Based on various programs running on the tablet, these low-end options could affect the user experience.
The Fire HD 10 has a 10.1” screen, providing you more readable surface than a 9.7” Air or a Galaxy Tab 2. Of course, it is also a bit bulkier and wider, with a weight of just 15 oz. and its dimensions of 10.2 x 6.4 x 0.25 inches. The product comes in dark and white shades and shows discreet ads on the lock screen, just like the majority of Amazon’s models. The users can pay additional $15 when buying it, in order to eliminate this slight problem. However, the ads are fleeting, since they are shown for only a second before unlocking the screen.
Unfortunately, its big display is also the tablet’s greatest disadvantage. With a screen resolution of only 1,280 x 800 and 149 ppi, the product simply cannot provide a razor-sharp resolution. Many customers are already used to high-quality displays from their modern smart phones. Guides, online publications, websites and other types of mass media show text fuzziness.
Surprisingly, this is one situation where larger is not necessarily better. The 8” Fire HD tablet has the same display quality, but a small screen increases pixel density to 190. This exchange of real estate screen for better display resolution makes smaller text and images a lot easier to see.
The Fire HD 10’s resolution is not very bad, but it is not good for reading, especially in bright light. Fortunately, it has good contrast and vibrant colors, so lower display quality and pixel density do not have a negative effect on normal tablet reading, video clips and other media files. Actually, the item’s uncommonly large size (at 16:10 ratio) makes it a great device for films or TV shows. The main headings are shown all over the screen, without the dense dark letterbox that can be seen in gadgets with a4:3 ratio.
As for efficiency, despite the addition of quad-core processors, this tablet does have a bit of lag during usage. Amazon’s site takes good seconds until it is fully loaded and, occasionally, there is a longer loading time for various web browsers as well.
Image source: Engadget
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