Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 Pro Reviews

Amazon's best Kindle Fire yet, but the gorgeous screen and great camera can't offset the custom Android interface

Let’s get things straight, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is something you’ll want to bear in mind if savings is something you cherish. If money isn’t a problem, there are several other options to think about. There’s always the iPad Air and Android alternatives, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition or slick Sony Xperia Tablet Z.

This match was a close one, but the iPad Air wins by a score of 8 to 7. Apple’s tablet bests the Kindle Fire HDX on design, audio quality, user interface and performance. We also prefer the Air for productivity, thanks to Apple’s free iWork suite. The biggest advantage the Air has is the App Store’s huge selection of apps specifically designed for tablets.The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a great tablet as well, especially for families. It sports a lighter design, a better camera and robust parental controls. Plus, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get tons of free content. Having the Mayday button onboard is yet another perk for those who want instant tech support. Both tablets have a ton to offer, and they tied for multimedia experience and display quality. However, while the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch wins on price, the iPad Air is the better tablet overall.

The best Android tablet to date, with astounding performance and lightweight design. Only the usual Amazon lock-in puts us off

The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a solid device and an improvement over last year’s model. It's fast, light, and has a great display, but it doesn't really measure up to an iPad Air or even a modern 10-inch Android tablet when it comes to actual functionality. Watching video on the high-res display is awesome on the 8.9, but it's too big to be truly portable, and other than video, doesn't offer a great reason for the larger screen to exist. The same argument can be made between the iPad mini with Retina Display and the iPad Air, but Apple’s robust accessory ecosystem, better productivity apps, and vastly superior selection of games at least give the Air more than just a big screen to work with. No, the HDX 8.9 is still very much a machine to access Amazon's content stash and to purchase items, books, movies, and anything else you can imagine from the retailer. It does those things best from the comfort of your home. If you’re cross-shopping between the HDX 7 and the HDX 8.9, I’d recommend going with the smaller model. It’s far more portable, just as powerful, and can do everything that the HDX 8.9 can do except take pictures. (It’s also significantly cheaper.) On paper, the 8.9 is the best tablet Amazon offers, but in practice, the 7 is a better choice. But the real problem for the HDX — though it’s a win for Amazon, and for you — is that you can do all of the things you do on an HDX with an iPad, thanks to Amazon's support of iOS with a bevy of apps (Amazon, Amazon MP3, Kindle for iOS, Amazon Video, the list goes on). Plus, you can access hundreds of thousands more apps and expand your tablet's functionality with countless accessories. Apart from Amazon Video, the same can be said for the Nexus 10 or almost any other Android tablet on the market.

If you're trying to choose between the HDX 7 or HDX 8.9, let me break it down for you. Get the 8.9 if you want a larger, better screen or desire a back camera. Get the 7-inch if you're looking for a smaller tablet or if price is a concern -- the HDX 7 starts at $229 versus $379 for the 8.9. If you remove price from the equation, I'd go with the HDX 8.9 for reasons mentioned above; but at the end of the day, either will serve you well. In the current pantheon of high-end tablets, I'd put the 8.9 right up there with the iPad Air. While it lacks the premium feel of Apple's latest large tablet, they're pretty much a match performance-wise. Also, Amazon's tablet starts at $120 cheaper, and increases its value as storage configurations increase -- you can get a 64GB Wi-Fi-only HDX 8.9 for $479 versus $699 for a 64GB iPad Air. As for software features, if you consider apps alone, Apple has that on lockdown with the most and best apps of any tablet OS. However, taking into account the entire media ecosystem, Amazon is second to none. If you're an active Amazon Prime member, the HDX is a no-brainer. If you're not a Prime member and don't mind a closed -- but vast -- ecosystem, the HDX is an excellent reason to sign up for Prime.