Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 Pro Reviews

Where Amazon failed miserably in making a dent in the smartphone market, they’re able to continue having a strong presence in the tablet space – thanks in part to the well-rounded performance of this year’s high-end model, the Amazon Fire HDX 8.9. No doubt, it’s vying for notoriety over other impressive rivals of late, such as the iPad Air 2 and the Google Nexus 9, but Amazon’s model certainly poses a threat. Honestly, it’s a great performing tablet, one that has a stunning screen, snappy overall response, and long-lasting battery life. At the end of the day, however, it all boils down to whether or not you can tolerate the Fire OS 4 platform. For hardcore fans of Amazon, it’s a knock out hit for its rich ties to all of Amazon’s services, which has been enhanced thanks to new features like Firefly, but for everyone else, it still proves to be an experience that’s lacking in functionality. For the causal fun stuff, like watching movies and reading books, the Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 bear all the hallmarks in making it a perfect tablet for the experience, but when it comes to pure productivity and trying to bridge that gap between tablets and laptops, it just doesn’t have enough of the goods to make it an exorbitantly superior product. Luckily, it’s pretty affordable at $379, undercutting many of its main rivals, but we wouldn’t necessarily say it’s enough to separate it from the wholesome goodness from the $399 priced Google Nexus 9.

If you're looking for a family tablet that everyone can share, and you're happy to dive into the Amazon ecosystem and sign up for Amazon Prime, maybe even pick up a Fire TV as well, then the Fire HDX 8.9 is probably the best tablet for you. It handles movies and TV shows beautifully. It's a lovely device for reading on. The audio quality is also impressive. But if gaming and app choice are very important to you, then it's impossible to recommend the Fire HDX 8.9. You will find a much better game and app experience on the Nexus 9 or iPad Air 2. The display, the sound, the Amazon extras, are all enough to make the Fire HDX 8.9 worth considering, but there are too many weak spots for an unreserved recommendation.

In using the HDX 8.9, I find myself able to do core things I want in a tablet, like email or gaming, and watching movies is a breeze. The screen on the HDX 8.9 is phenomenal, which only makes you want to watch movies and TV on it. The touchscreen is responsive, too. Interacting with the device is a pleasure. Amazon’s ecosystem, though — it’s lacking. Badly. Even though you get 500 Amazon Coins (which amounts to $5) to spend on things, there are plenty of omissions from the Amazon ecosystem. Still, I found a lot of core apps available. Apps like Spotify or NBA 2K15 are there, and I can even watch Netflix on this gorgeous screen.