Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Review

Conclusion

The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is a nice tablet, but not a great one. As compared to the iPad, it's considerably less expensive and has better sound quality, but it isn't as polished overall as Apple's offering. It has a few shortcomings, but in general the positives outweigh the negatives.

If you're an Amazon loyalist with a Prime membership, it's a no-brainer, but if you're looking for a more general-purpose tablet that can entertain you and keep you productive on the go, you would be better served looking elsewhere if your budget allows. For the money, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is a great option, but it isn't the perfect Android tablet either.

Pros

• Large, vivid screen
• Excellent sound quality -- truly exceptional for a mobile device
• Great video playback
• Surprisingly good email client
• Amazon Prime offers a wealth of "free" video and the loan of one Kindle Library book per month for paid members
• Low price

Cons

• Unpolished hardware with some rough edges
• Lack of a home button is a minor annoyance
• Glare is a real problem, depending on lighting conditions
• Some WiFi connectivity/Hulu playback issues
• Locked into the Amazon ecosystem for content
• Slightly disappointing battery life