The small size tablet market will usher in a fierce competition

While the role of the Kindle tablet has always been a container for content delivery, the configuration is not a brilliant one. But this time, the new HDX configuration has reached its current highest level, including 1920x1080 resolution, 骁丽 8,004 core chip, and new feature software features. Is that enough to keep the Kindle Fire competitive?

Hardware

Amazon continues to trim its Kindle Fire, and this time the HDX (7-inch WiFi version) looks really slim. The fuselage specification for this device is 186 x 128 x 9.0 mm (last year's model is 191 x 128 x 10.6 mm). The new Nexus 7,HDX, though slightly thicker, are significantly shorter. On the fuselage's weight, HDX is lighter than last year's model (345 grams vs. 303 grams), but is slightly heavier than Nexus 7.

The reflection on the HDX display is very serious, so it is very difficult to avoid the reflection on the screen when we photograph it. Although Amazon does mention the word "reflective" in the HDX list, the effect does not seem obvious.

HDX also comes with a front-facing camera, but Amazon does not give specific pixels. In addition, the device does not have a camera, which is somewhat behind the Nexus 7.

HDX's model is very different from the previous one, unlike the first generation, there is no second generation so round. The back cover of the equipment still uses the soft plastic material of the touch, the four sides also added a large cut edge. The left and right sides of the fuselage are volume keys and power supply keys, these keys are larger body shape, a solid touch, even in the dark use is not a problem.

Amazon did listen to user feedback on a new generation of devices, which placed the speaker grille on the top of the back, avoiding the problem of holding the speaker in the grip of the previous model. Like the new Kindle, the logo on the HDX is now Amazon, not the Kindle.

Display and sound

Because the speaker position was moved to the top, the chances of being inadvertently covered were much smaller. As with previous models, HDX's sound is also enhanced by the Dolby Digital Plus technology. But if the volume gets bigger, the overall effect is a little blurry.

The display is another matter. Amazon this time raised the resolution to 1920x1080, resulting in 323ppi pixel density. This level is flat with Nexus 7, while making the ipad mini's 1024x768 Resolution screen (163PPI) seem unusually backward.

The actual display effect of HDX is also satisfactory, the details are abundant and the color is accurate when playing the film. Outdoor use, the device dynamic image contrast can also play a role, through the built-in ambient light sensor to the pixel units to adjust the contrast, rather than simply improve the brightness. The effect of this function is generally not obvious, but users do not often use it.

Performance and Endurance

Unlike in previous years, a new generation of HDX can be said to be among the highest in performance. The device uses Qualcomm's 骁丽 800 top quad-core chips, 2.2GHz, compared to last year's 1.2GHz dual-core chip is a huge boost, compared to Nexus 7 1.5GHz four core processors are stronger.

In other configurations, Amazon has also become very candid this year, such as 2GB of RAM and the Adreno GPU. Amazon claims that the Kindle Fire HDX's graphics performance is 4 times times that of a model.

We used EA's Real Racing 3 to test the game performance of HDX. For a cheap device, the effect of HDX was impressive. Of course, if HDX want to be a game tablet, more work is needed to support it.

In web browsing, HDX's Silk browser also brings a smooth experience. We also used Sunspider for a simple run test (the lower the score the better), HDX achieved a good performance of 553.7ms, not only fire HD (1767MS) last year, but also better than Nexus 7 (602ms).

Prior to this, the Kindle Fire series was scarce in the running Division tool, making it difficult to compare it with other traditional Android tablets. But this time, we found another running software quadrant in the HDX application selection. After running the test, HDX achieved 19655 outstanding results.

Amazon claims the HDX lasts up to 11 hours, the same as last year's HD. After our tests, HDX's actual endurance was also largely in line with Amazon's claim. In our endurance test, HDX insisted on 10 hours and 41 points, compared to HD 44 minutes higher than the Nexus 7 is higher than the nearly 3.5 hours.

Software

After 3 major editions, Amazon finally took a formal name--fire OS for its system. It's more of a deeper, more unrecognizable Android custom interface than the TouchWiz system. While the fire OS has always served Amazon's content delivery, a series of upgrades have helped it stand out from the vast array of similar devices in the marketplace.

Interface

Fire OS 3.0 has a high degree of similarity to the previous version overall, but on the new main screen we still find a difference from the previous one. In the middle of the screen content recommended below, a total of 6 application icons, slide up from here you will see the new application grid.

Amazon, like the old days, is still culling the Google Play store. Amazon does offer plenty of content in music, movies, and (especially) books, but in terms of apps, Amazon's App Store is a lot worse off than the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Mayday

There is no doubt that the new Mayday button is the most important feature of the Fire OS. Slide down from the top of the screen and you'll see a series of practical quick setup options. After clicking on the "Help" section, a small video window with a real person will pop up in the screen. But don't worry about being seen at home in a sloppy way, although you can see the other person, but the other person can't see you.

But help from Amazon can see your screen, remotely control your device, or draw a small yellow arrow or circle in the screen to hint.

Amazon promises that users will be able to enjoy the help of Mayday services 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. They are also recruiting more employees for Mayday, hoping to shorten the average response time to 15 seconds. In our test, the waiting time is about 20 seconds, because HDX just listed, this slightly longer waiting is reasonable, but the bigger challenge is still behind, that is Christmas, do not know Mayday can withstand the surge in the number of users.

To be honest, it's kind of embarrassing to talk to a strange face on the device. Although I know that the other person can not see themselves, but we can not help but nod and shake their heads and gestures. In addition, because there is really nothing to ask, we have to ask such as "How to view the remaining power?" "," How to open the quiet time function when reading this kind of boring problem.

Second screen

For advanced users, the second screen may be more attractive to them-if Amazon has extended this feature to more platforms. At the moment, HDX's second-screen feature supports Samsung's smart TVs, as well as Sony's PS3 and PS4.

As the name suggests, this feature can transfer the content on the tablet to the TV playback. After you choose to play the content, users can use HDX to do other things, such as viewing mail or playing games, the content of playback will not be affected.

Other

Figure 13

Ray is a major feature of the Fire OS. When playing video, this feature provides the user with information about the movie and the actor. With the second screen, this can be a very useful feature. In addition, when playing songs, Ray can also display the lyrics of the instant.

In addition to entertainment content, Amazon also brings a number of corporate functions, for those who carry equipment office users to facilitate. Among these features, the most direct boost comes from the mail client, which now adds linear messages-a very good feature because of the lack of a first-party client like Gmail. HDX also supports wireless printer connections, hardware data encryption, native VPN clients, and support for enterprise solutions such as Citrix.

Figure 14

In addition, Amazon also brought a parental control function called FreeTime. Parents can create separate accounts for children at home and control the applications, books, and other content they are exposed to. Parents also have the ability to set time limits to prevent children from spending too much time on tablets. However, this restriction can be broken depending on the content, for example, reading time can be unrestricted, but if it is a movie, it can only be 1 hours a day.

Like Paperwhite, the Goodreads feature is expected to be added to the fire OS during the 3.1 upgrade in mid-November. This feature allows users to see what their friends are reading, write comments, share excerpts, and get more accurate recommendations.

Summary

Amazon's Kindle Fire series makes competition in the small tablet market look better. Although the price increased by 20 U.S. dollars, but the overall price of 229 dollars for such a device is not high. From the 1920x1200 resolution (323PPI) display to the 2.2GHz four core processor, this device does not have any "cheap" labels.

For advanced users, the HDX software section still has a lot of limitations because it is primarily for content and cannot use Google Play. But Amazon has brought a lot of interesting new features, such as Mayday, the second screen, the application of the Web format and the additional ray features. If you're going to buy an entry-level tablet for your family or friends, HDX is a good fit. Very friendly features and configurations all show a strong competitive edge over Nexus 7. It looks like Amazon's hardware department is having a good Christmas this year.