Kindle Fire vs iPad
The Kindle Fire is Amazon's first entry into the tablet market. At $199 list price, it is a very tempting tablet for those who don't want to spend $500 on an iPad. What do we get for $200 and what features will we find missing when compared to the iPad?
The Kindle Fire is mostly a content consumption device. It comes pre-configured to your Amazon account and ready for purchasing and watching content from the Amazon content libraries. You can listen to music that you've purchased from the Amazon MP3 store, stream movies from Amazon's large collection, and even shop the Amazon store. There are also thousands of 3rd party applications available for the Kindle Fire, you can install both free and paid software from the Amazon App Store.
The most obvious difference between these two devices is the size. The Kindle Fire has a 7 inch screen, vs the iPad's 10 inches. The Kindle Fire also lacks features such as front and rear facing cameras, Bluetooth, 3G support, and a microphone. The Fire's battery life is also not quite as good as that of the iPad 2. However, the Kindle Fire features a good screen, small size and an unbeatable price.
If you're looking for a great little tablet for reading books, watching video and web surfing, it's hard to go wrong with the Kindle Fire. Read more here.
| Amazon Kindle Fire | Apple iPad 2 | |
| Price |
$199.00 list price |
$499.00 list price |
| Software | ||
| Operating System | Android 2.3 |
iOS |
| App Store | Amazon App Store | Apple App Store |
| Adobe flash | Yes | No |
| Computing Power | ||
| Processor | 1 GHz Dual Core ARM | 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 |
| Ram | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Storage | 8 GB | 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB |
| Storage expansion | No | No |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 7.0 inches (177.8 mm) | 9.7 inches (246.4 mm) |
| Display resolution | 1024 x 600 | 1024 x 768 |
| Multi-Touch | Multi-touch | Capacitive Multi-touch |
| Size | ||
| Height | 7.5 inches (190.5 mm) | 9.5 inches (241.3 mm) |
| Width | 4.7 inches (119.4 mm) | 7.31 inches (185.7 mm) |
| Depth | 0.45 inches (11.4 mm) | 0.34 inches (8.6 mm) |
| Input & Output | ||
| Speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | No | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| Computer connector | Micro USB 2.0 | Proprietary connector |
| USB Input | Micro USB | No |
| HDMI Out | No | No |
| VGA Out | No | With adapter |
| SIM Card | No | Micro-SIM tray (3G version only) |
| Wireless Radios | ||
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | No | 2.1 + EDR |
| 3G / 4G Data | No | Wi-Fi + 3G model available |
| Gps | No | Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model) |
| Cameras | ||
| Rear-facing Camera | No | Yes |
| Front-facing Camera | No | Yes (VGA) |
| Video recording | No | Yes |
| Video conferencing | No | Yes |
| Camera flash | No | No |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | No | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Battery type | 16.28 Watt-hour battery | 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback. | Up to 10 hours |
| Removeable Battery | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Price |
$199.00 list price |
$499.00 list price |
| 1000 | 1001 |
