I’ve been testing the new Fire HD 6 extensively since it got released last week, and I wanted to do a comparison review between it and the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, mainly to show the difference in size between a 6-inch and 7-inch tablet.
Most companies have settled on offering 7-inch tablets for the smaller end of the tablet spectrum. The Fire HD 6 is the first 6-inch tablet, and the small size gives it an edge in the portability and pocketability departments.
Before going over the differences between the Fire HD 6 and 7-inch Fire HDX, let’s go over the differences between this year’s Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7 since the latter is similar in size to the 7-inch Fire HDX.
Differences Between Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7
- Screen: Both Fire HD tablets use the same 1280 x 800 resolution screen, so the smaller Fire HD has a sharper, clearer screen for fine details. On the 6-inch Fire it works out to 252 pixels per inch; the 7-inch Fire HD has 216 PPI.
- Speakers: The Fire HD 7 has 2 speakers; the Fire HD 6 has 1.
- Size: Fire HD 6: 169 X 103 X 10.7 mm, weighs 290 grams; Fire HD 7: 191 X 128 X 10.6 mm, weighs 337 grams.
- Price: The 8GB Fire HD 6 is $99, the 16GB model is $119; the 8GB Fire HD 7 is $139, the 16GB model is $159. For all models it costs $15 more to remove screensaver ads.
Differences Between Fire HD and Fire HDX
Now let’s compare the Fire HD tablets to the current Fire HDX line.
- Screen: The Fire HDX tablets have better screens with higher pixel density and they also have 10-point capacitive touchscreens, whereas the HD tablets have 2-point capacitive touchscreens.
- Cameras: The 7-inch Fire HDX is the only one without a rear camera; the Fire HD’s have 2MP rear cameras and the 8.9″ HDX has an 8 MP camera.
- Processors: Fire HDX’s have faster processors (1.5GHz for the HD’s vs 2.2GHz for 7-inch HDX and 2.5GHz for 8.9 HDX).
- Battery Life: Fire HD tablets get up to 8 hours per charge, the 7-inch HDX 11 hours, and the 8.9-inch HDX 12 hours.
- Wi-Fi: The Fire HDX tablets have dual-band Wi-Fi and the Fire HD’s have single-band.
- Mayday: The Fire HDX tablets offer onboard customer support 24 hours per day.
- Storage Space: The Fire HD tablets are available in 8 and 16 GB models; Fire HDX’s are offered in 16, 32, and 64 GB.
- 4G Wireless: The Fire HDX tablets are available with the option of 4G wireless.
- Price: The Fire HD starts at $99 and the Fire HDX starts at $199.
Now let’s talk specifically about the differences between the Fire HD 6 and the 7-inch Fire HDX. Right now the Fire HDX is running Fire OS 3.0, but Amazon has said that it will be getting updated to the new Fire 4.0 OS that comes with the HD tablets. Once that happens, the software will be almost identical between the HD and HDX tablets; the main difference will be the “Mayday” button available on the HDX line to chat with customer support.
Hardware is where the HDX has most of the advantages, although the 7-inch HDX lacks a rear camera, so the HD’s have the edge there. The Fire HD 6 costs half as much as the 7-inch HDX, and it still offers a respectable screen in terms of resolution, but the HDX has better specs all around, and the dual speakers sound better.
The screen doesn’t seem all that much smaller on the Fire HD 6 when you are using it, but the overall size sure seems a lot smaller than a 7-inch tablet. One inch doesn’t sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference when holding the tablet with one hand or when sticking it in a pocket.
Fire HD 6 vs Kindle Fire HDX Video
More comparison info between these two Kindle Fire tablets and all the other models past and present can found on the Kindle Comparison Table.
I never had a really good understanding of the spec related to how many points a display had until seeing that comparison with piano keyboards..
Hey Nathan, excellent review and comparison between these new devices. Very helpful.
Quick question. Do you know what the aspect ratio of the Fire HD6 is? It looks to me like it’s using the narrower 10:6 that the original Fire model used before they switched to the slightly wider 16:10 when the HD line came out.
I ask primarily because this is a real issue for ebook content creators using the fixed layout format. I was hoping Amazon was done with the old 10:6 and had decided on a single set aspect for all the new devices. But from the video and images it looks like they’ve brought it back.
At 1280 x 800 that works out to 16:10, so all the Fire tablets are the same ratio. The Fire HD 6 just looks narrower because of the way the bezel is smaller along two sides of the screen.
Yeah, I guess I could have worked that out for myself. As I recall those first Fire displays were 1024×600 rather than 1280×800.
Indeed. I’m glad those went away.
Dear Nathan, thanks for your review. I was waiting for it to decide to buy or not the HD6.
But I wonder: does it have bluetooth ?
Thanks, best
Yes, it does: stated on “additional features”.
Additional Feature: External volume controls, built-in Bluetooth with support for A2DP compatible stereo headphones, speakers, microphone, and LE accessories support
Indeed. All the tablet models have Bluetooth now.
Hello, I purchased the hd 7 but have to return it due to a defect. I am wondering if the hdx would be better. In your review, it looks like the hdx screen when reading books is not as bright white as the hd. Is that very noticeable while reading on the hdx? Also, on your chart you note the hdx has very loud speakers, which you do not say on the hd. Are the speakers actually louder?? Thanks so much for the review.
I haven’t tested the 7-inch model but the HDX has way louder speakers than the 6-inch HD, but it only has one speaker and the 7 has two. The screen is nicer and better quality on the HDX but when it comes to reading I don’t notice any difference, although I admit I don’t read ebooks on tablets much with all these ebook readers around. The HDX is also on sale this week for $179. If a rear camera doesn’t interest you, then it would definitely be a better buy than the Fire HD 7 given all the hardware upgrades.
does apple tv work with fire hd 7
Maybe on Bizarro World…
My 1st Gen Kindle Fire recently went dead, won’ t charge, what would you recommend for someone who uses their KF to read, watch Hulu & YouTube, and listen to podcasts? Would the HDX be needed or would one of the other ones work?
Literally any modern tablet can handle all of those tasks well. If you want the latest and greatest, or some discounts on current models, wait a few weeks because Amazon always releases new devices over the next couple of months.