The screen resolution, ppi pixel per inch isn’t great but you’re certainly not going to get 4k at such a low price. It is an IPS display, colors are good, and viewing angles fairly good.
Is this good for reading Kindle books and looking things up on the internet? I have only used computers, and never used a smart phone, so I’m a little in the dark on these things.
Looking up stuff on the internet, yes! (as long as you have wifi)
Kindle books, screen might not be the best for extensive reading. Can’t really say, don’t have one in my hands yet. See the Ars review, link in the OP. They talk about the screen right above “But does it fast?”.
It is only $35 and you can return it. Amazon return policy Items shipped by Amazon.com between November 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015, may be returned until January 31, 2016
I just ordered one thinking that it was a cheap way to have internet access away from home and get exposure to this technology, what I forgot is that living in California meant that it wouldn’t be so cheap, in addition to the high state tax, I had to pay a $3.00 CA Electronic Waste Recycling Fee.
Thanks, my wife just ordered 2. Apparently that is the limit at this price.
I had heard awhile ago that these were offered at $50 each or $250 a half dozen. $35 beats even the half dozen price
If you want more than 2, you could make another amazon account.
Doesn’t have a microSD slot…but with streaming stuff such as Plex or Netflix it does ok…my kids have one from a long time ago…still works but better cheaper and more expandable have come out…but for $35 not a bad deal (root it though and non-bloated custom ROM such as cyanogenmod looks like a good idea)
how do you get text into it, without routing everything through Amazon?
(Haven’t yet bought any tablet, still using a Palm OS PDA, so it’s all news to me …)
It does indeed have a microSD slot!
This is the 2015 (5th gen) 7” fire. Just released in September. Completely different then any models from other years. It can be slightly confusing because amazon just calls it the “fire” without mentioning the gen.
Xda Which Amazon Fire Tablet Do I have?
and I guess rooting it makes more sense.
Don’t forget you can divert half a penny per dollar of every Amazon purchase to a charity of your choice if you log in through
Don’t pay $15 for the ad free version unless you have no intention of rooting it. You can nuke the ads, remove some bloatware, install google play app store, without even moving to a custom rom.
Actually I wouldn’t pay $15 for the ad free version at checkout even if you have no intention of rooting it. You can pay the $15 and remove the ads later. See how you like it first.
Ah gotcha (if it has a microSD for expansion…then definitely a good deal!)
And I use the network and an android app called “ES File Explorer” to copy and import from my networked computers to my sd cards on my phone and tablet
Yep, the microSD plus root and custom roms are what makes it interesting to me. Those 3 are my biggest requirements for any android device.
made note.if everyone around me gets 2 i will be very busy rooting,debloating,adding hostfiles,ect…
For all us folk who are in the UK, according to the various threads on HotUKDeals these will be widely available from tomorrow at the likes of Currys, Argos, PC World, Tesco and - I suspect - Amazon UK for about £35.
Thanks, my wife just ordered 2. Apparently that is the limit at this price.
People are reporting that they can buy more then 2 (on the same account). Just need to make a separate order to buy more. And it seems the amazon mobile app even lets you order more than 2 in a single order. Xda Black friday: $35 sale
made note.if everyone around me gets 2 i will be very busy rooting,debloating,adding hostfiles,ect…
There is actually a script that will do the de-bloating for you. Fire Setup Script (FSS) - Transform your Fire tablet
What it does:
-Disable packages to block OTA updates.
-Disable packages to block lock screen adverts
-Remote all of the Amazon bloatware
-Install the FOSS App Store F-Droid
-Install the Google Play Store, and associated framework
You can use adaway for your hosts file. It installs the host file for you, auto updates it as new things are added and combines hosts files from multiple sources (running deduplication).
For all us folk who are in the UK, according to the various threads on HotUKDeals these will be widely available from tomorrow at the likes of Currys, Argos, PC World, Tesco and - I suspect - Amazon UK for about £35.
Good to know. I have Amaon Prime so even though I have three tablets I might give this a shot just as a media set up.
Thanks, Halo, for the heads up! Order placed within 30 seconds of reading your post! :)
I’ve been wanting to pick up a decent little tablet for YouTube/Hulu/Netflix/Internet browsing ever since I sold an old IPad 2.
Based on the specs it looks like a bit of an upgrade, with a little smaller screen vs the iPad 2… What do you guys think?
Compared to an ipad 2? Hmmm.
Had to look up the specs on wikipedia
dual-core 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 “Apple A5”
512 mb DDR2 (1066 MHz RAM)
Flash 16 gb, 32 gb and 64 gb versions
9.7”, 4:3, 1024×768 132 ppi
Camera Front: VGA 0.3mp, Back: 0.7mp video 1280x720, pictures 960×720
a/b/g/n wifi, bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Sensors: 3axis gyro, accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity, ambient light
Amazon fire 7 (2015) 5th gen.
Quad-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7, GPU mali 450
1 gb ram
Flash 8 gb (5gb available to user in stock OS, more in custom roms)
MicroSD up to 128 gb
7 inch 1024x600 (171 ppi)
b/g/n wifi, bluetooth 4.0 LE
back camera 2mp, front camera VGA
accelerometer yes
no gps, no gyro, no compass, no light sensor
Specs do look better. Amazing how prices come down.
Fire only has 8 gb flash though. Could get a bit cramped. If you install large apps like large games, you could run out of room and need to uninstall old apps to fit new stuff. The fire does have a microSD but apps use the flash. At least with the stock fire OS, if you root it or use a custom rom you can move some apps to SD.
I think the fire certainly will have limitations, it has to at $50/$35 but it is from a major brand, amazon, it should be half way decent at least. Worth a shot imho. And I believe they may be selling it at a bit of a loss, expecting most people to buy books, apps, videos on the tablet. Also it shows ads on the lockscreen.