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Amazon Fire Tablet Review

On Fire? Amazon's entry into their tablet ecosystem is inexpensive - in fact, very inexpensive. In Germany, the Fire Tablet (Late 2015) sells for 60 Euro (~$64) via Amazon's online store. What compromises the low-budget 7-inch tablet requires is the subject of our review.

For the original German review, see here.

It's next to impossible to find a cheaper entry into the world of tablets. Equipped with 8 GB of RAM and featuring "sponsored screensavers" when locked, the Fire Tablet (2015) sells for about 60 Euro (~$64); the version without those "special offers" sells for 75 Euro (~$80). The larger 16 GB version sells for 10 Euro more, so the top version of the Fire Tablet (2015) consequently sells for about 85 Euro (~$90).

Despite the aggressive price point, the Amazon Fire Tablet comes equipped with a MediaTek quad-core processor and features an IPS display - albeit with a resolution of only 1024 x 600 pixels. The operating system "Fire OS" is based on Google Android.

The Fire Tablet (2015) is also sold as a model suitable for children for 120 Euro (~$128). This particular version is equipped with a flexible plastic cover, features a two-year worry-free warranty, and comes with a one-year subscription to "Amazon FreeTime Unlimited".

Amazon Fire Tablet (Fire Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT8127 4 x 1.5 GHz @ 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A7
Graphics adapter
Memory
1024 MB 
Display
7.00 inch 16:10, 1024 x 600 pixel 170 PPI, multi-touch, capacitive, LCD, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
8 GB eMMC Flash, 8 GB 
, 5.7 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3,5 mm-Stereo-Anschluss , Card Reader: MicroSD up to 200 GB, Sensors: accelerometer , OTG
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 10.6 x 191 x 115 ( = 0.42 x 7.52 x 4.53 in)
Battery
2980 mAh Lithium-Ion, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 7 h
Operating System
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Camera
Primary Camera: 2 MPix
Secondary Camera: 0.3 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker, Keyboard: onscreen, Keyboard Light: yes, USB 2.0 cable, modular 5W power adapter, quickstart guide, Fire OS 5, 12 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
313 g ( = 11.04 oz / 0.69 pounds), Power Supply: 65 g ( = 2.29 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
60 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The case is made from plastic and is available in several colors like black, blue, magenta, and orange. The Fire Tablet (2015) measures 191 x 115 mm (7.52 x 4.53 in) and is thus much more compact than the Fire Kids Edition for children. Although there is no protective cover, the tablet supposedly is 1.8 times more durable than the Apple iPad Air 2.

The display bezel of the 7-inch tablet is fairly large with a corresponding display-to-surface ratio of only 63 %. The back is slightly rough to the touch, which makes it easy to hold the tablet while resisting finger prints quite well at the same time. Since the tablet is comparatively thick, it doesn't handle quite as easily as others.

We can't really find faults with the overall sturdiness: unlike the Fire Kids Edition, the new tablet doesn't suffer from unexpected inputs or visible changes on the display (waveforms) when twisted. Only when we applied forces which are unlikely occur during normal use, we were able to produce those effects. The build quality is pretty decent, although though the physical buttons for the volume and the on/off switch are a little too loose for our taste and the tablet emits slight creaking sounds when pressure is applied. 

Size Comparison

219 mm / 8.62 inch 140.5 mm / 5.53 inch 27.1 mm / 1.067 inch 407 g0.897 lbs215.3 mm / 8.48 inch 127.7 mm / 5.03 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 340 g0.75 lbs200.4 mm / 7.89 inch 132.6 mm / 5.22 inch 6.95 mm / 0.2736 inch 332 g0.732 lbs191 mm / 7.52 inch 115 mm / 4.53 inch 10.6 mm / 0.4173 inch 313 g0.69 lbs186.9 mm / 7.36 inch 108.8 mm / 4.28 inch 8.7 mm / 0.3425 inch 283 g0.624 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 148 mm / 5.83 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 2.9 g0.00639 lbs

Connectivity

The internal eMMC flash storage device has a capacity of 8 GB, of which 5.7 GB are accessible to the user. Depending on the requirements, a user might want to opt for the larger 16 GB version instead. According to Amazon, storage capacity can be expanded using the MicroSD cards with a capacity of up to 200 GB. Apps2SD allows the user to move applications from internal storage to the SD card. For Amazon-specific content as well as photos taken with the Fire Tablet (2015), Amazon offers unlimited Cloud storage as well.

The Fire Tablet features a 2.0 Micro-USB port which is used for charging, but does support USB OTG (On-The-Go) as well. Because of this feature, the tablet recognizes peripherals like USB sticks or external keyboards.

Software

Amazon uses their Fire OS version 5 (Bellini). Although this OS is based on Google Android 5.1 (Lollipop), the tablet doesn't support Google services like the Play store or apps like Gmail and Google Maps. Instead, Amazon uses their own services and applications. The software is designed for Amazon's universe: Prime members have access to video (Prime Video) and music (Prime Music) as well eBooks.

Compared to the user interface other manufacturers have implemented, Amazon's Fire OS doesn't have much of a resemblance to the stock Android version. Even so: the OS is intuitive and easy to use. Users who aren't satisfied with the offered programs and applications can install Google's set of services quite easily.

Communication and GPS

For wireless communication, Amazon relies on Bluetooth 4.0, which isn't exactly the newest standard. NFC is not available at all. The integrated WLAN module supports standards b/g/n and thus only makes use of the 2.4 GHz band. The transfer speed between the tablet and our reference router Linksys EA 8500 is appropriate for an entry-level device. Attenuation is a little high at -46 dBm in close proximity to the router. Also lacking: a GPS module to establish the location or a module for mobile Internet use.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
209 MBit/s +358%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
45.6 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
209 MBit/s +363%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
45.1 MBit/s

Cameras

The quality of the 2 MP main camera module is far from impressive. The resulting photos are not very sharp, too dark and feature lots of noise. Details are lacking so outlines are barely visible. The same is true for the forward-facing 0.3 MP webcam.

The main camera records videos in HD quality (1280 x 720 pixels). Video conferencing with the front-facing camera is only possible at VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels), which leads to blurry Skype video calls with lots of picture noise.

2 MP main camera
2 MP main camera
0.3 MP front-facing camera
0.3 MP front-facing camera
The camera application
The camera application
The camera application
The camera application

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3

Accessories and Warranty

The box contains the tablet, a USB 2.0 cable, the modular 5 W power adapter, as well as a quick-start guide in German.

Amazon warrants their tablet against defects for a period of only one year, although the statutory warranty in Germany of 24 months still applies.

Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Operation

The capacitive multi-touchscreen can recognize up to five finger inputs simultaneously and allows for precise and fluent control. The in-house developed virtual keyboard differs only slightly from Google's standard keyboard.

Onsceen keyboard, portrait mode
Onsceen keyboard, portrait mode
Onsceen keyboard, portrait mode
Onsceen keyboard, portrait mode
Onsceen keyboard, landscape mode
Onsceen keyboard, landscape mode

Display

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

The 7-inch LC display features a WSVGA resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The pixel density is correspondingly low at 170 ppi. Subjectively, the panel isn't very sharp - especially when compared to higher-resolution devices. More demanding users likely won't be very happy with the low pixel density. 

Our brightness measurements with the X-Rite iPro2 show a comparatively low maximum brightness of 323 cd/m². The Fire Tablet (2015) gets about as bright as the Kids Edition. The Fire Tablet lacks a brightness sensor to automatically adapt to the lighting conditions.

299
cd/m²
315
cd/m²
304
cd/m²
289
cd/m²
323
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
267
cd/m²
283
cd/m²
295
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LCD tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 323 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 299.1 cd/m² Minimum: 10.38 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 325 cd/m²
Contrast: 850:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 1.99
Amazon Fire Tablet
IPS, 1024x600, 7.00
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
IPS, 1024x600, 7.00
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
IPS, 1280x800, 7.00
Acer Iconia One 8
IPS, 1280x800, 8.00
Xiaomi MiPad 2
IPS, 2048x1536, 7.90
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
IPS, 2560x1600, 8.40
Screen
-16%
15%
26%
30%
24%
Brightness middle
323
337
4%
358
11%
367
14%
425
32%
460
42%
Brightness
299
313
5%
344
15%
338
13%
402
34%
445
49%
Brightness Distribution
83
84
1%
92
11%
83
0%
91
10%
90
8%
Black Level *
0.38
0.63
-66%
0.37
3%
0.31
18%
0.4
-5%
0.45
-18%
Contrast
850
535
-37%
968
14%
1184
39%
1063
25%
1022
20%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
9.3
8.47
9%
5.3
43%
4.1
56%
4.98
46%
6.2
33%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
17.6
20.2
-15%
6.61
62%
10.5
40%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
7.8
9.98
-28%
4.7
40%
4.38
44%
5.2
33%
6.5
17%
Gamma
1.99 111%
2.33 94%
2.44 90%
2.33 94%
2.65 83%
2.33 94%
CCT
7736 84%
6902 94%
7222 90%
6394 102%
7249 90%
8056 81%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Compared to the Kids Edition, the Fire Tablet (2015) features a much better black value of 0.4 cd/m², which - when combined with the maximum brightness - results in an acceptable contrast ratio of 807:1. The more realistic measurement process involving an even distribution of bright and dark segments (APL50) results in slightly values (black value: 0.38 cd/m², contrast: 850:1).

Our analysis with a photospectrometer and the CalMAN software shows significant DeltaE-deviations from the ideal (<3) for both color (9.3) as well as graylevels (7.8). The color temperature of 7736 Kelvin is also a little too cool and the panel consequently suffers from a slightly bluish color cast.

CalMan ColorChecker (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan ColorChecker (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Saturation (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Saturation (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Colors (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Colors (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Graylevels (target color space: sRGB)
CalMan Graylevels (target color space: sRGB)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
44 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17 ms rise
↘ 27 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 98 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
199 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 132 ms rise
↘ 67 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 100 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The good contrast ratio of 850:1 makes reading the display outside a little easier. Direct sunlight is out of the question, however - the panel is limited here by its low brightness. Because of the In-Plane-Switching (IPS) technology, the screen content maintains good color accuracy even at very shallow angles. IPS glow is definitely an issue and backlight bleeding is sometimes noticeable in daylight.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Mediatek MT8127 is an entry-level quad-core SoC with four Cortex A7 cores and an entry-level Mali-450 (MP4) graphics processor. As expected, the benchmark results show that the Mediatek MT8127 can't keep up with the competition from Intel (Z8500Z3735G); only the Spreadtrum-SoC in the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 trails the review unit slightly at times. During normal, every-day use, the SoC runs the tablet without problems and without major lag. The system as well as the browser performance is also appropriate for the price point. 

The eMMC flash drive is very slow, but performs at the same level as the flash storage in other entry-level devices. The recorded read and write transfer rates of the integrated MicroSD card slot of 49 and 29 MB/s, respectively, are also far from impressive. Our Toshiba Exceria Pro M401 reference card is capable of much higher transfer rates (95 MB/s reads and 80 MB/s writes).

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
29.19 MB/s
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
23.52 MB/s -19%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
18.4 MB/s -37%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
61.7 MB/s +25%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
49.4 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
21.41 MB/s -57%
Random Write 4KB
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
31.35 MB/s +185%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13.96 MB/s +27%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
11 MB/s
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
10.6 MB/s -4%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9.55 MB/s -13%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2.9 MB/s -74%
Random Read 4KB
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
32.04 MB/s +46%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
24.42 MB/s +11%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
23.34 MB/s +6%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
21.95 MB/s 0%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
17 MB/s -23%
Sequential Write 256KB
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
117.2 MB/s +217%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
56.4 MB/s +52%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
40 MB/s +8%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
38.19 MB/s +3%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
37 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
28.95 MB/s -22%
Sequential Read 256KB
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
249.7 MB/s +70%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
156.6 MB/s +7%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
147.9 MB/s +1%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
147 MB/s
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
126 MB/s -14%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
65.9 MB/s -55%
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
86735 Points +232%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
73083 Points +180%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
26094 Points
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
25865 Points -1%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22854 Points -12%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5277 Points +342%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1194 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1726 Points +290%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
443 Points
Geekbench 3
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
990 Points
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
724 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3170 Points
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1958 Points
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
25460 Points +443%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
20230 Points +331%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13026 Points +178%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4693 Points
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4677 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3626 Points -23%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
27537 Points +566%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
22141 Points +435%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
12471 Points +202%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4136 Points
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4114 Points -1%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3146 Points -24%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
20142 Points +127%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
15538 Points +75%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
15430 Points +74%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8974 Points +1%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8881 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7790 Points -12%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1353 Points
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1139 Points
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
0 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1300 Points
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
997 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2261 Points
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1580 Points
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
24.4 fps +88%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
23 fps +77%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
13 fps
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
13 fps 0%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
6.5 fps -50%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
32 fps +256%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
29 fps +222%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
9 fps
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8.9 fps -1%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6 fps -33%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4.2 fps -53%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5279 Points +52%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5204 Points +50%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4739 Points +36%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3480 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3095 Points -11%
BaseMark OS II
Overall
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1800 Points +978%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1419 Points +750%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
881 Points +428%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
473 Points +183%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
345 Points +107%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
167 Points
System
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3581 Points +266%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1921 Points +96%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1359 Points +39%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
978 Points
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
971 Points -1%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
923 Points -6%
Memory
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2212 Points +556%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1379 Points +309%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
765 Points +127%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
431 Points +28%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
341 Points +1%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
337 Points
Graphics
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1609 Points +549%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1302 Points +425%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
692 Points +179%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
248 Points
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
247 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
150 Points -40%
Web
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1022 Points +10120%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
952 Points +9420%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
837 Points +8270%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
613 Points +6030%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
521 Points +5110%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
10 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
11404 Points +390%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7994 Points +244%
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6110 Points +163%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2358 Points +1%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2326 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2300 Points -1%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
16411 ms * -16%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
15534 ms * -9%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
14187 ms *
Acer Iconia One 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5580 ms * +61%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4420 ms * +69%
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2823 ms * +80%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
53.7 Points +280%
Xiaomi MiPad 2
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 16 GB eMMC Flash
43.04 Points +205%
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
15.8 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
Mali-400 MP2, SC7731, 8 GB eMMC Flash
14.5 Points +3%
Amazon Fire Tablet
Mali-450 MP4, MT8127, 8 GB eMMC Flash
14.12 Points

* ... smaller is better

Gaming

The SoC-integrated graphics unit Mali-450 (MP4) features four clusters running at 600 MHz. More demanding 3D games we downloaded from the Android store didn't run without stuttering. When we played Asphalt 8: Airborne and Dead Trigger 2, we frequently observed micro-stutters and the load times where quite long. 

Asphalt 8: Airborne
Dead Trigger 2

Emissions

Temperature

Under load, the surface temperatures vary greatly. The upper third of the back in particular gets hot. We recorded up to 37.8 °C, though we wouldn't consider that to be an issue. During idle, the Amazon tablet gets barely warm.

Max. Load
 34.7 °C
94 F
33.5 °C
92 F
29.8 °C
86 F
 
 34.9 °C
95 F
33.1 °C
92 F
30.7 °C
87 F
 
 34.8 °C
95 F
34.9 °C
95 F
32 °C
90 F
 
Maximum: 34.9 °C = 95 F
Average: 33.2 °C = 92 F
28.9 °C
84 F
30 °C
86 F
36 °C
97 F
32.1 °C
90 F
31 °C
88 F
37.1 °C
99 F
31.2 °C
88 F
31.4 °C
89 F
37.8 °C
100 F
Maximum: 37.8 °C = 100 F
Average: 32.8 °C = 91 F
Power Supply (max.)  36.5 °C = 98 F | Room Temperature 21.4 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.9 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.8 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.6 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.

Speaker

Speaker test: pink noise
Speaker test: pink noise

The Kindle's mono speaker isn't very impressive. When playing music or YouTube videos, the Fire Tablet (2015) sounds tinny and not very clean. The speaker on the back emits a maximum 82 dB - most tablets get significantly louder. Music fans are better off with the Xiaomi MiPad 2  

Bass is lacking and the mids and highs overwhelm the lower frequencies. The linearity of the audible range from 100 to 16000 Hz is just average.

Music output via the 3.5 mm audio jack is quite a bit better with no notable issues. 

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2031.6462525.4363125.333.24032.937.35033.649.56331.635.58028.430.21002728.612520.825.81602226.820021.32725020.833.431521.24340019.449.750019.555.763017.759.380017.964.9100017.870.4125017.374.7160017.474.2200016.772.5250017.269.7315018.268.1400017.967.5500017.665.9630017.770.4800017.870.81000017.968.11250018.164.21600018.254.4SPL3082.3N1.348.9median 17.9median 64.9Delta1.413.431.73832.431.73430.331.33427.824.131.727.828.627.22628.63838.639.43827.430.336.227.427.525.828.627.524.723.625.424.72622.521.32626.822.523.326.834.52422.534.54628.122.44656.136.121.356.160.241.518.460.26548.117.56568.452.117.568.469.853.317.269.873.556.516.873.574.658.317.374.676.959.417.476.975.558.916.675.572.154.417.372.172.754.917.672.774.255.917.674.27455.917.77480.662.617.480.682.464.617.782.472.254.317.972.262.544.218.162.55435.718.15487.870.229.887.871.624.61.371.6median 71.6median 53.3median 17.7median 71.61110.51.71140.735.335.240.739.430.137.839.443.33028.443.346.727.733.846.747.535.639.547.545.426.934.345.445.524.627.345.544.626.330.844.64731.226.24752.943.623.852.956.552.122.956.560.452.122.460.463.854.519.963.866.557.120.466.572.163.818.772.174.667.517.774.677.86917.977.878.9701878.980.47117.880.483.873.51783.885.175.816.985.183.473.317.483.483.473.117.883.483.974.417.583.983.473.517.383.48575.617.38586.6771886.684.674.518.384.681.571.817.981.572.261.217.972.295.185.430.195.1110.763.21.4110.7median 80.4median 70median 17.9median 80.48.69.51.58.6hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAmazon Fire TabletSamsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016Xiaomi MiPad 2
Amazon Fire Tablet audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.8% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 83% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 35.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 68% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Xiaomi MiPad 2 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (95.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (1.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 56% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 31% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 61% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency Diagram (check boxes can be selected/deselected!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

 The non-removable battery features a capacity of 2980 mAh - compared to the competitors, its capacity is lacking a little. The power consumption is quite moderate during idle as well as under load, but the weakish hardware certainly plays a role here.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.08 / 0.28 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.12 / 3.06 / 3.31 Watt
Load midlight 4.44 / 5.09 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Amazon Fire Tablet
2980 mAh
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
4000 mAh
Acer Iconia One 8
 mAh
Xiaomi MiPad 2
6190 mAh
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
5100 mAh
Power Consumption
-3%
-19%
-3%
-98%
-40%
Idle Minimum *
1.12
1.12
-0%
1.91
-71%
0.8
29%
3.33
-197%
1.51
-35%
Idle Average *
3.06
3.06
-0%
3.59
-17%
3.1
-1%
5.01
-64%
3.64
-19%
Idle Maximum *
3.31
3.31
-0%
4.06
-23%
3.3
-0%
5.19
-57%
3.68
-11%
Load Average *
4.44
4.85
-9%
4.29
3%
5.1
-15%
8.32
-87%
6.95
-57%
Load Maximum *
5.09
5.41
-6%
4.31
15%
6.5
-28%
9.33
-83%
9.11
-79%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

When we ran our practically relevant WLAN test with the screen brightness lowered to 150 cd/m2, the low-budget device shut down after 7 hours and 8 minutes. The tablet thus trails most of its competitors with only the Xiaomi MiPad 2 shutting down a little bit sooner. The included 5 watt (5 V, 1 A) power adapter charges the completely depleted tablet in about 3 hours. After being plugged in for one hour, the Kindle was charged to about 40 percent of its capacity.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
7h 08min
Amazon Fire Tablet
2980 mAh
Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015
 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016
4000 mAh
Acer Iconia One 8
 mAh
Xiaomi MiPad 2
6190 mAh
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch
5100 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
428
490
14%
619
45%
742
73%
421
-2%
546
28%

Pros

+ IPS-Panel
+ price
+ build quality
+ storage is expandable

Cons

- camera quality
- no ambient light sensor
- only 1 GB of RAM
- sound quality
- display resolution

Verdict

In review: Amazon Fire Tablet (2015). Test model courtesy of Amazon Germany.
In review: Amazon Fire Tablet (2015). Test model courtesy of Amazon Germany.

Considering what the Fire Tablet (2015) sells for, it definitely has its appeals. The build quality is decent, the IPS panel features great viewing angle stability and the color accuracy is acceptable as well. The purchase prise is unrivaled, as it is incredibly low. The battery life is sufficient, even though other entry-level tablets last longer than the Kindle - sometimes significantly so.

In addition to the positive aspects, there are of course some negative ones: the camera modules are mediocre, the mono speaker sounds tinny and the performance of the SoC fails to impress when running synthetic benchmarks as well as during every-day use. The price bracket is also becomes quite apparent when looking at the feature set. 

Compromises are simply a necessity when it comes to the affordable Fire Tablet (2015). The slate is still worthy of consideration as an entry-level entry into the world of tablets.

Amazon Fire Tablet - 01/09/2017 v6(old)
Marcus Herbrich

Chassis
74%
Keyboard
61 / 80 → 76%
Pointing Device
84%
Connectivity
27 / 65 → 42%
Weight
86 / 40-88 → 96%
Battery
89%
Display
77%
Games Performance
9 / 68 → 13%
Application Performance
25 / 76 → 33%
Temperature
93%
Noise
100%
Audio
38 / 91 → 42%
Camera
41 / 85 → 48%
Average
62%
76%
Tablet - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Marcus Herbrich, 2017-01-10 (Update: 2019-04-21)