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MagyarAmazon Fire Tablet 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".
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.
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 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
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.
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.
Display
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.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ø4.93
ΔE Greyscale 7.8 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
Gamma: 1.99
| Amazon Fire Tablet IPS, 1024x600, 7" | Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 IPS, 1024x600, 7" | Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 IPS, 1280x800, 7" | Acer Iconia One 8 IPS, 1280x800, 8" | Xiaomi MiPad 2 IPS, 2048x1536, 7.9" | Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch IPS, 2560x1600, 8.4" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
| 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 17146 (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.
Display 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 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 0.165 (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 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.
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 (Z8500, Z3735G); 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).
| AnTuTu v6 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| Geekbench 4.0 | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| PCMark for Android - Work performance score | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
| Acer Iconia One 8 | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 inch | |
| Xiaomi MiPad 2 | |
| Amazon Fire Kids Edition Late 2015 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 2016 | |
| Amazon Fire Tablet | |
* ... 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.
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.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.9 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °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 33.2 °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
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.
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
» 84% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 85% 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
» 69% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 68% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% 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
» 38% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 33% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 59% 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.
| Off / Standby |   0.08 / 0.28 Watt |
| Idle |  1.12 / 3.06 / 3.31 Watt |
| Load |
4.44 / 5.09 Watt |
    
| |
| 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.
| 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
Cons
Verdict
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
Price comparison
