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1. 

   William Hardin on September 2, 2015 at 2:52 pm

   8,314 of 8,559 people found the following review helpful

   
   The single best value Fire in the entire line. Skip the Fire 7 and get the Fire 6 instead!, October 4, 2014

   By 

   William Hardin (Virginia) –
   
     
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Fire HD 6, 6″ HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB – Includes Special Offers, Black (Electronics)

   If you read my Fire TV review you know that I am tough on Amazon when it comes to their own items. It needs to deliver quality for the price point to earn stars from me. Please take the time to read my entire review and feel free to ask questions. I will do my best to respond to them as I can and update the review to reflect those answers and other things I discover along the way.

   First my background. I own many Amazon Kindles (b&w, Fire gen2, Fire gen3) as well as Apple Ipad (gen 4), Samsung Note 3 and have an LG G2 smartphone (had a Samsung S4 before that), notebooks, chromebooks, etc. I have also used many other products including the Fire HDX line. I have a solid computer background as well but honestly I am more of a casual user when it comes to tablets like this one.

   Amazon has changed many things over the life of the Fire product line. Adding and removing features (like cameras–the first generation had one but the second generation removed them but not they are back).

   They are all useful devices but each one has its own niche so to speak so make sure whatever you get has the features that are important to you.

   Now to this model. This is like a big smartphone–which is a big difference from past kindles. It is more compact, lighter and yet still very usable. In fact for me, the shrinking of size increases the usefulness. I find that I use my smartphone way more than my tablets–even the smaller Fire HD and Samsung Note tablets so I am expecting this to replace more of that “on the couch” usage which is great since it so much less expensive than most smartphones. That means you can feel less bad about scratches that might occur or the accidental drops. (I am guilty of both.)

   The screen is very good–certainly not the top of the line but nice even if you factor paying twice the retail for it. It is bright, sharp with the same resolution as past

   Comparing past Kindle Fires:

   1st Generation 7 inch–1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi
   2nd Generation 7 inch–1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi
   3rd Generation 7 inch–1280 x 800 resolution at 216 ppi (the first step up in resolution)
   4th Generation 7 inch–1280 x 800 (216 ppi) (This is the twin to this model and was just released)

   Whereas this 6 inch model has 1280 x 800 (252 ppi). That makes this display higher or the same resolution than any of the past Kindle Fires with the exception of the more expensive HDX. It makes it sharper with more detail per inch than any of the past Kindle Fires of this smaller size (again except for the HDX). Yet this is the cheapest Fire yet which is quite impressive.

   Now while Amazon may love my giving this 6 inch fire a 5 star rating, they wouldn’t like this next sentence. There is absolutely no reason to even consider the newly released 7 inch fire. $40 more gets you a less “sharp/detailed” screen, more weight, more bulk (look at the extra space on the sides next to the screen of the new 6 inch and the new 7 inch) and the only improvements is a second speaker and a larger screen.

   In my opinion you should consider this 6 inch Fire or consider spending twice as much to step up to the Fire HDX with many improvements (Mayday button, higher resolution, faster processor, dual-band, dual antenna (MIMO) Wi-Fi, and longer battery life). The HDX has some issues with a blue halo around the screen so read reviews of that before jumping.

   So now that I have talked you out of the Fire 7 and covered some of the reasons for considering the Fire 7 HDX, lets talk more about the Fire 6.

   Performance/Apps–It is quick (but I am never happy enough, lol), responsive and like Apple products–it just works. Now one plus and minus with all Kindles/Fires are that you can not use any app from Google’s app store. That means you have to wait for apps to be brought into Amazon’s app store which seems to be slow at getting new releases and new updates. This is really an issue for Amazon and one that still needs to be fixed. The plus to this is that Amazon keeps some of the junky apps out of the system and once they make it to Amazon’s app store, they are proven safe and generally work better than the “fresh” apps because bugs have been worked out.

   Amazon’s own apps are very well integrated into this and past Fires. They keep improving them and adding features without adding cost. If you have Prime, you get streaming TV and Movies, free ebooks and now Prime Music. If you have Prime, the added free content you get on the Fire makes it a real standout against everything else.

   I use my Fire 6 for reading emails, surfing the internet, watching videos (some of the time) and playing some games/apps like IMDB. I have found that it meets or exceeds what I have come to expect from these things in terms of performance and reliability. Are there bugs or glitches? Yes but…

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2. 

   Mike W. on September 2, 2015 at 3:03 pm

   4,538 of 4,688 people found the following review helpful

   
   Unreal performance for $99! I couldn’t be happier., October 8, 2014

   By 

   Mike W. (NorCal) –
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Fire HD 6, 6″ HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB – Includes Special Offers, Black (Electronics)

   I’ll preface this by saying that I own an iPad, and was not expecting a $99 tablet to perform at anywhere near that level. I have followed the early reviews closely, and after seeing enough satisfied customers, I figured I’d give the Kindle Fire HD 6 a try. I chose the base 8 GB with special offers and my plan was to use it as a secondary e-reader and a secondary or even tertiary vehicle for internet access. What I’ve found is a powerful little tablet, so far completely free of the bugs and laggy speeds mentioned in the early reviews. In fact, performance has so exceeded expectations that I consider this perhaps the year’s best purchase.

   First off the look is nice. It’s sleek, (I ordered the black model) and though actually quite a bit heavier than I’d imagined, it’s not heavy enough to be considered a negative. The display is fantastic, and its quality was the first big surprise. The touch screen performs incredibly well, and to this point, I have experienced immediate response. To the point where I have to say touch response so far is indistinguishable from my iPad. Based on early reviews, this was not the case, so I have been quite pleasantly surprised. The Fire is very user friendly and easy to intuit. For those who do not feel confident with navigation of a new device, there is an immediate onscreen tutorial (with an option to skip) to guide you.

   I first checked out the e-reader function. My books loaded immediately and easily from the cloud and I really like the functionality of the reader. I am a big fan of the Kindle app for the iPad, and am far more accustomed to its functionality, but the Fire performed very well and my only complaint is that when searching the definition of a word, Wikipedia is used (versus google on the Kindle for iPad/Phone apps) which is a step down in quality imo, but certainly a small complaint overall, and in the quick 2 or 3 words I searched the answer was attainable from that page and did not require going over to the Wikipedia page as some have reported.

   Next, I checked out Silk, the web browser. This aspect of the Fire probably received the most complaints as the early reviews came in. It was reported to lag and to crash frequently, even on amazon’s own site. I expected this to be the case as I tested it, but I found that these problems must already have been addressed (your tablet loads the newest version of the software upon your registration) in subsequent updates as my experience was the ability to browse quickly and flawlessly across a number of varying websites. This was the second surprise for me, as I expected a far lower quality and especially a slower speed. I couldn’t be happier with what I’ve experienced so far.

   I browsed the app store and found it very functional and easy to maneuver, I set up my gmail within a matter of seconds, and I looked through a variety of sales and offers. At no time have I found slow speeds, poor touch responses, or any lagging.

   The Kindle Fire HD6 has exceeded my expectations in every way, and I still can’t believe I got it for $99 + tax. This thing is an incredible bargain, and so far its quality of performance holds its own against my iPad, something I absolutely did not expect at this price. I’m sure as I become more familiar with the Fire, the reasons for the price difference between it and the iPad will become more apparent, but when you consider the main reasons for which I purchased the Fire, it holds up marvelously well. Again, this may be the year’s best purchase from a value standpoint. So far,I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Enjoy!

   UPDATE 1/22/15- Since writing this review back in October, I’ve purchased 3 more for my kids. In perhaps the greatest test of speed and function, namely being easy, fast and fun enough to be preferred by children, these tablets have continued to impress and have proved that they are indeed a game changer in the world of budget tablets. With 3 months of rather heavy use under my belt, I have experienced absolutely no technical difficulties, and I remain a very satisfied customer. I therefore continue to highly recommend this excellent tablet.

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3. 

   Earthling1984 "Earthling" on September 2, 2015 at 3:26 pm

   2,896 of 3,054 people found the following review helpful

   
   HD Fire 6 is great for the price!, October 3, 2014

   By 

   Earthling1984 “Earthling” (Chicago, Illinois) –
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Fire HD 6, 6″ HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB – Includes Special Offers, Black (Electronics)

   For the low price, this tablet really does more than expected! The camera isn’t great; however, I always use my phone for a camera so that doesn’t effect me. Here are some of the pros and cons:

   Pros: Low cost yet high tech
   Great screen quality (of course there is better out there, but it looks great as is)
   Smooth and responsive
   Easy access to amazon prime content
   Easy to wirelessly share content to a TV
   Battery life
   Web browser works great

   Cons: Doesn’t have some apps android users are used to having
   Camera quality isn’t great and no flash
   Less ‘extra features’ than some higher priced tablets have

   I opted to go with the 16gb version with no ads. The ads aren’t a big deal, but I figured I would pass on having them on my screen. No matter what version you pick, they all do the same things. The gigs may or may not matter to you. 8 and 16 gigs both aren’t very large, but if you want to predownload some tv shows, movies, & music before a vacation, then you may want to look into getting the larger 16gig. If you will always have internet connection, then it isn’t much a problem since you have unlimited cloud storage and can download to your device or stream at anytime you have internet.

   Overall… If you want an Amazon tablet, and you want the best, go with the HDX series. However, if you want an amazing tablet but don’t want to spend as much, then these new HD 6 & 7 series are great! For me and my uses, the HD 6 is the perfect fit.

   I would suggest the 6 over the 7 for most buyers. The only 2 things the 7 has over the 6, are a larger screen, and dual speakers. Sure the dual speakers is kind of nice, but the screen is actually lower quality than the 6. At 216ppi, the 7 keeps the same resolution as it’s last (3rd) generation. The 6, however, has 252ppi which make it’s screen a bit more crisp.

   Here are some of my thoughts:
   Size: The size is good. I prefer that it is a smaller size for ease of carrying. As long as you see well up close, this 6 is a great size!

   Battery Life: Very sufficient for my needs. The Kindle HDX’s have a little longer battery life; however, this 8 hour spec’d battery life has been lasting a long time, and never getting too low for my uses.

   Sound: Sound isn’t bad. It is comparable to a laptop from a few years back. The 6 has only a mono speaker, but it is loud enough and crisp. I find it is plenty for watching a tv show or movie. For music I prefer a speaker or headphones(but that goes for pretty much any tablet).

   Check out my youtube: Earthling1984 for some more information on this tablet.

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