Amazon.com: Fire HD 6 Tablet, 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black (Previous Generation

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William Hardin

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

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2014

Digital Storage Capacity: 8 GBColor: BlackOffer Type: With Special OffersVerified Purchase

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 less than my LG smartphone has and less than my Samsung Tab has.

Size--about the size of the new "large" phones is very nice--not too big but not too small. It is more portable feeling than the 7 inch tablets and it is easy to hold. It is fun to be part of the "cool club" without dropping 5-6 times as much or signing a 2 year contract.

Quality--Amazon has proven overtime that they can make quality products and this is no exception. At under a hundred dollars there is pretty much nothing else that is this feature packed with this finish quality. I have experienced no quality issues and do not expect anything given Amazon's solid history.

Battery Life--So far so good. I was able to stream video and surf the internet for well over 7 hours without any hiccups. From a device this compact with such a large screen that seems quite impressive.

Sound--Decent but Apple products are cleaner sounding to me. Volume is usable in most situations but not necessarily in noisy outside situations.

I am sure I have forgotten something so please feel free to ask questions. This is my own opinion and while I don't know everything, I do my best to deliver honest reviews since reviews help me so much when I shop.

If you are in the market for a little tablet and have prime, you have to decide between this Fire 6 or the 7 inch HDX for twice the cost. This 6 inch adds the rear camera and most of the performance while being smaller, lighter at half the price.

11,154 people found this helpful

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By no means a high-end tablet, but insanely good for the price

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2014

Digital Storage Capacity: 8 GBColor: BlackOffer Type: With Special OffersVerified Purchase

Insanely good for the price

PROS:
Excellent Amazon media machine
Incredible value for the money
Vibrant 252 ppi screen with great viewing angles
Compact form factor
Simple but elegant function
Easy to configure parental controls (optional)
8 hour battery life
Simple set up

CONS:
Stuck with Amazon app store
Only 2 mp rear facing camera with slow focus and poor low-light performance
No SD card expansion port
Limited memory on the 8 GB model (buy the 16 GB version if you want room for downloaded media)
Single band Wi-Fi
Mono speaker
Not specifically developed for productivity; more aimed at the web and entertainment
No GPS, NFC, haptic feedback, or ambient light sensor (not deal breakers for me in this price range)

QUICK OVERVIEW
The Kindle Fire HD 6 is an entry level tablet that really packs a punch. I wanted to buy my 12 year old daughter a tablet for her birthday and really vacillated as to what to buy. If you go too cheap, all you get is an outmoded, slow, and clunky piece of crap that won't hold up over time. If you go the way of the basic iPad mini, you're giving a kid $250 piece of technology to knock around in their backpack. When the Fire HD 6 went on sale for $79 during Cyberweek the timing couldn't have been better and I went for it. I haven't had this thing for a long time, granted, but I've seen plenty of tablets in my day and for a kid--and even an adult--this thing rocks. This may not be the latest and greatest technology, but you would be hard pressed to find a tablet this refined and with this good of a user experience at a similar price point.

LONG REVIEW
First and foremost, when you buy the Kindle Fire HD 6, you are getting a sweet piece of well thought out technology. The thing arrived in exactly 2 days from purchase and was mailed in the nondescript cardboard packaging that Amazon usually uses for medium sized books. Inside was a simple cardboard container that Amazon uses for their frustration-free packaging. But when I opened the frustration-free package I was more than surprised to see that they hadn't skimped on the presentation. The box for the Kindle HD 6 has an Apple-worthy, simplistic beauty. You shouldn't judge a book by the cover, but the look of a gift is incredibly important and the quality of the packaging absolutely reflects the attitude of the manufacturer towards the product. Amazon hadn't skimped here and my daughter's eyes lit up when she looked at the box.

INSIDE THE BOX
Inside the box, you will find the carefully packaged Kindle itself, a micro-USB charge cord, and quick start card. The device itself is machined well, without any dogeared edges or superficial flaws. The device is made of plastic, but it feels solid in your hands. Unlike most low-end electronics, the on-off button and the volume buttons also have a firm, feel. The charge/sync cord easily fits into the Kindle's micro-USB port. There is no jiggling and no difficulty placing the cord. In the past, I have bought lower end electronics with cheap USB ports that don't quite fit or easily break--this does not seem to be the case here.

SET UP
Once you turn on the device, the tablet walks you through setting up your local Wi-Fi and you enter your Amazon account information. Once done, all your content on Amazon is available to you (all kinds of media and apps). You can then decide how you want to set up the device.

Fire OS is not standard Android, but anyone who is used to technology the learning curve is easy. I did have to consult the Amazon website for a few particular things, but basically once you set the device up you will be 99% set to go. The user interface is elegant and a great skin on Android. The limiting factor, of course, is that you are stuck with the Amazon app store. This is rather robust at this point, but still lacks the sheer number and diversity of programs that you can find on Google Play. Nevertheless, the Kindle Fire series gives you unprecedented ease in accessing all of your Amazon content. Additionally, this tablet is no toy. It can do anything a run-of-the-mill Android tablet can do.

Setting up a kids account with appropriate restrictions is a little more complicated, but well worth it. I'm all for giving children major leeway, but having the web at your fingertips with no restrictions on a device that can be used in private is a little too much responsibility. The fact is, that the kids accounts can be configured to give them incredible leeway but you can also restrict total amount of use time, restrict the apps they can use, and the ratings of the media that they can view. For a parent, this is a godsend. There is lots of help on the tablet itself when you set up a kid's account and there is additional information on the web.

THE SCREEN
I don't know why anyone would complain about the screen. No, this is not the retina display of the latest iPad Mini 3. But at 252 ppi it beats the basic iPad Mini (which is at 163 ppi) and comes incredibly close the the latest iPad Air's 264 ppi. Given the 6 inch screen, 252 ppi is quite an incredible amount of resolution. Even small text comes out as crisp and unpixilated. The rendering of color, the brightness, and the viewing angles are incredible for a device that would cost twice this much, let alone at this price point. Is the screen as good as the one on the basic iPad Mini? It sure seems so to my eyes. Maybe it's the smaller form factor, but there is no real compromise here. The screen is incredibly responsive to gestures. So far, there is little or no lag. The tablet has yet to freeze or stagger. I realize I have not been using it for more than a couple of days, but I haven't seen a better screen on anything in the sub-$200 category. Kudos to Amazon for this.

Rendering of movies and complex games was far better than I ever expected. This is a media consumption device, after all, and it does this incredibly well. As an old guy, I would like a bigger screen. But for the iPod/smartphone generation, watching media on the small screen is second nature. Ditto on web surfing and eBooks. The screen will render web pages full size with type that is readable for me only because I wear progressive lenses. With appropriate eyewear, however, web surfing is a pleasant enough experience. I would prefer reading my eBooks using a larger form factor, but they are serviceable on the device. At age 12, my daughter isn't bothered in the least. That said, with a 6 inch screen, this tablet is not much larger than most phablets out there, so if I were getting a tablet for myself I would have opted for a larger form factor.

USER EXPERIENCE
In reading professional reviews of the tablet before purchasing, a lot of ink was spilled regarding the wimpiness of the HD 6's MediaTek MT8135 1.2/1.5 GHz processor and paltry 1 GB of RAM. The first observation I would make is that it is ridiculous to expect that a tablet in this price range will purr and hum like the top-of-the-line Galaxy tab or suped-up iPad. Sure, the HD 6 may suffer in comparison on some benchmarks. It's still a $99 tablet, not $200 to $400 tablet. Still, in my hands, so far, the performance has been more than snappy. There is very little lag (I think I have more lag on my iPhone 5S for some tasks.

Raw hardware is absolutely an important consideration but it is meaningless unless there is a good marriage between hardware and software. Amazon has optimized the experience for those who are interested in Amazon content and have really done this brilliantly. It may well be that the higher-line Kindles do their stuff even better, but even if that is the case, the experience with the Kindle HD 6 is still great. I will have to see how things go as the tablet gets filled up with apps or there is some serious multitasking going on . But so far, so good.

IMPORTANT ISSUES/TRADE OFFS
What are the downsides here? Well, at $99 there had to be some compromises. At 2 megapixels, the rear camera is serviceable but by no means perfect. I agree with most of the reviews I read previously: the camera takes too long to focus and low-light pictures are definitely blurry.

Weighing in at 10.1 ounces, the HD 6 is something of a brick by modern standards. The larger HDX 7 is only 0.6 ounces heavier and has a larger screen and longer battery life. Clearly, the lower end components simply weight more.

Battery life is slated at only 8 hours. I haven't tried this in real life yet, but most companies overestimate battery life. To keep costs down, Amazon had to make some decisions and clearly they opted for an older, heavier, lower-end battery to achieve this. Still, 8 hours at full tilt would have been pretty amazing battery life a few short years ago, so it's still not too bad.

The HD 6 only has a mono speaker. Audio on these kinds of devices can never be truly high end (there's no way to get a full-range speaker on something this small). The sound, though, is fine for a speaker of this size, but it's clearly a compromise.

Single band Wi-Fi. Clearly, this will slow down the web, but I didn't notice this at all using Amazon's Silk browser. No issues with download times, but that all depends on your network.

Low memory: on the 8 GB model, after accounting for the OS and basic apps, this apparently leaves only about 5 GB of memory are left over for content and additional apps. 1 GB can store about 250 songs or 614 photos (at ~1.5 MB per photo)--not bad. But it takes about 2 GB to store a movie. So if you don't install any apps, you could possibly store 2 movies on your 8 GB HD 6. Not great. And, sadly, there's no micro-SD card slot for memory expansion.

Then again, the purpose of this device is really streaming. You are allowed to cache movies for later viewing, but the Kindle is really meant to stream content, not act as a repository for it. You could opt for the 16 GB HD 6, but that'll cost you $20. (After buying the tablet, though, I think buying the extra memory is well worth the cost of the upgrade.)

Given cost constraints, Amazon has left out some common features seen on mid-range and higher end Android devices. There is no GPS, no NFC (near field communication, for close proximity near-touch transfer of data with other devices), no haptic feedback (that 'buzz' you feel when you type into the keyboard), and no ambient light sensor (allows for automatic adjustment of screen brightness, among other things). None of these missing items is a deal breaker for me at this price point. I think the trade offs were reasonable to keep the low price point (e.g. I'd rather have the better screen than the NFC, haptic feedback, etc.) GPS would have been a nice touch, but it is less useful without 3G/4G LTE service, which is not an option on this product.

Fire OS 4: this is both a pro and a con for this device. On the one hand, Fire OS is optimized to provide a great Amazon-content experience. There is a great marriage of hardware and software here. On the other hand, Fire OS 4 is less customizable and less user configurable than stock Android. It's not that Amazon hasn't added value here, but in adding an excellent Amazon experience, you are stuck with choices that you may not have wanted to make. The interface is elegant and, I believe, enjoyable to use, but it's locked down and some users--especially those who like to tinker a lot with their interface--will not appreciate this fact.

CONCLUSION:
I was far more impressed with the Kindle HD 6 than I could have imagined. It is a low-cost product that really delivers on a high end experience. It is certainly not a high-end tablet, but Amazon packed a lot of value into the product. You get a lot more tablet than you purchased. If you are looking for a device for one of your children and you don't want to sacrifice an arm and a leg to the technology gods, this one's for you. If you are looking for a great holiday gift for someone who is entrenched in the Amazon universe or are looking for an entry-level Kindle, this just might be the one. This is by no means a high-end tablet, but it is insanely good for the price.

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Fire HD 6 Tablet, 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black (Previous Generation - 4th)

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