My Fire HDX 8.9" experience of just over a year.

by Brian
(Mount Juliet, TN)

I have a Fire HD (2012) 7", but I wanted to upgrade to something better. I got this one during November 2014. It performs twice as good as the HD. I've learned quite a bit of what both tablets can do.

I'm an avid reader, making time for reading every day. I've been a Netflix member for at least 5 years. I wanted a tablet that could do that and take advantage of what being a Prime member has to offer. I got the 8.9" 64G model because I wanted to be able to download stuff in bulk should I not have access to the internet for some time.

Books: Reading is fine one-handed even with this size. I have over 12 links to sites where I can get at least 6 free books a day.

Tablet: It feels lighter than my HD even with the case on. Buttons are almost flush with the case and I'm still getting used to it.

Movies/TV: Looks and sound great; with the added benefit of Whispersync, which can bring up information on a movie and the actors in it, even the one's currently on-screen. I can navigate through my media easily; even able to download certain movies and tv show to the HD.

Big Screen: With this, I can cast movies and the Fire's screen to my HDTV using the Fire Stick. There is even a Fire TV Stick voice remote app, so I can be super lazy and do everything by talking to it.

Games: I don't play games much but it does run them without much error. There are free apps given away on occasion. Yes, the library isn't as extensive as Google Play, but Play isn't all that either.

Apps: All of my apps I've gotten for free; many being the Full version. I have an HP Print app which allows me to print from the HDX. I've grouped all of my apps into different Collections so I don't have to scroll through them all.

Wifi: I have the Wifi only version since data can be burned through relatively quickly. I don't need 24/7 access to the internet. It runs faster and better than the HD.

Music: I have an iPod 3rd gen nano as my dedicated music player. With iHeart Radio (app) and Prime Music I have so much music I can play.

Shopping: I prefer using my laptop for this, but on occasion I've ordered from Amazon with the HDX. I can take full advantage of Unlimited Prime 2 day shipping.

Conclusion: I can guarantee that this is the best all-around tablet there is on the market; though be it aimed toward Amazon users. I've been a Prime Member since 2005. Amazon has improved so much since then. I've had 3 problems with them and every time the problem has been fixed. This review/Fire Story is for this model only. I do not have any experience with the new line of Fires that came out last year.

I do know that his model outperforms the new 8" and 10". If you have this model then I would not suggest upgrading to the new one, unless you want to take advantage of the new microSD slot for 128g (I believe) of storage.

When choosing a size, consider what all you're going to be doing on the tablet. If you're going to be watching any media and playing games, then the 8" and 10" sizes are the way to go. Movies and TV shows look great on the larger screen.