Fire HD

The Fire HD, also known as Kindle Fire HD, is a member of the Amazon Fire family of tablet computers. The eight generation family consists of: 7" (2012 model), 8.9" (2012 model), 7" (2013 model), 6" & 7" (2014 models), 8" & 10.1" (2015 models), 8" (2016 model), 8" & 10.1" (2017 models), 8" (2018 model) and 10.1" (2019 model). These devices run the Fire OS operating system.

Amazon Fire HD

Fire HD 8.9" (2012)
Developer	Amazon.com
Manufacturer	Quanta Computer
Type	Tablet computer
Operating system	Latest: Fire OS 7 (Based On Android 9.0) Previous Versions: Fire OS 6 (Based On Android 7.1.2) Fire OS 5.6.1.0 (Based On Android 5.1.1) Fire OS 7.5.1 (Based On Android 4.0.3)
CPU	ARM core (see table)
Memory	Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012), Kindle Fire HD (2013), Fire HD 6 & 7 (2014), Fire HD 8 & 10 (2015) - 1 GB Ram Fire HD 8 (2016, 2017 & 2018) - 1.5 GB Ram Fire HD 10 (2017 & 2019) - 2 GB Ram
Storage	8–64 GB Flash (internal)
Removable storage	MicroSDXC slot (Fire HD 8- 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & Fire HD 10 - 2015, 2017 & 2019
Display	6", 7", 8", 8.9" (mostly HDX models), 10.1" LCD
Sound	Stereo speakers
Camera	Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012) & Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012) No Rear Camera, 1.3 MP HD 720p Front Camera Kindle Fire HD (2013) -No Rear Or Front Cameras Fire HD 6 & 7 (2014) - 2 MP Rear Camera, 0.3 MP Front Camera Fire HD 8 & 10 (2015) - 5 MP Rear Camera, 1.3 MP HD 720p Front Camera Fire HD 8 (2016) - 2 MP Rear Camera, 0.3 MP Front Camera Fire HD 8 (2017) & Fire HD 10 (2017) - 2 MP Rear Camera, 0.3 Front Camera Fire HD 8 (2018) & Fire HD 10 (2019) - 2 MP Rear Camera, 2 MP Front Camera
Connectivity	Micro-USB 2.0 (type B, pre-2019 models) USB-C (2019 10.1" model) Micro-HDMI (2012 7" & 8.9" models) 3.5mm stereo jack 802.11 Wi-Fi 4G LTE (8.9" 2012 model)[1] Bluetooth[2]
Online services	Amazon Prime, Amazon Cloud Storage, Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon video, Amazon Silk, Amazon Appstore, Amazon Kindle Store
Predecessor	Kindle Fire, Fire HDX
Website	Amazon Fire HD

History

The first model was announced on September 6, 2012 and was available in two versions, 7" and 8.9". The 7" model was released in United States on September 14, then France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom on October 25 and in Japan on December 18. The 8.9" model was released on November 20 in United States, in Japan on March 12, 2013 in Germany on March 13, and in India on June 27.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

On September 25, 2013, the Fire HD second generation was released. The price of the Fire HD 7" was reduced to $139, the processor speed was upgraded to 1.5 GHz, upgraded from "Android based" OS to a compatible proprietary fork of Android named Fire OS 3, removed the front camera, used a new form factor and decreased the available storage options. In addition, the Fire HD's successor the Kindle Fire HDX was introduced.

On October 2, 2014, the Fire HD third generation was released, which is part of the Fire Tablet's fourth generation, with 6-inch and 7-inch touchscreen sizes. In addition, the Fire HD Kids Edition was released, which is the same device as the Fire HD 6 except it comes with a case and one-year subscription to Kindle Freetime apps.[9] In addition, the name "Kindle" was officially removed from the tablets' name.

In September 2015, Amazon released a new range of Fire tablets with 7, 8, and 10.1 inch sizes. The 7 inch was simply called the Fire 7, while the 8" and 10.1" were called Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 respectively. The Fire 7 is unique as it is, thus far, the lowest priced Fire tablet at $50. In September 2016, Amazon announced the new Fire HD 8 with Alexa[10] starting at $90.

In 2017, the seventh Generation Fire 7 Fire HD 8 were released. Some differences between the 6th and 7th Generation HD 8 models were the price, the gyroscope removal, the increase of maximum SD card expansion, and the better graphics chip.

In September 2018, Amazon refreshed their Fire tablet line with the release of eighth Generation Fire HD 8/Kids Edition and HD 10. The price remained the same as last year's model with minor upgrade on the hardware where the external storage is expandable to 400GB. On the software side, the 2018 model is preinstalled with Fire OS 6 that allows hands-free Alexa control.

On October 7, 2019 Amazon announced an update to the Fire HD 10 which will be released on October 30, 2019. The major hardware differences compared to the previous version were replacement of microUSB with USB-C, a faster processor (upgraded from Quad-Core up to 1.8 GHz to Octa-core 2.0 GHz, which Amazon claims is 30% faster than the previous one) and battery life that is 2 hours longer than the previous generation. The screen size and price remained unchanged. A new color option, white, has also been added.

Design

Hardware

The Fire tablets feature multi-touch touchscreen LCD screens. The first generation 7" model contains a Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 processor, while the 8.9" model uses an OMAP 4470 processor.[11] All three models feature Dolby audio and stereo speakers. The 7" model's speakers are dual-driver, while the 8.9" model's are single-driver.[11] The device has two Wi-Fi antennas on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands which utilize MIMO to improve reception.[11] The Fire HD also added Bluetooth connectivity allowing users to connect an array of wireless accessories including keyboards.[11] The first generation models have an HDMI port, but this is missing from future generations.

In June 2016, Amazon released a version of the Fire HD 10 that has an aluminum exterior instead of plastic like the other Fire tablets, and is available at the same price as the plastic version.[12]

Software

The 2012 models use software that introduced user profiles for sharing among family members and the ability to place absolute limits on total usage or usage of individual features, called FreeTime, and tracks the user's reading speed to predict when the user will finish a chapter or book. The OS is based on a version of Android 4.0.3 "Ice Cream Sandwich". This does not allow use of Google Play, limiting the number of apps accessible for the Fire HD. Fire HD software updates can be received OTA or from the support websites.[2][13][14]

The Fire HD 7" second generation used Fire OS 3. Note that although this version is called the Fire HD 7", it is not the successor to the original Fire HD. This model is the successor to the Fire second generation. The Fire HD models second generation were updated to FireOS 4.1.1, based on Android 4.4.4, in Q3 2014.

The Fire HD 6" and 7" third generation uses Fire OS 4 "Sangria", which features profiles so each user on the tablet can have their own settings and apps.[15]

The Fire HD 8 and 10 fifth generation uses Fire OS 5 "Bellini" and was released in late 2015. In September 2016, Amazon released virtual assistant Alexa for the sixth generation Fire tablets.[16]

The 2018 model of the Fire HD 8 has Fire OS 6 preinstalled, which is based on Android 7.1 "Nougat". It also includes Alexa Hands-Free and the new "Show Mode", in which the tablet acts like an Amazon Echo Show.[17]

The 2019 model of the Fire HD 10 has Fire OS 7 preinstalled, which is based on Android 9 "Pie".[18]

Models

Overview on generations and models for all Fire tablet devices:

Generation (Model Year)		1st (2011)	2nd (2012)	2.5th (2012)	3rd (2013)	4th (2014)	5th (2015)	6th (2016)	7th (2017)	8th (2018)	9th (2019)	10th (2020)
Display Diagonal	6"					Fire HD
	7"	Kindle Fire	Kindle Fire Kindle Fire HD		Kindle Fire HD Kindle Fire HDX Wi-Fi Kindle Fire HDX WAN	Fire HD	Fire		Fire		Fire
	8"						Fire HD	Fire HD	Fire HD	Fire HD		Fire HD Fire HD Plus
	8.9"			Kindle Fire HD Wi-Fi Kindle Fire HD WAN	Kindle Fire HDX Wi-Fi Kindle Fire HDX WAN	Fire HDX Wi-Fi Fire HDX WAN
	10"						Fire HD		Fire HD		Fire HD

Note: Items in bold are currently available.

Detailed specifications for all Fire HD tagged tablet devices:

Generation (within Fire tablets*)			2nd	2.5th	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th		8th	9th	10th
Model Year			(2012)	(2012)	(2013)	(2014)	(2015)	(2016)	(2017)		(2018)	(2019)	2020
Model			Kindle Fire HD 7"	Kindle Fire HD 8.9"	Kindle Fire HD (7"[19])	Fire HD 6 and 7	Fire HD 8 and 10	Fire HD 8	Fire HD 8	Fire HD 10	Fire HD 8	Fire HD 10	Fire HD 8	Fire HD 8 Plus
Model Number			KFTT[20]	KFJWA (WAN) KFJWI (Wi-Fi)[21]	KFSOWI[22]	HD 6: KFARWI HD 7: KFASWI[23]	HD 8: KFMEWI HD 10: KFTBWI[24]	KFGIWI[25]	KFDOWI[26]	KFSUWI[27]	KFKAWI[28]	KFMAWI[29]	KFONWI[30]
Release date			September 14, 2012	November 20, 2012	October 2, 2013	October 2, 2014	September 30, 2015	September 21, 2016	June 7, 2017	October 11, 2017	October 4, 2018	October 30, 2019	2020
Status			Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Old version, no longer maintained: Discontinued	Older version, yet still maintained: Supported	Older version, yet still maintained: Supported	Older version, yet still maintained: Supported	Current stable version: Current	Current stable version: Current	Current stable version: Current
Release Time OS			Fire OS 2.4 based on Android 4.0.3 (got Fire OS 4.1.1 in 2014)		Fire OS 4 (or 3.2[31])	Fire OS 5 (or 4.5.2[32])	Fire OS 5		Fire OS 5.3.3[33]	Fire OS 5.3.5[34]	Fire OS 6	Fire OS 7.3.1.0[35]	Fire OS 7.3.1.3
System Version			7.5.1[36]	8.5.1[37]
Fire OS (latest)			3.1[38]		4.5.5.5[39]	5.6.1.0[40][41]	5.6.3.0[42][43][44]		5.3.7.0[45][46]		6.3.1.4 [47]	7.3.1.1[48]	7.3.1.4
Screen	Size (diagonal)		7 in (18 cm)	8.9 in (23 cm)	7 in (18 cm)	HD 6: 6 in (15 cm) HD 7: 7 in (18 cm)	HD 8: 8 in (20 cm) HD 10: 10 in (25 cm)	8 in (20 cm)		10.1 in (26 cm)	8 in (20 cm)	10.1 in (26 cm)	8 in (20 cm)
	Resolution		1280 × 800	1920 × 1200	1280 × 800					1920 x 1200	1280 x 800	1920 x 1200	1280 x 800
	Density		216 ppi	254 ppi	216 ppi	HD 6: 252 ppi HD 7: 216 ppi	HD 8: 189 ppi HD 10: 149 ppi	189 ppi		224 ppi	189 ppi	224 ppi	189 ppi
CPU	Maker		Texas Instruments			MediaTek
	Kind		Dual-core OMAP4			Quad-core ARM big.LITTLE		Quad-core				Octa-core	Quad-core
	Model		4460 HS	4470 HS		MT8135V[49][50]		MT8163V/B		MT8173	MT8163V/B	MT8183	MT8168
	Cores		2x ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.2 GHz	2x ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.5 GHz		2x ARM Cortex-A15 @ 1.5 GHz 2x ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.2 GHz		4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz		2x ARM Cortex-A72 @ 1.8 GHz 2x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz	4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz	4x ARM Cortex-A73 @ 2.0 GHz 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz	4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz
	Width		32-bit					64-bit (in 32-bit mode)[48]
GPU	Designer		Imagination Technologies					ARM Holdings		Imagination Technologies	ARM Holdings
	Kind		PowerVR					Mali		PowerVR	Mali
	Model		SGX540	SGX544		G6200		T720 MP2		GX6250	T720 MP2	G72 MP3	G52 3EE MC1
	Clock		384 MHz[48]			450 MHz		650 MHz [51]	?	?	?	800 MHz[52]
RAM			1 GiB					1.5 GiB[48]		2 GiB	1.5 GiB[48]	2 GiB	2 GiB	3 GiB
Storage	Internal	Wi-Fi	16 GB or 32 GB		8 GB or 16 GB		HD 8: 8–16 GB HD 10: 16–64 GB	16 GB or 32 GB		32 GB or 64 GB	16 GB or 32 GB	32 GB or 64 GB	32 GB or 64 GB
		+Cellular	N/A	32 GB or 64 GB	N/A
	External		N/A				Up to 128 GB microSDXC	Up to 200 GB microSDXC	Up to 256 GB microSDXC		Up to 400 GB microSDXC	Up to 512 GB microSDXC	Up to 1 TB microSDXC
Camera	Back		N/A			2 MP	5 MP	2 MP
	Front		1.3 MP HD 720p		N/A	0.3 MP	1.3 MP HD 720p	0.3 MP			2 MP
Microphone			Yes			Yes
HDMI			microHDMI		N/A	Amazon HDMI Adapter	N/A
Bluetooth			Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR (HID and A2DP profiles only)		Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR (HID and A2DP profiles only)	Bluetooth 4.0 LE		Bluetooth 4.1 LE				Bluetooth 4.2 LE	Bluetooth 5.0 LE
Wireless		Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n			Single-band 802.11 b/g/n	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n		Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n	Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
		+Cellular	N/A	adds 4G LTE	N/A
Location		Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi based
		+Cellular	N/A	adds GPS and aGPS	N/A
Proximity		Wi-Fi		N/A
		+Cellular		Yes
Compass		Wi-Fi		N/A
		+Cellular		Yes
Light sensor			Yes		N/A			Yes
Accelerometer			Yes
Gyroscope			Yes						N/A
Barometer			N/A
Connectors			USB 2.0 Micro-B Micro HDMI 3.5mm audio jack		USB 2.0 Micro-B 3.5mm audio jack	USB 2.0 Micro-B (SlimPort-compatible) 3.5mm audio jack	USB 2.0 Micro-B 3.5mm audio jack					USB-C connector (USB 2.0) 3.5mm audio jack
Weight		Wi-Fi	395 g (13.9 oz)	545 g (19.2 oz)	345 g (12.2 oz)	HD 6: 290 g (10 oz) HD 7: 337 g (11.9 oz)	HD 8: 311 g (11.0 oz) HD 10: 432 g (15.2 oz)	341 g (12.0 oz)	369 g (13.0 oz)	500 g (17.7 oz)	363 g (12.8 oz)	504 g (17.8 oz)	355 g
		+Cellular	N/A	567 g (20.0 oz)	N/A
Dimensions			193 mm × 137 mm × 10.3 mm (7.60 in × 5.39 in × 0.41 in)	240 mm × 160 mm × 8.8 mm (9.45 in × 6.30 in × 0.35 in)	191 mm × 128 mm × 10.6 mm (7.52 in × 5.04 in × 0.42 in)	HD 6: 160 mm × 103 mm × 10.7 mm (6.30 in × 4.06 in × 0.42 in) HD 7: 191 mm × 128 mm × 10.6 mm (7.52 in × 5.04 in × 0.42 in)	HD 8: 214 mm × 128 mm × 7.7 mm (8.43 in × 5.04 in × 0.30 in) HD 10: 262 mm × 159 mm × 7.7 mm (10.31 in × 6.26 in × 0.30 in)	214 mm × 128 mm × 9.2 mm (8.43 in × 5.04 in × 0.36 in)	214 mm × 128 mm × 9.7 mm (8.43 in × 5.04 in × 0.38 in)	262 mm x 159 mm x 9.8 mm (10.3 in x 6.3 in x 0.4 in)	214 mm x 128 mm x 9.7 mm (8.4 in x 5.0 in x 0.4 in)	262 mm x 159 mm x 9.8 mm (10.3 in x 6.3 in x 0.4 in)	202 x 137 x 9,7 mm
Battery			4400 mAh	6000 mAh	4400 mAh	8.5 hours	3830mAh / 8 hours	4750 mAh/ 12 hours		6300mAh / 10 hours	4750mAh / 10 hours	6300mAh / 12 hours	4850 mAh/ 12 hours
Legend: Old version Older version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future release

*table above only includes data on "HD"-branded tablets

See also

• Comparison of:
  • Tablet computers
  • E-book readers

References

1. Cunningham, Andrew (6 September 2012). "Kindle Fire's 4G package offers 250MB of data a month for $50 a year". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
2. "Kindle Fire Device and Feature Specifications". Retrieved 3 December 2012.
3. Jules. "Kobo Announces Their New E-Readers".
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9. "Amazon Kindle Cheat Sheet". CNET. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
10. "Amazon's new Fire HD 8 is its first tablet with Alexa". engadget.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
11. "Amazon Kindle Press Conference — September 6, 2012". YouTube.
12. Amazon now sells a metal version of its Fire 10 tablet The Verge Retrieved 2 June 2016.
13. "Amazon.com Help: Kindle Fire HD 7" (2nd Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
14. "Amazon.com Help: Kindle Fire HD 8.9" (2nd Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
15. "What's new with Amazon's Fire OS 4.0 "Sangria"?". AndroidGuys.
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17. "Amazon's new Fire HD 8 tablets with Fire OS 6 (Android Nougat)". xda-developers. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
18. "Amazon's new Fire HD 10 tablet has USB-C charging and costs $149". xda-developers. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
19. https://gadgets.ndtv.com/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-7-2013-1704
20. https://developer.amazon.com/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
21. https://developer.amazon.com/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
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31. https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
32. https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
33. https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
34. https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
35. https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tablets/ft-specs-custom.html
36. "Amazon.com Help: Kindle Fire HD 7" (2nd Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
37. "Amazon.com Help: Kindle Fire HD 8.9" (2nd Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
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39. "Amazon.com Help: Kindle Fire HD (3rd Generation) Software Update". www.amazon.com.
40. "Amazon.com Help: Fire HD 6 (4th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
41. "Amazon.com Help: Fire HD 7 (4th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
42. "Amazon.com Help: Fire HD 8 (5th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
43. "Amazon.com Help: Fire HD 10 (5th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
44. "Amazon.com Help: Fire HD 8 (6th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
45. "Fire HD 8 (7th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
46. "Fire HD 10 (7th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
47. "Fire HD 8 (8th Generation) Software Updates". www.amazon.com.
48. "Tablet Device Specifications - Amazon Apps & Services Developer Portal". developer.amazon.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
49. "Kindle Fire HD 6 Teardown". 8 October 2014.
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52. MediaTek (2019-11-17). "MT8183". MediaTek. Retrieved 2019-11-17.

External links

• Official Amazon.com site for Fire Tablets
• Kindle Fire HD Press Event Article at Ars Technica