There are a lot of tablets available on the market and choosing the right one can be a tricky process. Although Apple popularised the scene with their iPad, a lot of competitors have launched their own products since. Two of these are the technological giants Amazon and Google. With their Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7 respectively, they hope to gain a slice of the tablet pie. But when compared, which one comes up top trumps? This article will explore the pros and cons of each tablet and help you decide which one is worth your money.
Both of these tablets offer a 7 inch touch screen and a resolution of 1280 x 800. The Nexus is the slimmer of the two devices, with the Kindle Fire being 2 cm wider. This means that the Nexus is better for portability and easier to sling inside a bag or jacket. The Kindle Fire weighs 395 grams, a total of 55 grams heavier than the Nexus. If you are looking for a tablet that is the easiest to transport due to its size and weight then the Nexus comes up superior here.
Next up we can compare operating systems. Both of these devices run on Android, but the Kindle Fire runs on a modified version of the popular OS. The Kindle Fire is tied down to Amazon’s ecosystem, meaning that you can only get your apps from the Amazon Store rather than the Play Store. Although it does offer a lot of the popular apps, it is certainly no match for the wide variety of content available on the Nexus’ store. You can even get a lot of the Amazon content, like the Kindle or Amazon MP3 app, on your Nexus anyway. Also, the Kindle Fire comes with advertisements unless you pay a bit extra – it won’t bother some people, but it is a bit of a cheeky move.
In terms of storage, the Nexus offers 16 GB or 32 GB models. The Kindle Fire comes with the same. Neither of these tablets allows you to expand their storage with SD cards. This is a bit of a downside, but you can always store your content in the cloud through Amazon Cloud Drive or Google Drive. This will allow you to access extra storage wherever you are, providing you have an internet connection.
Both of these tablets are sturdily built and look swish. They are also priced similarly and both come with front facing cameras. Ultimately, the Nexus and the Kindle Fire HD both offer the same thing for different audiences. The Kindle is a heavily modified version of Android, simplified down, which makes it great for those who love their gadgets but like to keep things simple. The Nexus offers the full blown Android operating system, meaning that those who want to customise their tablets can do so quite happily. The Nexus probably pips the Kindle overall thanks to a smaller size and a more open platform, but ultimately both of these tablets hold their own. Either would be a wise purchase.