7 Tablets That Put the iPad to Shame

3. Amazon Kindle Fire HD

At this point it was really going to be a coin toss between the Kindle Fire and Galaxy Tab 8.0 for second fiddle behind the Nexus 7, but in front of the iPad Mini in the small tablet market.

The Kindle Fire HDX wins out because it has one critical advantage over all other smaller tablets, an excellent sticker price.

The Kindle Fire comes in at least five varieties, but for the sake of comparison we’re focusing on the Fire HD with an 8.9 inch display screen. The Fire HD represents a marriage of convenience between the simplicity of the original Kindle eBooks, and the HD screen, web-surfing, and app pleasure of a modern tablet.

The Fire HD 8.9 inch is nothing more and nothing less than what you see when you open the box, an excellent eBook with the ability to surf the web. The major selling point for many buyers is the low $269 sticker price for WiFi only models. Although not ideal for big time tablet users, the Kindle Fire HD is a great option for those new to tablets look for an easy to use device.

Pros: Simple to use, but not completely lacking in flair. A low price that doesn’t result in a cheap build.

Cons: Runs on a lesser Android 4.0 operating system and cannot match the performance of other devices, a feature which may or may not be overlooked by many looking for a budget tablet.