old vs new fire HDX

[stumped]

i have the lastet greatest ( no longer on sale) HDX 8.9 model with OS 5

but I see several opportunities to buy the previous gen. version in "new" condition at a low price via ebay etc. with warranty. Looks like some retailers are shifting unsold stock
so I am tempted to get one as a spare and which I could try to root or otherwise add google store to.

I cannot think of anything really that the the newer model does that the older one cant do. I know that on the older it's OS4, with the carousel, and there's no dolby atmos ( but as there's no dolby atmos content to be had for tablets anyway that's just hype). The reading app should be identical ?

the new one is supposedly faster but outside of gaming which I don't do, I doubt I'd spot any difference.

a proper android lollipop or marshmallow tablet with same screen quality is 2x the price

thoughts please.

[Barbara1955]

Amazon Stopped making the HDX so there is No New to compare.

[stumped]

They made two HDX 8.9 versions. Gen 3 2013 , and gen 4 2014. I know as i have owned both!
But I broke the older one, bought a gen 4 refurbished from Amazon, am now looking at buying another gen 3 as a cheap backup. For Simplicity, I called them new and old in the first post.
The newER of the 2 has os 5, no carousel, the older is OS4 with carousel. Wikipedia has all the differences.

[Josieb1]

Your problem with having an OS with no further updates (i.e the OS 4 device) will just be security updates and any apps that require a newer OS, and decrease battery life depending on how 'new' the old HDX is.

Apart from that I can't imagine any issues, I guess it all depends on how much you want the specific performance of a HDX Fire and how much you can get it for. No current Fires will have anywhere near the specs of the HDX devices.

[stumped]

i don't worry about security as I am very careful not to load dodgy apps, and I always install malwarebytes AV. battery life is a potential issue though.
[ I went the route of spares in the cupboard with e-readers, once, and as I recall the advice on those was don't let the battery ever completely drain, give them a top up charge every 3 - 6 months ]
I am pretty sure that the older model has no native .mkv support but the newer one has, but for watching from my plex server, that's OK - stuff will transcode as needed.

I actually don't know what could happen if my newer device failed. I have the expensive square deal insurance cover via Amazon which promises repair or replace for another 2 years, but these things are not really repairable, and how on earth would they find a replacement ? So an insurance claim could -> money back instead, in which case having a cheap spare I bought earlier in the cupboard would be good.
As at now amazon warehouse have one at £130 and a couple on ebay are cheaper - but still being bid on.

As for specific performance - amazon video in HD is restricted to amazon tablets only ( all other android devices are capped at 480p streaming] and none of the current amazon tablet range have full HD screens, they are only 1280 x 800. The fire HDX is 1920 x 1200 - 1080p - it even says so when streaming, as confirmation. If I stream amazon video to my 10 inch Lenovo tablet it looks pretty awful in SD.
maybe a 720p amazon video stream on a cheap current model HD 8 would look OK but there is no practical way to test that. ditto with reading. The HD8 reviews say that it's browser fonts can look pixellated, so i'ts not going to be smooth like my Kindle voyage, for books.

[stumped]

I guess the crunch question is would I use that spare, or will this one last until amazon do something new that is full hd....
I broke the old one by dropping it, angling for a " cat in silly pose on stairs" photo, cat refuses to share the blame, says it was all my fault, so this one is insured and the cat is not being photo'd so much. Learned that Amazon do not repair damaged screens so it was a write off. They did discount the replacement newer onel though.
I think I will try to dither until black Friday. if they slash the hd8 price I may get that instead,as my backup, then if I don't much like it I can repurpose it as an Xmas gift

[Barbara1955]

HD 8 is going to be $59 on Black Friday at Best Buy.... or it may be one of those Early sales items. Any way check & keep you eye on it. http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/?category=doorbusters

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Katie1

HD 8 is going to be $59 on Black Friday at Best Buy.... or it may be one of those Early sales items. Any way check & keep you eye on it. http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/?category=doorbusters

I'm pretty sure Amazon will be selling it for that price too. For those who got the Prime Photos Promo, you can take an additional $20 off for a final price of $40 if ordered from Amazon.

[Barbara1955]

That's what I am hoping for TM

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by stumped

They made two HDX 8.9 versions. Gen 3 2013 , and gen 4 2014. I know as i have owned both!
But I broke the older one, bought a gen 4 refurbished from Amazon, am now looking at buying another gen 3 as a cheap backup. For Simplicity, I called them new and old in the first post.
The newER of the 2 has os 5, no carousel, the older is OS4 with carousel. Wikipedia has all the differences.

I have a hdx7 & the newer version of the hdx8.9. I acually rolled back to OS 4 on the hdx8.9 I didn't like the home screen on the new OS 5, plus I like having the carousel. Just my preference, however I will probably roll back to the newer OS 5 at some point just to stay current. I would also be at a loss as to what to get next when those stop working. I like Kindles, and do like the Amazon ecosystem. With the New Fires it's easy to stay in that system. So I'd probably get a Fire 8, on sale at some point as well.

[stumped]

if that forecast $59 translates to £59 in the UK for HD8 then I'm in. As at now they are at £85.
one of the HDX 8.9 I tracked on ebay just ended at £99. i was put off by the description saying 1Gb RAM - should be 2Gb- and wondered if some had been removed,, so I passed on that.
more googling & messing with measuring tape established that I hold tablets about 14 inches from eyes, for video, and that range I probably can't distinguish 720p from 1080p on an 8 inch screen...

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by stumped

if that forecast $59 translates to £59 in the UK for HD8 then I'm in. As at now they are at £85.
one of the HDX 8.9 I tracked on ebay just ended at £99. i was put off by the description saying 1Gb RAM - should be 2Gb- and wondered if some had been removed,, so I passed on that.
more googling & messing with measuring tape established that I hold tablets about 14 inches from eyes, for video, and that range I probably can't distinguish 720p from 1080p on an 8 inch screen...

The difference of screen resolution would probably something I would notice, since I would hold the tablet a bit closer. I have an Ipad Air and I think the hdx screen looks crisper in videos. I hope it keeps working well for a few more years. The hdx7 is a year older and still works like new. I will miss these tablets. Right now I don't need to replace them, but the $59 Black Friday Sale is a tempting deal.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Wearever

The difference of screen resolution would probably something I would notice, since I would hold the tablet a bit closer. I have an Ipad Air and I think the hdx screen looks crisper in videos. I hope it keeps working well for a few more years. The hdx7 is a year older and still works like new. I will miss these tablets. Right now I don't need to replace them, but the $59 Black Friday Sale is a tempting deal.

the stuff I was reading suggested 12 inches is where you are likely to see the difference, my 14 inches is approx. it's tricky to hold the tablet & work the tape measure
most of the screen resolution site graphs are for up to 55 inch big TV and how far away you need to be for various resolutions. there's not so much on phones & tablets though the science should be the same
I think I'd be more likely to notice a difference when reading, as the ppi is much lower on the HD8: 189 vs 339 on the HDX

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by stumped

the stuff I was reading suggested 12 inches is where you are likely to see the difference, my 14 inches is approx. it's tricky to hold the tablet & work the tape measure
most of the screen resolution site graphs are for up to 55 inch big TV and how far away you need to be for various resolutions. there's not so much on phones & tablets though the science should be the same
I think I'd be more likely to notice a difference when reading, as the ppi is much lower on the HD8: 189 vs 339 on the HDX

That's what I think too, noticing the difference while reading. I do read on the hdx7, and e ink Kindles. So I would have to check out a Fire 8 in the store first. I think for reading without the hdx's. I would just read on the e ink Kindles.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm pretty sure Amazon will be selling it for that price too. For those who got the Prime Photos Promo, you can take an additional $20 off for a final price of $40 if ordered from Amazon.

Read your email again.

Thanks for participating in the Prime Photos retail discount promotion. Apply these codes at checkout to get discounts on eligible items sold by Amazon in Computers and Tablets, Camera, and Digital Software. Codes are non-transferable and expire on December 3rd. Kindle eReaders and Fire Tablets are not eligible for discounts.