# Kindle Fire HD - 7" or 8.9"



## french2s (Oct 24, 2012)

I have an original Kindle Fire that I am giving to my husband so he can watch videos when he is on the road (Truck Driver). I cannot decide between the 7" and the 8.9" for myself.  I like the portability of the 7" but 8.9" doesn't seem that bad, especially with a keyboard and larger screen. I wish we could see them somewhere to compare.

Anyone else have any thoughts?


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

Hmmmm...good question.  I have the original and ordered an 8.9" in the HD.  I just wanted a little bigger screen, but it does still seem pretty portable to me.


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## Zero (Jan 27, 2011)

I have a friend who works for Amazon. He's played around with the 8.9 and the 7.  In his opinion the 8.9 is great if you are going to use it as a media player (video) and surfing the web or email.  But in his opinion he likes the 7 better for reading, especially in bed.  He said being able to hold it in one hand is a big factor in your decision.  I hope that helps.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

See, I had the same dilemma, so I ordered both. 

I really really like the HD7.  When I get the HD8.9 I'll have decisions to make:

What to do with my original Fire?
Do I keep both HDs?
If I do, do I keep my Xoom?

I'm leaning toward keeping the HD8.9 and giving the HD7 to my son and selling the Xoom and the original Fire.  But not having seen the HD8.9 yet, that might change.  Also, I may decide I want to have both sizes of Fire.  In almost all scenarios, I think the Xoom is going to go. . . . . and the orig Fire.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I've had my original iPad since launch, I carried it full-time (it was a 20K mile doctor year) and never really felt it was horrid. I had a Timbuku2 "netbook" messenger bag, and I had a purse that I made that was similar to a Muzetto (which i still lust for!! http://www.sfbags.com/products/muzetto/muzetto.php ). It worked.

Overall I can't imagine going smaller for myself because of what I do on it - but I know that I'm also used to it. Reading is a toss up for me when I think about the sizes - most things I'd be fine with the 7", but some of my classes in school have had texts in ebook form for us to use for the first couple of weeks (in case your book hasn't shown up), and for those - which are basically PDFs of the books - the 10" isn't quite enough.

Well, i won't be of much help - beyond saying that depending on how you want to carry it, the bigger size isn't "that" big of a deal 

(And if you are interested in seeing my bag - which is amazing because.... i hate sewing.... here is a thread on it. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958267 )


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## Cyanide5000 (Aug 30, 2010)

Id go for the 8.9 if your mostly watching videos/playing games/slightly blind. and the 7 if your mostly reading, its easier to look at and lighter


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## J H Bogran (Jul 19, 2011)

Well, I've been carrying an Ipad since July last year. Grew tire of the weight and size. 
I´m going after the kindle 7. But to me, the real question is if I should get the HD or the old one! 

Now, I think that for reading, the best is still the paperwhite or the e-ink. Feels more like a book. 
Ipads, galaxy tabs and Kindle Fire still feels like a hand held computer monitor. But maybe it's just me.


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## Zero (Jan 27, 2011)

J H Bogran said:


> Well, I've been carrying an Ipad since July last year. Grew tire of the weight and size.
> I´m going after the kindle 7. But to me, the real question is if I should get the HD or the old one!
> 
> Now, I think that for reading, the best is still the paperwhite or the e-ink. Feels more like a book.
> Ipads, galaxy tabs and Kindle Fire still feels like a hand held computer monitor. But maybe it's just me.


Go for the HD...you'll appreciate it more. I've had both (and multiple iPads and other tablets).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Agree about an eink kindle for reading...I really love my PW...but if you are going for a 7" Fire, splurge for the HD one...screen is really significantly better, and I don't usually care much about such things.

Sent from my Kindle Fire  HD via tapatalk


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I used a DX for quite awhile, WITH an Oberon cover, but then got  the K3 and used that until the Fire came out.. so I went down in weight then a bit up.  The larger HD Fire seems similar in weight to the HD and yes I'll have to make sure to have a purse that is big enough again.  Then we'll see how heavy it feels, but I think I'll love the larger screen AND the 4G access. 

Oh, and when I got my original Fire, I liked the looks so much that I got a rather minimal case that allows the fire to rotate 360 degrees (actually you could just spin it round and round, too) and prop it up in landscape or in portrait, and it weighs less than most covers.  Not sure, but the Amazon covers look pretty light too.


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## french2s (Oct 24, 2012)

I picked up the 7" HD at Best Buy. After thinking how much I enjoy the portability of my original Fire, and the fact that I am in front of a computer at work all the time, and that I mostly read on it, the 7" makes more sense. Not to mention, the larger one weights about 8 oz more. That's a lot of weight to hold!

Ordered a case and screen protector from Amazon so am take extra care until it gets here next week!!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

french2s said:


> I picked up the 7" HD at Best Buy. After thinking how much I enjoy the portability of my original Fire, and the fact that I am in front of a computer at work all the time, and that I mostly read on it, the 7" makes more sense. Not to mention, the larger one weights about 8 oz more. That's a lot of weight to hold!
> 
> Ordered a case and screen protector from Amazon so am take extra care until it gets here next week!!


Yay, French2S!

Which case did you get?

Betsy


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Agree about an eink kindle for reading...I really love my PW...but if you are going for a 7" Fire, splurge for the HD one...screen is really significantly better, and I don't usually care much about such things.
> 
> Sent from my Kindle Fire HD via tapatalk


I agree - I just got my Fire HD yesterday (waited for the 32GB model) and it's definitely an upgrade. Personally I prefer the7" size for most everything but magazines that aren't separate apps - those are really better on my iPad's larger screen. I'm even fine with watching TV shows on the smaller screen.


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## Zero (Jan 27, 2011)

I'm finding myself reading more on the HD now...my eInk K3 is feeling lonely!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Zero said:


> I'm finding myself reading more on the HD now...my eInk K3 is feeling lonely!


I have been too - but so far it's because most of my reading has been at night. I'm thinking about taking the HD in my purse now, instead of my K$79 - it's heavier, but when I'm out and waiting for appointments, etc, I can be reading some of the magazines I've been hoarding. I rarely have time to do enough reading on a novel to make it worthwhile when I'm out & about - and if I do have extra time, my current read is on the HD too.


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## sosha (Feb 9, 2010)

I had the 7" HD, but returned it in anticipation of the 8.9".  Yes, it's gonna be a lot heavier, but I do my reading on the PW (which I love more every day!).  It's going to be purely for entertainment, and the new screen should be stunning.  It's going to be a great video unit.

It'a going to be a rough few weeks, with the oh-so-light iPad mini com in out.  I'm going to resist temptation, and stay away from the Apple Store unit I get my 8.9".  Then I'll bring it in and compare!

The only real problem with avoiding Apple is that it's just a few doors down from the Giants Dugout Store.    

Patty


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I like to take my Fire HD & my K4 out with me. I probably could leave the K4 at home, because there is not the same glre issue with the Fire HD. Before the PW, I was also reading on the original Fire, because the light from the amazon cover on my KT bothered my eyes. I would read in bed with the black background with the white on top. Now, it's back to the PW for reading books in bed. I am waiting for the Fire HD 8.9 as well. I will use that at home. A bigger screen would mean less scrolling around when reading emails & the web.


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## J H Bogran (Jul 19, 2011)

Zero said:


> Go for the HD...you'll appreciate it more. I've had both (and multiple iPads and other tablets).


Thanks. Duly noted.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I have had 7", 7.7", 8.9" and 10" tablets (Kindle Fire (orig), Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, 7.7 and 8.9 models, Motorola Xoom and iPad (1 & 2).  It really depends on your main uses, but I'll try to hit what were for me salient points.

7 & 7.7 - Great for ultimate portability and seem to fit in all but the smallest of purses/bags. Also great for reading anywhere because of the weight.  I felt that the original Kindle was just a bit too solid, if not heavy to read in bed. The Samsung tablets were great for reading in bed because they were quite light.  IMO, none of these tablets were good for movies.  The screen just felt too short in height for the length.  In addition, all of the screens felt to small in general.  They were okay for web browsing, but again, in portrait, they seemed too narrow and in landscape too short.  These size devices seem designed for use in portrait mode.

8.9 - I'm not going to lie.  This is my sweet spot.  Mainly because of the points above for the smaller devices and below for the larger one. It is small enough to carry with you, but large enough to view movies and browse the internet comfortably, even in the cases that you need to expand the screen to see smaller text.  This device is not a read in bed comfortably device unless you have something to prop it on.  That will go doubly for the Kindle Fire 8.9 as it is heavier than my Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 even when it is in the case.  I find that this size tablet seem to be most comfortably used strictly in landscape mode and I have a nice keyboard dock that holds it in landscape.  

10" - While I enjoyed my iPad, after a while it was just too big and I got tired of finding purses large enough to fit it.  I ended up feeling like I was pulling a laptop out of my purse every time I went to use it.  Everything that applies to the 8.9 tablets applies here.


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## J H Bogran (Jul 19, 2011)

Zero said:


> Go for the HD...you'll appreciate it more. I've had both (and multiple iPads and other tablets).


Thanks!


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## french2s (Oct 24, 2012)

I looked a the 8.9 this weekend and it is way too large. I use mine mostly for reading, tho I am enjoying watching Alias on Netflix. The screen is so clear, the size is not an issue. My 7" goes with me everywhere.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

french2s said:


> I looked a the 8.9 this weekend and it is way too large. I use mine mostly for reading, tho I am enjoying watching Alias on Netflix. The screen is so clear, the size is not an issue. My 7" goes with me everywhere.


So does my current 8.9 tablet. The KFire will as well as soon as I get a case.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

It is definitely a personal preference thing.  Before getting the Nexus 7, I had a 10.1" gTablet. It was nice to view videos on, but boy was it heavy. In the past two years, tablets have become a lot thinner and lighter, but the 10" range is still to big to carry around. At least for me, the 7" layout is easy to carry, light enough to not bother my shoulders when holding for a long time (when reading), and is a fairly decent size for watching videos.

The 8.9" Fire HD intrigues me, though.


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

I like the 8.9".  The size is great, love the speakers, the improved email app, and the enhanced wi-fi.

The weird thing is that I can't see a difference between the HD screen and my original Fire screen.  Even watching and HD movie.  IN some ways, the original has a better screen.  Maybe mine's defective!


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## GhiiZhar (May 23, 2010)

I favor the 8.9 size, especially for magazines and comics, not to mention movies.

The 8.9 is only 1.5 in wider, and 2 in taller than the 7 in, so it's really not that much larger as far as "carrying around". If the 7 in fits in your pocket or purse whereas the 8.9 will not, then the smaller size might be more convenient. 

Since I do not carry a purse, and most - if not all of my pockets cannot comfortably hold the 7 inch Fire (I had the original Fire for almost a year), there's really no practical size disadvantage for me  in regards to carrying it. However, there is a real advantage in screen size when viewing movies, comics, etc.

My dilemma regarding the Fire HD is deciding if I want to return the 8.9 WiFi to get the the 4g model, mostly for the extra storage and GPS, but the 4g could be useful on some occasions. Since the 4g service can be had month-to-month w/o a contract, its tempting for those times where I travel to places where WiFi is not readily available.


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## J H Bogran (Jul 19, 2011)

Jesslyn said:


> 10" - I ended up feeling like I was pulling a laptop out of my purse every time I went to use it. Everything that applies.


That about sums it up for me on the ipad. Feel the same way.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I have pulled a laptop out of my purse.  There's no comparison.


Love my iPad...curious to see how the 8.9 Fire HD feels to me.  I liked the original Fire, but not for the stuff I do on the iPad.  We'll see if the big boy lives up to the iPad for me.

Betsy


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