Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.

Kindle Fire (Previous Generation - 1st)

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 25,082 ratings

To see product details, add this item to your cart. You can always remove it later.

Technical Details

 
Display7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size (in inches)7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm).
Weight14.6 ounces (413 grams).
System RequirementsNone, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.
On-device Storage8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content).
Cloud StorageFree cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery LifeUp to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.
Charge TimeFully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB.
Wi-Fi ConnectivitySupports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB PortUSB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats SupportedKindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.
DocumentationQuick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle Fire User's Guide (pre-installed on device). Additional information available online.
Warranty and Service1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the terms found here.
Included in the BoxKindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.
Kindle

Top Brand: Amazon

Highly Rated
4.7/5 star rating from 100K+ customer ratings
Trending
100K+ orders for this brand in past 3 months
Low Returns
Customers usually keep items from this brand

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
25,082 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the performance, ease of use, value, screen and size of the Kindle Fire. They mention that it has all the basic functionality at an affordable price, the browser is fast and user-friendly, and the email setup was very easy. They also appreciate the screen and resolution, saying that the videos are crisp and clear.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

7,099 customers mention5,088 positive2,011 negative

Customers like the performance of the Amazon Fire tablet. They say that it has all the basic functionality at an affordable price. The Fire is an all-around excellent device, and apps load and work great. The browser works as well as the iPad and is a foolproof performer. Overall, customers find the tablet to be a fairly decent and useful device.

"...Over all I don't have any major complaints about the browser. It does its job and doesn't run out my patience in the process...." Read more

"...The Dictionary is quick and as useful as ever, HOWEVER, a BIG PROBLEM for those who like to store words as definitions to vocabulary build while..." Read more

"...streams Amazon Prime videos- A full Kindle reader, takes advantage of all Kindle offerings such as free best seller lending library...." Read more

"...fact that they were trying to do something new, but their Laucher home is pretty terrible. Its just plain.... inexcusable. See 5...." Read more

5,549 customers mention4,196 positive1,353 negative

Customers like the ease of use of the Kindle Fire. They mention that it has a fast, user-friendly, smooth BROWSER, and it interfaces seamlessly with Amazon Prime Instant Video. The carousel is much easier to use, and the email setup was very easy. It's just as easy to use as anything else, and once set up, it is just as simple to use and access Amazon content. The menu seems much smoother, and there is a pretty good keyboard interface.

"...DOCSDocs are pretty straight forward. I can view them using Amazon's PDF reader or Office Pro...." Read more

"...well integrated into the Amazon store and library- standard micro USB connectorCons:-..." Read more

"...Email setup was very easy - it took about a minute to setup my main Google account, and I was able to send a test message to another account as..." Read more

"...This Fire is still Wow, but I'm not used to lock-ups, and having trouble with the basics like staying on page, go back to prior position, entering..." Read more

3,968 customers mention3,516 positive452 negative

Customers like the value of the tablet. They mention that it's reasonable enough in price, has good functionality, and is well worth it. Some mention that the product is free and has additional cloud storage that is not particularly expensive.

"...I was thrilled to find out a lot of classics are free or available at a low price...." Read more

"...I LOVE the color, the versatility, the price, and sooooo much about this Kindle Fire!" Read more

"...Inexpensive, well made, pleasant to hold, and tough gorilla glass protects the screen-..." Read more

"...Overall, at $199 this is an extremely great value to me and well worth it: Amazon has hit a home run with this one...." Read more

3,523 customers mention2,731 positive792 negative

Customers like the screen of the Amazon tablet. They say it's fantastic, with good graphics and clear videos. The screen and resolution are very good quality, and respond properly to touch. It is easy on the eyes and has no issues with viewing or sound.

"...The picture quality is stunning and I enjoy reading in text-view...." Read more

"...The Fire has a good display that works at different angles, is reasonably responsive, and very simple to operate...." Read more

"...15 minutes of an episode of season 3 of 24 on the Fire and I didn't have screen envy or felt like I was missing anything...." Read more

"...The picture quality is great for a $200 tablet, the external speakers are loud and touch screen is very responsive when using the interface...." Read more

3,152 customers mention2,506 positive646 negative

Customers like the size of the tablet. They mention that it's small, easy to handle, and fits movies much better than a 4:3 iPad screen. The size and weight are ideal for reading, working, playing games, and for changing the font type, size and line spacing. It fits in their hand nicely and slips into jacket pockets with little to no trouble at all.

"...I like the ability to change the font type, size and line spacing, as well as the color of the background from white, sepia or black with white..." Read more

"...Pros:- small, handy size yet still much more readable than a phone- reasonable battery life (about 5 hours)-..." Read more

"...The screen size to me is just right for what I will be using it for - I have used an iPad and the screen is larger - but I did watch about 15..." Read more

"...Because the form factor of this device is so small that you can toss it in my jacket pocket and go...." Read more

2,732 customers mention2,522 positive210 negative

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the tablet. They say that the screen is gorgeous, bright, and fluid, with great contrast. The heft of the product is also appreciated, with it having a nice heft to it. The color is great, and the black is particularly great at night. It is a full color e-reader, and it functions awesome as such.

"...The black is particularly great at night. Over all my reading experience has been wonderful. The one thing I would add is page numbers...." Read more

"...I will update this with more experience.So far: Snazzy looking and great planned access and features to use that access...." Read more

"...Apple's tablet is slick and elegant and will remain my primary tablet, but the Fire is a nice supplemental tablet for when someone else needs the..." Read more

"...The web browser is called Silk, and it is nice and user-friendly.Let's talk about what I see as the benefits first:..." Read more

3,066 customers mention1,958 positive1,108 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the speed of the tablet. Some mention that it's very fast, while others say that it is slow. It responds quickly to touch and deleting apps from the device is a mere 2 second. However, some say that the device takes an average of 7 seconds to load and that it has an initial buffering issue.

"...I had fast connectivity and display on Fox News, CNN, my personalized Yahoo page, and the website of the International Association of Penturners..." Read more

"...is pretty accurate- pretty quick, very responsive, easy to use, solid construction, etc...." Read more

"...I only encounter excruciatingly slow speeds every once in a while. And usually a simple refresh solves the problem...." Read more

"...9. My final analogy. An Ipad is like a Corvette. Yes its fast. Yes it's elitist. Yes it's American (even though the ipad is made in China)...." Read more

2,915 customers mention1,784 positive1,131 negative

Customers are mixed about the compatibility of the tablet. Some mention that it has all the apps they love, such as Cut the Rope, Angry, and the free app of the day is amazing. However, others say that there are very few apps for the device right now, and that they cannot access any of the apps from Google's original Android Market. Some customers also mention that they are unable to install any apps from the Android market.

"...2. The apps can be awesome...." Read more

"...of the major complaints about the Amazon app store is the lack of apps they have available...." Read more

"...lots of apps, including nice educational apps for free or low price- well integrated into the Amazon store and library-..." Read more

"...The selection of Apps is good and after you download one to your device the Kindle interface will notify you of any updates or you can auto install..." Read more

A great device WHEN you consider price and function, with a few flaws
4 Stars
A great device WHEN you consider price and function, with a few flaws
UPDATE November 2012 - With the Kindle Fire HD out now, I highly recommend it over this older version, as it fixes many of the problems I mention in my review. No one should buy this original version of the Kindle Fire unless you can get it for very cheap. I would also recommend theKindle Fire HD 8.9" over the 7" Fire, as I feel the increased size has a dramatic effect on the tablet experience.The first and most important thing that should be said about the Kindle Fire is that this is not an "iPad-killer." It is not designed to be. I have seen so many articles and comments comparing this to the iPad, and surveys where people are asked if they will be buying a Kindle Fire over an iPad this Christmas. If you are expecting an iPad, or even a tablet, you will be disappointed. The main purpose of this device is to deliver Amazon content to you more effectively. It is designed for consumption, not creation. That is the reason it is so cheap and why Amazon is taking a loss on it. They are hoping to make up for that loss through sales of videos, music, books, and apps through Amazon's Web Services. You can also use it to view your own movies and media, but will find that it is more limited in that way than a regular tablet. Personally, as someone who has ordered several rentals from Amazon Video, and had to contact customer support for every single one of them due to problems with Amazon's Unbox player or purchases not appearing in my downloads, I can really appreciate this. But if you don't plan on using Amazon at all to obtain your media, you may want to take this into consideration before purchasing the Fire. Additionally, the reason this product is so hyped, and one of the reasons I like it so much, is due to the ridiculously low price. Amazon reviews shouldn't focus on price, but it is hard not to with this device. On price alone, this is a five star device. However when looked at the Fire overall, and when compared with other touch devices (what little there is to compare it to), I have to give it four stars, since there are a few areas I feel could use definite improvement.FORM FACTOR - The Kindle Fire feels almost the same in my hand as my 3rd generation Kindle but it is a bit heavier. It might be difficult to hold it one handed and read a book for an hour or watch a movie. You're going to need to rest it on something. The display is made of Gorilla Glass, which is a highly damage-resistant. You can still crack it, but I have used a phone with Gorilla Glass for two years on it and it has zero scratches on it despite being kept daily in my pocket with my keys. The back of the tablet is rubberized, so it won't slide around and won't get scratched easily. It also feels good in my hand. Despite all the companies that will be selling them, I do not think you need a screen protector. I have scratched Gorilla Glass before, but it is very difficult to do.CONNECTIONS/STORAGE - On the bottom are a headphone port (which will accept external speakers), micro-USB (for charging and file transfer), and power button. The Fire doesn't come with an SD card slot, with good reason. As mentioned, Amazon wants you to get content directly from them. It also reduces the production costs. You can transfer your own content to the device through the USB connection from your home computer. The Fire comes with 8Gb of storage, which is enough to hold about 8 downloaded movies, 80 apps, 800 songs, or 6,000 books. I filled mine up right away so I never checked it out of the box, but apparently it is closer to 6.5Gb as the OS is going to take up some of this. You have to really become adept at managing your content through the Cloud. Books won't take up much room, but magazines are around 250Mb and movies are a little under 1 Gb. Free videos available through Amazon Prime cannot be downloaded, only streamed. So unless you buy a movie from Amazon or transfer one of your own, you must be connected through a wi-fi connection in order to watch your movie.AMAZON CLOUD - If you have not tried out the Amazon Cloud Drive, you will be pleasantly surprised. You get 5Gb (which they will probably increase in the near future) of free online storage to store anything you want, and you can access it from anywhere. This combines very nicely with the Fire. 5Gb isn't much for my collection, so I upgraded to a higher plan (rates are $1 per extra gigabyte per year). I can upload a playlist to it and listen to it on my home computer, then when I get to work the Fire can access it and pick it up where I left off. Any songs you get from Amazon Mp3 are automatically stored on the Cloud and don't contribute to the 5Gb storage space.E-READER - This was going to be the big determination in whether I should get a Fire or the new Kindle Touch. Ultimately I ended up getting both since I prefer the E-Ink technology to the backlit display of the Fire. If you are the type of person who reads a lot and expect to spend at least 50% of your use on reading books, I don't think you will be satisfied with the Fire over your Kindle 3 or the Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers. It just isn't the same, and after hours of reading, the display would make my eyes hurt a bit (just like with any tablet). However it is nice not to have to use a lighted cover to see my books in the dark. The Kindle Fire is difficult to read in bright sunlight or on the beach. The touch navigation is very nice, but it doesn't function as nicely or quickly as it does on the iPad or even the Kindle Touch. This can be a problem for me, and the main reason I am using the Kindle Touch for reading books. Additionally, the Fire doesn't support real page numbers, even though the Touch does. So you have to use that ridiculous "location 121 of 16077 - 2%" format. A year of that with my last Kindle and I still don't understand what that means. They need to fix this in an update. Being able to touch a word and have it bring up the dictionary is incredibly convenient and takes less than 2 seconds. But still, the Kindle Touch handily beats the Fire for reading.MAGAZINES - The Kindle Fire can also handle magazines, however the display is just too small to be an enjoyable reading experience. I tried out several different magazines, and the main problem I had was with the formatting. I tried to read an issue of Bon Appetit and my eyes were straining after three pages. There is no way to read a single article without zooming. The Fire handles magazines two ways: with Page View, which shows the original magazine display, and with Text View, which attempts to just provide the text of the article. A lot of magazines these days have several things going on in one page, with multiple columns, little sidebars and boxes everywhere, etc. I couldn't view a lot of this without zooming, the text is just too small. So Page View did not work very well for magazines like this. It is especially tough with magazines like Entertainment Weekly, Men's Health, GQ, etc. I found magazines like that unreadable on the 7" display. Magazines that focused mostly on the article, like Nature, Wired, etc, were handled much better. Some magazines even come integrated with embedded video and audio, which is a very nice feature, and one I can see being very useful for things like Men's Health, but I haven't had as much of a chance to use it yet. Text View is a very nice feature that works mostly well, but seems to get a bit confused with magazines that have complicated formatting, so it pretty much defeats the purpose since those are the ones I need it for the most.COMIC READER - This is one of the main reasons I purchased the Fire. Amazon has a fairly extensive collection of comic books available for the Fire, including an exclusive deal with DC to publish many of their books. In addition to a proprietary comic reader that comes on the Fire, Amazon also has a Comics by ComiXology app available to purchase issues and subscriptions through. Although I initially thought the 7" display would be too small, it is actually decent enough to serve as a comic reader. I would definitely prefer a 10" version if they came out with one in the future. A 10" tablet is still the way to go for comics, but if you're looking for a cheaper option and portability, the Fire isn't too bad, and definitely beats a smart phone. It has a "panel by panel" feature that lets you scroll through the issue by different panels, which it will then zoom in on. You tap the panel when done, and it moves to the next panel. This is great for getting a larger view and working around the size restriction, especially since some of the text in the comics is just too small to read. Although it is fairly decent, if you are considering the Fire just for comic books, and you are a Marvel fan, you may want to hold off and look at another retailer's device which I think has a few more options. You can load your own .cbr comic files on the Kindle, but you'll need to use a third party app, like Comicat to do it.AMAZON MP3/VIDEO - Amazon hopes that you will get the majority of your content from them. That is why the Fire is so reasonably-priced. Amazon music is DRM-free. DRM is copy protection. That means that the record labels haven't locked down the music you buy from Amazon to restrict how you use it. Amazon MP3 music is playable anywhere, even on your Apple devices. It also has a very high bitrate so you are getting great quality. You don't have to worry about not being able to listen to your music 15 years from now if Amazon goes under. It's yours forever. As far as video, I have always disliked Amazon's Video services. The prices are very reasonable and they now have a huge selection, but obtaining the videos is a huge pain due to Amazon's terrible Unbox player. That changes with the Fire, as everything is native and streams/downloads beautifully. If you make a lot of purchases with Amazon, or if you have several Amazon customers in your household, you should take advantage of their Prime program. In addition to the large selection of free videos now available to Prime members, the shipping advantages are amazing. I once had a 200 lb exercise bike overnighted to my house for only $3.99. Everything I order I get within 2 days. The Prime program seems expensive but it has certainly paid for itself over the years for me, and now is even better that it is integrated more with the Fire. The only problem I have with video playback is that everything I watched did not fully expand to the screen, and was letterboxed. Considering the small 7" display size, this was an annoyance for me. I know shows have different aspect ratios, but some should fit the display, and I think many users will be annoyed that they can't zoom or stretch the display to fit.WEB BROWSING - This is another feature I was initially excited about. I like the idea of being able to use the Fire as a netbook. Amazon advertises "ultra fast web browsing" using Amazon's Silk browser. It is based off of technology that is designed to increase page loading times by pre-fetching part of the content. Sounds like a great idea, but doesn't work as well in practice. I tried out the Fire on several different connections and compared page loading times with other devices (all connected wirelessly). The Fire was one of the slowest. Amazon's own web page, which has actually recently been optimized to work with the Fire, takes an average of 7 seconds to load. Other major portals took a similar amount of time or slower. My iPad and my Xoom both load pages much faster. It is not slow enough to be a problem, but not fast enough to impress me or be worthy of Amazon's marketing regarding it. This needs to be improved. UPDATE - As of February 2012, page loading times are much improved. It can still be a bit slow and stutter at times, but you can increase this by following the steps at the bottom of this review. I am mostly satisfied with browsing now, although Silk still occasionally won't recognize it when I touch a link.BATTERY LIFE - Amazon advertises 8 hours of reading or 7.5 hours of video playback. As an average, that's probably fairly accurate. During testing I got an average of 7.4 hours of continuous reading, and 7 hours of video playback over five tests for each. This is a big change over the roughly 30 days of continuous reading with the traditional kindle, so it may hamper you a bit if you're a voracious reader. I just got into the habit of charging it every night with my cell phone. You can shut down the Kindle or put it in sleep mode. I keep mine in sleep mode all the time because it is so efficient that it uses almost no battery. I can leave it in sleep mode for 2 days and come back and not notice any change in battery life, and since I don't have to reboot, it starts up immediately.VS IPAD - As said, this isn't designed to be an iPad. I have an iPad and there is so much more I can do with it compared to the Kindle. The Fire serves a different (but sometimes similar) function. I just don't ever see Amazon building up the type of app store that Apple has, and that's where you're going to find the major differences. Additionally, the 10" display on the iPad makes a huge difference to me over the Fire's 7" display when it comes to watching movies and TV, and reading magazines and comic books. However, I think there is definitely room for the Fire to steal some of iPad's market share, as many people (I am one of them), will find the functions they want in a tablet can be covered by the Fire.USER INTERFACE - The Fire uses a heavily modified version of Android. I really liked the interface, however I don't think it works as well on the Fire as it does on a full tablet device like the Motorola Xoom. Occasionally I would try to make a page turn and have it not register on the Fire, or have it register more slowly than I am used to. If you have a lot of experience with the iPad, you are going to notice that the software doesn't respond as quickly on the Fire as it does with other tablets. Although this is an inconvenience and something I definitely feel needs to be addressed, I can accept it given the lower price point. I will have a problem though if this is not resolved through a firmware upgrade in the future. The Fire's custom version of Android is very nice. The most recent applications or files accessed will display in a carousel format that you can rotate through. You can also set up commonly-used applications as favorites. If you want to access movies and pictures that you manually load onto the Fire, you have to open up the "Gallery" app, rather than accessing them from the "Videos" and "Photos" tabs. The gallery app does not very user-friendly at displaying these files. For instance, it just creates thumbnails for all your video files and doesn't let you view the file names when selecting a video. If you have dozens of videos from a single TV show, there is no easy way to organize them in the gallery. It's clear Amazon wants you to view their videos purchased from them rather than your own. I would really like to see them fix this through a simple firmware update but I doubt they will.NEGATIVES:- No bluetooth and no HDMI. I could really use bluetooth for integration with bluetooth-capable speakers and so I can use bluetooth audio in my car. As a media player, I feel this really should have been included, and I imagine it will with future versions. This is especially important since the audio from the speakers is a bit tinny and weak. I have been using headphones with all my media-playing, which significantly improves the sound. There is also no physical volume button, which is a pain when you need to silence the device quickly (EDIT: You can sideload the "Volume Control" app by RubberBigPepper" from the Android Market for a great software workaround to this). I also would like HDMI output so I can take my Amazon video purchases and watch them on my TV. Another big disadvantage in a device that is made for media. This will also likely be included in a future edition, so at $200, I don't feel bad about possibly having to upgrade a year from now to get it.- Only 8Gb storage space. As mentioned, this device is mainly designed to integrate with Amazon's Cloud, so 8 should be enough, but it would be nice to have at least 16. I imagine Amazon did this on purpose to force people to use their Cloud service.- Touch capability can sometimes be sluggish. iPad and other tablet owners may be disappointed with the touch reaction time and some aspects of the software.- Video doesn't include option to zoom or stretch the display to fit the screen.- Very limited selection of apps from the Amazon App Store. Most of the apps are mediocre games. UPDATE - you can get around this by manually loading apps onto the Fire. Do a search for "sideload kindle fire." It is very easy.- Web "Accelerator" is not as fast as other tablets.- No Micro-USB transfer cable included with it. Another way for Amazon to discourage you from transferring your own files to the device. If you want to do that, you will need to purchase one separately, like the AmazonBasics USB Cable - 2.0 A Male to Micro B (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters).SUMMARY: Bottom line, you will not find a cheaper device out there for streaming music, video, and books than the Kindle Fire. The reason that this device is so amazing is not for what it can do, but for what it can do at such a cheap price. The price tag, not the technology, is the story here. Although I definitely feel there is room for improvement and will be interested in seeing Amazon's second generation of this device (which I think will be significantly improved), the Kindle Fire is a solid start. If you can wait a year or more for Amazon to work out the kinks with the Fire (like it did with its 1st generation of the Kindle), you should definitely do that. The next version should fix a lot of the problems that keep the current Fire from being a "Five Star" product. Unfortunately, reviews shouldn't focus on price, so due to some issues with the form factor and touch interface, I can only give it four stars. It is just not "perfect" enough for me to say it is a five star product without taking price into consideration. But aside for that, there is really only one device you can compare the Fire to - The Nook. So for what it is, I would have no problems recommending the Fire to consumers who can take advantage of it. This product more than lives up to what it is DESIGNED to do. If you plan on getting most of your content from Amazon AND you have a Prime membership, I think you will really find this is a pretty incredible device for the money.UPDATE 28 Dec 2011: After getting a new case for the Fire that makes it easier to hold, I'm starting to use it more for reading (although I still prefer my Kindle Touch for anything over about 45 minutes). Some magazines are now better adapted to the Fire liked my subscription to Wired, and some are still terrible and just compressed PDFs. An update released last week adds more privacy features so you can delete recent history form the carousel, and does improve noticeably on the touch sensitivity, although it can still be frustrating at times and not as smooth as something like an iPad. Browser loading times are still disappointing, but not as bad as they were at first release, and I don't notice them as much. I am continually impressed at battery usage for this device. Despite using it less than an hour a day, I never turn it off and only charge it a couple times a week. The rest of the time it sits in standby mode which is extremely efficient. If they could improve a couple more options I'd be closer to giving the Fire five stars.UPDATE 7 Feb 2012: I have been able to update the browser significantly by doing the following: Open up the browser and select the menu button at the bottom, select the Settings button, and then change the following options:Enable plug-ins: Change this to "off." This will disable Flash, so if you have any web sites that need it you can re-enable it (YouTube works fine).Accelerate page loading: Uncheck this. If your wifi connection is decent, it's not really necessary.Mobile (This one is optional, but I prefer to view everything in mobile mode rather than having Silk trying to force a desktop view on a 7" screen."
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2012
10 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2011
6 people found this helpful
Report