Amazon has announced a new Kindle Fire HDX and budget tablets

Ah the Kindle, the go-to choice for many people when it comes to e-readers that is also available as a tablet. Well Amazon has announced a new selection of Kindle tablets for people to enjoy, including an updated Kindle Fire HDX and some new, extra cheap, Kindle Fire HDs.

The new Kindle Fire HDX comes with an 8.9-inch QHD display, a Snapdragon 805 processor, 339 ppi pixel density, and will come with a custom bluetooth keyboard. It’ll run with Amazon’s own Fire OS (Version 4 aka Sangria), which is itself based on Android 4.4 (KitKat), which itself comes with unlimited cloud storage for photos. No word on price yet, but since it’s Amazon’s flagship tablet don’t expect it to be that cheap.

Now onto the Kindle Fire HDs. There are two of these available, one with a 6-inch 252 ppi display, and one with a 7-inch 212-ppi display. Both of these have 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek processors. They cost £69 and £117 respectively. The best thing is that there are versions of the two tablets that were designed with kids in mind. These ‘kid-friendly’ devices not only have a drop-cushioned case, they also come with parent controlling apps to make sure the kids aren’t getting access to anything they shouldn’t (like those pesky in-app purchases).

The Kindle has never really been anyone’s first option for a tablet, and it’s hardly surprising that most people still see it as an e-book reader above all else. That being said, when you have a nicely powered tablet for less than £120 there isn’t a lot that will make you not look into it while you’re doing your research.

Want to read more? Here’s our coverage of the recent Apple announcements, including everything you need to know about Apple’s ‘phablet’, the iPhone 6 Plus, and smartwatches buying guide, or if you’re sick of Apple completely, here’s our rundown of our 14 favourite dating apps, from Tinder to eHarmony.

Tom Pritchard