Review: Kindle Fire HD vs Nook HD (Which one takes the crown?)
Actual books are becoming a thing of the past as e-book readers continue to sway fellow readers into enjoying a digital reading experience. In this post today, I will be reviewing two rivals, an e-reader made by Amazon ( Kindle Fire HD) and the other by Barnes & Nobles (Nook HD).
You might be asking yourself, if both e-readers are meant to display a digital book, are they really that different? Well that is what I am here to discuss today. Personally, I own a Kindle Fire HD myself, so I’ve had to ask a friend of mine if I can borrow their Nook HD for a couple of days to compare the two.
Here are both the e-readers side by side.
The Review
Let’s first begin with the specs.
Kindle Fire HD
- Memory: 16 or 32 GB
- Processor: Dual Core 1.2 GHz, OMAP4460
- Weight: 395 grams
- Connection: Micro-USB 2.0 (type B), HDMI, 3.5 mm stereo socket, Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, 4G LTE (8.9″ model)
- Display: 7-inch 1280X800, 216 PP
- External memory slot: None
- Battery: 8 hours and 30 minutes
Nook HD
- Memory: 16 or 32 GB
- Processor: Dual Core 1.3 GHz, OMAP4460
- Weight: 315 grams
- Connection: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth
- Display: 7-inch IPS LCD, 1440 x 900 px at 243 PPI
- External memory slot: microSD, microSDHC
- 9 hours and 30 minutes
What does all this mean? Well, the key advantages of the Nook over the Kindle Fire is that it’s faster, has a better display, slightly better battery life, and has an external memory slot.
So what makes the Kindle Fire a good buy? Well, the Kindle Fire has a camera while the Nook does not. The Kindle is ad-free while the Nook displays ads. The Nook 16 GB is priced at $229 vs $199 for the Fire Kindle 16GB. But here is the biggest reason why the Fire Kindle is a favorite – the app store. When it comes to the Nook, you have access to over 5,000 apps, but with the Kindle, you have access to over 50,000 apps. That’s a remarkable difference! In addition, you have access to the Amazon digital store, and Amazon provides you with a fair bit of free goodies to begin your reading experience, so that’s a nice perk as well.
Honestly, it is a tough call between the both of them. The Nook is definitely a strong contender to the Kindle, and being better in speed and display is a huge advantage. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you’re looking for. If you’re someone who loves downloading apps and has a budget, then the Kindle is the perfect product for you. If you’re not much of an app person, and would rather have a better battery life and a lighter device, then the Nook is your calling.
