iPad Mini Retina vs. Kindle Fire HDX 7: A Heavyweight Battle Of 'Small' Proportions

If you have lived in this generation, you will surely know that Apple owns one of the highest grossing tablets of all time - its original iPad mini. And surely, its successor has lived up to expectations. But in a match between the iPad Mini Retina vs. Kindle Fire HDX 7 from Amazon, does someone clearly has the advantage?

iPad Mini 2

While the slate appeared a bit too late due to 'supply issues', the Retina mini is by far one of the most anticipated products to hit the market. The iPad Air may be popular in its own right, but in a generation where being compact is almost everything, the iPad mini 2 appeals to more consumers. And why not? Let's see its specs.

The iPad mini 2 boasts an improved repertoire of specifications compared to the original. It houses the same stunning design, but has shed its former display in favor of the famed Retina technology. It also has Apple's latest A7 chip, dual-core 1.3Ghz, a gig of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera at the back, a 1.2MP front cam, and several other features. 

While the iPad mini 2's display has been demanded by lots of fans for months, it seemed to fall short of the resolution in the displays of other devices particularly the Kindle Fire HDX and even the Nexus 7. Meanwhile, the Retina mini's design as well as support for 64-bit apps are also two steps in the right direction for Apple as it seeks to revolutionize hardware and software development in the next few years. 

Kindle Fire HDX

When we first heard of the Kindle Fire HDX, we knew it would directly try to take on both Apple's iPad and iPad mini and the Android platform's hundreds of tablets. And so far, it has been successful in keeping the buzz up when it comes to the device's performance. But make no mistake about it, it's not just good marketing. 

Under the hood, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX sports the best the market has to offer, a Snapdragon 800 chipset and quad-core 2.2Ghz Krait 400 CPU, two of which would most likely beat Apple's iPad mini 2 in terms of speed and performance in some occasions. It is also considerably cheaper than the Retina mini, which is a big advantage in the tablet market these days. 

However, the absence of a secondary/front camera, and an over-restricted Android version might turn off some fans, though some may find the fresh look of Android worth the buck. 

Verdict

Overall, choosing between Apple's iPad mini 2 and Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX is all about preference. If you would like to enjoy the benefits of using iOS services, and boast of your device's design, the Retina mini is a clear choice. On the one hand, if budget is a concern, and you would want to play all the GPU-hungry games out there, the Kindle Fire HDX may be a better option, though you may need to get used to the strict security features.