Amazon's eagerly-awaited new range of Kindle Fire HDX tablets can now be pre-ordered on British shores, but for the top-end model, tablet fanciers may have to raid the old piggy bank.
The 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HDX offers a 1920 x 1200 display (323ppi) and is available from £199 for the 16GB model, while the Vodafone 4G LTE version is £269. They will begin shipping on November 13.
The top-end Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 rocks a 339ppi display at 2560 x 1600 and will cost from £339 (£399 for the 4G version) is also up for pre-order with deliveries commencing less on November 19.
- Pre-order your Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch or your Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch from Amazon
Considering Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet range launched as an affordable alternative to the Apple iPad, the £479 asking price for top shelf model (64GB with 4G) represents quite a price leap. The base 8.9-inch model is also £100 more expensive than its predecessor.
Power surge
However, it's not just the new screen that's pushed the price up. The new devices bring 3-times the power of their forebears thanks to a 2.2GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and double the memory at 2GB RAM.
The device also promises 11 hours of battery life for mixed usage (or up to 17 hours when reading), along with a front-facing HD camera, an LED-flash-enabled 8-megapixel rear camera that shoots 1080p video.
New £119 HD model coming next week
Along with the HDX offerings, Amazon has also confirmed the availability of its new, entry-level Amazon Kindle Fire HD model for those still looking to save a few quid.
The new, super-affordable 7-inch slate is available to pre-order from today for £119, with shipping commencing next week on October 24.
For their cash, Kindle fanciers will get a 1280 x 800 display (with 66 per cent more pixels than the original Kindle Fire), a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and a slimmer display to match the HDX models.
UPDATE: Vodafone has been in touch to announce that is the exclusive 4G LTE provider for the new Kindle Fire HDX models. All 4G models will ship with a pre-installed Vodafone SIM and buyers will be able to sign up for a Starter Pack that offers 5GB of monthly connectivity for 3 months for £25. Once that period is over, users will have a choice to sign up for a data plan.
