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Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire Which One Should You Buy

Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire are two hot and favorable android tablets at present,and most of people cannot decide to buy which one.My suggestion is buy the Nexus 7 unless youre a huge Amazon user. Then get the Fire.

There you go. No beating around the bush. Just a simple answer. Or is it?

Lets regroup for a second and really look at the question. The Kindle Fire is Amazons $199 7-inch Android-based Kindle device. Its WiFi-only. The Nexus 7 is Googles $199 7-inch Android device. Its also WiFi-only.

Now you can see why theres some level of confusion. The two devices are the same size and the same price. There are some differences, however.

Physical device

The Kindle Fire weights 2.6 ounces more than the Nexus 7. Its 14.6 ounces, while the Nexus 7 is 12 ounces. In a handheld device, 2 ounces is something youll notice.

More to the point, the Nexus 7 is a lot more machine for your $199. Its got a much faster CPU, a graphics processor, twice the RAM of the Kindle Fire, and (for an extra fifty bucks) can store twice as much as the Kindle Fire.

On raw horsey-power, the Nexus 7 gets the win.

Android OS

Although both devices are based on Android, youd be hard-pressed to notice Android on the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire is a Kindle first, with Android 2.3 running underneath, hidden from view.

On the other hand, the Nexus 7 is Googles current benchmark tablet, running Android 4.1 (otherwise known as Jelly Bean).

On Android compatibility, the Nexus 7 gets the win.

Software compatibility

Heres where things start getting interesting. Youd think the Nexus 7 would run more Android apps, but because its the first Jelly Bean product in a 7-inch tablet form, many Android apps (like Instagram) wont run because they check the version number. 4.1 is higher than many apps are comfortable with.

On the other hand, the Kindle Fire runs apps primarily from the Amazon app store. While you can side-load regular Android apps, theres some hoop jumping involved.

When it comes to software compatibility, at the time of writing, neither wins the top slot. Its a draw.

Gaming

There are quite a few nice, little games for the Kindle Fire. But the Nexus 7 has a built-in Tegra 3 T30L graphics processing unit. Almost, without a doubt, and especially since the system also has twice the RAM, the Nexus 7 will be the better gaming machine.

Nexus 7 gets the win.

Security

This one is interesting. Android security is somewhat problematic, especially if you decide to download apps from secondary app stores. Apps purchased through Amazon have a much higher chance of being safe. In fact, the entire Kindle experience is tied into your Amazon account, and is secured by Amazons relatively strong attention to detail.

For security, the Kindle Fire gets the win.

Media

Heres where Amazon takes the lead from Google. Amazon has a rich media experience, and also provides a substantial library of free movies and TV shows to Prime customers. Google Play isnt nearly as good. Jason Perlow also pointed out that only actual Kindle devices (not just those devices running Kindle software, like an iPhone), can take things out from the Kindle Lending Library. So if you want to read best-sellers for free, the Fire is your best bet.

On the other hand, the Nexus 7 will play that media better, because it has substantially more power and a higher-resolution display.

Well call this a draw.

Which should you get?

Without a doubt, the Kindle Fire is a Kindle, while the Nexus 7 is an Android tablet. If you want a Kindle more than you want an Android tablet, then you might be happier with the Kindle Fire. Likewise, if you want to stay out of the morass that is the Android ecosystem and just want to stay in the welcoming, comforting arms of Amazon, youll be happier with the Kindle Fire.

On the other hand, if you want a powerful, inexpensive, solidly designed pure Android tablet, the Nexus 7 is a no-brainer.

My wife and I have two iPads and two Kindle Fires at home. Im honestly thinking about selling my Kindle Fire and getting a Nexus 7 to replace it. If you do decide to sell your Kindle Fire, make sure you remember to decommission it before you sell it. Otherwise, the device has access to your entire Amazon account.

Hmmm...maybe the Kindle Fire isnt that secure, after all.

from zdnet