The entry-level Kindle Fire tablet by Amazon got new color and storage versions. Does this signal a refreshed lineup, including a possible 2016 edition of the Kindle Fire HD?
According to the products list on the Amazon website, the retailer has added three additional color variations for the 7-inch, entry-level tablet. This expands the previously "black only" option to include Amazon Kindle Fire in magenta, tangerine, and blue colors. In addition, the listing also introduces an upgraded storage version, where the 16-GB model is added. The new step-up version has a price tag of $69.99, while the basic 8-GB model is still being offered at $49.99.
Aside from the new colors and the additional storage option, the Amazon Kindle Fire stays on the same specs sheet. The entry-level tablet is powered by a quad-core, 1.3 GHz MediaTek processor, a 1-GB RAM, and expandable storage via microSD support. The tablet also come out with a 2-MP camera and runs on an Android-layered Fire OS platform.
Meanwhile, since the basic Kindle Fire got a minor upgrade, will Amazon include a refreshed lineup for its upper-crust models?
Speculations suggest that this is highly plausible. According to GSM Arena, Amazon may be thinking of adding another version of the Kindle Fire HD 8. However, instead of an upper-level specs sheet, the online retailer is said to be scaling down on the internals of the new version, to make it an affordable version of the HD tablet. The only thing that gets an upgrade will probably be its speed, since the supposed specs list a 1.5-GB RAM instead of the 1-GB one found on the original Kindle Fire HD 8.
Meanwhile, the new version will reportedly get a lower-end MediaTek processor, 8 GB of onboard storage, and a measly 2-MP main camera (compared to the 5-MP setup on the current version). The front camera also gets downgraded, from a 720p snapper to a VGA one.
