Amazon drops price of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in the US, launches in the UK and Europe

Amazon has cut the price of its new, larger 8.9in Kindle Fire HD in America from $299 to $269 for the wi-fi-only version, and $399 for the wi-fi and LTE model.

At the same time it is releasing the bigger-screen tablet in Europe and Japan. In the UK, Amazon is charging £229 for the wi-fi 16GB model, and £259 for the 32GB one.

The basic Kindle Fire costs from £129, and the 7in Kindle Fire HD starts from £159.

Amazon says the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 has "the highest resolution of any Kindle Fire", with a 1920 x 1200 display showing 254 ppi (pixels per inch) and capable of handling 1080p video content. Fast web browsing and video streaming is made possible thanks to dual-band, dual-antenna wi-fi.

You can read our review of the 7in Kindle Fire HD, and 15 other tablets, in our special 16-page Ultimate Guide to Tablets in the April issue of the magazine, on sale now.

By Andy Clough

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Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.

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