Amazon Kindle Fire: Insight and How Not To Get Burned
Battery Life: The Real Deal
Manufacturers aren't shy about reporting best-in-case scenarios when it comes to battery ratings, though there hasn't been as much of that so far in the tablet market. With regards to the Kindle Fire, Amazon claims you'll be able to squeeze out up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, as long as you turn off Wi-Fi.
Kindle Fire Battery, Stage Left - Image Source iFixit
Kindle Fire Battery, Stage Left - Image Source iFixit
I didn't test the Kindle Fire that way because I don't think turning off Wi-Fi is a real-world measurement. This is a tablet, after all, and Amazon went to great lengths selling the idea of leaning on its cloud. So, I turned on Wi-Fi, cranked the brightness to 75 percent, and streamed Netflix movies until the Kindle Fire extinguished itself. The result? About 5 hours of streaming playback.
That's pretty decent considering the constant wireless stream and video playback, and it's certainly long enough to keep you entertained on a cross-country flight or while sitting in the lobby at the DMV. Battery life will obviously vary depending on how exactly you use the Kindle Fire, and no, it's not going to last anywhere near as long as a dedicated eReader, even when just reading eBooks. But given its size, I don't have an issue with battery life here and the Fire's performance was better than expected, to be honest.
That's pretty decent considering the constant wireless stream and video playback, and it's certainly long enough to keep you entertained on a cross-country flight or while sitting in the lobby at the DMV. Battery life will obviously vary depending on how exactly you use the Kindle Fire, and no, it's not going to last anywhere near as long as a dedicated eReader, even when just reading eBooks. But given its size, I don't have an issue with battery life here and the Fire's performance was better than expected, to be honest.
