News - Amazon releases Kindle Fire HDX range in the UK

[HEXUS]

Also updates Kindle Fire HD to combat recent Tesco and Argos tablet releases.

Read more.

[cptwhite_uk]

So what you're telling me Amazon is that I can get a cleaner Android install, with a higher res screen at the same weight from Tesco...

Thanks for the 40% mark up on the US prices for buying in the UK. What a joke, you can keep them as far as I'm concerned. You will make your money through your integrated services, no need to rip the UK off with inflated product prices.

I was a big fan of these devices until they released these prices, now I will avoid them like the plague out of self respect. I advise other UK consumers to do the same to send them a message.


US Prices



UK Prices

[KrisWragg]

US prices don't include taxes so you need to add 20% onto the prices to account for that. Although that would only make the top end model £282 instead of £329 at current exchange rates.

[burble]

US prices don't include taxes so you need to add 20% onto the prices to account for that. Although that would only make the top end model £282 instead of £329 at current exchange rates.

20%? Surely it's local state sales tax that would apply? From memory the state with the highest sales tax is California at about 7.5%.

[cptwhite_uk]

Kris, I realise this but still even taking this into account they're ripping UK consumers off by nearly £50, even by your own figures!

[Valinor]

20%? Surely it's local state sales tax that would apply? From memory the state with the highest sales tax is California at about 7.5%.

The US prices are given without any sales tax figure, whereas the UK price includes 20% VAT.

[burble]

The US prices are given without any sales tax figure, whereas the UK price includes 20% VAT.

D'oh. Proof that I need more coffee

[cptwhite_uk]

Example prices for US and UK in pounds, based on 7" HDX model*

*Assumes sale tax in the US of 10%, which is probably slightly higher than all states so gives worse case scenario.

US Sale Price (before TAX)
$229 / £142.08 at current exchange rate

US Sale Price (inc TAX)
$251.90 / £156.29

UK Sale Price (inc TAX)
$320.75 / £199

Thetoretical UK sale price if tax here was 10% (apples for apples comparison)
£182.42


So from this, we can take it even if taxes are equal Amazon feels we need to pay ~ £26.13 more for the same device than Americans, but due to higher sales tax over here it's actually £42.71 more, or in other words an additional 27% on top of the US approximate sale price inc TAX

[Brewster0101]

Kris, I realise this but still even taking this into account they're ripping UK consumers off by nearly £50, even by your own figures!

You know we like being ripped of in the UK. Prices are high because he pay them. If people didn't buy things that are over inflated prices then they would be cheaper.

Go to Poland or the likes where VAT is higher , the same electrical goods are cheaper... Why? Because Polish people won't buy something if its too expensive.

Same problem with Cars - we choose to pay the asking prices.

[miniyazz]

There's also import duty to consider.

[cptwhite_uk]

Engadget said Dell confirmed the price of their new Venue 11 Pro as $500 (£308 direct equivalent) in US / £349 in the UK

That's a 13% markup to account for import and high sales tax. If Dell can do it so can Amazon.

If Amazon had applied the same mark up for the HDX 7 the UK price would have been ~ £175 (and this includes US sales tax as well @ 10%).

So yes, Amazon are definitely price inflating for the UK / European Market.

Dell says the Venue 11 Pro tablet will go on sale via the official Dell UK website on November 7th for $500/£349, with no fixed US launch date. The Venue 8 Pro is priced at $300 and will be available from October 18th in the US.

It remains to be seen if this will come true, but if it does Dell have at least have been respectable to the UK market. Let's not forget this is a full featured Windows 8.1, 1920 x 1080 IPS Tablet - USB3, SD card, HDMI, Atom Bay Trail Quad Core (upgradable), 2Gb RAM (upgradable), 32Gb SSD (upgradable).

Amazon, with the HDX 8.9, are giving you highly customised Android experience, no ability to expand storage, no USB, no access to even the Google Play store directly, no HDMI, Amazon services pushed hard for....a saving of £20. It'll run longer on battery and be lighter to hold (smaller as well), with a really high res screen (although I'm unconvinced anything above Full HD is of serious benefit on devices of this size).

I know what I'll be buying

[Saracen]

Engadget said Dell confirmed the price of their new Venue 11 Pro as $500 (£308 direct equivalent) in US / £349 in the UK

That's a 13% markup to account for import and high sales tax. If Dell can do it so can Amazon.

If Amazon had applied the same mark up for the HDX 7 the UK price would have been ~ £175 (and this includes US sales tax as well @ 10%).

So yes, Amazon are definitely price inflating for the UK / European Market.



It remains to be seen if this will come true, but if it does Dell have at least have been respectable to the UK market. Let's not forget this is a full featured Windows 8.1, 1920 x 1080 IPS Tablet - USB3, SD card, HDMI, Atom Bay Trail Quad Core (upgradable), 2Gb RAM (upgradable), 32Gb SSD (upgradable).

Amazon, with the HDX 8.9, are giving you highly customised Android experience, no ability to expand storage, no USB, no access to even the Google Play store directly, no HDMI, Amazon services pushed hard for....a saving of £20. It'll run longer on battery and be lighter to hold (smaller as well), with a really high res screen (although I'm unconvinced anything above Full HD is of serious benefit on devices of this size).

I know what I'll be buying

I know what I'll be buying, or rather not buying. Personally, it's not really about price, but about lack of expansion potential and far more seriously, the extent of it being locked down and integrated to Amazon. Personally, I'm not buying a tablet at ANY price while it's like that. An e-reader's a bit different, but a me-too tablet from Amazon? Not one like that.

[flufflogic]

Amazon really dropped the ball here.

The Fire HD is now the same price as the Hudl. Which would be great, were the Hudl not an utter steal running practically stock Android with a better screen and 2 more cores. The HDX runs straight into the brick wall that is the Nexus 7 refresh, and again the issue of stock versus custom OS. The bigger tablets are about the only ones worth considering, but are priced so high they're getting into seriously competitive territory, being so close to iPad pricing.

And don't forget, it costs a tenner to lose the adverts on every tablet, so...

[noodles2k]

Amazon really dropped the ball here.

The Fire HD is now the same price as the Hudl. Which would be great, were the Hudl not an utter steal running practically stock Android with a better screen and 2 more cores. The HDX runs straight into the brick wall that is the Nexus 7 refresh, and again the issue of stock versus custom OS. The bigger tablets are about the only ones worth considering, but are priced so high they're getting into seriously competitive territory, being so close to iPad pricing.

And don't forget, it costs a tenner to lose the adverts on every tablet, so...

You can put CM 10.2 on the HD. I'm sure there's going to be a lot more dev interest in the HDX thanks to its killer specs.
The Nexus 7 refresh isn't bad - although it's still having touchscreen problems which sucks, but in terms of specs the HDX destroys it.

[TheMaterialGamer]

as if its not bad enough paying 20% vat on stuff, they have to inflate the prices even more. >.<