4 Stars.
I have just upgraded to the Fire from a mid-range smartphone. That means that I cannot contrast with the higher range devices like I-Phones, Galaxy etc. etc. What I can say is that the difference in build quality and performance is huge. The phone is really responsive and the screen resolution is superb. The ergonomics have been well thought out, using small motions of the phone to control various menus. It is not just showing off type gimmicks but useful features. The firefly feature is pretty neat even if it is basically another way of recieving amazon advertising. The music recognition is handy. The camera is very good giving crisp and clear pictures using the dynamic perspective. Overall the phone performs well using various haptic and dynamic gizmos.
There is a caveat: the appstore. Some reviewers have been outraged about this, but my experience was not as bad. This is not actually a major issue in my opinion. The proprietry restrictions placed by amazon are annoying but apple are no better in this respect. The difference is that the amazon app store is truly dire. However, download the aptoid app from the browser and you will be able to download the vast majority of android apps. This allowed me to personlise the phone with my banking, travelling and weather apps etc. So annoying but easily overcome.
Overall this is defintely a high spec. smart phone at a very competitive price, as long as you are not too worried about all the subliminal marketing.
