Earlier today we told you that Amazon has run out of Kindle Fire stock and that the popular non-Google-approved Android tablet accounts for 22% of the U.S. tablet market – and that’s the only place the device is available in.

At the same time, word on the street is that Amazon is expanding its Amazon AppStore to several international markets, a move that definitely previews the launch of its Android tablets in non-U.S. markets.

These are all direct signs that the Kindle Fire 2 model(s) are coming – in fact, we already know that Amazon has scheduled a special media event for September 6 to officially announce its new Kindle family.

However, we didn’t expect to see an image of one of the future Kindle Fire models out in the wild, but it looks like The Verge has received a leaked image of the device.

So is this the real image of one of these upcoming Kindle Fire models or is it a just a fake meant to stir the waters ahead of its announcement? It’s hard to tell if the image is real, but what matters here is that it will certainly help Amazon generate some buzz around its upcoming tablets – and it definitely needs the buzz considering the products it’s going to fight against: Google Nexus 7 and rumored iPad Mini – and we could even include a brand new phablet in this category of competitors, the new Galaxy Note 2.

The battle in the affordable tablet market is going to be tougher than ever. And while Amazon is rumored to also announce a 10-inch (or thereabouts) Kindle Fire 2, that tablet market is also going to be quite a challenge for the giant retailer, as that niche in undisputedly dominated by the iPad.

Anyone up for a Kindle Fire 2?