Amazon replaces Fire tablets with Android-based Alexa Tablets priced from $229.99
In short
Amazon unveiled three Alexa Tablets, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, 11 and 8, which run Android with full Google Play Store access and have Alexa+ built in; Wired reported they replace Amazon's Fire tablets. Prices start at $229.99 for the Tablet 8, $329.99 for the Tablet 11 and $499.99 for the 12 Pro, with a $549.99 version of the 12 Pro that has an anti-glare Nanomatte display. The tablets go on sale October 14.
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Amazon has launched a new lineup of Alexa Tablets in three models: the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8. Amazon says the tablets have an aluminum unibody, run Android with access to the Google Play Store and have its Alexa+ assistant built in. The Verge and Wired reported that they go on sale or begin shipping on October 14, and Wired said preorders are open. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
TechCrunch reported the 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with a standard display and $549.99 with a Nanomatte anti-glare display; Engadget and Wired gave the prices as $500 and $550. The Verge reported the Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 and the Tablet 8 at $229.99. Engadget reported a $90 Alexa Tablet Pro Pen and a $150 Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard for the 12 Pro. Wired said kids' editions of the two smaller models come at the same prices, with bumper cases, a one-year guarantee to replace the device if it breaks and a year of Amazon Kids+. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The Fire tablets ran a custom version of Android, called Fire OS by CNBC, with Amazon's own app store and a more limited range of apps, CNBC and Wired reported. Wired said all Fire tablets are being replaced, that Amazon will stop shipping them in the next month or two and will support them for four years from the last ship date. An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch the Alexa Tablets are an all-new product line with new hardware and a new OS rather than a rebrand of Fire Tablets. Wired reported Amazon committed to at least four years of software updates, with the tablets launching on Android 16 and receiving Android 17 early in 2027. CNBC said it is the first time Amazon has attached a set of devices to the Alexa brand, and reported a feature called "On-Screen Intelligence" that lets users ask Alexa to look at what is on their screen and make suggestions or take actions. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
The 12 Pro has a 12-inch, 280 PPI display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3:2 aspect ratio, Wi-Fi 6E, Dolby Atmos speakers and up to 16 hours of video playback, Engadget and TechCrunch reported. Engadget reported up to 16GB of RAM, and Wired said the 12 Pro uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chip while the two smaller tablets use the MediaTek Dimensity 8189. Amazon says the 12 Pro delivers nearly three times the processing performance and nine times the graphics performance of any tablet it has shipped before, TechCrunch reported. Engadget and CNBC said the Nanomatte display was developed with Corning. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
CNBC reported that Amazon denied rising memory costs played a role in its decision to charge more for the Alexa tablet, while Panos Panay, described by CNBC as the company's devices boss, acknowledged that the shortage made it "quite tricky" to build a premium tablet at a reasonable price without making "trade-offs." Panay told The Verge that "Google Play was a necessity, end of story" and that the tablets were two and a half years in the making. The Verge said the Tablet 8 and Tablet 11 are aimed at the iPad Mini and base iPad. [ 4 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The tablets drop Fire OS and Amazon's own app store, which CNBC and Wired said limited the apps available, in favour of Android with Google Play. CNBC and Reuters reported that the new line comes at higher prices, and Wired said Amazon will stop shipping Fire tablets in the next month or two.
Key facts
- The lineup has three models: Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- All three run Android with access to the Google Play Store. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with a standard display and $549.99 with a Nanomatte display. [ 3 ]
- The Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 and the Tablet 8 at $229.99. [ 4 ]
- The tablets go on sale or begin shipping on October 14. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Wired reported Amazon will stop shipping Fire tablets in the next month or two and support them for four years from the last ship date. [ 5 ]
- The Nanomatte display on the 12 Pro was developed with Corning. [ 1 , 7 ]
- Amazon is also releasing kids' versions of the new tablets. [ 2 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Amazon launched three Alexa Tablet models: the 12 Pro, 11 and 8. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The tablets run Android and have access to the Google Play Store. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at about $500, and the Nanomatte version at about $550. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- The Tablet 11 is priced at about $330 and the Tablet 8 at about $230. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The tablets go on sale or begin shipping on October 14. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Alexa+ is built into the tablets. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The tablets have an aluminum unibody design. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The 12 Pro has a 280 PPI display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3:2 aspect ratio, Wi-Fi 6E, Dolby Atmos speakers and up to 16 hours of video playback. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The Nanomatte display was developed with Corning. [ 1 , 7 ]
- Amazon is releasing kids' versions of the tablets. [ 2 , 5 ]
- The new line comes at higher prices than Amazon's previous tablets. [ 7 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- The screen size of the Alexa Tablet 8. Engadget describes it as an 8-inch tablet, while The Verge reports an 8.7-inch screen.
- Whether rising memory costs affected the price. CNBC reported Amazon denied memory costs played a role, but Panos Panay acknowledged the shortage made it "quite tricky" to build a premium tablet at a reasonable price.
- The timing of the end of Fire tablet shipments. Only Wired reports that Amazon will stop shipping Fire tablets in the next month or two.
- Performance gains of the 12 Pro. This is Amazon's own claim; Engadget reports three times faster processing, TechCrunch nearly three times, both with nine times the graphics performance.
- Prices of the Pro Pen and Pro Keyboard. Only Engadget gives prices, $90 for the pen and $150 for the keyboard.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Engadget, TechCrunch, The Verge and Wired publish reports on the Alexa Tablet launch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- CNBC reports Amazon is overhauling its devices lineup with a higher-priced Alexa tablet, dropping the Fire. [ 7 ]
- Reuters reports Amazon is launching its first Android tablets, raising prices and incorporating Alexa. [ 8 ]