Amazon just pulled the plug on one of its most recognizable product lines. The company on Thursday unveiled a new “Alexa Tablets” lineup — its first tablets running Google’s Android operating system with full Google Play access — effectively retiring the Fire tablet brand after more than 15 years of bargain-basement hardware.
The shift is the biggest change to Amazon’s tablet strategy since Panos Panay, the former Microsoft Surface chief, took over Amazon’s devices business in 2023. And it comes with a price shock: the new Amazon Alexa Tablets Android lineup starts at $229.99 and runs up to $549.99, a steep jump from Fire tablets that started at $59.99.
Amazon Alexa Tablets Android lineup: three models, aluminum bodies, premium prices
Amazon is launching three models, per reporting from GeekWire and a hands-on review by Gizmodo:
- Alexa Tablet 8 ($229.99): an 8.7-inch tablet with an 8-core MediaTek 8189 chip, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of storage and 14 hours of video playback. Comes in graphite, rosette and teal.
- Alexa Tablet 11 ($329.99): an 11-inch 2.5K display with a 90Hz refresh rate, the same MediaTek 8189 chip, 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of storage, dual Dolby Atmos speakers and 15 hours of video playback. Available in graphite, amethyst and matcha.
- Alexa Tablet 12 Pro ($499.99, or $549.99 with Amazon’s anti-glare “Nanomatte” display): a 12-inch 3:2 display at 2,800 x 1,840 with a 120Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chip, up to 16GB of RAM, quad Dolby Atmos speakers, Wi-Fi 6E and 16 hours of video playback. An optional Pro Keyboard ($149.99) and Pro Pen ($89.99) turn it into a Surface-style workstation.
All three use stamped aluminum bodies — a dramatic departure from the cheap plastic that defined the Fire line. All three go on sale October 14 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and October 19 in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Spain. They will also be sold at Best Buy and Target.
Why Amazon finally ditched Fire OS for Android and Google Play
The software change is the real story. Fire tablets ran Fire OS, a forked version of Android locked to Amazon’s own Appstore. Without Google Play services, apps were limited and developers had to maintain a third app version alongside iOS and standard Android — a long-standing gripe.
That’s over now. The Alexa Tablets run Android 16 with full Google Play access, so YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Snapchat, Reddit, Slack and millions of other apps work out of the box. Amazon still preloads its own apps — Prime Video, Kindle, Audible and Amazon Music — and puts a personalized Amazon content home screen up front, but at their core these are now much closer to a Samsung or Lenovo tablet than anything Amazon has shipped before.
According to Reuters reporting cited by analysts this week, the reset was developed under the codename “Kittyhawk” as part of a premium strategy. The context is stark: IDC data shows Amazon’s global tablet share fell to 1.9% from 8% a year earlier. Rather than chasing unit share with money-losing hardware, Amazon is shifting to higher-margin devices that compete more directly with Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs.
“The team literally took two years to redesign our entire tablet lineup,” Panay told Gizmodo. “We’ve shipped millions of tablets at Amazon over the years. We’ve shipped nothing like this.”
Alexa+ takes center stage — and costs extra
As the name implies, Amazon’s generative-AI assistant is central to the new devices. Alexa+ powers a Dynamic Tab widget on the home screen, a chat interface that can act on what’s displayed, and smart-home controls one tap away. A feature called On-Screen Intelligence lets Alexa read the screen and act on it — for example, pulling dates from a game schedule into a calendar.
But Alexa+ isn’t free by default: using it requires a Prime membership or a separate Alexa+ subscription, according to Reuters. And the push toward monetization shows elsewhere too — removing lock-screen ads costs a one-time $20 fee on the cheaper models, up from $15 on Fire tablets.
Addressing privacy concerns, Amazon says the screen-reading features are off by default, require an opt-in, and show a visual indicator whenever Alexa can see the screen. Live sessions allow continuous conversation without repeating the wake word, with an option to share the screen as it changes.
What happens to existing Fire tablets?
If you already own a Fire tablet, Amazon says nothing about your experience changes. A spokesperson told GeekWire that Fire tablets will keep working with full access to apps and content, and Amazon promises at least four years of support after the last Fire tablet is sold. The company is also releasing new Amazon Kids Tablets in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes with a kid-proof case and a year of Amazon Kids+.
Still, the trajectory is clear. Amazon’s 2012-era strategy — “We want to make money when people use our devices, not when they buy our devices,” as Jeff Bezos put it at the Kindle Fire HD launch — is being rewritten. With Google Play on board, Amazon gives up some of its old storefront control while charging more for the hardware itself.
For readers, Kindle fans get a nice perk: opening the Kindle app switches the tablets into a reading mode that silences notifications, reduces blue light and extends battery life up to 20 hours, with Pro Pen annotations syncing to Kindle Scribe. And the 12 Pro’s Nanomatte display, developed with Corning, cuts glare dramatically compared with standard glossy screens.
Read next: Apple HomePad Smart Hub Reportedly Launching October 13 and Google Gemini 4 Argon Launches as Most Powerful AI Model Yet
FAQ
Are Amazon Fire tablets being discontinued?
Amazon isn’t using the Fire name for its new tablets, and the Alexa Tablet line replaces Fire as the company’s flagship tablet strategy. The company says existing Fire tablets will keep working with access to apps and content, and will get at least four years of support after the last Fire tablet is sold.
Do the new Amazon Alexa Tablets have the Google Play Store?
Yes. For the first time, Amazon tablets run full Android 16 with Google Play services, so you can install YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Snapchat, Reddit and millions of other Play Store apps — the biggest fix versus Fire OS’s limited Amazon Appstore.
How much do the new Alexa Tablets cost and when are they available?
The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99, the Alexa Tablet 11 at $329.99, and the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro at $499.99 ($549.99 with Nanomatte display). All three go on sale October 14 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and October 19 in five European countries.
Do I need Prime to use Alexa+ on the new tablets?
According to Reuters, using Alexa+ requires a Prime membership or a separate Alexa+ subscription. On-Screen Intelligence features are opt-in and off by default.
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