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Amazon Launches New Alexa Tablets, Ditches Fire Branding
Confirmed
In Short: Amazon’s new Alexa tablets embrace the Google Play Store, allowing users to download all the Android apps they desire.
Amazon has unveiled a new line of Alexa Tablets, replacing its Fire tablets and offering a dedicated reading mode. The new tablets are available for pre-order in the US, Mexico, and Canada, with shipping scheduled to begin on October 14.
The new line includes the 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the 11-inch Alexa Tablet 11, and the compact Alexa Tablet 8. The 12 Pro starts at $499.99, the 11 at $329.99, and the 8 at $229.99.
The new Kindle experience on these tablets is designed to be more than just another setting in the Kindle app. When a book is opened, Kindle Mode automatically turns off notifications, activates battery optimizations for up to 20 hours of reading, and enables an adaptive display and blue light filter.
The 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro features a 3:2 aspect ratio, providing more usable screen space for readers to see more of a page at once.
Amazon’s new Alexa tablets have a neat trick up their sleeves, transforming into distraction-free reading devices when you open a book in the Kindle app. The feature, which Amazon calls “Kindle Mode,” changes the tablet’s display and settings automatically to make reading feel more like using a dedicated e-reader.
The new tablets run on the budget MediaTek 8189 processor, an upgrade from the last-gen Fire tablets. The 1280×800 IPS display is solid for video and reading at typical distances, though it obviously won’t deliver the sharpness or HDR impact of higher-end tablets.
Amazon is positioning this as more than just another setting in its Kindle app. The new Kindle experience is part of Amazon’s broader Alexa tablet lineup, which includes the 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the 11-inch Alexa Tablet 11, and the compact Alexa Tablet 8.
The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $230, and the Tablet 11 jumps to $330. Compared to the 11-inch base iPad, which starts at $450, the Alexa Tablet 11 offers a decent alternative at $350 without the awful lock screen ads.
Amazon’s big fall sale, Prime Big Deal Days, has officially launched and runs through 11:59 p.m. on October 7. This is a great time to buy tech devices like tablets at major discounts.
What this adds
Amazon is retiring the “Fire” branding to emphasize that its tablets do more than its e-readers and to distance itself from past failures like the Fire Phone.
What's confirmed
- Amazon has unveiled a new line of Alexa Tablets, replacing its Fire tablets and offering a dedicated reading mode. The new tablets are available for pre-order in the US, Mexico, and Canada, with shipping scheduled to begin on October 14.
- The new line includes the 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the 11-inch Alexa Tablet 11, and the compact Alexa Tablet 8. The 12 Pro starts at $499.99, the 11 at $329.99, and the 8 at $229.99.
- The new Kindle experience on these tablets is designed to be more than just another setting in the Kindle app. When a book is opened, Kindle Mode automatically turns off notifications, activates battery optimizations for up to 20 hours of reading, and enables an adaptive display and blue light filter.
- The 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro features a 3:2 aspect ratio, providing more usable screen space for readers to see more of a page at once.
- Amazon’s new Alexa tablets have a neat trick up their sleeves, transforming into distraction-free reading devices when you open a book in the Kindle app. The feature, which Amazon calls “Kindle Mode,” changes the tablet’s display and settings automatically to make reading feel more like using a dedicated e-reader.
- The new tablets run on the budget MediaTek 8189 processor, an upgrade from the last-gen Fire tablets. The 1280×800 IPS display is solid for video and reading at typical distances, though it obviously won’t deliver the sharpness or HDR impact of higher-end tablets.
- Amazon is positioning this as more than just another setting in its Kindle app. The new Kindle experience is part of Amazon’s broader Alexa tablet lineup, which includes the 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the 11-inch Alexa Tablet 11, and the compact Alexa Tablet 8.
- The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $230, and the Tablet 11 jumps to $330. Compared to the 11-inch base iPad, which starts at $450, the Alexa Tablet 11 offers a decent alternative at $350 without the awful lock screen ads.
- Amazon’s big fall sale, Prime Big Deal Days, has officially launched and runs through 11:59 p.m. on October 7. This is a great time to buy tech devices like tablets at major discounts.
What's still developing
- The Amazon Devices chief has shared a clip showing off the new Kindle experience on the recently announced Amazon Alexa Tablets, calling it “rad,” and it really does look the part.
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- And now the company is changing tack again with the introduction of the Amazon Alexa tablets.
- It later dropped the “Kindle” branding to emphasize that its tablets do more than its e-readers.
- Bloomberg said that is far below what Apple and Samsung Electronics charge for similar tablets.
- That being said, ff you need Google Play services out of the box or you rely heavily on specific Android apps, you’ll want a different Android tablet (see below for some options).
- But those days are finally gone, and Amazon is embracing the Google Play Store on its Alexa tablets, so you can download all the Android apps your heart desires.
- A Reuters report from earlier this year revealed details about a device codenamed Transformer under development, with Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant as the focus of the experience.
- Amazon notoriously tried to make a smartphone in 2014—the Fire Phone —a massive flop discontinued shortly after launch due to a limited app ecosystem, dismal sales, and an over-reliance on gimmicky features. (Even its designer recently said he was embarrassed by it.) That may partly be why Amazon is retiring the “Fire” branding and killing its budget tablets.
- Find the best deals for Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days 2026, including for AirPods, headphones, speakers, tablets, kindles, and more.
- Lenovo said "no way," and we've got its top discounts on laptops, desktops, and tablets.
- Check out our editors' favorite deals for the tech you need most during Amazon's biggest sale of the year.