Amazon is retiring the Fire tablet brand after 15 years and replacing it with a new lineup called Alexa Tablets. The three new devices were announced on Thursday and drop Fire OS for Google-certified Android, complete with the Google Play Store, according to Ars Technica. They are available for preorder now and ship on October 14.
The move marks a major pivot for one of the biggest consumer tech brands. For years Amazon downplayed the Android foundation under Fire OS and pushed users toward its own Appstore. That store shut down last year, so the new tablets lean fully on Google's ecosystem — and on Alexa Plus as the center of the experience.
Alexa Tablet lineup and prices
The lineup has three devices, all redesigned with unibody aluminum housings. Ars Technica reports that the Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $230 and the Alexa Tablet 11 at $330. Both run on a budget MediaTek 8189 processor, which is still an upgrade over the last Fire tablets, and both use 16:10 displays that suit video watching.
The flagship is different. The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $500 and moves to a taller 3:2 aspect ratio, better for running apps side by side. Amazon also sells a matte display upgrade for $50, a keyboard for $150 and a stylus for $90.
- Alexa Tablet 8 — from $230, MediaTek 8189, 16:10 display
- Alexa Tablet 11 — from $330, MediaTek 8189, 16:10 display
- Alexa Tablet 12 Pro — from $500, MediaTek Dimensity 8400, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 12 Pro display — 2800×1840, 120Hz, 500 nits peak brightness
