The era of Amazon's Fire tablets—cheap slate computers ranging from $60 to $280—is over.
All of the Fire tablets are being replaced by the all-aluminum Amazon Alexa Tablet. These tablets will, in a first for Amazon, run official Android and have full access to the Google Play Store. The lack of proper app support was always a sticking point for the Fire tablets, which ran a custom version of Android and had a much more limited app library.
The new Alexa Tablet series comes in three models: the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro ($500), Alexa Tablet 11 ($330), and Alexa Tablet 8 ($230), with the numbers corresponding to the display size. Amazon is also offering kids' editions of the latter two devices at the same prices. These include bumper cases for extra protection, a one-year, worry-free guarantee to replace the device if it breaks, and a year of Amazon Kids+ service to fill the tablet with age-appropriate content.
As for Fire tablets, Amazon says it will stop shipping the devices in the next month or two. It will support them for four years from the last ship date. Amazon is committing to at least four years of software updates for the new Alexa tablets, which will launch with Android 16 and will receive Android 17 early in 2027. Preorders for the new Alexa Tablets are open now, and they'll begin shipping on October 14.
From left to right: The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the Alexa Tablet 11, and the Alexa Tablet 8.
Source link







