Amazon Unveils a Trio of Android-Powered Alexa Tablets

Amazon revealed today three new Android-based Alexa tablets made from premium materials and with the company’s next-gen Alexa+ assistant built-in. The three new tablets start at $229.99 for the 8-inch version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and Amazon also designed a range of new accessories including a detachable keyboard and a pen.

For many years, Amazon has been making cheap hardware in the hope of making customers hooked on its services like Prime Video, Kindle, and Audible. Amazon’s previous Fire tablets also used an Android-based Fire OS with a curated app store, but that’s no more: These new Alexa tablets run Android and the Google Play Store, and they also feature a premium aluminum unibody design and high-resolution displays.

Panos Panay, the former Chief Product Officer at Microsoft and now Senior Vice President of Devices, Alexa, and Leo at Amazon, was proud to describe the new tablets as “world-class hardware,” with “seamless integration of Amazon services right out of the box.” The flagship model, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, is also the “fastest tablet Amazon has ever built,” according to Panay.

The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro comes with a 2.8K 120Hz screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and an optional Nanomatte display option to reduce screen glare. The tablet uses a 4nm MediaTek chip with an 8-core CPU, up to 8GB of memory, and up to 256GB of storage.

“Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro delivers nearly three times faster processing and nine times faster graphics than any tablet we’ve ever shipped—handling everything from multi-window multitasking to graphic-intensive gaming and 4K streaming. With quad Dolby Atmos speakers, Wi-Fi 6E, and 16 hours of video playback—the longest we’ve ever put on a tablet—it provides all-day power,” Amazon said today.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and the version with a Nanomatte display starts at $549.99. Both versions are compatible with the $149.99 magnetic Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard and $89.99 Alexa Tablet Pro Pen ($89.99), as well as a range of protective folios.

The smaller Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8 use a less powerful MediaTek 8-core CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of storage. The Alexa Tablet 11 features a 2560×1600 90Hz display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, while the Tablet 8 has a 1340×800 display with no adaptive refresh rate. The Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99, and the Alexa Tablet 8 is $100 cheaper. Both models are also available as Kids tablets with a kid-proof case and a year of Amazon Kids+.

On the software front, Amazon promises an optimized Kindle experience with three display themes that reduce eye strain and improve battery life (Amazon promises up to 20 hours). Alexa+ is also deeply integrated into the Android software, with an optional on-screen intelligence feature allowing the assistant to get the context of what users are currently trying to do. With live sessions, Alexa tablet users can also have free-flowing, hands-free conversations with the assistant.

Lastly, Amazon’s new Alexa tablets will offer a new “For you” feed and dynamic tab on the home screen with personalized suggestions. While Amazon says that the tablets will “seamlessly connect your Amazon experiences right out of the box,” consumers who don’t care about Amazon’s services will be able to download their preferred apps from the Play Store.

Amazon’s new Alexa tablets are available for pre-order today, and they will start shipping on October 14 in the US, Mexico, and Canada. They’re also coming to the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on October 19.