Amazon reimagines its tablet lineup with built-in Alexa+ and the full Android experience
The Alexa Tablet 8, Alexa Tablet 11, and Alexa Tablet 12 Pro are not just Amazon's most advanced iPad alternatives yet, but also the company's first-ever slates with unrestricted Google Play access.
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Amazon's all-new Alexa Tablets look decidedly fresh and exciting compared to old Fire devices. | Image by Amazon
Have you ever thought about buying an Amazon tablet but ultimately decided against such a purchase due to a key missing feature? This holiday season, you can finally go for an all-new Alexa Tablet with unrestricted Google Play Store access and pre-installed Android 16 software, as well as various built-in "Amazon experiences."
The e-commerce giant is basically going directly up against the likes of Samsung and Lenovo with this long overdue reimagining of its in-house tablet portfolio while also providing three very interesting (and surprisingly premium-looking) alternatives to Apple's industry-leading iPad roster.
The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is Amazon's "most advanced" slate to date
- 12-inch display with 2800 x 1840 pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate technology;
- Optional Nanomatte screen with anti-glare technology;
- MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor;
- Android 16;
- Full Google Play support;
- 128 and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage variants;
- 8 and 16GB LPDDR5X memory options;
- 13MP rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- 8MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos technology;
- 9,000mAh battery;
- 27W charging capabilities;
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port;
- IP52 water and dust resistance;
- Wi-Fi 6E;
- Bluetooth 5.3 LE;
- 270.8 x 183.85 x 6.5mm dimensions;
- 550 grams weight;
- Unibody aluminum construction;
- Graphite color.
While you're clearly not looking at an iPad Pro, Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, or Surface Pro killer here, this first-of-a-kind high-end (ish) 12-incher is certainly a lot better than the likes of the 2021-released Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus or the Fire Max 11 from 2023.
The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is decidedly impressive by Amazon standards... even though it's clearly not the world's most powerful Android slate. | Image by Amazon
The display is not only larger on the aptly named Alexa Tablet 12 Pro but also sharper and smoother, and for the right kind of money, you can even get something called Nanomatte screen technology for a superior viewing experience in tricky lighting conditions.
The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro costs $499.99 in a "standard" edition with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space while starting at $50 more with an anti-glare Nanomatte panel and going all the way up to $679.99 in a top-of-the-line Nanomatte version that packs a whopping 16 gigs of memory and 256 gigs of local digital hoarding room.
The Alexa Tablet 11 might be the family's value champion
- 11-inch display with 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution and 90Hz refresh rate technology;
- MediaTek 8189 processor;
- Android 16;
- Full Google Play support;
- 64 and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage variants;
- 8GB LPDDR5X memory;
- 8MP rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- 8MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos technology;
- 6,500mAh battery;
- 27W charging capabilities;
- USB 2.0 Type-C port;
- IP52 water and dust resistance;
- Wi-Fi 6;
- Bluetooth 5.3 LE;
- 253.25 x 164.81 x 6.9mm dimensions;
- 466 grams weight;
- Unibody aluminum construction;
- Graphite, Matcha, and Amethyst color options.
The Alexa Tablet 11 is colorful, fun, and relatively affordable. | Image by Amazon
That's mainly because of the $329.99 starting price, which feels... a little steep but not that bad when you consider the high-quality aluminum build, wider color palette, respectable sub-7mm profile, up to 15 hours of promised battery life (which is only an hour less than what the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is supposed to offer), and of course, the full Google Play support and built-in Alexa+ intelligence.
Would I have wished for a faster processor or more storage space in an entry-level variant? Definitely, but times are tough for all tablet manufacturers when it comes to component costs, so we need to understand that certain compromises are simply a must nowadays.
The Alexa Tablet 8 is... not bad
- 8.7-inch display with 1340 x 800 pixel resolution;
- MediaTek 8189 processor;
- Android 16;
- Full Google Play support;
- 64 and 128GB storage variants;
- 4 and 8GB LPDDR5 memory options;
- 8MP rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- 5MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording support;
- Dual speakers;
- 4,600mAh battery;
- 18W charging capabilities;
- USB 2.0 Type-C port;
- Wi-Fi 6;
- Bluetooth 5.3 LE;
- 208.94 x 132.64 x 7.95mm dimensions;
- 329 grams weight;
- Unibody aluminum construction;
- Graphite, Rosette, and Teal color options.
I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: I'm not delighted by that battery capacity, the nearly 8mm waist, unremarkable screen resolution, or the starting 4GB RAM option.
The Alexa Tablet 8 is compact and more premium-looking than its Fire-branded predecessors. | Image by Amazon
But the three decidedly eye-catching paint jobs, the promised 14-hour battery endurance, full metal design, and of course, the full Android 16 experience and built-in Alexa+ skills clearly make the Alexa Tablet 8 better than any and all Fire HD 8 editions, almost justifying the $229.99 list price for an entry-level configuration.
Should you pull the trigger?
As always, that's not an easy question to answer in just one word. On one hand, the evolution over the rudimentary Fire tablet family is crystal clear, and it's definitely nice to see Amazon take this product category seriously... after more than a decade of experimentation.
On the other hand, this is simply not the greatest time to enter a new market or reimagine a product roster in such a radical way, especially when you have brands like Lenovo that continue to defy all industry trends with aggressively priced devices like the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 and Tab Plus Gen 2.
Does Amazon have a future in the global tablet market?
1 Votes
The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2, mind you, currently costs just $399.99 with a massive 13-inch display in tow, a powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor under the hood, and incredibly enough, a Lenovo Tab Pen Plus included at no extra charge. The $499.99 Alexa Tablet Pro, meanwhile, comes with no bundled accessories, although you can separately purchase an all-new $89.99 Alexa Tablet Pro Pen and $149.99 Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard... if you're some kind of eccentric oil tycoon.
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