Amazon drops Fire tablets for Android Alexa Tablets priced $229.99 to $549.99
What happened
Amazon's new Alexa Tablet 8 costs $229.99 and the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99. All three new models run Android with the Google Play Store, which Amazon's tablets have never had before. Amazon unveiled the lineup on Thursday, and CNBC reported the company is no longer making Fire tablets. The new devices cost more than the Fire range they replace. Amazon denied that memory-chip costs affected the pricing, while its devices chief said the shortage made a premium tablet hard to build at a reasonable price.
What we know
- Amazon announced three models, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8. Per TechCrunch and The Next Web, they start at $499.99, $329.99 and $229.99, and the Pro's Nanomatte anti-glare version starts at $549.99.
- Per TechCrunch and The Next Web, the tablets run Android with Google Play access at launch. Until now Amazon's tablets ran Fire OS with Amazon's own app store, and an Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch this is an all-new product line rather than a Fire rebrand.
- CNBC, as relayed by The Next Web, reports Amazon is no longer making Fire tablets and will support existing ones for four years after the final shipment.
- Per TechCrunch, sales start October 14, 2026 in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and October 19 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
- The Next Web reports the Pro Keyboard costs $149.99 and the Pro Pen $89.99. Alexa+ is built in, and its On-Screen Intelligence feature, which reads the display, is opt-in and off by default.
What we don't know yet
- Amazon says the 12 Pro delivers nearly three times the processing and nine times the graphics performance of any earlier Amazon tablet. No independent benchmarks of the new tablets are in the sources.
- The sources conflict on pricing. CNBC, as relayed by The Next Web, reports Amazon denied memory costs played a role, yet Panos Panay told CNBC the shortage made a premium tablet "quite tricky" to build. How much of the price increase comes from component costs is unclear.
- The sources do not say whether a cheaper tablet will return, or what happens to Fire OS app-store developers.
- The sources do not say how the Alexa Tablet 8's performance compares with the Fire tablets it replaces.
Why it matters
Shoppers who bought Amazon tablets mainly as budget devices now pay at least $229.99 for the entry model. Developers and the Android ecosystem gain a new hardware line with full Google Play access, and Amazon's Fire OS app store loses its role on the company's own tablets.
Claims
- ConfirmedAmazon announced three Alexa Tablet models that run Android with Google Play Store access at launch.
- ConfirmedThe Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99, the Tablet 11 at $329.99 and the Tablet 12 Pro at $499.99.
- ConfirmedThe Alexa Tablets go on sale October 14, 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and October 19 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
- ConfirmedAmazon is no longer making Fire tablets, per CNBC.
- ConfirmedAmazon will support existing Fire tablets for four years after the final shipment, per CNBC.
- ConfirmedAmazon denied to CNBC that memory costs played a role in the Alexa Tablets' pricing.
- UnconfirmedThe Alexa Tablet 12 Pro delivers nearly three times the processing performance and nine times the graphics performance of any earlier Amazon tablet.
Related coverage
Why you can trust this story
80%Source map · 6 outlets / 6 articles
- TechCrunch
- Article 1techcrunch.comreport
- The Next Web
- Article 1thenextweb.comreport
- CNBC
- Article 1cnbc.comreport
- GeekWire
- Article 1geekwire.comreport
- Bloomberg
- Article 1bloomberg.comreport
- Wired
- Article 1wired.comreport
How this credibility score is calculated
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Atom-verified claims matched cited source text. Weights are fixed and explainable.
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Verification ledger · 7
- Claim: Amazon announced three Alexa Tablet models that run Android with Google Play Store access at launch.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99, the Tablet 11 at $329.99 and the Tablet 12 Pro at $499.99.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The Alexa Tablets go on sale October 14, 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and October 19 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: Amazon is no longer making Fire tablets, per CNBC.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: Amazon will support existing Fire tablets for four years after the final shipment, per CNBC.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: Amazon denied to CNBC that memory costs played a role in the Alexa Tablets' pricing.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro delivers nearly three times the processing performance and nine times the graphics performance of any earlier Amazon tablet.Status: UnconfirmedVerification trailUnverifiedChecked by verification engine
No atom-level source-text verification is available.
Update log · 0
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