Amazon's new Alexa tablets run Android with the full Google Play Store, so you can install YouTube, Netflix, Gmail, and Google Docs alongside Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, and Amazon Music. They're on sale now in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and they ship October 14.
Prices
| Model | Starts at | Screen | Starting memory | Claimed video playback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa Tablet 12 Pro | $499.99 | 12-inch, 280 ppi, 120Hz, 3:2 | 8GB RAM, 128GB | 16 hours |
| 12 Pro Nanomatte | $549.99 | Same 12-inch panel, anti-glare | 8GB RAM, 128GB at the listed start | 16 hours |
| Alexa Tablet 11 | $329.99 | 11-inch, 2.5K, 276 ppi, 90Hz, 16:10 | 8GB RAM, 64GB | 15 hours |
| Alexa Tablet 8 | $229.99 | 8.7-inch, 329 grams | 4GB RAM, 64GB | 14 hours |
The 12 Pro is an aluminum unibody with quad Dolby Atmos speakers. Amazon says it delivers nearly three times the processing and nine times the graphics of any tablet the company has shipped before, and you can configure it with up to 16GB of RAM. The Nanomatte model has more processing power. The prices in the table start at 8GB of RAM and 128GB. The 11 has dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and the 8, at 329 grams, is the one you can hold in one hand.
The Pro Keyboard is $149.99 and the Pro Pen is $89.99, sold separately for the 12 Pro. The pair is $239.98. A 12 Pro with both is $739.97, and a Nanomatte 12 Pro with both is $789.97, before a case.
On the tablet
Fire tablets have used Fire OS and Amazon's app store. An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Alexa tablets are a new product line, with new hardware and a new operating system, rather than a rebrand of Fire tablets.
Alexa+ is on the device. You say "Alexa," or you tap Ask Alexa. On-Screen Intelligence looks at the page you're on, and Amazon's example is a list of hikes: you ask which one fits you. It stays off until you opt in, and a visual indicator shows when Alexa can see the screen.
Open Kindle and Amazon says notifications go quiet, blue light is reduced, and reading can last up to 20 hours, separate from the video hours above. Amazon also announced Kids tablets the same week, in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes, bundled with a case and a year of Amazon Kids+. The price list doesn't include one for them.
If you want something you can hold in one hand for reading and browsing, get the 8 and live with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. If you mostly watch, get the 11, and know that 64GB gets tight once you keep a large offline library on the device. If you want the larger work screen, get the 12 Pro and add the keyboard and pen when you'll actually type and write.
The Play Store is why any of these is a different purchase from a Fire tablet. Battery hours, the graphics claim, and whether On-Screen Intelligence earns its place are still Amazon's descriptions until those October 14 shipments are in use.
Photo: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
