Amazon's Alexa Tablets start shipping today with full Android and Google Play

Three tablets, all with aluminum unibody bodies, Amazon says:

• Alexa Tablet 12 Pro: a 12-inch, 280 pixels-per-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3:2 shape. From $499.99.
• Alexa Tablet 11: an 11-inch 2.5K screen at 276 pixels per inch, 90Hz and a 16:10 shape. From $329.99.
• Alexa Tablet 8: an 8.7-inch screen in a body that weighs 329 grams and is 7.95mm thin. From $229.99.

They go on sale October 14 in the US, Mexico and Canada, and on October 19 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Amazon also sells them through retailers including Best Buy and Target.

An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that this is an all-new product line, with new hardware and a new operating system, not a rebrand of the Fire tablets.

Until now, Amazon's tablets ran Fire OS with Amazon's own app store. Want Gmail or Google Docs? You were either out of luck or following a forum guide to sideload them.

The Alexa Tablets run Android with the full Google Play Store from day one. That means millions of apps, including YouTube, Netflix, Gmail and Google Docs, Amazon says. Amazon's own apps are still there too: Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Amazon Music, Amazon Quick and Amazon Luna.

By the numbers: the tablets launch on Android 16, with Android 17 on the roadmap, HotHardware reports. inside digital says Android 17 should arrive in early 2027, and that Amazon promises at least four years of updates.

For the first time, an Amazon tablet works like any other Android tablet, with Amazon's apps added on top.

The screen. Amazon offers the 12 Pro with a standard display or with a Nanomatte anti-glare display.

Most matte screens get their texture by sandblasting the glass, which scatters light unevenly. Amazon says it worked with Corning on a photolithography process that etches a precise texture into the glass at the sub-pixel level, so glare drops while detail and color stay sharp.

Here's how the rest of the 12 Pro stacks up, from Amazon and HotHardware:

Amazon says the 12 Pro has nearly three times the processing speed and nine times the graphics speed of any tablet it has shipped before.

The accessories turn it into a small laptop. The Pro Keyboard ($149.99) snaps on magnetically with no Bluetooth pairing. The Pro Pen ($89.99) is a USI 2.0 pen with 4,096 pressure levels, tilt detection and wireless charging.

Amazon pitches the Tablet 11 as "built for entertainment" and the Tablet 8 as the one you carry everywhere. HotHardware lists the details:

• Alexa Tablet 11: an 8-core MediaTek 8189 chip at up to 2GHz, 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of storage, 8MP cameras front and back, dual Dolby Atmos speakers and up to 15 hours of video. Colors: Graphite, Amethyst and Matcha.
• Alexa Tablet 8: the same MediaTek 8189 chip, 4GB of RAM with 64GB or 8GB with 128GB, a 1340x800 screen, Wi-Fi 6 and up to 14 hours of video. Colors: Graphite, Rosette and Teal.

Both use USB-C for charging, audio and data. Only the 12 Pro adds DisplayPort output and faster 5Gbps transfers, so it's the one to pick if you want to plug into a monitor.

The Verge's David Pierce tested the $549.99 Nanomatte model. His headline: "almost the Android tablet we needed."

• The screen: he says he prefers it to any iPad he has tried, and that it barely reflects light outdoors.
• The chip: it benchmarks between last year's and the year before's flagship Android phones. The current 13-inch iPad Pro scored about nine times higher in one graphics test, but he says day-to-day use felt smooth.
• The battery: about eight hours of screen time in his use, less than Amazon advertises.
• The home screen: it includes Amazon widgets he couldn't remove. Since it's Android, he notes, you can install a different launcher in about 30 seconds.

He also found Alexa+ most helpful for shopping, and notes that you can switch the assistant to Google's Gemini in settings.

Alexa+ is built into every model. You say "Alexa" or tap the Ask Alexa button, and it appears on top of whatever app you're using.

The headline feature is On-Screen Intelligence. You can ask Alexa about what's on your screen. Amazon's example: browsing a list of trails and asking, "Alexa, which of these hikes is best for me?" Or pulling up a game schedule and asking it to add every date to your calendar.

The catch: for privacy, Amazon says every On-Screen Intelligence feature is off by default and needs a deliberate opt-in. A visual indicator shows whenever Alexa can see the screen.

There are also live sessions: a continuous, hands-free chat where you don't repeat the wake word between questions. It's a bit like keeping a phone call open instead of redialing for every question.

In real life You open a recipe on Pinterest, turn on a live session, and ask Alexa to pull out the ingredient list while you keep scrolling. If you never turn on On-Screen Intelligence, Alexa can't see any of it.

Every Alexa Tablet gets a Kindle mode. Open a book in the Kindle app and notifications go silent, blue light is reduced, and Amazon says the battery can last up to 20 hours of reading. On the Nanomatte 12 Pro you can also write notes in your books with the Pro Pen.

Amazon also launched new Amazon Kids Tablets in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes. Each bundle includes a kid-proof case and a year of Amazon Kids+. Versions for kids ages 3 and up get a soft bumper case, while the 6-and-up version gets a slim hard case with a kickstand.

They're on the way out. inside digital reports that Amazon is ending Fire tablet sales and promises at least four years of updates, counted from the last device sold. The switch away from Fire OS only affects tablets.

For more from Amazon's devices lineup, see our Amazon topic page.

• Shopping for a tablet: the Tablet 8 at $229.99 and the Tablet 11 at $329.99 now run the same Android apps as any other Android tablet.
• Lock screen ads: the Tablet 11 and Tablet 8 come with or without them. Skipping the ads costs $20 more, per HotHardware's price list.
• Assistant choice: Alexa+ is built in, but The Verge reports you can switch to Gemini.
• Fire tablet owners: your tablet keeps getting updates for at least four years after the last one sold, inside digital reports.