Amazon Alexa Tablet: Android Replaces Fire OS, From $230 — Three New Models Ship Today With Full Google Play Store Access

Three new tablets go on sale today in the US, Mexico, and Canada, each built around the Alexa+ AI assistant and, for the first time on an Amazon tablet, Android with unrestricted access to Google's own app store.

Amazon is retiring Fire OS on its tablets. The company announced three new devices — the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11, and Alexa Tablet 8 — that replace the long-running Fire tablet line entirely, and the headline change isn't the hardware, it's the software underneath it: these run Android with full, unrestricted access to the Google Play Store, including apps Amazon has kept off Fire tablets for years, like YouTube, Netflix's native app, and Gmail.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro leads the lineup at $499.99 (or $549.99 for a Nanomatte anti-glare display option), with a 12-inch, 280 PPI screen running at 120Hz in a 3:2 aspect ratio, built around a 4nm 8-core chip Amazon says delivers nearly three times the processing performance and nine times the graphics performance of its previous tablets. It comes with 8GB of RAM standard, or up to 16GB on the Nanomatte version, 128GB of storage, Dolby Atmos speakers, and a claimed 16 hours of video playback. An optional Pro Pen ($89.99, USI 2.0 with 4,096 pressure levels) and magnetic Pro Keyboard ($149.99) are sold separately.

The Alexa Tablet 11 is the middle option at $329.99: an 11-inch, 2.5K display at 276 PPI and 90Hz, 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, up to 15 hours of video playback, and a choice of Graphite, Amethyst, or Matcha finishes. The Alexa Tablet 8 drops to $229.99 with an 8.7-inch screen, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 329-gram all-aluminum body built for one-handed use, and up to 14 hours of video playback, with Graphite, Rosette, and Teal color options.

Alexa+, Amazon's generative AI assistant, is built directly into the interface rather than living in a separate app. The company is calling out a feature it calls On-Screen Intelligence, which lets Alexa read and reason about whatever is currently on screen — Amazon's own example has a user browsing hiking trails and asking "Alexa, which of these hikes is best for me?" with Alexa pulling details from the open page and the user's known preferences to answer. A "Live" mode also allows continuous, hands-free conversation with Alexa without needing to repeat the wake word for each follow-up question. Amazon says the on-screen reading capability is off by default and requires the user to opt in.

The move to Android with full Play Store access is the bigger story for anyone who has used a Fire tablet before. Fire OS, Amazon's own Android fork, has run on every Amazon tablet since 2011, shipping with Amazon's own Appstore instead of Google's and requiring workarounds to install apps like YouTube or many banking apps. The new Alexa Tablets run Android 16 with a custom interface layer on top, but with direct, built-in access to the actual Google Play Store — a software change bigger than any single spec bump across the three devices.

All three tablets are available for purchase today, October 14, 2026, and begin shipping the same day in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, through Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Target; UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain follow on October 19. Amazon is also positioning the line against Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab rather than as a budget alternative to either, a shift from where Fire tablets have historically sat in the market.

Original coverage: Amazon replaces Fire OS with Android on its new Alexa Tablets