Amazon’s new Alexa tablets might actually rival the iPad ‣ Diverse Daily

Amazon has sold its lineup of affordable Fire Tablets for more than a decade, but the biggest problem has always been that, despite running Android-based Fire OS, they’ve never had access to the Google Play Store or Google’s apps. Instead, they’ve been locked into Amazon’s own app store. But with its new Alexa Tablets, that’s finally changing, along with a top-to-bottom redesign that gives Amazon a real shot at taking on the iPad.

So, what exactly are Amazon’s Alexa Tablets? The company just introduced them as a complete overhaul of its tablet lineup, replacing its long-running Fire Tablets with a new Alexa-branded series. There are three main models: the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11, and Alexa Tablet 8.

Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon’s new Alexa Tablet series and how it stacks up against Apple’s iPad.

Alexa Tablet 12 Pro

The iPad Air’s newest rival

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is Amazon’s top-tier offering, and it’s clear the company went all out to make it as competitive as possible with Apple’s iPad and iPad Air.

It features an incredibly sleek aluminum chassis that’s just 6.55 mm thick and weighs 550 g, making it both thin and light. The front features a 12-inch display with a 2800 x 1840-pixel resolution (2.8K) and a 120Hz refresh rate, plus an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Around back, there’s a 12-megapixel rear camera. Under the hood, it packs a 4nm, eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Amazon estimates up to 16 hours of video playback on a single charge.

Amazon offers two display options for the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro: a standard display and a glare-reducing Nanomatte display.

The standard display starts at $500, while the Nanomatte display starts at $550. There’s also a $670 version that doubles the RAM and storage to 16GB and 256GB, respectively.

Like Apple with Siri AI, Amazon has baked Alexa+ into all its new tablets, hence the Alexa name, giving you access to a wide range of AI features, like controlling your smart home or using on-screen intelligence, if you opt in.

But beyond the redesign and beefier hardware, what makes the Alexa tablet series a much more viable competitor to the iPad is its access to the Google Play Store and Google apps. Amazon previously restricted access to the Play Store on its Fire tablets, locking them only to its own app store. But those days are finally gone, and Amazon is embracing the Google Play Store on its Alexa tablets, so you can download all the Android apps your heart desires. It took Amazon a decade too long, but at least it’s finally here.

Turning back to the iPad comparison, Apple’s iPad Air starts at $750 for the 11-inch model with 128GB of storage, while the base 11-inch iPad starts at $450 with 128GB. That puts the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro in a pretty interesting middle ground, and I love seeing that it has a 120Hz display, something that not even the $750 iPad Air offers.

Additionally, Amazon is also targeting Apple’s iPad accessory lineup, offering an Alexa Tablet Pro Pen and an Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard.

But there are also two other models for those who don’t want to spend quite as much.

Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8

Closer to Apple’s base iPad

Amazon also announced two smaller, cheaper tablets alongside the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro: the Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8, both of which feature a similar aluminum unibody design.

The Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $330 and features an 11-inch display with a 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution (2.5K) and a 90Hz refresh rate. It also has an 8-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Under the hood, there’s a MediaTek 8189 eight-core chipset, which is less powerful than the one in the 12 Pro.

The Alexa Tablet 11 comes in two storage configurations: 64GB and 128GB. While pricing starts at $330, that’s for the 64GB version with ads on the lock screen, similar to what Amazon does with its Kindles. If you don’t want the ads, the 64GB model starts at $350, while the 128GB version costs $400. It’s available in three colors: graphite, amethyst, and matcha.

The Alexa Tablet 8 is similar to the Alexa Tablet 11, but as the name suggests, it has a smaller 8-inch display. It also drops the refresh rate to 60Hz, lowers the resolution to 1340 x 800 pixels, and comes with 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB. It starts at $230 for the version with lock screen ads, or $250 without them. It’s available in three colors: graphite, rosette, and teal.

Compared to the 11-inch base iPad, which starts at $450, the Alexa Tablet 11 offers a decent alternative at $350 without the awful lock screen ads. If you just want a reliable tablet that won’t break the bank for streaming, gaming, checking email, or browsing the web, it will get the job done.

Personally, though, I’d avoid the Alexa Tablet 8. If you’re looking for a super-basic tablet, it will work, but I don’t think 4GB of RAM is enough for a tablet in 2026. The Alexa Tablet 11’s 8GB of RAM makes it a much better option, especially if you plan to keep it for a long time.

The closest Amazon’s ever come to competing with the iPad

The design and pricing look good, but performance is crucial

Person using Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro.

While the specs look good on paper and the design looks sleek, the biggest question surrounding Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets will be performance. Fire Tablets didn’t exactly have the greatest reputation when it came to performance, so if Amazon has actually been able to optimize the software experience on these new tablets and make them as fast and reliable as an iPad or iPad Air, I feel like they have a real shot at being a solid alternative. That’s especially true when you consider that the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is $250 cheaper than the iPad Air.

Something to note for Kindle fans also: Amazon has added a special reading mode to its new tablets. When you open a book in the Kindle app, the tablet transforms into what Amazon calls a “distraction-free reading sanctuary,” where notifications go silent, blue light is reduced, and battery life is extended. There are also three display options: a warm option with natural colors, a softened paper tone, and pure grayscale.

All things considered, I’m actually quite impressed with Amazon’s new Alexa Tablet series. Being able to use the Google Play Store is a huge plus, and I can’t help but like the design and specs Amazon is putting on the table, especially with the 12 Pro. If performance is good, these could seriously become the best Android competitor to the iPad.

Amazon’s new Alexa Tablet series is now available for pre-order and launches on October 14 in the US, Canada, and Mexico. On October 19, the tablets will begin shipping in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.