Amazon Alexa Tablets are mid-range Android tablets with the Google Play Store & Amazon apps and services

Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by the Skimlinks, Amazon, Rakuten Advertising, and eBay, affiliate programs, and Liliputing may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.Amazon launched its first Kindle Fire tablet in 2011, and the lineup has changed many times over the years. The company dropped Kindle from the name and sold them as Fire tablets, tried its hand at premium models, and largely settled on the idea of cheap tablets running a fork of Android called Fire OS.But now Amazon is launching the biggest update in years. The new Alexa Tablet line of devices are mid-range models with some premium features available on the largest models. They have screen sizes ranging from 8.7 to 12 inches. They have starting prices between $230 and $500. And they’re full Android tablets – they ship with the Google Play Store pre-installed, no hacking required.To be clear, these are still very much Amazon tablets. The company is putting its Alexa voice assistant software front and center, along with Amazon apps and services including its Kindle, Prime Video, and Amazon Music apps. But Google Play support means you no longer need to sideload apps that aren’t available from Amazon’s Appstore and hope that they’ll work properly on a tablet that doesn’t ship with native support for Google Mobile services.That said, that new functionality comes at a premium. The previous-gen Amazon Fire HD 8 sells for around $100 and up. The new Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $230.Alexa Tablet 8But in addition to the new software, the new Alexa tablets bring hardware upgrades. The new Alexa Tablet 8 and Tablet 11 have a MediaTek MT8189 8-core processor with two ARM Cortex-A78 CPU cores and six Cortex-A55 cores. That’s a nice step up from the MT8179A in the previous-gen Fire HD 8, which had an MT8169A chip with only 6 Cortex-A55 cores. And the new models each support up to 8GB of RAM.The new Alexa Tablet 12 Pro and Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, meanwhile, brings a bigger, higher-resolution display, a much faster MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chip with 8 Cortex-A725 cores, and up to 16GB of RAM on select models. There’s also support for optional stylus and keyboard accessories that turn these tablets into viable laptop or iPad competitors, at least in theory.Alexa Tablet 12 Pro with accessoriesI doubt these tablets will bring about the end of Amazon tablet hacking – I suspect plenty of customers are still going to pick up one of these tablets thinking it’s a cheaper alternative to a Samsung Galaxy Tab or iPad and find the tight integration with Amazon apps and services frustrating. But they really do seem like significant upgrades in most of the ways that matter.The prices are high enough to make me wonder how large a market there will be for these new tablets. Amazon’s Fire tablets have a earned a reputation over the past 15 years for being some of the cheapest tablets worth spending money on. The new models should be a lot less frustrating to use, but with price tags that are twice as high as their predecessors, they might be a tough sell. That said, nearly every gadget with memory and storage has seen price increases over the past year, so perhaps it was inevitable that Amazon would raise prices for its new tablets. At least we’re getting processor, screen, and software improvements.Despite the higher price tags though, I’m still reluctant to call them premium tablets because the entry-level model still has a low-res 1340 x 800 pixel display. Cheaper models have USB 2.0 Type-C ports and even the higher-priced models top out at USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds. And the cameras are nothing to write home about.At time of publication, full specs haven’t been added to Amazon’s Developer documentation yet, butDEVICE Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro with Nanomatte display Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 PRICE$549.99$499.99$329.99$229.99RATINGSNo customer reviews yetNo customer reviews yetNo customer reviews yetNo customer reviews yetDISPLAY12″ touch screen, new 2.8K Nanomatte display with anti-glare brilliance, up to 120Hz refresh rate.12” touch screen, stunning 2.8K display, up to 120Hz refresh rate.11” touch screen, stunning 2.5K display, up to 90Hz refresh rate.8.7” touch screen, vivid display in a compact sizeRESOLUTION2800 x 1840 (280 PPI)2800 x 1840 (280 PPI)2560 x 1600 (276 PPI)1340 x 800 (180 PPI)PROCESSORMediaTek Dimensity 8400 4nm 8-core CPU (Arm Cortex-A725), up to 3.25GHzMediaTek Dimensity 8400 4nm 8-core CPU (Arm Cortex-A725), up to 3.25GHzMediaTek 8189 8-core CPU, up to 2GHzMediaTek 8189 8-core CPU, up to 2GHzMEMORY8GB or 16GB8GB8GB4GB or 8GBSTORAGE128GB or 256GB128GB64GB or 128GB64GB or 128GBBATTERY LIFEUp to 16 hours of video playbackUp to 16 hours of video playbackUp to 15 hours of video playbackUp to 14 hours of video playbackWEIGHT19.4 ounces (550 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by configuration and manufacturing process.19.4 ounces (550 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by configuration and manufacturing process.16.4 ounces (466 grams). Actual size and weight may vary by configuration and manufacturing process.*16.4 ounces (466 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by configuration and manufacturing process.ACCESSORIES (SOLD SEPARATELY)Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard, Alexa Tablet Pro Pen, Alexa Tablet 12 Pro Folio Cover, Amazon 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power AdapterAlexa Tablet Pro Keyboard, Alexa Tablet Pro Pen, Alexa Tablet 12 Pro Folio Cover, Amazon 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power AdapterAmazon Alexa Tablet 11 Folio Cover, Amazon 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter, Maxeye Pen Bluetooth Keyboard CaseAmazon Alexa Tablet 8 Case, Amazon 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power AdapterPORTSUSB-C port with support for: Charging, Audio, DisplayPort, Data: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps)USB-C port with support for: Charging, Audio, DisplayPort, Data: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps)USB-C port with support for: Charging, Audio, Data: USB 2.0 (Up to 480Mbps)USB-C port with support for: Charging, Audio, Data: USB 2.0 (Up to 480Mbps)FRONT CAMERA8MP front camera with 1080p full HD video8MP front camera with 1080p full HD video8MP front camera with 1080p full HD video5MP front camera with 1080p full HD videoREAR CAMERA13MP rear camera with 1080p full HD video13MP rear camera with 1080p full HD video8MP rear camera with 1080p full HD video8MP rear camera with 1080p full HD video* These weights are taken from Amazon’s website, but the 8.7 inch tablet is almost certainly lighter than the 11 inch model, so this is probably a typo.via AmazonLiliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.Contribute to our Patreon campaign or...Contribute via PayPal * If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it. 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