Amazon replaces Fire tablets with Android Alexa Tablets from $229.99
Amazon is replacing its Fire tablets with a new line of Alexa Tablets. They are the first Amazon tablets to run Android with full access to the Google Play Store. The company announced three models on Thursday, from $229.99 to $549.99. All three ship on 14 October in the US, Canada and Mexico, and on […] This story continues at The Next Web
Amazon is replacing its Fire tablets with a new line of Alexa Tablets. They are the first Amazon tablets to run Android with full access to the Google Play Store. The company announced three models on Thursday, from $229.99 to $549.99.
All three ship on 14 October in the US, Canada and Mexico, and on 19 October in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
“We’re really proud of this new lineup, and this is just the start,” Kevin Keith, Amazon’s vice president of devices, wrote in the announcement.
The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage. It is 6.5mm thin and has a 12-inch, 120Hz display. A $549.99 version uses a Nanomatte anti-glare screen that Amazon developed with Corning. A Pro Keyboard costs $149.99 and a Pro Pen $89.99.
The Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 and the 8.7-inch Alexa Tablet 8 at $229.99. Amazon is also selling Kids Tablets in both sizes at the same prices. They come with a case, a year of Amazon Kids+ and Google Play access that parents approve app by app.
All the tablets have Alexa+, Amazon’s assistant , built in. An opt-in feature called On-Screen Intelligence lets it read what is on the display. It can, for example, add the dates on a page to a calendar. Amazon says the feature is off by default and an indicator shows whenever Alexa can see the screen.
Opening the Kindle app switches the tablets into a reading mode. It silences notifications, cuts blue light and stretches the battery to up to 20 hours, according to Amazon.
Amazon is no longer making Fire tablets and will support them for four years after the final shipment, CNBC reported . Owners can keep using them as they do today.
The new tablets cost more than the Fire range. In August, Amazon raised device prices , citing the memory chip shortage . Amazon denied that memory costs played a role in the Alexa Tablets’ pricing, according to CNBC. Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices, told CNBC the shortage made it “quite tricky” to build a premium tablet at a reasonable price.
