Bloomberg’s Chris Welch and Mark Gurman reported that Amazon today launched a new lineup of Alexa tablets that run Android with access to the Google Play Store. According to AppleInsider, the lineup consists of three models: the Alexa Tablet 8, Tablet 11 and Tablet 12 Pro. Pre-orders opened today, with shipping beginning 14 October in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and 19 October in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
The Tablet 8 starts at $229.99 with 64 GB of storage, a 329 g aluminium body, an 8.7-inch display, 4 GB RAM, Wi-Fi 6 and up to 14 hours of video playback. The Tablet 11 begins at $329.99, adding an 11-inch 2.5K 90Hz display, 8 GB RAM, dual speakers with Dolby Atmos and up to 15 hours of video playback, with an optional stylus and keyboard case. The Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with a 12-inch 2.8K 120Hz display, a 4 nm eight-core processor, Wi-Fi 6E and up to 16 hours of video playback. Nanomatte variants with Corning anti-glare glass start at $549.99.
All models replace Fire OS with Android and full Google Play Store access, so apps such as YouTube, Netflix, Gmail and Google Docs work without workarounds. Alexa+ is built in and free on the tablets, and a dedicated Kindle mode can extend reading battery life to 20 hours. Base configurations of the Tablet 8 and Tablet 11 include sponsored lock-screen advertisements; removing them costs extra.
Amazon is aiming directly at Apple’s iPad range. The Tablet 8 costs $369 less than an iPad mini despite having a slightly larger screen. The Tablet 11 undercuts the entry-level iPad by $119 and offers a 90Hz panel versus the iPad’s 60Hz, though it has half the base storage at 64 GB versus 128 GB. The Tablet 12 Pro is $449 cheaper than the 13-inch iPad Air and offers a 120Hz display, but lacks Apple’s Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard ecosystem, relying on its own optional accessories.