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Explore AI ToolsAmazon Just Ditched Its Android Fork — The New Alexa Tablets Run Real Android


Amazon just walked away from its own Android fork. The company has unveiled three new tablets — the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the Tablet 11 and the Tablet 8 — and every one of them runs full Android with Google Play Store access. After a decade of pushing its own Fire OS walled garden, Amazon is shipping devices where YouTube, Netflix, Gmail and Google Docs just work out of the box. Details below are from BusinessToday's October 9, 2026 report.
The details
The headline act is the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro: a 12-inch 120Hz display, a 4nm octa-core chip, up to 16GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6E, quad Dolby Atmos speakers and up to 16 hours of video playback, starting at $499.99. A Nanomatte display option pushes that to $549.99. The mid-range Tablet 11 packs an 11-inch 2.5K 90Hz display with 8GB of RAM and up to 15 hours of video for $329.99, while the compact Tablet 8 has an 8.7-inch display, weighs just 329 grams, supports Wi-Fi 6 and manages up to 14 hours of video at $229.99. All three come with Alexa+ AI voice assistance built in, though on-screen intelligence stays off by default.
There are two catches, and they are vintage Amazon. Alexa+ requires an Amazon Prime membership or a separate subscription — the smart assistant is not free. And removing lock-screen ads costs a $20 one-time fee on eligible models; only the top-priced tablet ships without them. Shipping starts October 14 in the US, Mexico and Canada, with the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain following on October 19, and Japan getting the Kids tablets from October 14. No India launch has been announced yet. The Kids versions get protective cases, a year of Kids+ subscription, Storybuilder and an updated Parent Dashboard.
Why it matters
The Play Store is the real story here, not the silicon. Amazon's Fire tablets were cheap, but their locked-down software was the perpetual asterisk — sideloading apps, missing Google services, a second-class experience. By shipping real Android, Amazon is conceding that customers want the open ecosystem, and it is arming itself with serious specs to fight Samsung, Lenovo and the rest of the budget-to-midrange tablet field. It also gives Alexa+ a home on tablets people might actually buy — which matters for Amazon's AI assistant ambitions.
AiPost's take
Amazon tried the walled garden for a decade and the market never loved it. Real Android, serious specs and genuine prices are a formula that finally makes these tablets recommendable — but the fine print is real too. Alexa+ behind a paywall and $20 to kill lock-screen ads are exactly the kind of nickel-and-diming that made Fire tablets feel cheap in the wrong way. If Amazon keeps the upsells in check, the Alexa tablets could be the budget-tablet story of 2026. If not, the specs will not save them.
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