Amazon’s new Alexa tablets finally get Google Play, with a higher starting price

A tablet can have a nice screen and still become annoying the moment your favourite app is missing. Amazon is tackling that problem with its new Alexa Tablets, announced on October 8, while also asking buyers to spend more.

The range runs Android with full Google Play Store access. That means apps such as YouTube, Gmail and Google Docs sit alongside Amazon's own entertainment and reading services. For students switching between notes, videos and emails, that is a practical change.

Fire OS was already based on Android, but used Amazon's more limited app ecosystem. So this is not Amazon discovering Android for the first time. The big shift is opening the door to Google's app store and services.

Three models, a bigger bill

According to Amazon's announcement, the Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99 in the US, the Tablet 11 at $329.99, and the Tablet 12 Pro at $499.99. A Nanomatte version of the Pro, designed to reduce screen glare, starts at $549.99.

All three use aluminium bodies. Despite its name, the smallest model has an 8.7-inch screen. The Pro has a 12-inch display and supports a keyboard and pen, sold separately. The keyboard costs $149.99 and the pen $89.99, so the checkout total can climb quickly.

Orders opened with shipping scheduled for October 14 in the US, Canada and Mexico. Amazon lists October 19 for the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Its announcement does not give an India launch date.

The assistant is part of the pitch

Alexa+ can help with what is on the screen, such as understanding a webpage or adding events to a calendar, Amazon says. Screen access is off by default and requires the user to enable it. The company says a visible indicator shows when that access is active.

Those are product claims, not proof that every task will work smoothly. An assistant that understands a demo still has to cope with your messy calendar and that webpage with seventeen pop-ups.

There is also a subscription detail to notice. Reuters reported that Alexa+ access requires Prime membership or an Alexa+ subscription. It also reported a $20 charge to remove lockscreen ads on models that carry them.

The move comes as Amazon tries to regain ground. Reuters cited IDC figures putting its global tablet share at 1.9% in the second quarter, down from 8% a year earlier.

Existing Fire tablets do not suddenly stop working. WIRED reported that Amazon plans to support them for four years from their last shipping date.

The new range offers a wider app world and more ambitious hardware. Whether it earns its higher price will depend on everyday performance, reliability and the full cost of the features people actually use.