Amazon's new Alexa Tablets drop the Fire branding but are more Android than ever

For the last 15 years, you’ve been able to buy a Fire tablet from Amazon. Which Fire tablet? It doesn’t matter—like Kindles, they have been pretty much the same year to year. The company’s new tablet lineup is a big change, though. Amazon has dropped the Fire branding in favor of Alexa, and the new Alexa Tablets are now Google-certified Android devices.

在过去的15年里，你一直可以从亚马逊购买Fire平板电脑。哪款Fire平板电脑？这并不重要——就像Kindle一样，它们年复一年几乎没有什么变化。不过，该公司新的平板电脑产品线有了巨大的改变。亚马逊已经放弃了Fire品牌，转而采用Alexa品牌，新款Alexa平板电脑现在是经过谷歌认证的安卓设备。

Throughout the history of Fire Tablets, Amazon downplayed its use of Android. They ran Android apps from the company’s Appstore platform, but there was no Google integration with “Fire OS.” However, Amazon shut down its app store last year. The new Alexa Tablets run full-fledged Google-y versions of Android with the Play Store and all the apps you’d expect. This contrasts sharply with Amazon’s Fire Sticks, which have abandoned Android for the custom Linux-based Vega OS.

在Fire平板电脑的历史上，亚马逊一直淡化其对安卓系统的使用。它们运行来自该公司应用商店平台的安卓应用，但“Fire OS”并没有集成谷歌服务。然而，亚马逊去年关闭了其应用商店。新款Alexa平板电脑运行的是功能齐全、带有谷歌特色的安卓版本，配备了Play商店以及你所期望的所有应用程序。这与亚马逊的Fire TV Stick形成了鲜明对比，后者已经放弃了安卓系统，转而使用基于Linux的定制Vega OS。

The Alexa Tablet lineup consists of three devices, all redesigned with unibody aluminum housings. The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $230, and the Tablet 11 jumps to $330. They run on the budget MediaTek 8189 processor, but that’s still an upgrade from the last-gen Fire tablets. Both devices have 16:10 display ratios that are better for watching video, but the flagship tablet is a little different. Starting at $500, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro has a taller 3:2 ratio that is better for running multiple apps side by side. It also offers a matte display upgrade for $50, and Amazon sells a keyboard ($150) and stylus ($90) for this device as well.

Alexa平板电脑产品线由三款设备组成，全部采用一体式铝合金外壳重新设计。Alexa Tablet 8起售价为230美元，Tablet 11则跃升至330美元。它们搭载入门级的联发科8189处理器，但这相比上一代Fire平板电脑仍是一种升级。这两款设备都拥有更适合观看视频的16:10显示比例，但旗舰平板电脑则有所不同。Alexa Tablet 12 Pro起售价为500美元，拥有更长的3:2比例，更适合并排运行多个应用程序。它还提供50美元的哑光显示屏升级选项，亚马逊也为该设备销售键盘（150美元）和手写笔（90美元）。

This device runs on a more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The display clocks in at an impressive 2800×1840 with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of peak brightness.

该设备搭载性能更强的联发科天玑8400处理器，配备8GB内存和128GB存储空间。显示屏分辨率达到令人印象深刻的2800×1840，支持120Hz刷新率和500尼特的峰值亮度。

With access to Google apps and the Play Store, you can use Gemini or any other AI that works on Android, but Alexa Plus will be at the core of the experience. You’ll be able to converse with Amazon’s AI bot with the “Alexa” wake word, ask questions, and get product recommendations. Naturally, it will suggest you buy things on Amazon when possible. The AI can also use your screen context to answer questions.

通过访问谷歌应用程序和Play商店，你可以使用Gemini或任何其他在安卓上运行的AI，但Alexa Plus将是体验的核心。你将能够通过“Alexa”唤醒词与亚马逊的AI机器人对话、提问并获取产品推荐。自然地，它会在可能的情况下建议你在亚马逊上购买商品。该AI还可以利用你的屏幕上下文来回答问题。

These devices are more expensive than Amazon’s last Fire Tablets, but they’re still competitive with other tablet options in 2026. Apple’s iPad Mini now starts at $600, and the iPad Air is $750. But then there’s the base model iPad at $450, which gets you into the Apple software ecosystem. Amazon’s new tablets are getting a massive software upgrade with the Play Store, but despite Google’s repeated promises, there just aren’t very many Android apps optimized for tablets.

这些设备比亚马逊上一代Fire平板电脑更贵，但在2026年的平板电脑市场中仍然具有竞争力。苹果的iPad Mini起售价为600美元，iPad Air为750美元。但还有售价450美元的基础款iPad，它可以让你进入苹果的软件生态系统。亚马逊的新款平板电脑通过Play商店获得了巨大的软件升级，但尽管谷歌一再承诺，针对平板电脑优化的安卓应用程序仍然不多。

Amazon’s new tablet lineup is available for preorder now and will ship on October 14. By simply being heavily promoted on Amazon, they will probably be among the most popular Android slates on the market.

亚马逊的新款平板电脑产品线现已开启预订，并将于10月14日发货。仅凭在亚马逊平台上的大力推广，它们很可能会成为市场上最受欢迎的安卓平板电脑之一。