AI News Feed
Market watch
Googlebooks' Hidden Glowbar Disco App Unlocked Through System SettingsMicrosoft cuts Microsoft 365 Family and Premium OneDrive storage to a shared 2TBAlibaba's Qwen Releases Qwen-Image-2.1-Turbo, Cutting 2K Image Generation to 8 StepsOpenAI Opens Decisions API Public Beta, Returning Typed Answers on GPT-6 LunaStudy Finds AI Coding Agents Generate More Code, but Not More SoftwareCDC reportedly moves to fund contested hepatitis B trial as Denmark panel approves it
Googlebooks' Hidden Glowbar Disco App Unlocked Through System SettingsMicrosoft cuts Microsoft 365 Family and Premium OneDrive storage to a shared 2TBAlibaba's Qwen Releases Qwen-Image-2.1-Turbo, Cutting 2K Image Generation to 8 StepsOpenAI Opens Decisions API Public Beta, Returning Typed Answers on GPT-6 LunaStudy Finds AI Coding Agents Generate More Code, but Not More SoftwareCDC reportedly moves to fund contested hepatitis B trial as Denmark panel approves it
Products & Applications

Amazon’s New Alexa Tablets Add Google Play and Alexa+ in Premium Push

Amazon announced three Alexa Tablets starting at $230 and two Kids Tablets, adding Google Play support and Alexa+ while shifting toward premium Android hardware.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-10 05:50

The new Alexa Tablet lineup starts at $230 and includes the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 at $330, and the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro at $500. All three are available for pre-order and will begin shipping on Oct. 14, ZDNet reported.

The biggest change is Google Play access. ZDNet reported that the new tablets are the first of Amazon’s newer tablets to support Google Play, rather than only Amazon’s app store. Amazon also announced new Kids’ Tablets with Google Play access, while parents can still control which apps children can access and download.

Alexa+ is integrated throughout the devices. Rather than serving only as a voice assistant, Alexa+ is woven into the interface in a way ZDNet compared to Gemini on typical Android tablets. The tablets can have Alexa interpret what is on the screen and answer questions about it, and users can have live, ongoing conversations without repeating the wake word before each request.

On hardware, the Alexa Tablet 8 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the Tablet 11 has 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The three tablets also use a more upscale aluminum design, which ZDNet said should feel like a considerable upgrade from the plastic construction of older models.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro has a 4nm 8-core processor, 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It features a 12-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and offers a Nanomatte anti-glare display option for $50 more, starting at $550. A Pro Pen is available for $90 and supports 4,096 pressure levels, tilt detection, and wireless charging. Amazon also sells a magnetic Pro Keyboard for the Pro tablet with a trackpad that requires no Bluetooth pairing.

Amazon also launched the Amazon Kids Tablet 8 starting at $230 and the Amazon Kids Tablet 11 starting at $330. The Kids Tablets come in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes, with the 11-inch model offering a 2.5K display and 8GB of RAM. They run Android instead of FireOS, have improved hardware and screen resolution, AI-powered storytelling, and parental controls. ZDNet reported that the Kids Tablets carry a one-year limited warranty, a reduction from the previous tablets’ two-year, worry-free guarantee.

ZDNet described the Alexa Tablets as an unexpected upgrade and an indication that Amazon is moving away from budget-focused tablets toward more premium devices. The redesigned lineup could reposition Amazon tablets as full-fledged Android tablets, the report said.