From CNBC · Annie Palmer · · 2m
Amazon ditches Fire tablets for pricier Alexa line
Amazon is scrapping its budget Fire tablet range and launching three new Alexa-branded models priced from $230 to $550, marking a shift toward premium devices.
In brief
Amazon is scrapping its budget Fire tablet range and launching three new Alexa-branded models priced from $230 to $550, marking a shift toward premium devices. Amazon is ending its budget Fire tablet line and replacing it with pricier Alexa-branded tablets running Google Android, signalling a strategy shift toward…
Amazon kills Fire, launches Alexa tablets
Amazon on Thursday unveiled three new Alexa-branded tablets priced from $230 to $550 and said it is ditching its budget-friendly Fire lineup, marking a significant shift in its devices strategy.
Three sizes, one premium push
The company unveiled eight-inch, eleven-inch and twelve-inch models. All devices are available for preorder on Thursday and will begin shipping October fourteenth.
A shift under Andy Jassy
Amazon has historically sold devices at or near manufacturing cost to undercut competitors and promote other services. Under CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded founder Jeff Bezos in two thousand twenty-one, the company has taken steps to make more money from devices.
Premium pricing, iPad comparison
The five hundred fifty dollar Alexa Tablet twelve Pro costs more than double the price of the one hundred fifty-five dollar Fire HD ten and puts it more in line with Apple's iPad, which runs from four hundred forty-nine to one thousand one hundred ninety-nine dollars.
Memory costs and design tradeoffs
Amazon in August boosted prices on Echos, Kindles and Fire TVs citing memory shortage. Panos Panay, Amazon's devices boss, acknowledged the shortage made it quite tricky to build a premium tablet at a reasonable price without making trade-offs.
“quite tricky”
Google Android and Alexa integration
All devices run Google's Android operating system, a major departure from earlier models which used Fire OS and Amazon's own app store. Alexa is front and centre via a dynamic tab offering recommendations and an Ask Alexa button for voice commands.
On-Screen Intelligence feature
Amazon introduced On-Screen Intelligence, where users can ask Alexa to look at what is on their screen and make suggestions or take actions. In a demo, Panay showed users watching a TikTok cooking clip asking Alexa to shop for a burger press used in the video.
Fire tablets get four-year support window
Amazon said it will continue to support the Fire lineup for four years after the final shipment and consumers can continue using their devices as they do today, but it is no longer manufacturing new units. The Fire lineup includes ten-inch and eight-inch models and two versions for kids.
At a glance
Amazon is ending its budget Fire tablet line and replacing it with pricier Alexa-branded tablets running Google Android, signalling a strategy shift toward higher-margin premium devices.
