Amazon Launches Alexa Tablet 12 Pro With Google Play

The midrange tablet, starting at $499.99, lets users download third-party Android apps from the Google Play Store.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Consumer Electronics

Graphite-grey aluminium tablet lying flat on a pale wooden desk with its screen dark and turned away from the viewer. — Amazon on Tuesday released the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, starting at $499.99, which lets users install third-party Android apps from the Google Play Store. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you consider buying a $499 Amazon tablet that runs Google Play apps?

Amazon releases the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, which starts at $499.99 and allows users to install third-party applications through the Google Play Store while keeping Amazon's own apps and content. The move departs from the closed software approach of Amazon's Fire tablet range.

Why it matters

The change could make the device more useful to households already invested in Amazon services that also want access to Google Play apps. Readers whose main activity is reading ebooks may find a lighter Kindle better suited to their needs.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro weighs 1.21 pounds and starts at $499.99, compared with 1.09 pounds at $549.99 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and 1.05 pounds at $449 for the entry-level Apple iPad. The source does not address long-term app performance on the device.

The players

Amazon

Amazon is the American technology company behind the Alexa voice assistant, the Fire tablet line, and the Kindle e-reader.

PCMag

PCMag is a long-running American technology publication known for hands-on product reviews and its Editors' Choice awards.

The details

The tablet has a unibody aluminium casing and is available only in Graphite. In one reported test by PCMag, one-handed nighttime reading became tiring after around 10 minutes, and PCMag awarded the device an Editors' Choice in the midrange Android tablet category.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is currently on sale; the source does not specify a release date.

Market Landscape

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro moves away from the closed Fire tablet software model that has defined Amazon's tablet line. It positions the device against Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Apple's entry-level iPad, both of which are priced slightly higher or lower and offer different software ecosystems.

Buyers can now install Google Play apps on an Amazon tablet while keeping Amazon's services, which may suit households that use both ecosystems. At 1.21 pounds, the device is slightly heavier than the iPad and Galaxy alternatives, which may matter for extended one-handed reading.

The takeaway

Buyers weighing an Amazon tablet against Android or iPad alternatives should compare app access and weight, since the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro now offers Google Play while remaining heavier than its rivals.