An early Amazon Kindle Fire tablet on a table. The Fire line that began here is being retired. Photo: Prescotte via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Amazon is discontinuing its Fire tablet line and replacing it with new Alexa Tablets that run full Android with Google Play, priced from $229.99. The company announced the change on 8 October 2026, put the first models on sale in the United States, Mexico and Canada on 14 October, and brings them to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain on 19 October. After more than a decade, the Kindle Fire name is being retired with the hardware.
Why is Amazon discontinuing the Fire tablet?
Fire tablets ran Fire OS, Amazon's own fork of Android, which locked out the Google Play Store and pushed customers toward Amazon's Appstore. That trade-off has worn thin as buyers expect the full Android experience. Market pressure is part of it too: research firm IDC reported a 12.3 percent year-on-year drop in the global tablet market in the second quarter of 2026, and Amazon's budget tablets were losing ground. The bigger driver is AI. Amazon wants Alexa+, its upgraded AI assistant, built directly into its hardware, and the new tablets are designed around it.
What do the new Alexa Tablets offer?
The new line runs full Android, so the Google Play Store and its apps work out of the box, and the tablets carry aluminium builds with Alexa+ built in. The top model, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, has a 12-inch 3:2 display at 280 pixels per inch with a 120Hz refresh rate in a body 6.5 millimetres thick. Pricing starts at $229.99 for the smallest model and reaches $549.99 for the 12 Pro, according to Good e-Reader and GHacks. There are also Kids versions with 8.7-inch and 11-inch screens.
When and where can you buy them?
The first models went on sale on 14 October in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain following on 19 October. Nigeria is not on the launch list, which is normal for Amazon hardware: Nigerian buyers typically get these tablets through importers and marketplace sellers, so expect locally higher prices and check that the seller is importing the international model with a valid warranty.
What happens to existing Fire tablet owners?
Amazon says it will support Fire tablets with software updates for four years after the final shipment of each model, so current owners are not abandoned on day one. But the platform is now in managed decline: no new Fire hardware is coming, and the app ecosystem around the Amazon Appstore will shrink as developers concentrate on standard Android.
What should Nigerian buyers make of it?
Full Android with Google Play removes the single biggest complaint about Fire tablets, the missing Play Store, and that matters in a market like Nigeria where sideloading workarounds were the price of Amazon's low prices. The new tablets are more expensive than the Fire line they replace, but they are standard Android devices, which means wider app support and easier resale. As AI assistants spread from phones into every device, the rules for how those assistants deal with businesses are being written too; our explainer on the Personal Agent Protocol covers where that is heading (what Meta and Sierra's Poppy rules mean for businesses).
Frequently asked questions
Is Amazon discontinuing all Fire tablets?
Yes. Amazon announced on 8 October 2026 that the Fire tablet line is discontinued and is replaced by the new Alexa Tablets running full Android.
How much do the new Alexa Tablets cost?
Prices start at $229.99 for the smallest model and reach $549.99 for the 12-inch Alexa Tablet 12 Pro.
Will my old Fire tablet still get updates?
Amazon has committed to four years of software support after the final shipment of each Fire model.
Sources: Amazon's 8 October announcement, and coverage by The Rundown AI, Good e-Reader, GHacks and ThePCEnthusiast.
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