Amazon launches first Android tablets, raising prices and incorporating Alexa

Amazon introduced a new range of premium Android tablets on Thursday, incorporating its Alexa+ voice assistant and featuring aluminum cases for the first time. The devices, which will cost between $230 and $550, mark a shift away from the budget-focused Fire OS operating system that Amazon had been using for years. The higher-end Alexa tablets, with 128 gigabytes of memory, will set customers back $550, a significant increase from Amazon's previous top-of-the-line Fire HD 10 tablet, which cost around $180.

Despite the price hike, the new tablets will still be more expensive than competing products from Apple and Samsung. The move is part of Amazon's strategy to move upscale and focus on offering more advanced features, such as generative AI-powered Alexa+, to differentiate its devices from others in the market.