Amazon is phasing out Fire Tablets because they weren’t ‘giving customers what they were asking for’
Amazon will phase out its Fire tablet brand and replace it with Alexa Tablets, according to consumer electronics chief Panos Panay. The change reflects customer demand for access to Google services and apps, better hardware and fewer lock-screen adverts.
The new tablets run standard Android and include the Google Play Store, unlike Fire tablets, which use Amazon’s Fire OS and lack official Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Drive. Amazon says it will continue security updates for existing Fire tablets, but does not plan to refresh their hardware. Panay also said further hardware announcements are expected in the autumn, though not an Amazon-branded computer or laptop.
- Amazon is replacing Fire tablets with Alexa Tablets.
- The new range runs Android and offers the Play Store.
- Existing Fire tablets will receive security updates, but no hardware refresh.
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Fire tablets are Amazon's range of budget-friendly tablets that the company has sold for over a decade. Amazon is now discontinuing the product line and replacing it with Alexa Tablets, marking a significant shift in its tablet strategy.
The move reflects persistent customer feedback that Fire tablets were too limited compared to other tablets on the market. Current Fire tablets use Amazon's own Fire OS system and lack access to Google services such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Drive, instead offering Amazon's alternatives. Customers have also requested better hardware quality and fewer lock-screen advertisements.
The new Alexa Tablets will run standard Android with access to the Google Play Store, giving users the capabilities they have been requesting. Amazon will continue providing security updates for existing Fire tablets but will not release new hardware versions of the current product line.