In a bumper month of launches, Amazon has unveiled a brand new line-up of tablets to succeed the older and outdated Fire series.
Though the series is headlined by the top-end Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa 8 both sport the same a premium construction, high-resolution displays and powerful processors.
Other than the size difference, what really separates the Alexa Tablet 8 from the Alexa Tablet 11? Although we haven’t reviewed the new Alexa Tablet series, we’ve compared the specs of the Alexa Tablet 8 to the Tablet 11 and noted the key differences between the two.
For more on Amazon’s new Tablet line-up, visit our Alexa Tablet 12 Pro vs iPad and Alexa Tablet 12 Pro vs Fire Max 11 comparisons. We’ve also rounded up the best Fire Tablets so you can see what’s different with Amazon’s new line of tablets.
Price and Availability
The entire Alexa Tablet line-up is available to buy now, across the US, Mexico, Canada, UK and parts of Europe. The Alexa Tablet 8 starts at £199.99/$229.99 for the smaller 64GB model, and comes in three colours: Graphite, Rosette and Teal.
The Alexa Tablet 11 is slightly more expensive, with a starting price of £289.99/$329.99. Like the Tablet 8, the Tablet 11 comes in three colour options including Graphite, Amethyst and Matcha.
Alexa Tablet 11 has a larger, 2.5K display
As its name suggests, the Alexa Tablet 11 is the larger of the two with an 11-inch, 2.5K display. With a 16:10 cinematic aspect ratio and up to 90Hz refresh rate, the Alexa Tablet 11 is designed with streaming, gaming and browsing in mind.
Sure, it’s not quite a 120Hz refresh rate, but it’s an improvement over the recently launched iPad Mini which makes do with just 60Hz.
In comparison, the Alexa Tablet 8 is equipped with an 8.7-inch, 1340×800 resolution display. With this in mind, the device won’t be quite as crisp as the Alexa Tablet 11, but it still promises to offer a “vivid” viewing experience.
Both have Alexa+ built-in
Despite the price difference, keep in mind that both the Alexa Tablet 8 and 11 are fitted with Alexa+, Amazon’s recently upgraded voice assistant. As an overview, Alexa+ promises to allow users to have more personalised and natural conversations, and can do anything from set timers and reminders to answer questions. Alexa+ also sees a customised experience for tablets too, and includes on-screen intelligence that allows you to ask the voice assistant for real-time help, based on what’s on your tablet.
Alexa can be enabled by voice or by tapping the “Ask Alexa” button.
Alexa Tablet 11 promises longer battery life
Although the exact amount of battery life will vary depending on individual usage, Amazon still promises that the Alexa Tablet 11 will see up to 15 hours of video playback on a single charge. However, the Alexa Tablet 8 isn’t too far behind, with a promise of 14 hours of video playback instead.
Both include the Google Play Store
One of the biggest upgrades with the entire Alexa Tablet lineup, in comparison to the Fire series, is that they offer full access to the Google Play Store. That means alongside built-in Amazon apps like Prime Video, Amazon Music and the like, you have access to millions of Android apps including YouTube, Gmail and Netflix.
This is a seriously welcome update with the Alexa Tablet 8 and 11, as older Fire tablets were incredibly limiting and meant you had to rely on Amazon’s equivalent of Google’s apps.
Both Alexa Tablets house the MediaTek 8189, 8-core processor, though the Alexa Tablet 11 comes with 8GB of memory rather than just 4GB. Though we haven’t reviewed either device yet, the extra memory found within the Alexa Tablet 11 likely means it runs faster and smoother than the Tablet 8 – though whether the difference is noticeable remains unknown.
In addition, both devices come with either 64GB or 128GB of memory. This is a pretty disappointing amount of storage, especially as the inclusion of the Google Play Store unlocks more apps and games that naturally use up a lot of space.
Should you buy a cheap Fire tablet instead this Black Friday?
Now that the series has been succeeded by the new Alexa Tablet line-up, we’ll likely see older Amazon Fire tablets with serious price drops – especially during Black Friday. The question is, however, should you really bother with a Fire tablet?
If you’re looking for a cheap tablet that allows you to do basic tasks like scroll social media, stream from a good number of platforms including Netflix and Disney Plus, and play more casual gaming titles like Roblox, then a Fire Tablet is an understandable choice. Having said that, the lack of Google Play Store and cheap-feeling design undoubtedly ages the device.
With that in mind, we’d recommend waiting for Black Friday and seeing whether you can nab the Alexa Tablet 8 or 11 with a discount. That way you can benefit from a newer and more premium device while still getting money off.
So how should you choose between the Alexa Tablet 8 and Alexa Tablet 11, especially as both use the same chip, include Alexa+ and have access to the Google Play Store. Aside from the price, one of the biggest differences between the Tablet 8 and 11 is with their respective sizes. If you want a tablet that you can easily hold in one hand, then the Tablet 8 will likely suit you best.
However, remember that the Tablet 8 comes with just 4GB RAM, a less vibrant display and a slightly lower battery compared to the Tablet 11. If those aspects are important to you, and you want more screen space too, then the Tablet 11 is worth splurging for.