One of the most noteworthy additions to the Alexa tablets is the Google Play Store. Whereas the previous Fire tablets ran the company's FireOS and could only install apps via its included App store, the new versions allow you to easily access the entire ecosystem of Android apps. Because you're getting them via the Play Store, you'll also benefit from the vetting and security policies of Google's system.
As for the Alexa tablets' interface, there's a mostly familiar skeleton here that is based on Android. On top of it are some Alexa+ integrations, like a box in the top right corner of the home page that Amazon is calling the "Dynamic Tab." Unlike the Dynamic Island in Apple's products, this isn't an area that expands and contracts depending on the activities running in the background. It's just a 3-inch-wide box that's almost 2 inches tall and stays that size no matter what you're doing. In it are suggestions by Alexa+ based on your recent activity, whether that be the city you're visiting, the last show you watched on Prime Video or a book you're reading.
On the bottom right is a little rectangular cutout that houses the Alexa+ input bar with the A-shaped logo, the words "Ask Alexa" and a microphone button to start a voice chat. This is fairly straightforward – just tap the bar or microphone and start typing or saying what you need. A window will pop up to show your request and the assistant's responses to you.
More interesting, however, is the systemwide gesture of dragging in from the bottom right. No matter what app you're on, when you drag in from the bottom right, Alexa+ will detect what's on your screen. A glowing blue halo appears along the screen's edges to indicate it's looking at your tablet, and then a window pops up to show you a handful of suggestions about what Alexa thinks you want to ask. You can either choose from one of the options or just initiate a conversation.
During my hands-on session, I tried this on TikTok videos and the Engadget website in Amazon's Silk browser (which still comes preinstalled, though so does Chrome). In all those cases, the AI took a few seconds to analyze what I was looking at and generate suggested questions like "Get today's top tech news headlines," "Learn more about Nintendo Switch Sports Resort" and "Shop for Nintendo Switch accessories on Amazon." That's all in addition to the typical "Summarize this page" that most AI systems suggest when encountering any long-ish website.
On TikTok videos of people clearing snow from their driveways, the assistant suggested "Check the weather for this afternoon," "Find a snow removal service nearby" and "How do I clear snow from a driveway." All of them felt almost relevant, and if I had clicked one of the options that suggested shopping on Amazon, the results included individual items with buttons to buy them or add them to my Amazon cart. Impulse buyers will definitely need to be careful with this one.
This gesture feels like the most baked into the OS that Alexa has been. It still exists to the left of your home screen (sometimes referred to as the "minus one" page) and surfaces your smart home controls, daily schedule and reminders, as well as news articles that might suit your interests. You'll also find tweaked versions of Android 12L features here, like a taskbar with pinnable apps and the ability to launch apps in split screen view.
All this software is housed in an aluminum unibody that feels smooth and sturdy. I didn't encounter any flex, though I wasn't trying very hard to twist or bend it. And I was impressed by how responsive the device felt so far. The little bits of book-reading and watching I did during my time with the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro were convincing of its display's quality so far.
I also made sure to type on the Pro Keyboard, an optional $149 accessory which had a surprisingly satisfying amount of travel and responsiveness for the super thin profile. The trackpad was not only capable of recognizing my taps and swipes, but picked up my two-finger gestures to scroll as well.
My main gripe with the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro so far is that it doesn't come in the fun colors that the smaller models do. You can only get it in a boring graphite, while the others are available in greenish (Teal and Matcha) and burgundy-ish (Amethyst and Rosette) hues.
As for how the tablet holds up in the real world, and whether it measures up to the competition, we'll have to wait till we can get units in for testing. For now though, at a starting price of $499, and even at $549 for the nanomatte model, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is a very compelling package for the money.