The new Alexa Tablets prove it’s time for Amazon to make another Android phone

It may be the right time for Amazon to have another go at making an Android phone. I can’t quite believe I’m saying that, because history suggests it’s a terrible idea, but based on its latest tablets, the company may have learned from its previous mistakes.

Still think an Amazon phone would be a failure? Let’s look at why that may not be the case anymore.

The Amazon Fire Phone wasn’t the best start

Amazon released the Fire Phone in 2014, following hardware success stories like the Kindle and its early Fire tablet line. It wasn’t the most exciting-looking phone, but it had a wealth of ideas in it that were quite forward-thinking at the time. For example, it had Mayday, an instant customer support system, and Firefly, a visual search system that predated anything like Circle to Search or Meta AI’s photo and video recognition.

Unfortunately, the Fire Phone was a disaster. It was a carrier-exclusive phone in the US and UK; it was too expensive compared to top Samsung and Apple phones at the time, had short battery life, the Dynamic Perspective 3D interface (which used four forward-facing cameras to operate) was dismissed as a gimmick, and it used Amazon’s own version of Android and did not include many key Android apps. Firefly may have been ahead of its time, but it rarely worked well enough to be useful.

The Fire Phone failed to make any impact on the smartphone market, and Amazon was forced to write off $170 million due to poor sales. In an interview, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos called it a ‘bold bet,’ and at the time, seemed intent on making the Fire Phone a better product, saying in an interview it would ‘take many iterations’ to improve over the coming years.

However, a Fire Phone 2 never arrived, and Amazon focused its mobile efforts on its tablet range, the now-closed Amazon Appstore, putting Alexa on smartwatches, and deals to pre-install Amazon apps on phones from other manufacturers.

Amazon’s best tablet showed times were changing

Amazon swept the Fire Phone under the rug, and unless you were in the market for a very cheap Android tablet to buy stuff from Amazon, it wasn’t worth paying much attention to the tablets that followed it, either.

That was until the Fire Max 11 tablet arrived in 2023. It was the largest, most powerful, and most intentionally designed tablet Amazon had released, and it was a real winner. The basic tablet could be yours for $230, but a whole kit with the tablet, keyboard, kickstand, and stylus was $330, making it excellent value.

Amazon’s Fire OS was still on board, but it was easy to install the Google Play Store, which transformed the Fire Max 11 into a solid, low-cost work machine thanks to the surprisingly good keyboard accessory. It did all the right tablet things too, from watching video to ordering stuff from Amazon, and could often be found for a bargain price during the company’s many annual promotion days.

For a while, I used the Fire Max 11 as my work device when I was out of the house. It was a super blend of entertainment, productivity, simplicity, and versatility, all at a sensible price. In other words, it was everything the Fire Phone should have been.

New Android tablets fix the remaining problems

The Fire Max 11 showed what Amazon could do with its hardware, but the software was still a major downside. Now, that has all changed. The new Alexa Tablets, rebranded from Fire Tablets, have consigned Fire OS to the history books and adopted full Android, complete with the Google Play Store out of the box.

Amazon has a selection of models available, including the top-of-the-range Alexa Tablet 12 Pro with its Apple iPad-challenging 3:2 aspect ratio screen with an option to add an anti-glare matte layer, a keyboard, and specs such as a 120Hz screen and a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor. There’s a dedicated Kindle reading mode, and stylus support too. It’s a lot more expensive than the Fire Max 11 though, but what isn’t more expensive today?

Alexa+ is built-in, and if your only experience with Alexa is the non-plus version, it’ll be a pleasant surprise. Amazon has worked hard to give Alexa+ personality, which comes across in its cheery demeanor, clever localization so it always sounds familiar and friendly, and ability to control your smart home and your home life through deep Amazon integration.

For the first time ever, Amazon’s tablets look like the complete package, with the only compromises being locked into the Amazon ecosystem and paying more than we have for the hardware in the past. However, try to find a tablet without any lock-in, and that isn’t more expensive than ever before in 2026.

It’s time for the Alexa Phone

The Amazon Fire Phone is a distant memory, and was built by a company very different to the one we see today. The Fire Max 11 showed Amazon could build desirable hardware, and the new Alexa Tablets and closure of the Amazon Appstore shows it realized software was holding it back. We shouldn’t forget about the Kindle either, which has steadily evolved and improved over the years.

It means it’s time for Amazon to have another go at a smartphone. The Alexa Phone could come at the right time too. Alexa+ is suitably different to Gemini, Bixby, and Siri. I think it’s a great experience on Amazon’s Echo speakers, and if it retains its friendly, fun nature, it would stand out among the often dreary, productivity-obsessed AI competition. An updated AI version of Firefly from the Fire Phone could be a nod to the past, and an Amazon-centric take on tools we’re used to seeing from other brands today.

Now that Android and Google Play are part of Amazon’s tablet range, we could expect them on a phone too. The anti-glare screen on the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro would be a great addition to a phone, given how similar tech makes the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen such a joy, and few outside TCL are promoting eye-friendly reading experiences on mobile these days.

Amazon should resist making a flagship, and instead use its aggressive pricing tactics to enter the upper mid-range, a space gradually being eroded by the absence of OnePlus, and increasing prices from Google, Apple, and Samsung.

Excitingly, rumors suggest that Amazon is considering such a move. In March 2026, it was reported that Amazon was actively developing a new smartphone, codenamed Transformer, which would focus on AI and shopping and was apparently taking inspiration from the minimalist Light Phone.

Nothing has been heard of it since, aside from the rumors being downplayed, and I’m not sure moving towards an AI gadget is the way to go anyway, but it does indicate Amazon isn’t done with smartphones just yet. All the pieces are falling into place for a true Alexa Phone, and for the first time in a long time, I’m genuinely excited by the prospect.