Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro Review: A Nearly Ideal Android Tablet with Impressive Display

Image: Amazon / official launch images · Source

Amazon's Alexa Tablet 12 Pro impresses with its 12-inch Nanomatte display that reduces glare and offers sharp visuals. Running full Android, it improves on previous Fire tablets, though Amazon's preinstalled apps and ads can be intrusive.

Amazon has released the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, a 12-inch Android tablet that aims to combine a premium display with affordable pricing and broad app compatibility. Priced at $549.99, the 12 Pro is part of a new Alexa Tablet lineup ranging from an $229.99 8-inch model to the top-end 12-inch device featuring a unique "Nanomatte" screen coating co-developed with Corning. This technology significantly reduces glare and reflection without sacrificing sharpness or causing the rainbow shimmer effects often seen with other matte displays.

The display measures 2800 by 1840 pixels with a 3:2 aspect ratio and supports a 120Hz refresh rate. Reviewers noted it provides excellent viewing angles, crisp visuals, and an enhanced tactile feel that makes content seem more reachable. While the display’s brightness could be higher, the anti-glare properties largely diminish the need to max out brightness in most lighting conditions. Despite some minor shimmer effects on light text and less deep blacks compared to the iPad's OLED panels, the screen is generally regarded as one of the best available on a consumer tablet, especially for reading and media consumption.

Under the hood, the tablet uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor. Although this chip delivers smooth day-to-day performance for gaming, work, and streaming, it lags behind current flagship iPads in benchmark scores and processing power. Other hardware aspects include four midrange speakers, front and rear cameras adequate for video calls, an optional $149.99 keyboard case, and an $89.99 stylus. The battery life delivered about eight hours of screen-on time, somewhat below Amazon's claims.

The tablet runs full Android, a notable improvement over Amazon’s Fire OS, providing access to the Google Play Store and a broad app ecosystem. However, Amazon preloads its own apps and adds intrusive advertising widgets on the homescreen that cannot be removed. Alexa, integrated as a voice assistant, tends to push shopping-related features and underperforms compared to Google’s Gemini assistant, which users can switch to in settings.

Amazon’s heavy customization and bloatware hamper the user experience, but the openness of Android allows users to install alternative launchers to bypass some of Amazon’s limitations. After removing Amazon’s front-facing ads and inconsistent Alexa integration, the 12 Pro emerges as a versatile tablet suitable for reading, streaming, casual gaming, and general Android use.

While it does not replace the iPad as a primary computer or creative device due to app limitations and processing power, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro offers a compelling value proposition. Its display technology and Android compatibility position it as arguably the best Android tablet in its price range, especially appealing to Amazon’s core customers who want a large screen optimized for reading and multimedia. Those choosing between this and an iPad may prioritize software and ecosystem over hardware innovation, but Amazon’s 12 Pro has earned praise for its quality screen and functional design despite some compromises.