Amazon Opens Fire Tablets to Google Play, But Is It Too Late for Mobile Gamers?

Ever wished your Amazon Fire tablet could run the same games as your phone? Well, Amazon has finally listened. The company just announced its latest lineup of Alexa-branded tablets, and for the first time, they support the Google Play Store. That means you're no longer stuck with Amazon's own app ecosystem—you can download all your favorite Android games and apps directly. It's a huge shift for a device line that's always felt a bit walled off.

The new range includes 8-inch, 11-inch, and 12-inch models, with prices starting at $249.99 for the base 8-inch version (that's without lock screen ads; with ads, it's $229.99). The top-end 12 Pro Matte will set you back $679.99 for 256GB. That's a lot of money for a tablet that isn't specifically aimed at gamers. Under the hood, the 8-inch and 11-inch models run on a MediaTek Dimensity 8189 chip, while the 12 Pro gets a Dimensity 8400. The 12 Pro also boasts a 12-inch 2.8K display at 120Hz, but the base model's screen specs are still under wraps.

So, how does that stack up for gaming? The Dimensity 8189 is built for efficiency, which is great for streaming and light work. But if you're into more demanding games, you might want to look at something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ or Lenovo Idea Tab, which pack MediaTek's Dimensity 7300 or 6300. Those chips, paired with a Mali-G615 MC2 GPU, will handle medium settings on tougher titles better than Amazon's Mali-G57 MC2. And at the high end, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro costs nearly as much as the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 ($729.99) or the RedMagic Astra 2 ($749), both of which are proper gaming tablets with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chips. Ouch.

Amazon's tablets have always been budget-friendly favorites—we've rated the Fire HD 10 highly for its price—but they've always come with that compatibility caveat. Now that's gone, which is a big win. However, the hardware still lags behind dedicated gaming tablets. The 12 Pro has only 8GB RAM, while some competitors offer 12GB or more. And the entry-level model doesn't even have a confirmed refresh rate yet. It feels like Amazon is playing catch-up, adding features that are already standard elsewhere.

So who should buy one? If you want a cheap tablet for browsing, streaming, and casual games, the new Alexa tablets are a massive improvement over previous Fire devices. The Google Play support alone makes them worth considering. But if you're a serious mobile gamer looking to invest in a high-end device, your money might be better spent elsewhere. The Legion Tab and RedMagic Astra 2 are built for gaming, and they're not that much more expensive.

Will you be picking up one of Amazon's new tablets, or are you sticking with a dedicated gaming slate? Let us know in the comments!