Report: Amazon could launch a high-end Android tablet in 2026, eventually ditching Fire OS

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Amazon has been selling tablets with a forked version of Android called Fire OS since 2011. The current lineup includes a mix of budget and mid-range devices with starting prices between $60 and $230.

But according to Reuters Amazon could launch something different next year: a premium tablet that sells for around $400 and ships with Android rather than Fire OS.

Part of Amazon's current Fire tablet lineup

While it's still unclear if this will actually happen, Reuters says it confirmed the story with "six people familiar with the matter." It's still possible that Amazon could shift course before making an official announcement though.

The move would be surprising in some ways. Fire OS gives Amazon more control over the software ecosystem that runs on its tablets. The operating system features tight integration with Amazon's Appstore, Kindle eBook store, and other services including Prime Video and Amazon Music. This has allowed the company to sell tablets at or near the cost of manufacturing in hopes of making money on app and media sales.

And those low prices have helped Amazon sell a lot of tablets. IDC says Amazon shipped 3.1 million units worldwide in the most recent quarter, putting the company in the top five tablet makers (behind Apple, Samsung, and Lenovo, but ahead of Xiaomi).

But many of the people who purchase those tablets are frustrated to find that Fire OS doesn't offer all of the features you'd expect from tablets with a standard version of Android. The Amazon Appstore has just a tiny fraction of the apps and games available in the Google Play Store – and if you've already purchased an app or digital media from Google Play it won't be available on your Amazon device unless you buy it again (or sideload the Google Play Store).

Right now Amazon's highest-performance tablet is the Fire Max 11, which sells for $230 and up (although it's on sale for $175 at time of publication). But with a MediaTek MT8188J processor and 4GB of RAM, it doesn't come close to offering the performance of premium tablets from Samsung, OnePlus, Google, or other companies.

So it makes some sense that if Amazon is looking to compete in the $400+ tablet range, the company would have to replace Fire OS with an operating system that's more widely supported by app and game developers – although it still might not have the Play Store pre-installed. According to Reuters it "will use the open-source version of Android, meaning it does not require direct coordination with Google and can be customized," which could be an indication that even though it may not run an operating system called Fire OS, it still won't be certified for Google Mobile Services.

Amazon could (and probably will) still load the tablet with its own app and media stores. That's what Barnes & Noble does for the NOOK edition of Lenovo's Tab M9 tablet.

While Reuters doesn't have any details on specs for Amazon's rumored $400 tablet, other companies that sell models in this price range often include higher-performance processors, more memory and storage, higher-quality cameras, four or more speakers, and faster USB connections than are available from Amazon's existing tablet lineup.

I will say that I've been pretty happy with my Fire Max 11 since installing the Google Play Store on it two years ago. But I use my tablet primarily for reading the news each morning, occasional web browsing, and video streaming. I don't use it for gaming or productivity. I've even made a conscious decision not to install any email or social media apps – I use my phone for those things, leaving the tablet as more of a media consumption device.

Possibly the most baffling thing in the Reuters report though, is the assertion that "Amazon is planning to roll out some lower-priced tablets with its Linux-based Vega operating system" which already powers some Amazon Echo Show and Fire TV devices. This OS supports an even more limited number of third-party applications than Fire OS. But Reuters then goes on to indicate that "the full slate of tablets will eventually be powered by a version of Android," so it's unclear why the company would shift any of its tablets to Vega in the first place.

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