Alexa Tablet vs iPad Pro: How Amazon is keeping up with Apple

Title: Alexa Tablet Vs iPad Pro: How Amazon Is Keeping Up With Apple

URL Source: https://www.engadget.com/2281782/alexa-tablet-vs-ipad-pro-amazon-apple-tablet-comparison/

Published Time: 2026-10-08T21:40:59+00:00

Markdown Content:

Amazon's latest and greatest tablet shares some key similarities to Apple's high-end iPads, but the devil is in the details.


Amazon

Amazon's new [Alexa Tablets](https://www.engadget.com/2280917/amazon-alexa-tablets-october-2026/), square-one reimaginings of the company's affordable tablet lineup, owe a lot to the iPad. And how could they not? Apple's family of tablets has become synonymous with the form factor globally, so why wouldn't Amazon take inspiration from their slim, all-aluminum designs and high-quality screens? Nowhere is that inspiration more apparent, though, than in the [Alexa Tablet 12 Pro](https://www.engadget.com/2280787/amazon-alexa-tablet-12-pro-hands-on/), the most premium of Amazon's new options and a clear competitor to the [iPad Pro](https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-pro-m5-review-speed-boost-130046249.html).

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro features a 12-inch, high-refresh rate LCD screen, support for keyboard and stylus accessories that make it a potential productivity tool and the Play Store, a proper place to get premium apps after Fire Tablets were saddled with the limited selection in the Amazon Appstore for years.

The 13-inch iPad Pro trades Android for iPadOS and adds in a laptop-quality M-series processor, but otherwise does all the same things. Despite those similarities, Amazon's cheaper price doesn't necessarily mean you're getting the same experience for a steal. Here's how Amazon's new Alexa Tablet 12 Pro compares.

Amazon and Apple's tablet displays go toe-to-toe


Amazon

If there's one feature that's literally meant to be the focal point of the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, it's the display. This is intentional, [according to Amazon's Panos Panay](https://www.engadget.com/2280787/amazon-alexa-tablet-12-pro-hands-on/). In briefings with Engadget and other outlets, he said that the tablet's screen was designated as the "one thing" the company wouldn't compromise on. For the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, that means it has a 12-inch LCD touchscreen with a 2,800 x 1,840 resolution (280ppi), 500 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate.

Kudos to Amazon, because by at least one metric, that's a step up from the display Apple used on the 13-inch iPad Pro. Both companies offer different aspect ratios and display sizes so the comparison isn't perfect, but the OLED screen on the 13-inch iPad Pro technically delivers fewer pixels per inch at 264ppi than the Alexa Tablet, even if it offers a similar 120Hz refresh rate and a higher 2,752 x 2,064 resolution.

Apple does have Amazon beat when it comes to display technology: the iPad maker uses a tandem OLED panel that offers higher contrast and a much higher brightness of 1,000 nits on the iPad Pro, double what the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro offers.

Which screen ultimately looks better may come down to taste, but the various glass treatments the companies offer could change that math. On the $550 Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, that's Amazon's new "Nanomatte" finish, a glass etching the company co-developed with Corning that reduces glare and gives the tablet more of a paper-like look when you're using the Kindle app. On the $2,199 1TB 13-inch iPad Pro, that's Apple's nano-texture glass, the same matte finish it offers on its high-end displays. The iPad Pro's nano-texture glass is only available on the more expensive 1TB and 2TB models whether you buy an 11-inch or 13-inch iPad, so if you're interested in a matte display, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro can give it to you for a much lower price.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro isn't quite bringing laptop-class performance


Amazon

What the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro doesn't really offer is performance or power that's equivalent to a normal computer. The [MediaTek Dimensity 8400](https://www.mediatek.com/press-room/mediatek-unveils-the-dimensity-8400-the-first-all-big-core-chip-for-premium-smartphones) chip Amazon uses for the tablet was originally released in 2024 and primarily intended for smartphones. It's more than capable of the web browsing, video streaming and light productivity tasks Amazon imagines people will use Alexa Tablets for, but it's not a laptop SOC like the [M5 chip](https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-m5-chip-pushes-ai-performance-with-new-neural-accelerators-193745702.html) in the iPad Pro.

Compared to Apple's tablets, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro also has less memory to play with: the 128GB model only has 8GB of RAM and the 256GB model has 16GB of RAM. Apple's iPad Pros ship with 12GB as a minimum and 16GB on 1TB and 2TB models. Combined, those specs give the iPad more processing power for creative tasks like editing and rendering video, and potentially faster AI performance, too.

Android is also a potential limitation. While running the operating system means Alexa Tablets can download and run far more apps than they ever could with Fire OS and the Amazon Appstore, there are still fewer bespoke tablet apps on the Play Store than there are on Apple's App Store. That situation will continue to improve over time, but if your ability to make the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro your go-to computer hinges on a specific, niche app, the odds are better that it has a tablet version on the App Store.

If you're specifically interested in taking advantage of the services you get as an Amazon Prime subscriber, though, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro can do things an iPad can't, both in terms of recommending content to read and watch, and integrating with its AI assistant [Alexa+](https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-a-smarter-more-conversational-ai-version-of-amazons-digital-assistant-154349563.html). The new Alexa Tablet offers a software tab in the top left corner of the home screen that continually recommends new things to try across Amazon's services and a Kindle mode that automatically turns off notifications and shifts the color of the tablet's screen when you open a book. Alexa+ can also be easily accessed with a swipe up from the bottom right corner of the screen. In terms of functionality, Siri AI is much closer to Alexa+ than it was [pre-iPadOS 27](https://www.engadget.com/2254005/ios-27-with-siri-ai-will-be-available-on-september-14/), but Amazon's AI assistant still connects to a much larger ecosystem of smart home products, which makes it a better option if you already have a Ring doorbell or camera.

Amazon's pricing might be its best feature overall

Setting aside the unique advantages of the iPad Pro and the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon still manages to undercut Apple when it comes to price. Its new tablet starts at $500 for a glossy screen or $550 for a matte finish. An 11-inch iPad Pro, meanwhile, starts at $1,199 or $1,499 if you get a 13-inch iPad Pro. And you can't even get a matte display for either size unless you're willing to pay at least $1,799 for the 11-inch model or $2,099 for the 13-inch model.

Add accessories like a stylus and keyboard and the price difference becomes even more extreme. Apple will sell you a 13-inch iPad Pro for $1,499, an Apple Pencil Pro for $129 and a Magic Keyboard for $349, for a grand total of $1,977. Amazon is selling a bundle with the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard and Alexa Tablet Pro Pen for $650. If price is the main obstacle between you and living the big tablet lifestyle of your dreams, Amazon is making that obstacle easier to overcome.