We have to talk about this screen. It’s the first thing you notice, and maybe the only thing that matters, about the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro .
It’s a 12-inch, 2800 x 1840 panel with a new technology Amazon calls “Nanomatte” that is meant to decrease glare and increase the feeling that you can reach out and touch the things you see onscreen. When Amazon set out to build the best tablet the company has ever shipped, it started with this screen.
The $549.99 device I’ve been testing is one of four new models in the Alexa Tablet lineup, which ranges from a $229.99 8-inch model up to a $679.99 12 Pro with this Nanomatte coating and some extra RAM you don’t really need.
The pitch for all those devices is the same: They’re well-made, midrange tablets that can access the full universe of Android apps through the Play Store and come with a whole bunch of Amazon bloatware whether you want it or not. I haven’t tested those other devices, but I’m glad they exist — cheap, good Android tablets are too hard to come by.
6
Verge Score
Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro
The Good
- Screen is gorgeous
- Android apps!
- Nice design and build quality
The Bad
- Amazon bloatware everywhere
- Alexa Plus isn’t great
- Some middling specs
But the Nanomatte. The Nanomatte! The etching on the display, which Amazon says it partnered with Corning to do at a sub-pixel level to reduce glare without causing the slight rainbow-shimmering effect you can get on other matte screens, absolutely does its job.