Amazon’s Alexa Tablets start shipping in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain on 19 October, according to the company’s announcement. The three models went up for sale on 8 October and shipped in the US, Canada and Mexico on 14 October, Amazon says.

They run Android with access to the full Google Play Store, and the Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99.

All of these are US prices. The Alexa Tablet 8 costs $229.99 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and the Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 with 8GB RAM and 64GB storage. The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and the Nanomatte 12 Pro with an anti-glare screen starts at $549.99.

The Pro Keyboard costs $149.99 and the Pro Pen $89.99, both made for the 12 Pro, Amazon says.

GeekWire says the new line is a break from Amazon’s Fire tablets, which run the company’s own Fire OS and rely on the Amazon Appstore for apps. The new tablets do not carry the Fire name, and Amazon’s announcement does not mention Fire at all, GeekWire says.

The Verge reports that the lineup runs Android instead of the custom Fire OS, and that Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of consumer electronics, told Bloomberg the company would phase out the Fire brand. The Fire line “wasn’t giving customers what they were asking for,” Panay told Bloomberg, according to The Verge.

Amazon says Alexa+ is built into every model and answers to the word “Alexa” or an Ask Alexa button.

Amazon names YouTube, Netflix, Gmail and Google Docs among the Play Store apps, alongside its own Prime Video, Kindle and Audible apps. Opening the Kindle app silences notifications and extends battery life to up to 20 hours of reading, the company says.

The 12 Pro has a 12-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 3:2 aspect ratio. The Alexa Tablet 11 has an 11-inch 90Hz screen, and the Alexa Tablet 8 has an 8.7-inch display and weighs 329g. GeekWire says all three use MediaTek chips.

Amazon also announced Amazon Kids Tablets in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes, bundled with a case and a year of Amazon Kids+.

What it means for you

New buyers get an Amazon tablet with the full Google Play Store, which The Verge says was not available on Fire tablets. Prices so far are in US dollars only. Shipping to the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain starts today.

Fire tablet owners keep what they have, according to an Amazon spokesperson quoted by GeekWire. The spokesperson said Fire tablets will keep working, customers will keep access to their apps and content, and Amazon will provide at least four years of support “after the last Fire tablet we sell”.

The Verge reports that Amazon will still provide security updates for Fire tablets.

Amazon says the tablets are sold directly from Amazon.com and through retail partners including Best Buy and Target.

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