Amazon launches children’s versions of its new Alexa tablets

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The low price of Amazon’s old Fire tablets made them an extremely popular gift for kids. So it’s only natural that the company would offer kid-friendly versions of its new Android-based Alexa tablets. The newly announced Amazon Kids tablets feature the same improvements the company is making to the rest of its tablet lineup, but with colorful cases, kid-friendly software, and one year of Amazon Kids+.

The Amazon Kids Tablets come in an 8.7-inch size that lines up with the Alexa Tablet 8 and an 11-inch size that lines up with the Alexa Tablet 11. Both tablets feature the all-aluminum design that Amazon is introducing on the rest of this generation of tablets, as well as an unnamed 8-core processor and up to 14 hours of video playback on the Amazon Kids Tablet 8 and 15 hours on the Kids Tablet 11.

To make the tablets safe for children, Amazon also packages them in a case. The company offers a soft case with a handle for kids ages three and up or a slim hard case with a folding kickstand for kids ages six and up. Both cases come in bright colors, and those aimed at younger kids include themes based on popular franchises like Paw Patrol and Barbie.

In terms of software, Amazon includes easy access to Alexa for Kids and a dynamic new tab that recommends content to kids based on their age range. With the Kids+ bundle subscription, this will include a variety of ad-free books, shows, and games, as well as a new feature that Amazon calls Storybuilder that’s supposed to let kids use their voices to create illustrated stories. Since this is an Android tablet, kid-friendly apps from the Play Store are also theoretically available.

The Amazon Kids Tablet 8 and Kids Tablet 11 will be available for purchase on October 14, for $230 and $330, respectively. This makes the tablets affordable, but not as cheap as Amazon’s old Fire Kids tablets, which regularly started at $100.