Amazon to soon release a tablet which costs $50: Report

Online retailer Amazon.com plans to release a $50 tablet in time for the holiday season, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.  The 6-inch screen tablet comes with a mono speaker and is priced much lower than Amazon’s Fire tablet, the cheapest variant of which is sold at $99.

The company was not immediately available for comment. Amazon also plans to release 8-inch and 10-inch screen tablets, the report said. While other Amazon Fire tablets show advertisements as screen savers, it was not clear if the new 6-inch tablet’s cost included ads, according to the report.

In addition, these tablets are said to be simple and are intended for streaming videos, browsing through social media and one more medium for shopping online via Amazon’s website.

According to the report, Amazon outsourced much of the development to overseas firms including Shanghai Huaqin Telecom Technology and Taiwan’s Compal Communications  in an attempt to lower the cost for the new 6-inch tablet.  

With an affordable price tag, the devices might carry ‘inferior specifications’ but no confirmed information has been provided. However, this might set these tablets apart from the ones manufactured by Apple, Samsung and others which fall under a premium bracket.

With inputs from Reuters