Amazon reportedly developing foldable tablet to rival Apple and Huawei: Kuo

Amazon is reportedly developing a large-screen foldable tablet that could rival a similar device said to be in the works at Apple, according to prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The claim emerges shortly after Huawei unveiled its latest innovation — the MateBook Fold Ultimate — in China.

In a post shared on X, Kuo suggested that tech giant Amazon has entered discussions with key suppliers as part of its early-stage development of a foldable tablet. While the project has not officially commenced, Kuo believes the company could begin mass production as early as the end of 2026 or potentially in 2027, should development progress as anticipated.

The news points to a potentially significant shake-up in the foldable device market, with Amazon possibly stepping in ahead of Apple. Kuo projects that Apple’s own large-format foldable device, widely believed to be a foldable iPad, might not enter mass production until late 2027 or even 2028.

Echoing Kuo’s insights, Ross Young, Vice President at Counterpoint Research, confirmed he had heard of Amazon’s foldable tablet plans some time ago. Young also noted that the company had held discussions with major component suppliers about the product, lending weight to the growing speculation.

The timing of these developments is notable, coming just a day after Huawei debuted the MateBook Fold Ultimate — a foldable laptop with an expansive 18-inch screen that folds down to a 13-inch form factor. The device operates on Huawei’s proprietary HarmonyOS PC system, diverging from Microsoft’s Windows platform.

While Amazon has not revealed what operating system its rumoured foldable will use, it has historically deployed Fire OS — a customised version of Android — in its tablets. However, recent reports suggest the company is developing a new Linux-based Vega OS for its smart TVs and streaming hardware, raising questions about whether this OS might also underpin its future tablet offerings.