--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsLayoutRecyclerAdapter.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsLayoutRecyclerAdapter.java
@@ -103,20 +103,19 @@ public class TabsLayoutRecyclerAdapter
         return tabs.get(position);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void onBindViewHolder(TabsListViewHolder viewHolder, int position) {
         final Tab tab = getItem(position);
         final TabsLayoutItemView itemView = (TabsLayoutItemView) viewHolder.itemView;
         itemView.assignValues(tab);
-        // Make sure we didn't miss any resets after animations and swipes:
-        itemView.setAlpha(1);
-        itemView.setTranslationX(0);
-        itemView.setTranslationY(0);
+        // Be careful (re)setting position values here: bind is called on each notifyItemChanged,
+        // so you could be stomping on values that have been set in support of other animations
+        // that are already underway.
     }
 
     @Override
     public TabsListViewHolder onCreateViewHolder(ViewGroup parent, int viewType) {
         final TabsLayoutItemView viewItem = (TabsLayoutItemView) inflater.inflate(tabLayoutId, parent, false);
         viewItem.setPrivateMode(isPrivate);
         viewItem.setCloseOnClickListener(closeOnClickListener);
 

--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsListLayout.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsListLayout.java
@@ -31,22 +31,17 @@ public class TabsListLayout extends Tabs
 
         setLayoutManager(new LinearLayoutManager(context));
 
         // A TouchHelper handler for swipe to close.
         final TabsTouchHelperCallback callback = new TabsTouchHelperCallback(this);
         final ItemTouchHelper touchHelper = new ItemTouchHelper(callback);
         touchHelper.attachToRecyclerView(this);
 
-        final TabsListLayoutAnimator animator = new TabsListLayoutAnimator();
-        animator.setRemoveDuration(ANIMATION_DURATION);
-        // A fade in/out each time the title/thumbnail/etc. gets updated isn't helpful, so disable
-        // the change animation.
-        animator.setSupportsChangeAnimations(false);
-        setItemAnimator(animator);
+        setItemAnimator(new TabsListLayoutAnimator(ANIMATION_DURATION));
     }
 
     @Override
     public void closeAll() {
         final int childCount = getChildCount();
 
         // Just close the panel if there are no tabs to close.
         if (childCount == 0) {
@@ -106,9 +101,17 @@ public class TabsListLayout extends Tabs
             cascadeDelay += ANIMATION_CASCADE_DELAY;
         }
     }
 
     @Override
     protected boolean addAtIndexRequiresScroll(int index) {
         return index == 0 || index == getAdapter().getItemCount() - 1;
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public void onChildAttachedToWindow(View child) {
+        // Make sure we reset any attributes that may have been animated in this child's previous
+        // incarnation.
+        child.setTranslationX(0);
+        child.setAlpha(1);
+    }
 }

--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsListLayoutAnimator.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/tabs/TabsListLayoutAnimator.java
@@ -1,34 +1,38 @@
 /* -*- Mode: Java; c-basic-offset: 4; tab-width: 20; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 /* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
  * You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
 package org.mozilla.gecko.tabs;
 
 import org.mozilla.gecko.util.ThreadUtils;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.widget.NoChangeItemAnimator;
 
 import android.animation.Animator;
 import android.animation.AnimatorListenerAdapter;
 import android.support.v4.animation.AnimatorCompatHelper;
-import android.support.v7.widget.DefaultItemAnimator;
 import android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView;
 import android.view.View;
 import android.view.ViewPropertyAnimator;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
 // This is a light rewrite of DefaultItemAnimator to support a non-default remove animation.
-class TabsListLayoutAnimator extends DefaultItemAnimator {
+class TabsListLayoutAnimator extends NoChangeItemAnimator {
     private List<RecyclerView.ViewHolder> pendingRemovals = new ArrayList<>();
     // ViewHolders on which remove animations are currently being run.
     private List<RecyclerView.ViewHolder> removeAnimations = new ArrayList<>();
 
+    public TabsListLayoutAnimator(int removeDuration) {
+        setRemoveDuration(removeDuration);
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void runPendingAnimations() {
         if (pendingRemovals.isEmpty()) {
             super.runPendingAnimations();
             return;
         }
 
         for (RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder : pendingRemovals) {

new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/widget/NoChangeItemAnimator.java
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/* -*- Mode: Java; c-basic-offset: 4; tab-width: 20; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
+ * You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+package org.mozilla.gecko.widget;
+
+import android.support.v7.widget.DefaultItemAnimator;
+import android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView;
+
+// In spite of what the (self-contradictory) Android documentation says, animateChange can be called
+// in response to an adapter.notifyItemChanged call even when setSupportsChangeAnimations(false) has
+// been set. Internally what happens in that case is that the animateChange call is rerouted to an
+// animateMove call. Such calls must be handled when a move is required, but if the original change
+// call data doesn't indicate a move is required, then turning it into a move can have unwanted side
+// effects:
+//   * even if the animateMove successfully takes over a move animation already underway, it can
+//     still cause a visible animation delay since the new move animation doesn't start running
+//     again until after the next runPendingAnimations call.
+//   * DefaultItemAnimator.animateMove (as written) calls resetAnimation on every call, no matter
+//     what, so an already scheduled animation can be dropped if it, for example, doesn't animate a
+//     translation value.
+//
+// This class more closely implements the idea that setSupportsChangeAnimations(false) should mean
+// that calling adapter.notifyItemChanged has no impact on animations.
+public class NoChangeItemAnimator extends DefaultItemAnimator {
+
+    public NoChangeItemAnimator() {
+        setSupportsChangeAnimations(false);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean animateChange(RecyclerView.ViewHolder oldHolder, RecyclerView.ViewHolder newHolder,
+                                 int fromX, int fromY, int toX, int toY) {
+        if (oldHolder == newHolder && fromX == toX && fromY == toY) {
+            // We're not supporting change animations, and this call provides no new move
+            // information, so cancel it to avoid side effects.
+            dispatchChangeFinished(oldHolder, true);
+            return false;
+        }
+        return super.animateChange(oldHolder, newHolder, fromX, fromY, toX, toY);
+    }
+}

--- a/mobile/android/base/moz.build
+++ b/mobile/android/base/moz.build
@@ -747,16 +747,17 @@ gbjar.sources += ['java/org/mozilla/geck
     'widget/FaviconView.java',
     'widget/FilledCardView.java',
     'widget/FlowLayout.java',
     'widget/GeckoActionProvider.java',
     'widget/GeckoPopupMenu.java',
     'widget/HistoryDividerItemDecoration.java',
     'widget/IconTabWidget.java',
     'widget/LoginDoorHanger.java',
+    'widget/NoChangeItemAnimator.java',
     'widget/RecyclerViewClickSupport.java',
     'widget/ResizablePathDrawable.java',
     'widget/RoundedCornerLayout.java',
     'widget/SiteLogins.java',
     'widget/SquaredImageView.java',
     'widget/SquaredRelativeLayout.java',
     'widget/SwipeDismissListViewTouchListener.java',
     'widget/TabThumbnailWrapper.java',