Amazon’s new Fire Max 11 tablet aims to get you started and productive

For years, Amazon’s Fire tablet lineup consisted of smaller 7-inch, medium 8-inch, and larger 10-inch screen options, but now the company has a new screen that stretches all the way up to 11. A tablet with a screen so far, it also sheds the bodies The plastic that other models have for a more premium look than aluminum.

Despite the sleek design and thin bezels, it’s not quite a premium tablet like the iPads and Galaxy Tabs in the world. It’s still a budget-friendly media consumption device, just like Amazon’s other Fire tablets, and even then, it’s not that cheap; Instead of shelling out $150 for Amazon’s previous largest screen model, the Fire HD 10, the Max 11 starts at $230. However, that extra $80 gets you some new features, as well as a new focus on productivity that supports a stylus option and a keyboard that pairs with a trackpad.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen a huge shift in 8- and 10-inch devices. In fact, our 10-inch segment has more than doubled,” Kevin Keith, Amazon vice president of product management and marketing, said during a press briefing. During the pandemic, and we continue to see, even post-pandemic, more light productivity use cases.”

Keith noted that Fire tablet users were more active on Zoom and Teams for work and using Microsoft Office and email. The Fire Max 11 was designed with this shift in mind, so it has a new $90 magnetic keyboard/trackpad option that communicates with the tablet via onboard pogo pin connectors. By comparison, the Fire HD 10’s keyboard connects via Bluetooth.

There’s also support for a new $35 pen made for Amazon, which has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, lasts six months on a single AAAA battery, and attaches magnetically to the left side of the tablet (landscape). The Max 11 also supports the standard USI 2.0 stylus, though the company warns that functionality will be “limited” based on the Max 11’s spec sheet.

You get a few more features of the premium Max 11 over the older Fire HD 10. Most notably, a new fingerprint reader built into the side power button so you don’t have to enter a PIN for every unlock, something edge Deputy editor Dan Seifert wished for the HD 10 in his review. The cameras on the HD 10 are also improved, with an 8MP sensor both front and back. The rear camera has autofocus and 1080p video recording, while the front is positioned properly for video calls while using the device in landscape mode.

The Max 11 has a MediaTek SoC with eight cores and 4GB of standard RAM. Previously you had to choose the $180 HD 10 Plus model for that extra memory. Additionally, the Max 11 has 64GB and 128GB options for onboard storage and can still be expanded using a microSD card.

Keith also mentions the bullish speakers have been upgraded, as he shows them both to me from a Taylor Swift concert video. The official spec sheet says it’s Dolby Atmos capable. However, it should be noted that the Fire Max 11 does not have a headphone jack.

In my short time with the Fire Max 11, the LCD’s 2000 x 1200 resolution was very accurate, despite a noticeable air gap between the glass and the screen. At times, the screen was a bit difficult to see in a brightly lit conference room, leaving some noticeable glare that the LCD’s 410-nit brightness could barely overcome.

It should be noted that the $449 10th-generation iPad, which is capable of 500 nits of brightness, also suffers from glare due to its non-laminated screen. Amazon is actively pitting the Max 11 against the 10th-generation iPad, noting in its press release that the Max 11 is “three times more powerful” than Apple’s reimagined base tablet.

The software on the Fire Max 11 is very familiar, as it’s still running Fire OS: Amazon’s fork of old Android 9. Keith tells us that Amazon officially promises to deliver security updates on it for at least four years, but also notes that the company is still updating software on older models.

While that means the Fire Max 11 won’t take advantage of Android 14’s new tablet experiences, it’s a reminder that Amazon tablets are still very much for calling Amazon services: everything from Kindle books to Prime Video. According to Keith, Fire Tablet users love the recommendations on the For You page, which reference various movies, books, games, and content from third-party sources like Netflix, Disney Plus, and more.

For Fire Max 11, this time around, there is no default locked kids version of the tablet. You can switch users though and have up to four kids profiles still managed along with two adult profiles.

You can order the new Fire Max 11 now from Amazon along with accessories like the new $50 Slim Standing Case. You can also get a productivity bundle for $329.99 (starting) that includes a keyboard tray, pen, and three months of Microsoft 365 service.