Still a worthy purchase in 2024

Judgment

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is a qualified choice with a solid display that beats the majority of the spending plan competitors in criteria, but limited application availability means it’ll never ever be the productivity-focused tablet computer that Amazon pictures.

Introduction

The Amazon Fire Max 11 stands for a modification in tact from the global retail giant. While various other tablets in Amazon’s Fire array are cheap and have specs to match, the Fire Max 11 boasts a generally a lot more premium experience.

Amazon visualizes this as the Fire tablet for work, yet I’m not persuaded by Amazon’s vision.

Nevertheless, the ₤ 249/$ 229 Amazon Fire Max 11 runs the same Fire OS as the remainder of the Fire tablet computer collection– software based on Android 11, however absolutely lacking any Google apps or Google services, running Amazon equivalents rather. The Application Shop is pretty equipped with streaming apps, however it doesn’t have everything that you would certainly discover on a normal Android tablet.

That makes Amazon’s pitch for the Fire Max 11 as a performance device a hard one to ingest, even with a quite qualified keyboard and stylus pen devices available at extra cost.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t indicate it’s not a good tablet computer. Even a year and a half after its preliminary launch, its iPad-like layout with an aluminium framework, 11 -inch 2 K display screen, 14 -hour battery life and better efficiency than the majority of the budget plan Android tablet competitors means it remains an appealing choice, particularly if you can find a delicious bargain on the top-end Fire tablet.

Design and construct

• A various aim to other Fire tablet computers
• Looks a great deal like an iPad
• Only available in grey

In a quote to divide itself from the cheaper tablets in Amazon’s Fire collection, the Amazon Fire Max 11 looks distinctly extra premium. Actually, as opposed to looking like a Fire tablet computer, it looks even more like one of Apple’s current iPads– specifically, the 10 th-gen iPad.

Its aluminium body is squared off with flat edges, similar to Apple’s alternative, yet it doesn’t stop there. The bezels are also similar to the iPad 10, the camera is embedded in the long side of the tablet for better landscape use, and also the rear camera protrudes from the covering in the same way that Apple’s does.

There are also a handful of pro-level accessories (I’ll reach those soon) and a fingerprint scanner built into the power button.

That’s not always bad considering Amazon’s tablet is more affordable than the ₤ 499/$ 449 iPad 10, yet it’s not exactly an original appearance. It’s a shame that it’s just offered in the fairly ‘professional’ grey coating, as well– I assume a splash of colour might’ve aided it stand out from a sea of other spending plan grey tablets offered on Amazon’s store front.

It does differ from Apple’s iPad in a handful of methods, though. While storage caps out at 64 – or 128 GB, you have a microSD card port to prolong storage space when required. There’s additionally the strange placement of switches, with the volume and power switches appearing alongside the USB-C port and microSD port on the short right-hand side of the tablet computer (when viewed horizontally, that is).

It’s a positioning that took a long time to get used to, and instead irritatingly, it became uncomfortable to hold when billing. I was either attempting to prevent knocking the USB-C cable television or unintentionally striking the power or quantity keys.

There’s also a slightly much less classy POGO system for linking accessories, with the exposed ports on the bottom side of the tablet computer and spaces for accessories to snap into location. It’s not precisely the slickest strategy, however you probably won’t observe it frequently.

Elsewhere, Amazon declares that the Fire Max 11 and its strengthened glass are 3 times more resilient than the iPad 10 in its own drop examinations. That’s not something I can conveniently examine, but it needs to bring peace of mind to those with awkward children close by.

There’s no main IP score, nevertheless, so it’s possibly best to keep it far from cooking area countertops and restrooms.

Present

• Big 11 -inch display screen
• 2000 x 1200 resolution
• Not rather brilliant sufficient for use outdoors

One of the primary factors to select the Amazon Fire Max 11, even in late 2024, is the screen. The 11 -inch IPS LCD display might not flaunt the deep blacks and vivid colours of OLED panels, but that’s not something you’ll discover at the price point. What is necessary is that with a 2 K (2000 x 1200 resolution, the screen is pin-sharp and packed with information.

It likewise supplies exceptional comparison with a vast checking out angle, making it feasible for me and my companion to huddle together on the couch and take pleasure in a motion picture without fiddling with the angle.

It likewise exceeds the iPad 10’s display screen in one crucial location: lamination. The Fire Max 11’s display screen is fully laminated flooring, and while that might not sound like much, it indicates there’s no air void in between the front glass and the LCD panel underneath.

That implies that, unlike the iPad, there isn’t an economical hollow audio when you touch on the display screen. It really feels robust, durable and as kept in mind earlier, it’s covered in an unnamed safety glass that ought to safeguard it from a drop or two.

If there’s any area where the Fire Max 11 might boost, it ‘d be illumination. Amazon’s claimed 420 nits brightness is acceptable for interior use, but it leaves much to be wanted if you roam bent on the garden on a specifically bright day. It’s still useful, but you’ll likely be searching for shaded locations.

The reasonably low illumination indicates there’s no HDR support available either, though just like OLED tech, that’s something you’ll be hard-pressed to discover at the ₤ 250/$ 250 cost factor.

Devices

• Key-board instance is surprisingly capable
• Trackpad motions come in convenient
• Stylus works with other tablet computers

As meant, the Amazon Fire Max 11 isn’t simply an additional Fire tablet computer; it’s developed for work. Well, according to Amazon anyhow– yet I’ll get into the specifics a little later. In order to assist this lofty aim, the Fire Max 11 is compatible with work-focused devices consisting of a full keyboard situation, full with a trackpad, and a stylus also.

The keyboard is pretty solid in day-to-day usage with little traveling needed to turn on each key, a lot to ensure that I created a huge part of this evaluation on the tablet computer itself.

There’s a convenient row of shortcut secrets on top like you ‘d find with a ‘correct’ laptop computer, and regular Windows key-board faster ways likewise function, with the likes of Alt-Tab changing home windows, CTRL + C copying text and even more. The only downside is that it’s not backlit, which can be a little bit of a downer when hammering away some message in a dark area.

The trackpad is additionally great for everyday use. It has motion support, allowing you to scroll with 2 fingers, squeeze to zoom with two fingers, and switch apps with a three-finger swipe. The only genuine curiosity is the demand to tap with two fingers to select text, which I couldn’t get utilized to throughout testing.

The optional stylus pen functions as you would certainly expect, with pressure sensitivity and excellent palm being rejected when bearing in mind on the Max’s 11 -inch display, and it snaps into put on the side of the tablet when not in use, much like an iPad. It’s also USI 2.0 sustained, which means you can use it with various other tablets like the Google Pixel Tablet Computer, which doesn’t have an official stylus pen device.

It’s a handy optional extra for scribbling and handwriting; it’s simply a little a pain that it uses a basic AAAA battery that’ll need replacing every once in a while.

Performance

• Unnamed octa-core processor
• 4 GB of RAM
• Remarkably suitable budget plan performance

The Amazon Fire Max 11 continues the fad of Amazon utilizing unnamed processors in its tablet variety, claiming only that it’s an octa-core processor, which’s paired with a meager 4 GB of RAM and either 64 or 128 GB of expanding storage space depending on the version you choose.

Despite the rather underwhelming specification sheet, day-to-day efficiency on the Fire Max 11 is surprisingly solid for a spending plan tablet computer.

Do not get me wrong, this won’t be taking on the iPad 10’s A 14 Bionic chipset at any time soon, but it managed most day-to-day jobs– switching between apps, scrolling through the internet on the Silk web browser, keeping reading the Kindle application and playing a fast video game of Area– with ease. Even fundamental 3 D games like Roblox run without much grievance, and it can manage even the most ad-laden internet sites.

This is borne out in benchmark testing with the Amazon Fire Max 11 besting various other budget-focused tablets like the Lenovo Tab M 10 Plus 3 rd Gen, however it’s far behind well-known budget plan choices like the iPad 9

In spite of the lack of expensive audio choices like Dolby Atmos, the Fire Max 11 creates sufficient quantity to fill up a room pleasantly and is clear and crisp even at those top-end quantities. Bass performance leaves much to be wanted, similar to the majority of tablet computers, yet it’s functional for watching a flick on the tablet computer without reaching for Bluetooth earphones.

And indeed, they need to be Bluetooth headphones, as the Fire Max 11 does not sporting activity a 3 5 mm headphone jack like other low-cost tablets.

I ‘d generally dedicate a whole area to cam efficiency, however the Fire Max 11’s offering is lacklustre, even for a tablet computer.

The combination of 8 MP lenses– one on the front, one on the back– is a renovation on the Fire HD 10’s 5 MP and 2 MP offering, but it’s still not near what you ‘d obtain from the electronic camera on the phone in your pocket. It’s detailed sufficient for video calling and the strange selfie, but you will not be dropping your mobile phone camera for this configuration anytime soon.

Software program

• Software will be a sticking point for several
• Not all Android apps are offered
• Absence of productivity-focused applications

As with every Fire tablet, software program will be the sticking point for several. It’s not a distinctly poor experience, yet it’s very much an Amazon-first one with its own Appstore, internet browser and UI without Google’s impact.

That indicates you won’t find Google solutions on the tablet in spite of it running on a changed version of Android 11 That implies no YouTube, Gmail, Drive, Docs or Sheets, and although the store has a lot of apps, including Netflix, Disney+ and most social networking applications including Twitter, TikTok and Facebook, there are lots of voids in its collection– particularly when it concerns games.

Amazon’s video game collection includes a few suitable options, like Roblox, however it’s generally filled with free-to-play games like Gardenscapes, which are loaded with microtransactions. You won’t find Phone call of Responsibility Mobile or Genshin Influence here.

If you’re determined, you can sideload apps– it’s exactly how I benchmarked the tablet, nevertheless– yet be advised that apps that depend on Google solutions (like Uber) will not work on the tablet computer no matter how you get them on there.

This also encounter Amazon’s work-oriented pitch for the tablet computer. Many Android tablets battle with the work-focused pitch since the Android OS lacks some of the ‘awesome’ pro applications readily available for Apple’s iphone ecosystem like digital illustration application Procreate, and while the situation is gradually boosting, there’s still a method to go.

That concern is even more common on the Fire Max 11 with such a restricted offering on Amazon’s Appstore. While apps like Microsoft 365 are readily available on the tablet computer– total with a three-month cost-free test– you won’t locate apps for Google Docs and Sheets.

If you’re a Microsoft client, that’s fine, however everybody else will be relegated to web applications. Making use of online apps where full-on apps are available for iphone and Android gadgets isn’t optimal for either amusement or productivity.

There’s likewise the absence of cloud storage space apps readily available, with options like Dropbox and Google Drive not available on the tablet. This can create serious issues if your job focuses on a details app or platform not available on the OS.

To Amazon’s credit, the business has updated the Documents app to permit you to produce spreadsheets and Word records without needing a membership, yet the implementation leaves much to be desired.

Upon booting up the app, I was warned that WPS Workplace for Amazon was “constructed for an older version of Android and might not work properly”– hardly an excellent beginning. Nonetheless, it worsened from there: words handling app stopped working to show properly on the 11 -inch screen, removing the top food selection and basically making it pointless.

It appears that Amazon still has work to do if it wants the Fire Max 11 to be viewed as a work-focused machine, despite its useful keyboard and stylus devices.

Battery life

• 7500 mAh battery
• Excellent standby times
• Super sluggish billing with included 9 W block

With a stripped-back variation of Android, a relatively power-efficient (and not also power-hungry) chipset and a 7500 mAh battery, the Amazon Fire Max 11 has the potential to last for a long time. Amazon declares it’ll last around 14 hours on a cost– up two hours on the Fire HD 10– and I’ve found that to be about accurate.

I made use of the tablet computer occasionally during a recent five-day trip to Amsterdam, including checking out a publication on the Kindle application at the flight terminal and on the hour-long trip (in both instructions), watching 2 flicks on Netflix on one rainy night and playing a fast video game of Townscapes to pass the time waiting for a cab. Reader, I obtained home with 30 % battery left in the storage tank.

That talks not just to the general battery life of the tablet yet exactly how well it does on standby, with the tablet computer dependably prepared to go whenever I grab it– also if it hasn’t been billed just recently.

That’s an especially strong point due to the fact that, on the flip side, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is incredibly slow to bill as soon as it does ultimately die.

The tablet computer comes with a reasonably weak 9 W charging block in the box that, in screening, took a tremendous 4 hours to reclaim a full cost. The tablet computer does sustain approximately 15 W billing, so you can theoretically lower fee times (around 40 minutes much less in screening), yet you’ll have to buy a separate charging block to do so.

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