The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s new premium-feeling tablet for $230

For years, Amazon’s Fire tablet lineup has featured small seven-inch, mid-sized eight-inch, and large 10-inch screen options, but now the company has a new one that extends that to 11. The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s biggest. The tablet is still screened, and it ditches the plastic bodies found in other models for more premium-feeling aluminum.

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

“In the last two years, we’ve seen a big shift to 8- and 10-inch devices. In fact, our 10-inch segment has doubled,” Amazon’s vice president of product management and marketing Kevin Keith said during a conference call. , we continue to see many more light productivity use cases.”

Keith noted that Fire tablet users are more active in Zoom and Teams for work and for using Microsoft Office and email. The Fire Max 11 was designed with this transition in mind, so it has the option of a new $90 magnetic keyboard/trackpad attachment that communicates with the tablet via built-in Poco Pin connectors. The keyboard for the Fire HD 10, by comparison, connects via Bluetooth.

There is also support for the new $35 Made for Amazon Stylus, has a 4,096-degree pressure sensitivity, lasts six months on one AAAA battery, and attaches magnetically to the tablet’s left side (land surface). The Max 11 supports USI 2.0-standard styluses, though the company warns that functionality will be “limited” based on the Max 11’s spec sheet.

You get a few extra features for the Max 11’s premium over the older Fire HD 10. Most notable is the new fingerprint reader built into the side power button, so you don’t have to enter a PIN for every unlock. edge Associate editor Dan Seifert wanted HD 10 in his review. The cameras are also improved over the HD 10, with an eight-megapixel sensor on the front and back. The rear camera has autofocus and 1080p video recording, while the front is perfectly centered for video calls when using the device in landscape.

The Max 11 features a MediaTek SoC with eight cores and 4GB of RAM as standard. You previously had to opt for the $180 HD 10 Further Model for additional memory. Additionally, the Max 11 has 64GB and 128GB inbuilt storage options and can be expanded via microSD card.

Keith also mentions that the two upward-firing speakers have been upgraded, as he shows me them through a Taylor Swift concert video. The official specification sheet claims that it is Dolby Atmos capable. However, it is worth noting that the Fire Max 11 does not have a headphone jack.

In my short time with the Fire Max 11, the 2000 x 1200 resolution LCD screen was very sharp, although there was 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, with some noticeable glare that the LCD’s 410 nits of brightness barely overcome.

Notably, Apple’s $449 10th-generation iPad is capable of 500 nits of brightness and suffers from glare due to its non-laminated display. Amazon is pitting the Max 11 against the 10th-generation iPad, saying in its press release that the Max 11 is “three times more durable” than Apple’s redesigned base tablet.

The software on the Fire Max 11 is familiar because it still runs Fire OS: Amazon’s older Android 9 fork. Keith tells us that Amazon officially promises to provide security updates for at least four years, but also points out that The company is still updating the software on older models.

While that means the Fire Max 11 won’t take advantage of the new Android 14 tablet experiences, Amazon is reminding us that tablets can connect to Amazon services: from Kindle Books to Prime Video. According to Keith, Fire tablet users love the on-page recommendations for you, which point to different movies, books, games, and content from third-party sources like Netflix, Disney Plus, and more.

The Fire Max 11 does not, at this time, have a locked-by-default kids version of the tablet. However, you can switch users and manage up to four child profiles with two adult profiles.

You can order the new Fire Max 11 Now on Amazon Plus accessories like the new $50 slim standing case. You can get one Productivity for $329.99 (Starting) Includes keyboard case, stylus and three months of Microsoft 365 service.