The Fire Max 11 tablet is Amazon’s greatest iPad competitor

We all know Amazon is the go-to for a cheap, reliable tablet… but the Amazon Fire Max 11(opens in a new tab) seems a little bit different. It’s the sleekest and largest Fire tablet available, and it packs some impressive specs behind the moderate price tag we’ve all come to expect.

I tested the tablet to determine whether it deserves a spot in your tech lineup.

The Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet without a case.
Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

Specs

Amazon describes the Fire Max 11 as its “most powerful tablet yet.” 

And for the price ($229.99+), the specs on this tablet are solid. It’s sleek, with a large and colorful 11-inch display, but it’s also less than half an inch thick and weighs less than a pound.

It comes standard with an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128GB of storage space. Translation: It’s fast, ideal for entertainment, and it’s kind of a toss-up as to whether you’ll need to add extra storage space with a memory card. If you have a child who indiscriminately downloads every game they see… yeah, you’re gonna want a memory card.

In addition, it’s WiFi 6 compatible and features an 8 MP camera for flawless video calls (or meetings).

You might say it’s… “max”ed out. Haha. Ha.

Performance

Let’s get into how the Amazon Fire Max 11 actually performed.

Battery life

Like other Amazon devices, setup was really straightforward for this tablet. Just follow the prompts, log in to Amazon, and — optionally — you can port data and apps from another Fire tablet connected to your account.

One thing I noticed immediately with this tablet is that it seemed to charge much faster than my older Fire tablets, and it also held the battery really well. According to Amazon, it has a 14-hour battery life — which is pretty great, especially for long trips.

Productivity Bundle

I also was able to try the full Productivity Bundle, which features a magnetic keyboard case and a battery-powered stylus — effectively turning this tablet into a small laptop. The stylus is powered by a AAAA battery (yes, quadruple-A) and the keyboard case doesn’t need a power supply other than the tablet — which is AMAZING.

I’ve tried the Productivity Bundle for an older model of the Fire tablet, and it featured a Bluetooth keyboard case that was difficult to connect and that also needed to be charged — making it overall kind of burdensome.

The Amazon Fire Max 11 with keyboard case. It instantly transforms into a laptop.
Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

But this one? It snaps in magnetically, and can immediately be used — no connecting or charging required. The stylus also has a magnetic side that keeps it firmly attached to the tablet when not in use.

Speaking of the stylus, it allows you to write directly in any search bar or text bar on the tablet, and it also allows you to take handwritten notes and draw using art apps. It’s fun, but there is a slight learning curve and just the barest hint of a delay that’s most noticeable when you’re drawing.

Even with the keyboard case on, the stylus is able to magnetically attach to the side of the tablet. No more lost styluses (styli?)!
Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

Streaming

For streaming, this tablet is great. The picture is vivid and clear, and the audio is crisp. My wireless earbuds connected easily, and there was no lagging or skipping while streaming.

Gaming

I’m not much of a gaming person, but I tried one to be a good sport. It was just a random one in the “Discover” section of my FYP on the tablet called Fishdom — essentially an aquarium-themed Candy Crush Saga. It was very fast, with no lagging. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the stylus worked perfectly even when entering my name in the game.

Reading

The Kindle app on the Fire Max 11. Yes, that is my heavily distressed side table — it’s a style, OK?
Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

I’m not a heavy tablet user, but I always bring one on vacation so I can do some reading. I love the Kindle app and the Libby app — which, PSA, provides free e-book rentals through your local library system. 

To be completely honest, this tablet is a little large for comfortable reading — and the stark white default setting of the Kindle app on such a large screen is BRIGHT. Dark mode is essential.

If you’re going to be using it mostly for reading, I think you’d be fine with one of the smaller (and much less expensive) Fire tablets, which are much easier to read on.

Browsing

Amazon’s Silk browser, which I’ve complained about in prior tablet reviews for being slow and kind of clunky, performed really well on this tablet. I had no complaints, and I’m a chronic tab abuser. Current tab count at the time of this writing: 15.

The major con

Like other Fire tablets, this one is heavily limited by the Amazon Appstore — which doesn’t offer even a fraction of the apps that the Google Play Store does. Although you can download the big streaming apps, and big names in games like Minecraft and Roblox, you’ll want to double-check that all of the apps you’re hoping to use on your tablet are available through the Amazon Appstore.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer any official Google apps — including Youtube, Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail, etc. So unless you work exclusively in the Microsoft ecosystem, the Fire Max 11 won’t be a great work device for you.

Add to cart?

OK, here’s the sitch: If you’re looking for a large tablet for entertainment or browsing, and you don’t want to totally break the bank, the Max 11 (starting at $229.99)(opens in a new tab) is an excellent choice. The 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8(opens in a new tab) retails for $700, and you’ll be shelling out $800 for the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro(opens in a new tab). Even though the Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s newest tablet, it’s already on sale for $149.99(opens in a new tab) (35% off) thanks to Prime Day, which runs July 11 and 12.

Likewise, it may be a great substitute for a work laptop if your work is all or mostly done within the Microsoft ecosystem — Word, Office, Teams, etc. In this case, you’ll want to go for the Productivity Bundle.

However, if you work on Google raises hand, or you won’t have access to many of the apps you want in Amazon’s very limited Appstore, you may want to spring for a non-Amazon tablet.