TechTabletsAmazon Fire Max 11 review: a stellar starter tabletAmazon delivers with its latest budget tablet, the largest Fire tablet of them allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictMore than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery lifeReasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgradesWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechTabletsAmazon Fire Max 11 review: a stellar starter tabletAmazon delivers with its latest budget tablet, the largest Fire tablet of them allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictMore than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery lifeReasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgradesWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Amazon delivers with its latest budget tablet, the largest Fire tablet of them all
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictMore than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery lifeReasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgrades
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
T3 VerdictMore than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery lifeReasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgrades
T3 VerdictMore than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.
T3 Verdict
More than just cheap and cheerful, Amazon’s latest tablet is a standard bearer for a fully featured tablet at a fraction of the price. It still hurts not having access to key Google apps in this operating system’s guise, but for those looking for something simple, or their first tablet, it’s hard to argue with the Fire Max 11’s performance.
Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery lifeReasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgrades
Reasons to buy+Great value and surprising performance+Cheap and useful accessories+Kid-friendly interface+Strong battery life
Great value and surprising performance
Cheap and useful accessories
Kid-friendly interface
Strong battery life
Reasons to avoid-Missing key Google Android apps-Not really a Kindle replacement-Mostly iterative upgrades
Missing key Google Android apps
Not really a Kindle replacement
Mostly iterative upgrades
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
It’s so easy to start comparing anyAndroidtablet to anApple iPadbut that isn’t really an inherently fair comparison. Most of the time iPad models are vastly more expensive than their Google-powered counterparts.
Even at the bottom-end of the scale there is a big disparity in prices, the cheapestAppleslate on the market is the 10.2-inch9th Gen iPad, which still comes in at over three-figures extra than the tablet on review here: the Amazon Fire Max 11.
No,Amazon’s largest tablet isn’t going to set any performance records, but that’s not what this tablet is designed for. This is a device aiming to be best for the family, for content consumers, or as thebest tablet for kidsorbest tablet for students.
Amazon Fire Max 11: Price & Availability
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Today’s best Amazon Fire Max 11 deals190 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆$199.99$169.99ViewDeal endsWed, Jan 29, 2025$229.99$184.99View$229.99$184.99ViewShow More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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As I mentioned, this is definitely one of the more affordable tablets out there. The Amazon Fire Max 11 is listed (on Amazon of course) at £259/$279, which is a compelling price for an 11-inch slate. If you really want to you can take that price even lower if you’re willing to put up with adverts being served in the software, but with just a £/$10 saving, I’d rather spare my eyes.The lead price is for the entry-level 64GB model. Strangely enough there is no longer a 32GB option (as was available with theFire HD 10, which launched at around £160/$150) which would have helped the price go even lower. Either way, that’s about half the price of the current10th Gen iPad.
In terms of accessories, Amazon again goes more affordable. The Stylus Pen is a very reasonable £/$34.99, compared to the cheapestApple Pencil’s £89/$99 cost. It’s a similar story for the official Keyboard Case, too, which comes in at £/$89, easily half (if not less) the price of theiPadequivalent.
Amazon Fire Max 11 review: What’s new?
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Unsurprisingly the Fire Max 11 is a follow-up to theFire HD 10, which launched back in 2021. You can grab the Fire HD 10 (32GB) for a more compelling price, but once I got over the disappearance of the headphone jack in the newer model, I realised the Fire Max 11 does have a fair number of upgrades to justify the higher price. For a start, you can now get up to 128GB storage if you’re willing to fork out a little extra cash.
Most obviously the screen is a whole generation better. The display size has jumped from 10.1- to 11-inches, while also improving the resolution to 2000 x 1200 (up from 1,920 x 1,200).
Under the hood is probably where one of the biggest differences lies. With only 3GB of RAM, the Fire HD 10 wasn’t the speediest tablet around, but the Fire Max 11 has 4GB, the same as the iPad 10th Gen. It might not sound like much, but in real terms it’s 25 per cent more. Amazon’s latest also has Wi-Fi 6 compatibility for speedier browsing.
In all, aside from the camera, these are more incremental upgrades, but they definitely offer an improvement over the last-gen tablet. It’s up to you to decide if the price difference is worth it. If this tablet is going to your kids, for example, I don’t really see the need to upgrade.
Amazon Fire Max 11 review: Design & Display
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The 11-inch screen is obviously the definitive feature of this tablet and luckily it’s pretty impressive considering the budget. As mentioned it has a 2000 x 1200 resolution, which is a mite behind the 2160 x 1920 effort of the cheapest iPad, but still in the same ballpark. The Fire’s bezels are also a bit chunkier, but still pretty unobtrusive.
One difference that did take a bit of adjustment for me is the placement of the front camera: it sits on the long edge, clearly meaning the tablet is meant to be used horizontally. The USB-C adapter, microSD slot, volume controls and unlock button (which features a fingerprint sensor) are all on the same small edge of the tablet, so it feels a bit cramped in portrait – but in landscape, and with the Stylus Pen magnetically attached to the opposite side, it really makes sense.
Build quality compared to previous Amazon tablets is also much improved. The Fire Max 11 has an aluminium casing that feels much nicer to hold than past plastic devices. It’s pretty lightweight at 490g and only measures 7.5mm thick, showing that Amazon has come a long way.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
I’ve found myself primarily using Amazon’s tablet as aNetflix-viewing machine, but that’s not all it’s good for. With the Magnetic Keyboard and Stylus Pen attached (both sold separately), as well as the performance bump, I can genuinely see this as a productivity tool as well as a leisure tablet. It won’t replace your work laptop, but on the train, as a second screen or a notepad, it offers pretty much all you could need.
Obviously being an Amazon device, there is a big push to use the Fire Max 11 for, well, Amazon content. As such it kinda feels like a colour-screen Kindle e-reader. It’s nice to use the Fire in the dedicated Kindle app to see the covers in colour and laid out on digital shelves, and much easier to highlight text, but I will be sticking to my traditional Kindle. No matter the resolution or font size, a traditional digital screen will never be as easy on the eyes as aKindle Paperwhite’s E-Ink display (or, perish the thought, arealbook).
The Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet has clearly been designed from the ground up to be used with Amazon’s digital assistant,Alexa, which you can activate with either a press of the on-screen home button or simply with your voice. Unlike theGoogle Pixel Tablet, however, the Fire Max 11 definitely strikes me as its own machine and less of a home hub.
Other Fire tablets have featured kid-friendly casings, and that is my one worry with the design of the Fire Max 11. Obviously, I couldn’t bring myself to actually drop it, but even with the keyboard case attached, the screen hasn’t got much obvious protection. Amazon however seems pretty confident, though, claiming that the screen is three times as durable as the 10th Gen iPad when measured in “tumble tests.”
Amazon Fire Max 11 review: Performance & Battery
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Battery life is one of the most impressive features of this tablet. I constantly found myself charging my phone once or even twice before the Fire Max 11 even needed plugging in. With constant use, you can easily meet the 14 hours of battery life that Amazon advertises.
With the proficiency of phones these days, cameras are not the most important feature for most tablets – but the shooters on the Fire Max 11 are pretty decent. Both cameras are 8-megapixel and capable of shooting 1080p video. The zoom on both cameras is ‘meh’ and the camera settings are minimal, but as a selfie shooter or video chat device it’s a strong showing.
Amazon Fire Max 11 review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
it’s easy to dismiss a more affordable tablet as a novelty or kids' device – but you would be wrong to do so with the Amazon Fire Max 11. This is an impressive large-screen slate all considered.
Also consider
Those who are even more budget conscious should check out theFire HD 10, which has similar performance at a lower price, while young children may be better suited to theFire 10 HD Kids edition, which is more accident-proof. If you’re looking for a home hub then theGoogle Nest Hub Maxis a capable and inexpensive performer. If you have your heart set on an iPad then theiPad Airis the best tablet for most people, but cheaper more comparative options include theiPad 10.2-inch (9th Gen)oriPad (10th Gen).
Today’s best Apple iPad Air 2022, Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), Google Nest Hub Max, Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Apple iPad 10th Gen and Apple iPad 9th Gen dealsApple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Nest Hub Max$235.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Apple iPad Air 2022, Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), Google Nest Hub Max, Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Apple iPad 10th Gen and Apple iPad 9th Gen dealsApple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Nest Hub Max$235.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Apple iPad Air 2022, Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), Google Nest Hub Max, Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Apple iPad 10th Gen and Apple iPad 9th Gen dealsApple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Nest Hub Max$235.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Apple iPad Air 2022, Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), Google Nest Hub Max, Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Apple iPad 10th Gen and Apple iPad 9th Gen deals
Apple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Nest Hub Max$235.99ViewSee all pricesAmazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all prices
Apple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all prices
Apple iPad Air (2022)$599$549.99ViewSee all prices
Apple iPad Air (2022)
Apple iPad Air (2022)
$599$549.99View
$599$549.99
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Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all prices
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)$149.99ViewSee all prices
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
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Google Nest Hub Max$235.99ViewSee all prices
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Google Nest Hub Max
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Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition$189.99$139.99ViewSee all prices
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition
$189.99$139.99View
$189.99$139.99
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Deal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025
Deal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025
Deal endsMon, Jan 27, 2025
Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all prices
Apple iPad (2022)$349$299ViewSee all prices
Apple iPad (2022)
Apple iPad (2022)
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$299
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