Faisal Ghaffar 
The Fire tablets from Amazon were aimed at people who wanted to spend as little as possible when buying a device for entertainment, but with the Fire Max 11, it appears the company has changed its strategy. Not only is the name new, but so is the device. There are a lot of firsts for Amazon with this tablet and it is the most expensive one that the company has ever made.
Features and Design
The first thing you will notice about the Fire Max 11 when you take it out of its box is that it is definitely not a toy. Its design is square-sided and boasts a graphite-color finish and the tablet feels solid. According to Amazon, its durability is three times that of the 10th gen iPad. The Fire Max 11 seems to be inspired by the 10.9 inch iPad because it has the same design, down to the placement and size of the rear camera and even the bezel thickness around the screen.
There are a lot of other similarities, like the placement of the front camera, the fingerprint scanner that has been built into the power button and the availability of an optional stylus and keyboard. The tablet also supports USB-C charging, Wi-Fi 6 and its base storage starts at 64GB. You can add more storage with the microSD card slot and it also allows you to use hands-free Alexa.
The cameras are also significantly better than previous Fire tablets. Both the front and rear cameras are 8Mp and the front one is excellent for making Zoom calls.
Screen and Speakers
The screen is one of the best things about the Fire Max 11, as it boasts a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixel, which is enough to make colors pop and give sharpness. Likewise, the viewing angles and contrast are also great. As the screen is fully laminated, the LCD display and the front glass do not have any air gap. While the brightness is nothing special, it is acceptable when you are working indoors.
As for stereo speakers, they are found on the top edge and come with Dolby Atmos support. The sound quality might be a tad thin, but you will not have any issues when you are listening to podcasts, watching movies, or for Alexa. But, you may have complaints with music due to the lack of bass.
Performance
The Fire Max 11 tablet comes with the Mediatek 8-core processor and also 4GB of RAM. Even though it may not seem like much, you will find that the tablet is responsive and zippy. You will not experience any lag and you can use it for playing games without seeing the quality decline. The 7,500mAh battery is decent and it can last between 10 to 14 hours, depending on the use.
The software is the actual sticking point when it comes to the Fire Max 11 tablet because no Google services are included. This means no Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Drive or any other app from the Play Store.
The Verdict
With a price tag of $229.99, the Amazon Fire Max 11 has a lot to offer in terms of hardware. Those who are looking for a tablet on a budget will find it an excellent option, but if you want Google services, then it might not be the best choice.
