Comprehensive Amazon Fire Max 8.9-Inch Tablet Assessment: Your Ultimate Entertainment Companion on the Go

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Key Takeaways

The Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is a great choice for those in the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, offering a crisp display and a sensitive touchscreen for easy operation. The long-lasting battery and nice integrated speakers also deliver on volume.
However, the optional keyboard case is flimsy for the cost, and the tablet comes with the limited choices of the Amazon app store. It also takes a long time to charge and has pricey upgrades.
Overall, the Fire Max 11 is a cost-effective tablet that offers portability, a vibrant display, and Alexa functionality, making it a great travel companion for entertainment needs. Just don’t expect it to be a powerful work tablet or a laptop replacement.

Those looking for a tablet within the Amazon Alexa ecosystem will find the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet a great choice. But you’ll need to look elsewhere if you’re hoping for peak productivity above entertainment value.

Amazon’s Fire tablets are more for media consumption and less for drafting work proposals, charts, and graphics. While the retailer has provided plenty of options for tablet-seekers—like the budget-conscious Amazon Fire 7 tablet , the pricier Fire HD 10 tablet , or the Fire Tablet Kids offerings—their main strength (and weakness) is that they’re geared toward Amazon Alexa enthusiasts. But for a cost-effective tablet that offers portability, a vibrant display, and Alexa to boot, the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet isn’t a bad investment. It could easily become your next favorite travel companion for all your entertainment needs.

Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet

7/ 10

Storage

64GB, upgradable to 128GB; Add micro-SD slot for up to 1TB of additional storage

Camera (Rear, Front)

8 MP front and back-facing; 1080p HD video recording and rear auto-focus

Connectivity

Dual-band, Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3

Colors

Gray

Weight

17.28oz (490g)

Dimensions

10.2 x 6.44 x 0.3in (259.1 x 163.7 x 7.5mm)

Pros

Crisp display
Sensitive touchscreen makes it a breeze to operate
Long-lasting battery
Nice integrated speakers deliver on volume

Cons

The optional keyboard case is flimsy for the cost
Comes standard with Amazon app store, which has limited choices
Takes a long time to charge
Pricey upgrades

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Unboxing and Design of the Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

I received the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet with the productivity bundle , which includes the stylus and the keyboard case. Unfortunately, the base tablet doesn’t come with a stylus or keyboard case, so you must pay extra to enjoy these Fire tablet accessories. Based on their performance, I think the productivity bundle upgrade price is too high. Adding the bundle increases the cost by $135. Amazon also charges an extra $14.99 to have a lock screen without ads, which is mindboggling to me. Can we just not have ads everywhere? People need a break! But I digress.

Unboxing everything was a pleasant experience. Everything is secure and neat, and there’s no overwhelming, gigantic user guide. Included in the Fire Max 11 box is a small quick-start guide because that’s all you need.

That tablet’s design is simple and sleek, with a thin, sturdy aluminum body. The back of the tablet has an Amazon logo and rear camera, while the front has a large 11-inch screen and a front-facing camera integrated into the top.

Positioned horizontally, the Fire Max 11 has two prominent speakers built into the top of the body. The right side houses the power button, two volume buttons, a USB-C port, dual-integrated microphones, and a microSD card slot.

The bottom of the tablet features two slots and a pin system for the keyboard case. Turn on or unlock the Fire Max 11 with the power/unlock button (which also has a built-in fingerprint reader), and navigate your screen with the buttons located on the bottom of the touchscreen.

Typing, Tapping, and Scrolling

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Navigating the Fire Max 11 tablet’s user interface is straightforward. The touchscreen quality is sensitive, without being overly so, and there isn’t a noticeable latency while scrolling or tapping. This tablet is a fingerprint magnet, so keep a cloth handy.

Meanwhile, the stylus does its job but isn’t as sensitive as your finger. I had many instances where I was using the stylus to play a game or read an e-book and became so frustrated with its lack of response that I resorted to my finger instead. I didn’t have this problem whenever I was using the stylus for tasks like writing or drawing, and I think this may be because the amount of pressure the stylus requires is more than you’d think. Sometimes a mere light tap won’t do it.

The Pros and Cons of the Keyboard Case

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

The official keyboard case beats using the touch keyboard in terms of speed. However, I feel that Amazon charges too much for such a basic case, as I’ve mentioned. (If you skip the productivity bundle and want the case with the tablet, no stylus, it’s still almost $100 extra). Here’s why I don’t feel its performance justifies the cost.

The keyboard’s type feel is what you’d expect from a tablet keyboard case—it isn’t incredible, but it gets the job done. Unless the case is set squarely on a hard surface, such as a desk, the tablet keyboard will feel almost too flimsy to use if you’re a strong typer. (I may be more heavy-handed in my typing style than some, but this is a relevant complaint for us less delicate typists). I didn’t feel the keyboard case would stand up to twelve months of me typing emails or documents on it!

The convenience of removing the keyboard or the back cover of the case with a simple tug can’t be overlooked, but this pro can also be an annoyance. More than a dozen times, I adjusted the tablet in my lap, and the bottom or top of the case came off in my hand. This happened the most when I tried to adjust the back cover’s stand. Go forward with a gentle touch, and you may not have an issue. Go forward like someone on a mission, and you best bet part of the case will come off, interrupting your flow.

I also found the trackpad on the keyboard case to have a rough texture, and if your finger gets too sweaty, it sticks and drags. This happens more than it would on laptop trackpads, as they have smoother textures. The trackpad has a nice sensitivity; if only Amazon had perfect the feel of it.

Amazon Keyboard Case for Fire Max 11

Turn your Amazon Fire Max 11 into a typing machine!

See at Amazon Best Buy

Performance: A Media-Forward Tablet

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Amazon promotes the Fire Max 11 tablet with the productivity bundle as a work-and-play tablet, meaning you’ll be hopping on a million conference calls and answering emails before your fifth (or tenth) solitaire break, right? Do I think this is impossible? No. In fact, I used the Fire Max 11 tablet for Zoom more than once and was surprised at how well it performed in this vein (despite a few moments of latency).

If the stylus and keyboard were near-flawless in design, you could comfortably use the Fire Max 11 as a portable sidekick to check your calendar, make calls, take notes, and write emails. However, I don’t think this is a tablet that you’ll be drafting up Word Docs or PDFs on, and you won’t be using Photoshop or video editing programs on it—unless they’re ultra-basic.

If you need some good productivity tools, I’d recommend downloading the Google Play Store on your Amazon Fire tablet to save yourself a headache. I was unimpressed with Amazon’s app store selections in some cases—the included email app is pretty terrible, sorry Amazon! You can also change the touch keyboard , like on any Android device.

My point: the heart of this tablet is media consumption. One buys a Fire Max 11 tablet for a portable entertainment system with Alexa built-in. Yes, you can use all the fun Alexa functionality, like asking the virtual assistant to launch a web search or turning off your Alexa-connected lights. I used the Fire Max 11 as a small gaming system, a mini-TV. And yes, you can also use a Fire tablet as a Kindle . At the end of the day, the Fire Max 11 isn’t powerful enough to be a full-fledged work tablet. It’s got you for the basics, but don’t expect this to be a tablet laptop replacement or the best Android tablet out there.

That said, the Fire Max 11 tablet was a joy to use as a media-centered device. From streaming to gaming with Amazon Luna to video chatting to reading e-books, this is a tablet you’ll want to bring with you on a long car or plane trip.

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Using Alexa

Alexa is a highlight of the Fire Max 11 tablet because the virtual assistant can help you navigate hands-free or work with the rest of your Alexa ecosystem. If you have many Alexa devices in your home, having a Fire tablet for sheer convenience makes sense.

The only issue I had with Alexa was a quick fix. After I noticed Alexa was refusing to listen to my commands (“Nay, peasant!”) by telling me to unlock my device (when it was unlocked), I did a web search to see if there were similar issues. All I needed was to restart the Amazon Fire tablet to set Alexa right.

Camera and Speakers

For a small tablet, the Amazon Fire Max 11 packs a punch when it comes to its speakers. I didn’t feel the need to use Bluetooth earbuds to compensate, as the Fire Max 11 puts off a decent volume for streaming or gaming.

As for the camera, with 8MP, you get clarity when video chatting, but don’t expect photos to come out as nicely as they would on your smartphone’s camera.

It’s more of a hobby camera than something you’ll want to use regularly.

Graphics for Streaming and Gaming

Cianna Garrison / How-To Geek

One selling point of the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is its beautiful display. Streaming shows, movies, and YouTube videos on the Fire Max 11 is a satisfying experience, thanks to the screen’s color calibration, contrast, and clarity.

Whether I was watching “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper” on Disney+, making a small dent in my YouTube’s “Watch Later” list, or playing casual games like “Magic Puzzles” or Amazon Luna offerings like “Sonic Colors Ultimate,” “Haven,” and “Close to the Sun,” the Fire Max 11 delivered playable, casual fun.

Battery and Charging: Keeps Going All Day Long

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Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Owners of the Fire Max 11 tablet won’t have to worry about charging too often. The battery lasts even with heavy use. Tallying up my total usage, I had an average of 3.71% of battery loss per hour in my two weeks with the tablet. On heavy-use days, the battery drained an average of about 8% per hour. That meant I only had to charge the Fire Max 11 about once every two or three days, depending on my screen time. So Amazon’s estimate of up to 14 hours of battery (straight usage) is spot on.

But like any pro, there’s a con that goes with it. While the battery lasts forever, charging is slow. When plugged in with the included charger, you only gain 26.4% in one hour. It may be easy to do an hour top-up while traveling, but this device takes about 4 hours to charge fully, so you’ll want to prepare ahead or charge overnight if you’re going to use your tablet for hours at a time.

Should You Buy the Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet?

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Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

The Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is an excellent choice for the budget conscious who want a high-performing entertainment tablet. The tablet’s user interface does nicely, but Amazon’s app store doesn’t offer the breadth of options available on Google Play—the good news is, it’s downloadable on the Fire Max 11.

For a multimedia device to stream, read, listen to music, or game on, the Fire Max 11 will keep you happy with its crisp display and long-lasting battery.

If you want more out of a tablet, you may want to increase your budget and try something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 .

Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet

7/ 10

See at Amazon

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Comprehensive Amazon Fire Max 8.9-Inch Tablet Assessment: Your Ultimate Entertainment Companion on the Go