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Introducing Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet, our most powerful tablet yet, vivid 11" display, octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM, 14-hour battery life, 64 GB, Gray
$149.99
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$149.99
| Asin | B0B1VQ1ZQY |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | |
| Weight | |
| Manufacturer |
Introducing Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet, our most powerful tablet yet, vivid 11" display, octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM, 14-hour battery life, 64 GB, Gray
The Bearded Mystic –
This is by far the best Fire Tablet since the HDX series, and my favorite. To put into context my love of the Fire Tablet, I’ve owned (or bought and returned) the following over the past 11 years:
Fire 7 (2012/2014/2020),
Fire HDX 7 (2014),
Fire HD 8 (2018),
Fire HD 8+ (2020/2022),
Fire HD 10 (2018, 2019),
Fire HD 10+ (2021),
Fire Max 11 (2023).
Of those, the ones I kept or kept the longest was the Fire HDX 7, the Fire 7 (2014), and the Fire HD 10 (2018).
Specs for the Fire Max 11 can be found within the product description.
Design and Build
The Max 11 boasts a sleek and modern design, coupled with a build quality that feels robust and premium. Its lightweight aluminum structure makes it convenient for both work and leisure, allowing easy handling and portability. I like that it went back to a similar size/ratio of the 2018 HD 10.
Performance
Equipped with a more powerful processor than its predecessor, the Max 11 is capable of handling various tasks smoothly. Whether I am browsing the web, watching videos, or using multiple apps simultaneously, the experience is fluid and lag-free, especially compared to my HD 10.
While not ‘blazingly fast’, it IS much faster than I expected. Out of curiousity, I wound up trying it with a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo, and for the first time-I feel this is a possible viable laptop replacement for light to medium users. My HD 10 does not make a viable laptop replacement. Great multitasking ability, can run enough apps at once with little to no lag.
The speakers are merely adequate, if not a tad disappointing. Thought normally I either use ear buds or a bluetooth speaker. I don’t miss having a head phone jack, and love having the quite responsive finger print sensor on the power button.
Display
This has been probably my biggest surprise. The display is vibrant and crisp, offering excellent viewing angles. It renders colors accurately, making it a joy to use for both media consumption and reading. I do wish it was a TAD brighter at times, but the vibrancy of the colors makes up for it most of the time. I’d wondered how much of a viewing difference going from the 10 to the 11 would be, and it’s shockingly a pretty big difference. The Max 11 almost feels like a small tv, or laptop screen at times.
Battery Life
Battery life has been good. It’s not the best nor the worst, and should be more than adequate for most users. Since I have chargers adjacent to most places I use the tablet in my house, I’ve also not needed to run it low.
Value
One of the reasons I’ve had so many Fire tablets (I’ve owned only one other non Fire tablet, a 6th gen iPad mini that I use for my business) is that I love the value proposition and ease of use. Reviewers like to talk down the Fire software, but I have never minded it. I am admittedly deep into the Amazon ecosystem with movies, books, music, etc., so the operating system has always made it easy to access and use that stuff. I have also side loaded the Play store (I did this on my HD 10 also), so I have access to almost the entire Play store of apps on my Max 11. If one is really ambitious, you can essentially turn it into more an Android operating system. Personally, I have never like the tablet OS offered from iPad or Android tablets. When the Fire Max 11 was first announced, I was excited about the specs, but hesitant on the price. So I waited until Prime Day to buy it, also taking advantage of the trade in offer. In terms of what I paid ($229-$30 trade in gift card-$46 trade in 25% off-$80 prime day offer=$73.99), of course it’s an awesome value. At $229…I would suggest either going refurbished if available or just waiting it out for the inevitable discounts (at the time I write this, it’s on sale for $189.99). But I still think it’s a great tablet at $229, and wouldn’t fault anyone that pays that.
Overall
In conclusion, the Fire Max 11 strikes a balance between aesthetics and functionality, offering a modern solution that should meet the needs of most while offering value and longevity. It might be a worthy addition to your tech arsenal, promising reliability and efficiency in daily use.
Rating: 4.5/5
dd –
TL;DR – By the start of this month, I had had it with this tablet. When it worked, it was fine. But it froze constantly, kicked me out of apps, took up to 2 minutes to reboot, sometimes required two reboots in succession to work properly. But on Sept. 16, the OS was updated to version 8.3.2.0. In the past two weeks, most of the problems have disappeared. There are still occasional glitches, but recovery is quick.
I’m hoping this won’t change, but will update this review if it does.
N.B. This is my 8th Fire Tablet, starting with the original. My current tablet is the HD10 (2021)
N.B. The restore problem has more or less (maybe less) been fixed (see below), so I’ve upgraded my review to 3 stars.
July 3, 2023 Update to Performance section.
What kind of buyers should look at this tablet?
Apple users? You’re kidding, right? Of course not.
Android users who want a less expensive tablet? Not unless they’re willing to accept a stripped down, less functional interface. Skins for Android are usually designed to enhance the experience. Amazon, on the other hand, removes functionality and is based on Android11which is, per The Verge, nearly 3 generations out of date. I don’t know if this is by design, contracts with Google or what. But Amazon clearly has no interest in competing in the wider Android market and doesn’t mind shortchanging its own customers.
The Amazon ecosystem? Yes. If, like me, you have hitched your pony to Amazon Prime and Kindle, yes, then take a look because it does appear to be the best Fire tablet yet. I ordered it because my 2021 HD10 has slowed to the point where molasses moves faster. I am hoping I can get this Fire to work without spending hours and hours and hours to reconstruct my environment. N.B. As an original Fire owner, I own a lot of apps and games I would have to buy if I bought a non-Amazon tablet.
If you already own a Fire tablet, most of the things I dislike about the Fire tablets in general do not appear to have not changed.
Unboxing: Hands down this is the easiest unboxing of any Amazon device ever. You simply pull off a strip with arrows on it and pull out the Max11. The tablet boots up in landscape mode (which some professional reviewers have asserted is how the tablet is designed to be used) but then quickly reverts to portrait mode. N.B. I had to hold the power button (upper left) down for 3-5 seconds.
Display: Amazon’s “latest & greatest” has a screen resolution of 2000 X 1200. The 2013(!) HDX 8.9 had a screen resolution of 2460 x 1600. What was Amazon thinking? (It’s not that the resolution isn’t good, it is, but it could be better.)
Form Factor: For me, the 8.9 inch HDX was the perfect size. Large enough to comfortably read a book or watch a video, small enough to fit in a courier bag. The 10-inch HD, which I’ve had for two years, is very uncomfortable to hold and will not fit into a courier pouch. This tablet is, however, lightweight (without the cover and keyboard) and feels quite speedy. I’ve written a review about the bundle elsewhere.
Folders: You still cannot create a folder on the Home screen, then click to see a list of apps and add them in. Every inexpensive Android smartphone has had this functionality for years. I assume every one of Amazon’s programmers has such a phone. Why Amazon can’t add this simple feature is beyond me. Also, you still cannot sort the apps in a folder.
Keyboard: You apparently cannot use the on-display keyboard if the physical keyboard is attached. I think I understand the logic, and it is easy to attach/detach the keyboard with Amazon’s bundle, but I wonder how it will work with other physical keyboards.
The recharger: It ships with a 9W charger. Why oh why oh why. You’ll need to buy the 15W recharger yourself. Don’t bother unless recharge time is very important to you.
Performance: This tablet is quite zippy. I was able to move between Silk, email, Kindle and Twitter quickly and easily. I didn’t do any benchmarks, but performance seemed almost as good as my Galaxy S20+ or my XPS8700. Except, well, sometimes it slows down to molasses – because, apparently, it can’t handle background downloads.
ALERT: If the MAX starts to slow down or freeze a lot, check for downloads (app/game update, email, even notifications). Most Android devices can handle a 20 or 30 MB background download with no effect on performance. Not so the Max. Set your updates to Manual, and then update each app/game independently. {See top of review, TL;DR, for update on performance.)
RESTORE PROBLEM:
As I posted with my 2 star review, the restore from my HD10-2021 failed completely. None of my apps, folders, bookmarks or Silk history were restored.
Unable to reach a person at Amazon, I finally simply restored the Max to factory defaults and set it up again. This time the restore did work, sort of. It took almost 5 hours to get most everything. I got my Silk bookmarks back but not my Silk history. There are still a bunch of anomalies I am working through. If you’re interested, I’ll post all the gory details in Amazon’s Digital and Device Forum (https://www.amazonforum.com/s/topic/0TO6Q000000QQOxWAO/fire-max-11) in the next day or two.
Old Stuff: The Google Play Store
I can’t confirm this is still true with the Max, but:
1. No. Amazon still does not support the Google Play Store. I don’t know why. I assume it makes too much money from its own inadequate play store?
2. You can download and install APKs from trusted sites and they will run, provided you allow the installation of external apps (Apps & Notifications/Special App access/Enable for Silk.) They will work provided they don’t need access to Google Play Services.
3. It has been possible to install the Google Play Store on most of the previous generations of the Fire, and I assume it can still be done. It involves downloading four apps in a particular sequence. The hows are available on the net. It is possible that this may create a problem in the future, but, so far, most of those who go to the trouble of doing it don’t regret it. So, if you are a techie and desperately want something that will only work with Google Play Services, it’s worth a try. You can always uninstall the components later.
Steve S –
Side by Side Fire 11 & Fire 10, both with keyboards:
Screen: Fire 11 brighter, sharper and slightly larger and closer to 16:9 aspect. Both at maximum brightness, Fire 11 slightly brighter, Fire 11 better contrast and sharper picture (both set to YouTube 1080p). Image very noticeably sharper on Fire 11. Played a 4K (2160p) movie via SD card on the Fire 11 — looked very good.
Sound: Maybe a bit better bass in the Fire 10. Maybe a bit more volume in the Fire 10. Both gave enough volume from several sources. Both good enough for most movies — maybe not musicals. Tested with BT headphones and sound was very good in dynamic range and volume. Not tested with USB-C earbuds.
Keyboard: Both keyboards worked well. Used a mouse with Fire 10. The Fire 11 pad is good enough to not need mouse. Prefer the Fire 11 connection to keyboard — no need to charge keyboard. Yes, the back cover tends to slip a bit, particularly when opening. Will use a different cover when not using keyboard. If light work travel, prefer the Fire due to size and ease of charging and cabling.
Google Play: Installed with the usual 4 APKs. Not hard, but can be confusing to get the APKs.
Notes: Overall size of the Fire 11 is just a bit wider, due to less bezel overall on the Fire 11. With Keyboard the Fire11 has an overall smaller size, just a bit wider by 0.25in — less in height and depth. Pics just to give best idea, not ideal for comparison. Was able to take the SD card out of the Fire 10 and use it in the Fire 11 and all folders/files were recognized. Have stylus, not tested, not sure of my use.
Improved screen and keyboard connection makes this a recommend.
Ski9 –
I got the productivity bundle and I am super pleased. I needed something to take notes with in classes, that also had a touch screen for drawing, and this is great for that. (Amazon app store has OneNote and Squid and both are great for notes with this.) In my experience it DOES matter which app you use with the pen because a paint app I tried worked but was slow (so I blame the app, since OneNote and Squid are fine). There is also a fairly new open source app called Saber that seems great (I still need to experiment with that one — available on F-Droid). I’m thinking that some of the professional reviews (on other web sites) got an early or different version of the pen because the harsh criticisms of it do not match my experience. It works great.
This is my 2nd Fire tablet, and I like it so much better than my first one, Fire 8 HD from 2017. I wasn’t unhappy with the old tablet when I got it (because I got it on sale for a great price) but I just almost never used it because the screen was so unpleasant and stressful to look at, plus the device was annoyingly slow. Not so with this new tablet — I am very pleased with the screen quality, and the speed is good for how I’m using it.
The pen and keyboard are also awesome. I wasn’t sure at first whether I liked the aspect ratio/shape of the tablet but actually it makes sense. The longer shape allows for nearly full-sized key spacing on the keyboard while not causing the tablet to be unnecessarily large and heavy, as it would be with the iPad’s aspect ratio. Someone said they prefer the snap-in clamshell keyboard that is available for the 10, but I much prefer this thin-and-light keyboard (didn’t have the 10 but considered it and looked at pics of its keyboard). It is super easy and fast to pull off and snap on the keyboard and it does not need batteries. At home (where I have “real” laptops) I use the tablet mostly without the keyboard, and half of the keyboard case stays on it, protecting the back and the camera, and giving the tablet a nice non-slip feel, plus I can use the fold-out stand. I don’t use it on my lap at school, and at home I use a lap desk so I don’t mind that I can’t put it directly in my lap. Really, I have no complaints at all about this setup.
Well, maybe I can complain a little about Fire OS but it is mostly okay. I would hate it for a phone but it is fine for a tablet. And it is much improved over what I had on my old Fire, especially the settings (I like to have control and info). I put Google Play on my previous Fire but I’m not sure I will do so on this one. I mean I have an Android phone that has things I’d like from the Play store, like my calculator collection and bank apps and whatnot. I don’t need to replicate that on this tablet. I’ve installed F-Droid so I can still easily put a bunch of nice apps on it. I have a Linux terminal app (Termux) and will probably install a Linux distro with desktop which will further expand the usability. Plus I have a Microsoft 360 subscription from work and it is nice to have an app for that on this tablet too. It has the most critical work apps like Zoom and Teams and Office and Outlook. So it already has what I really need on a tablet. Oh, and Kindle, of course. I think in the past it was almost necessary to side-load Google Play but the Amazon App Store is better now, at least for a tablet.
I paid to get rid of the ads (I value discounts a lot, but aesthetics even more) and now this tablet is a pleasure to use. And soooo much less expensive than a similar setup would have been from Apple.
Thomas Derk –
Firstly, The Google Play Store can be side loaded, and I like those versions of Apps, which will upgrade themselves, too.
My top use is to read comic books on Hoopla, and this Max 11 is much better than my dying Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7-Inch, 32GB Tablet.
My only complaint is that the Max 11 does not have a mini stereo jack.
I also use the Brave browser, and had to type in my Sync Code which would not scan.
I use Google Authenticator, which installed, scan synced, and works well.
I use Roboform, which installed and works well.
I do not use the Biometrics, so no comment from me there.
The touch screen is as good as I’ve ever enjoyed. With my eyes, I expand sections of a page to read, and compress and next page, after roaming around the page. The Max 11 is very responsive and certain and a joy to use the touch screen. I sort of hate touch screens, but this one is so quick and sure and easy … …
The BlueTooth and WiFi are excellent.
I got the thing with a trade in, and this was the second time I used Amazon trade in, and that was flawless. It prints out two pages, and the second goes inside the package. The UPS folk spotted the Amazon box, I confirmed it was a trade in, and seconds later I was done.
The battery is ‘untested’ by me, but is just no problem for me whatsoever. I use a very smart GaN III USB C charger, and the Max 11 does not come with its own charger, which is good. We are all going to GaN III USB C style port chargers, which is very civilized and good.
And just to make the deal hard to resist: instead of 5% back on my Amazon Prime Card, I got 10%!
I decided to buy another for a gift, but Prime Days expired and the price went up $70!!! I’ll wait for a refurbished or another sale.
The battery is awesome.
I can read comic books and listen to Amazon Music or VLC off the microSD card (bought separately), and those are all quick and flawless.
NETAdmin –
I bought the older Fire 10 Pro when it first came out and had been using it as my main Android tablet until last week. The productivity pack’s keyboard was basically unusable due to connection issues, and many keys failed completely within a few months of light use. The keyboard case itself was heavy but really sturdy. Performance was acceptable with UI lag that was very annoying at times. I had it running Google apps and pretty much anything I would use on a normal Android tablet. So how does the Fire Max 11 compare? Really well actually. The software still needs some refinement but it is a major step forward in just about every way. As a note, while my reviews are marked Vine Voice, I have yet to use the program to receive review products and I paid for this tablet with my own money.
Performance (4/5): Excellent for the price (I bought the tablet without ads + the productivity bundle during Prime Day). The UI is fast, apps load quickly, and the memory use is low on Fire OS 8.1.3.5 running Google apps without debloating Amazon apps and services. I have been able to run spit screen apps without any noticeable performance hit. Unfortunately, there are some issues that I will discuss during the software section below.
Software (4/5 on OS 8.1.3.5, 2/5 on 8.1.3.9): Fire OS 8.1.3.9 is known to have some ADB security additions that are not in earlier versions. This interferes with Fire Toolbox and our ability to add some apps, limit or disable auto OTA updates, change the default launcher, and disable some Amazon apps. This is annoying and unnecessary behavior from the Amazon Software Dev team. Thankfully my Fire Max 11 came with OS 8.1.3.5 so I retained that and loaded Google services via Fire Toolbox and all other apps that I normally use via the Play Store. All apps have worked great with exception of the YouTube app from the Play Store. The Fire OS video driver doesn’t seem to be able to render 30 FPS videos properly with the screen running at 60hz refresh rate and there is serious choppiness which is especially noticeable during panning shots. This isn’t a problem for YouTube videos running in the Opera web browser so it’s not a hardware issue. I imagine this will be resolved in the future but I will not be updating my OS version until Amazon stops interfering with customer attempts to customize our tablets and install Google apps.
Tablet Case (3/5): The case is held in place with magnets. The keyboard portion is fairly secure and self-aligning which is nice. The back cover with integrated kickstand is ok, but could use stronger magnets to keep it from lifting off or twisting when the kickstand is deployed. The keyboard and kickstand are not super stable on your lap for typing, so you really should find a flat surface for any serious work.
Keyboard (3/5 but could be 5/5 with a software update): the keys are arranged well and have good feel and travel. The system is responsive and I haven’t experienced any key strokes that weren’t recognized while typing quickly. Unfortunately, I don’t have the same praise to offer for the track pad. I’m happy that this keyboard has a track pad but its proximity to the space bar and overall sensitivity means that it often registers a click when typing. This causes the cursor to move to some random place in the document and anything typed appears there. This a really annoying and I experienced the issue nearly a dozen times while typing this review. I think a software update could fix this but for now I will place some electrical tape along the top edge to limit these clicks. Another issue with the trackpad is the inability to reverse the scrolling direction. I invert scrolling on all devices I use (Windows and Linux) and not being able to set this up means that I end up using the touchscreen to scroll through websites instead of using the touchpad.
Screen (4/5): The screen exhibits some ghosting but the overall presentation is decent enough for the price. I didn’t find any purple cast in dark areas or backlight bleed which is common on cheaper displays. Max brightness is good and the tablet can be used outside in most conditions despite the glossy finish. Having active pen support at this price point is a welcome addition. The quality of the Pen is nice and I didn’t experience any issues during my brief testing.
Battery life (5/5): Battery life is excellent. I mostly use my Android tablets for watching videos, browsing websites, performing remote IT System Administration, and some PDF or e-book reading here and there. So far the battery life is better than my last 10 Pro despite the performance being much higher.
Frame and build quality (5/5): The body looks and feels premium which means it really needs to have the keyboard case to avoid damaging the finish. This is not a bad thing, just a departure from the more rugged plastic cases employed on earlier Fire Tablets.
Speakers (3/5): The speakers sound good but they do not get as loud as the speakers on my Fire 10 Pro. I often find that want more volume but the setting is maxed. I went looking for a safety limiter in the menu but it seems like that’s just as loud as it gets.
Cameras (3/5 rear, 4/5 front): The rear camera is basic when compared to other rear cameras modules on the market and does a really poor job in low light. The front facing camera is above average in all but the worst light.
Overall (4/5 with Fire OS 8.1.3.5, 3/5 with OS 8.1.3.9): This is a well rounded tablet that would serve a lot of people well. Most of the issues I have with the tablet itself are software related and are minor. The main problem long term is if Amazon continues to try to lock down the tablets to prevent customization and enabling Google services and the Google Play Store. I do not think that locking a customer into the Amazon ecosystem is a good idea, and allowing this flexibility doesn’t limit a users interaction with the Amazon services that they commonly use and enjoy. For the Prime Day price it’s really hard to go wrong with this tablet for older teens and even professionals. I would not recommend this for young children as I don’t think it would survive multiple drops, and the performance is overkill for the use case they have.
J. P. –
I’ve owned owned iPads and Android tablets since 2012, and have seen tremendous changes. My first Fire purchase was in 2014. Bought it on a whim to replace an aging Kindle and to serve as a portable mobile device. It was sturdy and affordable, with the opportunity to purchase on 5 payments. I knew about its limited app offerings and slow processor, but I knew its primary purpose was to consume content. Many years later, I still own an iPad and Fire tablets, this being the latest one. A few takaways:
1. Beautiful build quality (This does make it heavier)
2. Vivid screen which is great for watching videos
3. Good battery life
4 Price. On occasion, Amazon will offer deals; it currently is the great price of $149, with a trade in discount. Even without the discount, $149 sale is not a bad price. Keep in mind that the latest edition of the iPad is $450 without accessories. The payment plan of 5 monthly payments with no interest help to put it in hands of more people. That’s a thing for people on fixed incomes.
If you’re expecting an iPad, this isn’t it. Even the iPad has its limitations as a productivity device. I think this would be. great for that occasional emal or Word document, or revising a spreadsheet. Or, if you need something in a pinch. Some people use it as a note-taking device.
Even if you’re not on Prime, but own Kindle books, there are enough free streaming alternatives out there to justify its use as a streaming device only.
To people who won’t buy because Amazon removed the jack.: This is a trend and has been that way for a while.
The lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack shouldn’t be a deterrent. Amazon sells many very affordable adapters if you would like to use what you already have, and usb-C wired earphones wireless earbuds. By “affordable,” I mean under $10. I wish Amazon would have included an adapter with this tablet. Unfortunately, this is a trend among technology manufacturers and that’s not going to change.
Overall, this latest iteration of the Fire tablet is, despite some limitations, Amazon’s best to date, and a good value for people on a budget.
DoomOfSarnath –
Well, for $190-$230 this tablet might not be the best at one particular thing, but thanks to some common-sense decisions and Amazon’s resources and commitment, it’s competent enough at everything, all at once.
Media consumption, retro games, word processing, digital art, battery life, you name it.
For media consumers, it has an obscenely long battery life and a pretty nice screen. Contrast is surprisingly good for an IPS display (the black areas look black), colors are very poppy, and the 5:3 aspect ratio means you’re not losing much space on either 16:9 or 4:3 content.
For retro games, let’s talk about the processor. It has a Mali G57 MC2, 2 Cortex A78 cores, and 6 Cortex A55 cores. Anyone who keeps up with Android hardware will know this is a bizarre setup. The Mali G57 MC2 and Cortex A55s are all modest, cheap, power-sipping technology. While the Cortex A78s are freakishly fast for this price point.
But I’m certain Amazon did this on purpose, and it’s responsible for the great battery life, which is essential for what is basically a media consumption tablet. The modest GPU and high number of “little” cores keep battery drain minimal (this is a 5w chip, in a tablet, where 7-10w chips are the norm) while 2 A78s give it some serious oomph for the right sorts of tasks.
This accidentally makes this little tablet a retro gaming powerhouse, as that relies heavily on single-core performance, with the GPU and secondary cores being an afterthought.
So, it’s a tablet that just excels at anything where you’ll be using the screen a lot. Reading, movies, old games, etc. It may struggle with native Android games due to the weaker GPU, but compared to retro games there aren’t a lot of worthwhile Android games anyway IMO.
The keyboard and stylus are also very well executed.
I’m typing this review on the keyboard case, and the keys are a nice size thanks to the TKL form factor, with short travel and a nice tactile, springy feel. The trackpad is small, but accurate and doesn’t “lose” my finger.
The stylus itself uses a user-replaceable AAAA battery. I like this decision, because small Li-po batteries wear out fast, and the AAAA means that the stylus has a super long life without worrying about whether you’ll be able to find a replacement in a few years. The stylus is also magnetic and clips to the side of the tablet.
The stylus is pretty accurate. I don’t notice much parallax or judder. My Galaxy Tab S8 actually had slightly more parallax. However, there is more input lag than you’ll get with something like a Galaxy Tab S8 or iPad with Apple Pencil. It’s a quite noticeable amount of input lag compared to those two. I will mention, this tablet is about 1/3 the price of those devices and actually has a longer battery life. So it’s still better than you expect for the price. But will definitely be more of an “entry level” art tablet instead of something outstanding.
All in all, I still think you’re getting a lot more for your money with this tablet than the others available. Amazon’s reach with e-readers, with keyboards, with stylus peripherals, with tablets, and their resources and supply chain (ie, being able to order unusual tablet SoCs) has definitely given the Kindle Fire 11 a wider spread of abilities and better quality than your ordinary budget tablet. I can’t really name anything I’d expect to be better for the price.
The only real flaw is software; since Google Play is not preloaded and Amazon is not putting a lot of effort into their own App store, be prepared to sideload some apps if you want to use the broader spectrum of abilities this tablet has.
Sportutegirl –
Tough Customer –
The new Fire Max 11 tablet lacks a standard 3.5 mm jack to play back audio output using headphones or external speakers. The internal speakers in the Fire Max 11 do produce improved sound output, compared with the tinny sound output of prior generations of Fire tablets, but an external sound device is still needed to provide acceptable sound quality for listening to music, soundtracks, or even a podcast.
All previous generations of Amazon Fire tablets included a standard 3.5 mm audio output jack, which made it easy to enjoy high fidelity audio, by plugging in a set of headphones or external speakers. The Fire Max 11 tablet is the first generation in the Fire “family” of tablets to lack a dedicated analog audio output jack. One workaround is to play back the Fire Max 11 tablet’s audio signal using a BlueTooth device, but this fix has the following drawbacks:
1) BlueTooth signals can be disrupted by microwave ovens and other appliances. Hard-wired connections, like a 3.5 mm audio output jack, are impervious to ambient electronic “noise”.
2) Your favorite headphones or stereo speakers might not have BlueTooth connectivity, so you will need to replace them with products that have BlueTooth connectivity.
3) Establishing and maintaining a stable BlueTooth connection can be challenging.
You could buy a “USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter”, for about $15, which plugs into the lone USB-C connector on the Fire Max 11, and provides an audio output signal that can be played back using external headphones or speakers. However, you will want to charge your Fire Max 11 tablet if you play it back with your stereo for very long, or the battery will run down. There are dual-use adaptors that are designed to charge your tablet through the same USB-C port that supplies the audio output signal that is input to your home stereo system or headphones.
However, every time I tried to charge my Fire Max tablet using a dual-use adapter plugged into the same USB-C port that was simultaneously feeding the tablet’s audio output into my stereo, the tablet’s audio stream crashed (possibly due to a short circuit). My Samsung android tablet did not crash when I connected it to a dual-use adapter, but that capability is not even needed, because the Samsung tablet also has a standard audio output jack.
Compared to previous generations of Fire tablets, the Fire Max 11 tablet is improved by a faster, more powerful processor, a larger HD display screen, and input options that include an electronic pen, and a matching keyboard that attaches to, or snaps off of the tablet with an astonishingly strong and accurate magnetic mechanism.
Unfortunately, for an audiophile like me, the Fire Max 11 is functionally diminished by the elimination of the standard 3.5 mm analog audio output jack, which should be replaced in future models of Fire tablets.
Meanwhile, I invite suggestions on how to fix the audio problems I described above; fixes should not require using BlueTooth, and should allow the Fire Max 11 tablet to be charged while it simultaneously plays back the audio output from the lone USB-C port.