Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsBest tablet since the HDX, but.... [Nov. 27, 2023 - final update]
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
Bought my first Android tablet (a Galaxy Tab S9) today. Why? If you want a tablet simply to watch videos, shop on Amazon, read Kindle books, play a few games and use a few apps, there's probably no better deal than the Max, and the S9 is both way more expensive and complicated to set up than the Fire (unless you've got a Samsung smartphone.) But I am tired of needing to boot the Max 2 or 3 times in a row before it truly works. I'm tired of the Max hanging and kicking me out of apps. Now, I have a lot of apps and do a lot of multitasking so I've probably simply outgrown Amazon. I hope this helps with your decision-making.
9/25/2023:
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Amazon, on the other hand, removes functionality and is based on Android11which is, per The Verge, nearly 3 generations out of date.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.
