Amazon Fire Max 11

With its 2K screen and sleek design, this is Amazon's best tablet yet-but FireOS remains a hindrance

- ALEX WAWRO 

The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s biggest, most expensive tablet yet – but it’s still much cheaper than the Pixel Tablet (see p48). The entry-level model costs £250 inc VAT with 64GB of storage, or you can go up to 128GB for £40 extra. Unlike most premium tablets, the Fire Max 11 can also be expanded via a microSD slot.

Physically, the Fire Max 11 has much in common with the Fire HD 10 Plus (see issue 328, p88). The brushed aluminium rear looks great, aside from its penchant for fingerprints. The power button and volume rocker are on the short side, which can be disorientating unless you’re used to Fire tablets, but it doesn’t take long to get used to.

The screen is the largest, highest-resolution display we’ve seen on an Amazon Fire tablet. While its 212ppi pixel density isn’t as sharp as an iPad, websites, games and movies all look clean and clear. Colour performance is solid: it covered 75% of the DCI-P3 gamut with an average Delta E of 0.2, so nigh-on perfect for accuracy. Brightness is another high point, peaking at 544cd/m2 – brighter than the 10th-generation iPad (504cd/m2) and the Pixel Tablet (433cd/m2). My only gripe is that the coating is shiny and reflective.

Audio is more mixed. The stereo speakers are loud enough to watch films and TV shows, but the tinny sound and lack of bass will leave you wanting something with more oomph for music.