The Amazon Fire Max 11 ($229) is the company's largest and fastest Fire tablet and can be used as a productivity tool with the purchase of an optional stylus and keyboard cover

Announced today (May 23), the Fire Max 11 features an 11-inch 2K display, octa-core 22Ghz Mediatek CPU, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, and a microSD card that supports up to 1TB of additional storage reader

This is the most rugged of Amazon's Fire tablets, and the Fire Max 11 will likely make our list of best Amazon Fire tablets purely on size and utility alone If it performs well in our test lab, it could even make the list of best Android tablets, but we'll have to wait and see

Here's what we know so far about the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is available for pre-order on Amazon today (May 23), starting at $229 This entry-level model comes with a 2K display, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of onboard storage If you want a little more built-in storage, you can pay extra for an upgraded 128GB, but as mentioned, there is room to slot in up to 1 TB of additional storage with a microSD card reader [Amazon also sells a number of accessories for the Fire Max 11, including the aforementioned keyboard case ($8999) and Made for Amazon stylus ($3499) There is also a slim cover ($49), which does not have a built-in keyboard but does have a stand that allows the tablet to stand up to watch videos on an airplane tray table, for example

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is similar to its smaller sibling in Amazon's Fire tablet lineup, only bigger At 102 x 64 x 029 inches thick and weighing just over one pound (108), it is the largest and heaviest Fire tablet to date

As such, the Fire Max 11 will be slightly larger, heavier, and thicker than the base model of the Amazon Fire HD 10 and Apple's iPad 2022, offering a bit more screen area along with added girth

Nevertheless, the Amazon Fire Max 11's design features a fingerprint reader built into the power button, a convenience not found on Apple's iPad

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is dominated by an 11-inch 2K (2,000 x 1,200 pixels) display The company claims it can deliver up to 410 nits of brightness, but how accurate that is under real-world conditions will have to be taken to a test lab to be sure

With a pixel density of 213 and a total on-screen pixel count of 24 million, Amazon is pushing the Fire Max 11's large screen as an essential feature for working, gaming, and watching videos on the go If a (relatively inexpensive) Android tablet running Amazon's FireOS can do that, the Fire Max 11 would be an attractive proposition

However, if you really care about screen quality, the Fire Max 11's larger screen is a good match for the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, which has a similar 11-inch display at a higher resolution (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) and refresh rate (120 Hz) It should be noted that it cannot compete with the displays of some of the best Android tablets, including the If you like the idea of a large-screen Android tablet, nothing beats the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (starting price $1099) and its 146-inch (2960 x 1848) Super AMOLED display

The Amazon Fire Max 11 has a 22Ghz octa-core Mediatek MT8188J SoC (System on Chip) and 4GB of RAM under the hood to browse the web, write and edit, play games and watch videos There should be more than enough power to do all that

Don't expect much in the way of ports on this tablet Like most slates, the Amazon Fire Max 11 only has a simple USB-C port for charging

There is also a microSD card reader slot on the side for up to 1 TB of additional external storage

The Amazon Fire Max 11 has front and rear 8MP cameras Both are capable of capturing video at up to 1080p, but their performance will have to be seen to be believed

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is the largest Fire tablet announced this year in several respects Not only is it physically the largest FireOS tablet Amazon has yet to announce, but it is also the biggest change we have seen in Amazon's lineup in years

But given how much of a difference this tablet seems to make against the slightly smaller and cheaper Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus that debuted not long ago, it's a bit harsh to condemn it with faint praise the Fire Max 11 is basically a better screen better screen, a better camera, a better processor, and a larger, more expensive Fire HD 10

This is an attractive proposition, but one must remember that it is hampered by the limitations of FireOS, which does not let you access the full range of apps available on Android tablets (including the Google Play store) without extra effort

That said, if you've been wanting a larger, more rugged Fire tablet, Amazon seems to have one to your liking; stay tuned for our review of the Amazon Fire Max 11, and be sure to check back with us for a full review of the Fire Max 11, and to let us know what you think