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Preface:
I have been using this tablet on-and-off for about 9 months as of the time of writing. I actually went and bought the (2023) Pixel Tablet, and installed LineageOS on it for a clean android experience, and even though not always mentioned, it is the basis of comparison for a lot of my complaints. Above all else however, it is important to note the price disparity, $230 for the Fire 11, versus $500 for the Pixel Tablet - To some less privileged, that might be enough to make it affordable whilst keeping food on the table.
Chassis:
Unlike any other Amazon tablet to date, this device is supported by an aluminum body, with only a single plastic insert near the top, where the speaker holes are. My only qualm is the camera bump - the rear facing camera has a bump, despite having the same resolution (8 megapixels) as the selfy camera which is flush under the screen's glass.
Display and Sound:
It's display is adequate, it's efficient and gets bright enough to do any task in nearly any lighting condition. The resolution however brings mixed feelings; I can notice slight aliasing (where smooth curves and angled lines can look like stairs, with distinct steps/layers) of icons on the homescreen, but not when reading books or viewing content. Since most content is produced in either 4k or 1080, increasing the resolution any higher would make the device more expensive and produce weird aliasing until you scaled the screen to 4k. Even the pixel tablet doesn't reach 4k, with a 2560x1600 screen and providing a smoother homescreen but aliasing for content if you look closely at it.
Sound quality is surprisingly good. This isn't something that will rival a dedicated speaker, like an Echo or something from Bose, but I've enjoyed many a night laying in bed, watching YouTube and other content on it, without any concerns for the sound quality.
Software:
FireOS 8, based on android 11. It seemed palatable at launch, and it's going to be less so as the device ages, considering android 14 launched later in 2023. I'd be more mad about the version, except that there's been no interesting or really major changes in android since android 11, which has the side effect of allowing various apps an easier time maintaining compatibility.
I would highly recommend anyone who's interested look up the Android Police's articles on installing the Google Play Store, it will make your experience a lot nicer (although I do note that sometimes the Google Play Store does not like it when you install SD cards, you may wish to get the 128GB model).
Make no mistake however, I am thoroughly irritated at Amazon's update policy; They promise software updates and support for 4 years after the device is last available for purchase, which is industry-leading. This however does not include major OS version updates: My Fire HD 10 (2021), is still running FireOS 7, based on android 9, much to my annoyance. For a device this expensive, Amazon should be able to provide the same software support other vendors do, and update it to FireOS 9 whenever that comes out.
The UI is simplistic, with a homescreen that an apple user would find familiar, but with the android controls that any lifelong android user would be able to navigate with ease. I wish Amazon would port gesture navigation, to bring the device up to parity with any Android and Apple phone released in the past 5 years, but I'm instead given 3-button navigation, which sometimes leads me to accidentally swipe backwards ineffectively.
I did once complain that the Google Play Games login did not work on the device, but Amazon actually seems to have resolved that in an update released shortly after launch. I can now play Homeworld mobile, and have my progress saved across multiple devices.
Performance:
The processor is fast enough to not only navigate the UI, browse the web using Chrome, but even emulate some DS games (with Drastic), and play some dedicated android games. I still maintain that a device with 4GB of ram shouldn't be expected to run modern Android apps, but that's the price issue.
Of slightly more annoyance, is the WiFi adapter: I've tested it and found it tops out at around 50-100 megabits per second, which is enough to stream content (1080p content is less than 5), which is weird since I have devices that adhere to the same WiFi 5 standard, that are able to download much faster. I can only presume that internally the WiFi adapter is either budget, or is connected to the processor via some really slow bus internally, like serial or something.
Accessories:
Amazon offers a stylus and keyboard folio. The stylus is rather interesting as Amazon includes handwriting to text conversion on the device, allowing you to write in any text box you want. I've used it a few times to take notes quickly before sending them to someone via Discord. It uses the rather rare AAAA battery, which is annoying to source replacements for, but I'd rather replace the battery than be stuck with an internal one like Apple does, since Apple's stylus will become a paperweight once the battery dies.
The keyboard however is the star of the show - I love how it's folio is 2-piece, allowing me to remove the keyboard and toss it wherever if I don't need it, yet retain the (very stable) kickstand of it's backing piece. The feel of the keys themselves are meh, and I'm annoyed by the function key where the CRTL key should be, but it's not enough of a problem. It finds frequent use, allowing me to write messages on Discord, or handle other tasks without needing to bring my bulky laptop with me. The trackpad however, is useless - Android doesn't need it, and it feels a bit weird and rough.
Features:
This is the first tablet Amazon has released with a fingerprint sensor, and I'm honestly surprised by how reliable it is. Amazon's on-device messaging with the fingerprint sensor is also helpful (for example, it will inform you that it's been more than 72 hours since the PIN was last used, and for security reasons, forbid further fingerprint unlocks until you unlock it with the PIN at least once). It's extremely fast and seamless, immediately dropping me to the homescreen with a gentle tap of the sensor - I don't have to actually click the power button down.
Desires:
I understand wireless charging is an impossibility with the aluminum chassis, but I really wish Amazon released a charging/speaker dock for this thing. There's already pogo pins on the bottom for the keyboard, it wouldn't be hard to repurpose them for a dock, and it would encourage users to use it in the "show mode" that Amazon advertises this thing is capable of.
I'd also really want major version updates. When FireOS 9 comes out, I want that on this device, not to be stuck on android 11 forever. This is Amazon's flagship, and it's powerful enough to handle it.
Above all else however, I want Amazon to let me unlock the bootloader. I understand these devices are likely sold at a loss, so maybe let me buy an un-refundable unlock code for my device to make up the difference for Amazon, but let me do it.
Conclusion:
There's a lot of gaps where this device falls short, but it's basically unbeatable at this price range. If $500 seems insurmountable for your situation, or you want a disposable device to give a family member or child, you can't go wrong with this. My complaints whilst numerous, are not enough to drop it's rating from 5 stars in my eyes - it's still found a happy home with me.
