Enhanced cameras—With the 8 MP front- and rear-facing cameras, 1080p HD video recording, rear auto-focus, and front camera in landscape orientation, Fire Max 11 is great for video calls with friends or family. It's a tempting proposition, but don't forget you're hamstrung by the limits of FireOS, which doesn't let you access the full range of apps available on Android tablets (including the Google Play Store) without a lot of extra effort. If you have the tablet set up like a landscape painting with the webcam along the topmost edge the buttons and port are on the right side, making it even more awkward for a leftie like me to adjust the volume when working or watching a video on the tablet because I have to reach across the screen to access them. The company offers trade-in and recycling schemes and publishes information on its various sustainability efforts. Price Basic split-screen apps are all Fire OS can manage, here with the Microsoft Office app on the left and Evernote in Silk on the right. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

With the case on, you'll still have complete access to all cameras, buttons, and ports of your device, ensuring unhindered usage. Image quality is pretty good for a budget tablet. The average Delta E of 2.51 means that colour accuracy is largely on the money, if not up there with the best, and the contrast ratio of 1,657:1 is very respectable. The sRGB gamut coverage of 90.5% and the volume of 95.8% is nothing to get too excited about, however.Access to Alexa—Simply ask Alexa to play a song, start an Audible book, launch a trivia game, find your favorite movies, show your calendar, Drop In on a friend or family member, and more—using only your voice. The Fire Max 11 is plenty powerful enough to handle typical tablet tasks thanks to its Mediatek MTK8188J processor and 4GB of RAM. While you will see it stutter and slow when playing demanding games, I never had any issues browsing the web or working with documents. The only model we don’t have figures for is the Fire HD 10 Plus, due to issues with Fire OS running our benchmarking software – more on that in the next section. FireOS does offer you the option to create and manage multiple user and child profiles, a feature Apple's iPads can't match. (Image credit: Future) The smooth aluminium body looks and feels far superior to other hard plastic Fire tablets. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Our cases' surface shields your tablet from sharp objects and liquid spills , while also cushioning it in case of a fall to prevent breaks and scratches.This is also the brightest Fire tablet we’ve tested so far, with a peak brightness of 504cd/m². It may still struggle with glare in direct sunlight, but you won’t need to close the curtains on a sunny day to enjoy the display. Pros: good screen, good speakers, good battery life, microSD card slot, USB-C charging, aluminium body, fingerprint scanner.