The Kindle is the most popular e-paper device, but I have tried my best to promote the Kobo or reMarkable brands. Boox, a Chinese e-reader manufacturer, is relatively new to the market. Its devices are innovative but still useful options in the niche market for monochrome tablets. They are actually my favorite small device.
Boox is a brand of parent company Onyx. It offers a wide range of devices, some may say too many, from small-sized ereaders to large-sized tablets to pocketable e-readers. The branding isn't particularly memorable. There are often minor updates to the devices. One device that I wanted to test was being replaced when I wrote this article.
OS is a modified Android 10 OS with some custom-made apps for productivity and reading. These services were created with Chinese consumers in the mind.
Boox has several devices that I have tested. The simplest was the Poke 3 ereader. Next came the Note2, which is larger and more complicated. Then came the Note Air, which is slimmer, and the massive Max Lumi. Recently, I was focusing on the Nova3 Color which utilizes E Inks' latest Kaleido Plus color screen.
You probably wouldn't be able tell that they were all made by the same company if you didn't turn them on. These devices have very different hardware styles. However, there is only so much space for expression on a black tablet with a grey screen.
Both little and large
Let's start with the most basic and familiar format, the 6-inch electronic reader. The Kindle Paperwhite is available here, as well as the Kobo Clara HD. While the former is the most popular Amazon product, I prefer the latter, despite its poor build quality.
Boox has the Poke 3 among other names, but it is a catchy name that Boox makes up for with its form factor. It is the perfect size for a small reader such as this. It was so good that I decided to separate my review. Here are the basics.
The 6-inch, 300-PPI screen is of equal quality to the Kindle and Kobo, and like the Clara HD has a temperature-adjustable frontlight. The device's front is flush. It has enough bezel to hold it without becoming too heavy or too small. It is easy to carry and resists spills and crumbs, but it does not claim water resistance. The top has a power button, and the bottom has a single USB C port.
It is difficult to find any criticisms of the hardware. It could be lighter but the dimensions of the hardware could not be reduced without affecting ergonomics. A millimeter could be shaved off its thickness, but it would barely be noticeable.
The OS is an extremely customized version of Android with all its pros and cons. Kobos' interface is simple and I love it. However, they seem to be determined on complicating it. Booxs OS can be powerful, but it is also busy and uneasy about the choices it makes. Its prominent options are not obvious to the user.
NeoReader is a reader app that supports many file formats. It also has lots of controls to change your view, highlight and notate books and PDFs. These controls are more useful for larger devices than those with smaller screens, which only require basic font adjustments.
It's easy to drag e-books from your computer into the Books folder. This tab will be the first thing you see when you turn on your device. It is always easy to find. The store tab is large, but it's not available in the U.S. There is also a tab for file management and tabs for settings and apps.
Another unique situation is the apps: Because it's a Chinese device, there is no Google-authenticated App Store. It has its own store that contains dozens of popular reading apps, including Pocket, GoodReader, and the Kobo, and Kindle apps. These apps are essentially sideloaded. For example, the Kindle app is only a few months old. This is not a major problem, but it does mean that you will need to trust Boox and the proxy app store to be able to use the device as it stands.
You can enable Google Play services from the settings. This adds the official shop to the mix. This is a lot of work for most people. In that e-readers are simple and easy to use, we are both blessed and deprived. If you don't know Android, this device would be preferred over a Kobo, Kindle or other similar devices.
There are so many possibilities for those who decide to make the leap. I love the Poke3's form factor so much that I will use any OS to use it. These things take up 99 percent of your time, so as long the book works, the rest are just decoration.
This all seems a bit excessive at a 6-inch scale. Booxs larger devices make this more practical. With the Note 2 (now 3, Note Air, and Max Lumi), the idea is to offer almost all of the features of an Android tablet but with the added benefit of an epaper screen. While it is not possible to play racing games on the Note 2, 3 and Max Lumi, this could make them very appealing for those who use their reMarkable more than their iPad.
A bright or dim tablet screen is better for reading large amounts of documents. A reMarkable is a better choice, but it is not the best. The reMarkable is very limited in its capabilities, as the company's entire philosophy revolves around focus. There are people who want an Android device that has the same capabilities as an e-paper screen but with the ability to read the information. Boox believes so.
Max Lumi and the Note 2 seem to be related. They are unremarkable black tablets with impressive dimensions. I was also impressed by their build quality. It is not unusual for the Note Air to be honest. I actually thought it was a clone the reMarkable 2 when I first saw it.
My initial impression was not very generous. While the designs are similar, I found them to be quite distinct. Boox's ability to create other devices has allowed me to give Boox the benefit of doubt. Although the blue and orange motif may not be the best, it helps set it apart. All the devices, especially the Air, are well-designed and thin.
I was surprised to discover that all the tablets have frontlights. It works well, and the temperature and brightness can be adjusted like the Poke 3 (though it is a little fiddly).
Still no color e-paper
Nova3 Color features a 7.8 inch screen that is equipped with the most recent color e-paper technology from E Ink. This side of the technology has always excited me, but color-e-paper screens have had poor contrast, low refresh rates, ghosting, and other problems. Although this new iteration is a step in the right direction (and a software upgrade helped even further), it's still a compromise.
Boox's hardware is solid and straightforward, just like the other Boox devices. The screen is the only difference, and it shows color even when the device's off. Color epaper is a combination of microscopic white and black beads, which create images. The layers are then filtered with color filters that can also be altered. Like the other, this one has a frontlight. It helps to make those colors pop because they are all muted without it.
Ghosting is still an issue, but if you're reading a comic, it is possible to set it up to refresh all pages (it takes just a few seconds) and this will solve the problem. This is more difficult with dynamic content such as a webpage. However, navigating the web via an e-reader can be a great novelty.
I find it more concerning that the color layer causes a decrease in contrast and a decrease in resolution. It's possible to see a screen door effect when color content is displayed. This is not the same as LCD aliasing, but it's still noticeable. You may also see moire or other interference patterns in the mid-tones of greyscale content.
Although books look fine, they are not as clear as an E-Ink monochrome display. The screen door effect reduces contrast and is always present. Although it is still easily readable, cheaper devices are more cost-effective.
Boox has made the most recent screen from E-Ink, which I find very useful. It may also be helpful to those who need more tablet DNA in their E-Reader (at this time the two categories are not that distinct). For most people, the color doesn't add enough or subtract too much.
Is it too much?
As far as I know, the OS works on all these devices. However, the emphasis shifts to interactivity over reading on these devices. Boox offers a Wacom-like pen that can write on larger tablets. It is not as responsive or accurate as reMarkables, but it does the job well.
The final result was pleasing when drawing or writing, even though the OS takes some time to catch up and antialias the marks. The brush had beautiful gradations, which I liked.
The PDF handling is one thing that the Boox tablets have over other similar devices (remarkable, Sony Digital Paper Tablet and a few other niche devices). Boox tablets allow you to navigate and markup PDFs easily. The original files can be saved over with your notes and doodles. Although marking up documents is simple with the reMarkable app, sharing and sorting them can be a hassle due to their clumsy interface. I prefer to modify the file from my device and then email it. It's so simple!
There are several apps included that can be used with your tablet, including a reader and notebook. The browser is functional and responsive. It's Chromium-based, renders well, but ghosts horribly. There are voice recorders, music players, calendars, and many more apps that you can download from the Google or built-in app stores. These devices could be made to be very versatile if you so desired.
I'm not sure how big the market is for this type of e-paper tablet. These devices are unique and interesting, even though they may not be well-received. It is hard to ignore the fact that an iPad can be purchased for half the cost of larger Boox tablets and do the same things.
The e-paper devices are a draw. However, if you intend to read and markup long documents, it is better to do this on one of these devices than on an iPad. Booxs' lineup offers more options than ever before, which is definitely a plus.
