Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
There ’s a new wave of minimalist covert gadgets on the horizon . Some are ona crusade to save our middle , while others are all about assume the concept of readers into the limitless reality of Android . In this field , nobody does it better than Onyx and its Boox tablets .
Onyx has been churning out one - of - a - variety black and white and color east - ink devices for a while now . No other sword comes even close to the var. component that are uncommitted from Boox , from tablet in various sizes to headphone - like contraption . The latest quirkiness from Boox is the Go Color 7 .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
It matches the asking Mary Leontyne Price of theKindle Oasisand pursues the same off - equipoise intention with two physical button . But the boxlike Boox slate transportation better than the Kindle at almost everything you’re able to imagine . It ’s get a colour ePaper silver screen , fast atomic number 14 , a lovely form , and fulfill software that will little to complain about .
Once again, Onyx delivers gorgeous hardware
In the aspect of segment juggernaut like the Kindle — and to some extent , Remarkable — Onyx does n’t get enough credit entry for its purpose cleverness . From sleek metal slates to the fantastic palm - friendlyBoox Palma , the recent portfolio stand out courtesy of its serious-minded aesthetic choices and fantastic build quality .
The Boox Go Color 7 is no unlike . It ’s a gimmick that chases the version experience of interpret a magazine or paper , so you get exactly that on all sides . The display has a matte ePaper flavor , while the rearward control panel tries to emulate the leather - clad look of a hard - cover mediaeval - era book .
Oh , it ’s water supply - repellant , too . It also serve that the gimmick weighs just 196 grams , and the thick correct bezel tender a secure grasp . Do n’t balk just yet if you ’re a left hander or a digital left hander . That ’s because Onyx has fit its “ Kindle Killer ” with a gyro sensing element that effortlessly changes the screen preference , while the centrally position two - clit meeting place offers an indistinguishable appliance .
It ’s worth pointing out that not all apps support rotation adjustments . Microsoft Teams , for example , will neither answer to automatic gyration nor work with the four manual gyration presets available . The app also gain the keyboard go skew-whiff and stutters way too frequently . furbish up the app , Microsoft , please !
Powerful and capable specs
The Boox Go Color 7 offers 64 GB of onboard storage , of which you get about three - fourths for storing all kinds of Indian file . With over 45 GB of storage space usable , you will have a hard time filling it with digital interpretation textile .
But if you have installed communication apps like Telegram and Slack , which eat up a long ton of quad over time , that door is still clear . The ePaper reader come with a consecrate microSD time slot to expand the memory board . I only wish there was a earpiece jack on this one . The USB - C larboard for charge can also relay audio recording — you just have to notice earpiece with a USB Type - C cable .
But hey , you could always pair your wireless hearing gear and bask all the podcasts , audiobooks , and euphony that the internet has to bid . The onboard speakers are n’t too bad and do an satisfactory chore of recite books . Just do n’t go looking for crystal unmortgaged pleximetry tools and delicate bass beats in an ASAP Rocky track .
While the computer hardware is fantabulous , it ’s the software that frame the Boox Go Color 7 miles onward of competition like the Kindle . That vantage is full Android backup . More than anything , it rescue you from file cabinet incompatibility the pits . This tablet can technically run any app that your average phone or pad of paper can .
Inside this dinky slating is an octa - core chipset , which the CPU - Z app identifies as Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 665 . This chip has seem in a healthy bunch of entry - level Android phone in recent years , and it can deal most twenty-four hours - to - solar day apps with ease . The pad also has 4 GB RAM and a 2,300mAh shelling .
The computer hardware is desirable of a serviceable Android gadget , but it ’s the ePaper display tech that hold it back from the variety of fluidity you would require from a earphone . On the Boox Go Color 7 , you get a 7 - column inch Kaleido 3 ( 1680 x 1264 pixels ) show that can produce 4,096 colors . The pixel denseness is a cool 300 pixels per inch ( ppi ) , but in color mode , it drops to half that identification number .
The primal vault here is the ePaper tech , which still has n’t crack the code for a normal refresh rate , let alone something like 60Hz or 90Hz . That ’s also why theDaylight DC1tablet went with a raw monochrome display tech that refreshes at 60Hz , but can technically go all the way up to 120Hz — rendering unstable form motions and animations .
So , how does the ePaper translate on the Boox Go Color 7 ? Well , as I mentioned above , it can technically flow any Android app , but the refresh rate will be slow , and as a effect , there will be artefact of the premature anatomy and ghosting . A peck of it , actually , but only in apps that go overboard with modulation .
The experience was not too dissimilar on theOnyx Boox Tab Ultra C. you’re able to encounter chess and carte games , but do n’t stress to count at anything aboveAngry boo . In retrospect , that would also amount to overstretching way past what the gadget is all about .
A truly impressive display
The Boox Go Color 7 ’s ePaper display is intended for understand . But as a sweet bonus , it can develop a few thousand colors , too . Think of it like a colorful take on a Kindle but with the supply flexibility of Android , which in go start the floodgates and comfort station to an extent that einsteinium - ink gadget typically do n’t extend .
Functionally , it ’s a proofreader at marrow , with the added fringe benefit of a colorful paper - like screen . But instead of burdening you with extremely modified software package and the rough-and-tumble of fellow traveler apps , this one can do it all natively , thanks to the glorious world of Android apps .
That open up up the entire cyberspace tailored to accommodate on a 3:4 cover . I went overboard , all in the name of rabid gonzo technical school news media . After put in a few reading and news feed apps , I used it as a reference screen for my communication across Teams , Slack , Gmail , X , and Telegram . I loved every moment of it .
Another face of the Boox Go Color 7 that often gets overlook is the build - in Boox Neo Reader . The app is charge with some terrific features . you may intend the varlet - scrolling doings , plunk between three formatting and soar behavior each , adjust coarse-grained sailing options ( such as cropping , pillar montage formats , and direction ) , and tweak effigy characteristics such as sharpness and photo smoothness .
The app even offers dedicated funny and clause modes , both of which smash the page into segments and present magnified versions that you may scroll by without squinting your eyes to make sense of the on - screen content . There ’s also a text - to - manner of speaking feature article with its own circle of part customization putz .
Really rewarding software
The app offers an almost overpowering number of conveniences , but pass on the nature of the recital material you load on the Boox Go Color 7 , these feature article descend in handy from time to time . Take , for example , books usable on the open internet that are scanned pictures of each varlet instead of formatting like PDF or ePUB .
These books often have a jarring , cant over scan . For such scenarios , there is a Reflow arrangement that not only allow you adjust the alinement , spacing , and font size , but there ’s also a neat tilt standardization tool that pickle hapless angle for optimal comfort .
One of my favorites is the OCR system , which even works on strip and not just book that are a wall of textual matter . You get a totality of 1o free OCR scans each day , five each in horizontal and portrait format . Once the scan is finished , you may go onward and find or annotate selected dowry of school text . you may save all your data point and sync it with the complementary 10 GB swarm storage .
The reader app explore the covert refreshen setting further . It permit you specify the break for a full refresh , prefer between normal and depth - based cleanup , and choose whether you would prefer an automatic refresh or a manual refresh based on pull gesture . Once you have selected the text , the app open up a whole populace of papers editor pick . The peter include a build - in dictionary , notebook , web search , hyperlink , and more . Of course , you’re able to aline all the core color and refresh speed preferences on a per - app fundament , too .
For read comics and web content , the “ speed ” refresh preset and “ optimum ” color visibility offer the best combining of colour fidelity and fluidity with minimum ghosting .
There are a few novel increase that I see on the Boox Go Color 7 that you would usually find inhume late in the developer preferences section of an Android tablet or telephone . Among them is DPI ( dots per inch ) readjustment . In a nutshell , DPI measures how precipitous the content appears on the screen in the context of the yield resolving power and screen size of it .
Now , you wo n’t unremarkably find yourself adjusting the DPI preferences on your earpiece because app developers unremarkably stick to the blueprint guidelines lay out by operating system overburden and screen format preferred by smartphone brands . But in some casing , a scrap of scaling up or down assistance . On the Boox Go Color 7 , this setting come in ready to hand when you are browsing websites in mobile view , owing to its squarish showing . It wo n’t create much of a problem while reading , but when you ’re browsing a website or go into screen background mode , a number of DPI registration can make a whole world of difference .
Display and battery conveniences
Another paying attention stage setting is the ability to modify the screen temperature right from the agile control jury . It ’s the ideal spot , right underneath the brightness Pseudemys scripta , allowing you to find the visual sweet place without locomote back and forth between place setting page .
There ’s another crucial deviation here , especially if you are comparing it to a regular LCD or OLED venire . Unlike a earphone or pad of paper , which fault toward a reddish tone for nighttime mood or heart comfort profiles , the Boox Go Color 7 goes with a pale yellow-bellied hue , which is strikingly similar to the light step you get from an incandescent bulb .
It looks beautiful , especially for indication ( which might be the novelty component here ) , but I obtain it easier on my eyes than applying Nox or reading mode on a pad . There are also a healthy few mogul - pull through feature article thrown into the mix .
Talking about mightiness , it ’s hard to measure how many days it will last you , but I ’ll give you a harsh melodic theme . I used the Boox Go Color 7 for three day , installing two dozen Android apps , and had around six communication apps participating at all times . make in generous hours of scrolling past Gmail jargon , DC funnies , and a curated newsfeed , plus the episodic Threads indulgence .
With the said focus and colour profile always on the high side , the Boox Go Color 7 ’s battery has dropped to 46 % at the time of writing this clause . I ’d say that ’s terrific . If you intend to do reading material and occasional web searches , this slim tablet will last you over a week with ease .
Should you buy the Boox Go Color 7?
So , is this a safer selection over a Kindle Oasis ? Absolutely , specially at its $ 249 call for price . If you have intercourse what an electronic paper screen can — and ca n’t — do , the Boox Go Color 7 will prove to be the most fulfilling gizmo you ’ve ever owned — or reach the closest to that bench mark . That ’s how jolly good this cute footling lector is .
Over the past duad of year , Onyx has made applaudable progress at increase the refresh yard and smoothing the silver screen interaction . The Boox Go Color 7 is a will to this . The only downside is that you need to approach this tab through the same genus Lens as a Kindle to really make merry in its excellency .
But if you do that , it ’s a magical piece of tech . In fact , it ’s right at the top of my appliance of the twelvemonth list ! It really is that good .
