The Onyx Boox Go 7 Shade is a brand-new e-reader for 2024. This mannequin is a devoted ebook reader with the newest era of e-paper, Kaleido 3. The display can show over 4,000 totally different colors, which makes it ultimate for studying digital content material corresponding to comics, magazines, webtoons, and PDF information. The large promoting factors are the bodily page-turn buttons, Android 12, Google Play and a skinny design, making it transportable. Must you purchase this e-reader? This overview ought to reply your whole burning questions.
{Hardware}
The Onyx Boox Go Shade 7 has a 7-inch E INK Kaleido 3 coloration e-paper display and Carta 1200 for enhanced web page turns and efficiency. The black and white decision is 1680×1264 with 300 PPI, whereas the color content material decision is 1240 x 930 with 150 PPI. The gadget’s physique is smooth black, and the display is seamlessly built-in with the bezel and guarded by a layer of glass. The textured again delivers a paperlike feeling and a safe grip. It provides a contact of sophistication and is simple to carry. Completely mixing practicality and magnificence each time you employ it. Because of the front-lit show and color temperature system, you possibly can learn in the course of the day or evening, together with white and amber LED lights. A software program slider bar can alter the lighting with heat and funky LED lights.
One of many standout options is the page-turn buttons. The buttons and their positioning are much like these on the Onyx Boox Web page or the Amazon Kindle Oasis. They’re mushy and tactile, and the button presses are satisfying, the buttons are positioned on the best facet of the display. If you’re left-handed, the e-reader helps auto-rotation.
The Onyx Boox Go 7 sequence is powered by a quad-core 2.4 GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of inside storage. It additionally incorporates a microSD card slot that may assist an extra 1TB of storage. The gadget helps WIFI Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 and has a built-in speaker, ultimate for listening to audiobooks, music, or podcasts. A single microphone is out there for voice communication apps. It’s powered by a 2300 mAh battery. The size are 156x137x6.4mm, and it weighs 195g.
The Onyx Boox Go 7 Shade has Google Android 12 and all of the core Google Play Companies. You’ll be able to log in to your Google account and obtain hundreds of thousands of free and paid apps from the Play Retailer. That is the place you possibly can obtain apps like Kindle and Overdrive Libby. Suppose you need to sideload your books as an alternative of counting on apps for offline studying. You’ll probably need to use the inventory studying app referred to as Neoreader. It helps pdf, djvu, azw, azw3, doc, doc, docx, epub, fb2, fbz, html, mobi, odt, prc, rtf, sxw, trc, txt, chm, and ppt. Should you’re going to sideload your audiobooks, it solely helps WAV and MP3, so I’d depend on different apps like Audible since you may also hearken to them offline.
I just like the design of the Go 7 Shade; the page-turn buttons stand out for the reason that entire color scheme is piano black, and the page-turn buttons are silver. The Go 7 isn’t a premium e-reader; it’s simply fabricated from plastic, whereas the Kindle Oasis is fabricated from aluminum. It’s important to know that that is purely a digital ebook reader with no note-taking performance, nor does it have a WACOM display or stylus assist. The value can also be respectable; it retails for round $249.99 and comes with a free magnetic sleep cowl.
Software program
The Go 7 Shade makes use of Google Android 12, however it’s not a inventory model of Android because it makes use of Boox OS. It is a closely skinned model that the corporate has developed, which has a sequence of vivid and bubbly icons and a consumer interface which makes it simple to click on on when utilizing the touchscreen show. One of many methods Onyx differentiates itself from the Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo or the Barnes and Noble Nook is the inclusion of Google Play. Onyx is among the few manufacturers worldwide to have Play on most of their e book readers and e-notebooks. Many individuals will solely purchase an e-reader with Play because it opens up a world of customization.
The Predominant UI is on the backside of the display. It contains shortcuts to your Library, Bookstore, Apps Storage and Settings. Your library solely includes books you’ve gotten sideloaded on the inventory Neoreader ebook reader. Should you primarily use apps, corresponding to Kindle or Kobo, the books in these apps won’t seem in your principal library. The bookstore is Onyx branded and solely includes royalty-free content material, which is the kind of stuff you’ll discover on Venture Gutenberg. Apps are the place the pre-installed apps are, corresponding to Boox Cloud, Google Drive and lots of others. Any apps you obtain from Google Play may also be right here. Storage will present a file listing of all of your information; inserting an SD card will show its contents. Settings are the place you will note all of your WIFI/Bluetooth and lots of different choices, such because the variety of web page turns earlier than a full web page refresh is completed. Additionally, you will conduct firmware updates right here. Onyx tends to push out updates just a few occasions a 12 months.
Top-of-the-line choices is the Management Centre, which you’ll be able to entry from an icon or by tapping on the show’s high center. That is the place you possibly can pair Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to hearken to audiobooks, music, podcasts or different audio content material. You’ll be able to entry your WIFI community with a login and password. There are additionally issues like AI assistant, Boox cloud storage, Youngsters Mode, Break up Display screen, E INK Centre, Display screen Shot and a full web page refresh. AI Assistant is sort of a ChatGPT-style chatbot, the place you possibly can ask questions and get solutions.
Youngsters Mode is fascinating; Onyx is the one model that does this, except for Amazon. To make use of Youngsters mode, you will need to register or log in to your Onyx Account, after which you possibly can tweak some settings. You’ll be able to solely have them entry belongings you need, such because the studying app or on an app-by-app foundation. Youngsters’ profiles might be named after your little one. Once they log in, they received’t see any books an grownup is likely to be studying, or you possibly can load in kid-friendly titles. If you’re an Amazon consumer, you possibly can grant them entry to your Kindle app. There’s additionally a time possibility that folks can set up, corresponding to how lengthy you need them to make use of the Go 10 each day, and a countdown timer will seem on the high.
A part of the management centre is an possibility referred to as E INK Centre, which is helpful. That is the place you possibly can management international settings to get essentially the most out of your Go 7 Shade. You may make all icons and textual content darker or lighter, relying in your choice. Need to enhance the efficiency of your gadget? That is the place you possibly can set the totally different pace modes.
- HD Mode is designed for deep studying. Like studying printed books, you possibly can take pleasure in extremely sharp textual content with the least ghosting.
- Underneath Balanced Mode, BOOX coordinated calls for for clear show and intermittent interplay. Fast display response is assured if you end up skimming books or photographs.
- Quick Mode goals at a clean expertise of looking web sites or actions that contain a number of scrolling. Delicate ghosting could happen, however responsiveness is enhanced.
- Ultrafast mode gives essentially the most speedy response to dynamic content material. Although some particulars could also be misplaced, it enables you to watch movies and seamlessly use totally different apps.
The primary software program expertise is strong. All the things you click on on is completed so lightning fast. There’s little to no lag when opening apps, studying books or utilizing apps. The pace modes enable looking the online, studying advanced PDF information, or coding to carry out effectively.
Studying
The Boox Go 7 Shade makes an ideal e-reader for studying books, comics, manga, PDF information, and different digital content material. That is due to the color display and the 7-inch show. Most digital content material takes up the complete display, with little adverse house. Flipping pages is ultra-fast and even quicker if you happen to interact in any pace modes from the E INK Management Centre. The page-turn buttons make the complete studying expertise very intuitive. The picture high quality may be very pronounced as a result of 300 PPI display.
The e-reading expertise begins with the inventory app Neoreader, the place you possibly can side-load all of your content material with many choices for font sizes, font sort, alignment, line spacing and margins. It helps PRC, RTF, Doc, Textual content, DJVU, PDF, Mobi, FB2, EPUB, CBR and CBZ. CBZ and CBR assist is great for sideloading Manga information since that is the preferred on-line format. Nevertheless, Amazon delivers manga in AZW3 and Kobo/Google through EPUB. You don’t want to fret about varieties if you happen to set up apps corresponding to VIZ or manga apps. Additionally it is necessary to notice that Google Play Books can also be put in by default, so you aren’t caught utilizing Neoreader by default.
The Go 7 Shade shines if you entry Google Play and obtain your favorite apps. This offers you super flexibility and freedom to make use of no matter studying or information apps you often use in your smartphone or pill. I do know many individuals at all times set up Libby to learn eBooks or hearken to audiobooks borrowed from the general public library. The Kindle studying app is the preferred because it was initially developed for smartphones and tablets. The web page flip animation at all times seems to be good and fairly, but it surely struggles on E INK units as a result of refresh problem. For this reason Onyx made enhancements to the app on a system degree to remove animated web page turns, so it’s seamless and strong if you flip a web page. Through the years, they’ve optimized many different apps however are inclined to concentrate on the writing expertise on their intensive line of e-notes. The corporate has additionally made enhancements to a number of productiveness apps.
Onyx Boox has a bookstore on this gadget. Nevertheless, it primarily sells royalty-free books, the identical content material you’ll discover simply looking the web or accessing websites like Venture Gutenberg. This bookstore is designed to get folks studying instantly, however no bestsellers or books are paid for. You need to obtain devoted apps to pay for books or use Google Play Books.
I feel the Go 7 Shade makes a lethal e-reader due to the high-resolution e-paper display, which makes it simple to learn in the course of the day or evening. The complete-colour display makes digital content material distinctive. The overwhelming majority of e-readers in the marketplace solely use black and white shows, which have been the usual for a very long time, however today, most manufacturers are embracing color. They know that customers need the identical expertise they’d have on their smartphone or pill however on their e-reader.
Wrap Up
The Go sequence is a wholly new model from Onyx Boox that was solely launched in 2024. There are two fashions: Go Shade 7 and Go 10.3. I feel the ten.3 is the higher purchase because it has a greater construct high quality, 300 PPI, and may take notes. The UI is best on the ten. Onyx created a wholly new menu system not discovered on every other gadget.
If you’re on the lookout for a Shade different to Bigme or Kobo, Go Shade 7 deserves a glance. It’s a free and open expertise the place crafting your experience, from display savers to apps, is a big promoting level. Onyx Boox has been within the recreation for over 10+ years, in order that they have good identify recognition, and other people belief them.
Onyx Boox releases many new units yearly because it makes its cash solely promoting {hardware}. It doesn’t make any cash with books since they’re free, nor does it supply any SAAS schemes, like Outstanding. I like to recommend the Go 7 in case you have an older Boox gadget or a ebook reader utilizing the earlier era E INK Kaleido 2.
Onyx Boox Go 7 Shade
$249.99
Execs
- Shade E-Paper Show
- Bluetooth and Speaker
- Android 12
- Google Play
- Quick and Responsive
Cons
- Single Speaker
- Microphone is not nice
- Easy, Plastic Design
- Go 10.3 has higher worth
- Reliant on Android Apps
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the previous fifteen years. Newspapers and web sites such because the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Put up and the New York Occasions have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
