Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is among the most fun e-readers and e-notebook releases of 2024. This gadget forgoes the everyday front-light system, so there are fewer layers between the textual content displayed on the E INK show and your eyes. The writing expertise can be very good, among the finest that Onyx has launched; the WACOM show has palm rejection and is appropriate with varied styluses available on the market; it helps 4096 levels of stress sensitivity. It is usually fragile and thinner than the brand new iPad Professional.
What are the important thing promoting factors? The Go 10.3 is the primary Onyx-branded gadget with a big display screen and 300 PPI for decision. This ensures that the general high quality of content material can be large. The whole lot can be readable whether or not you learn an book, journal, newspaper or educational PDF. General efficiency is great because of the {hardware}. Google Android 12 and full entry to the Google Play Retailer proper out of the field. This ensures you may obtain all of your favorite apps, no matter nation or area.
Issues are speedy due to BOOX Tremendous Refresh Know-how, an unique expertise of BOOX unveiled in 2022 to boost the refresh efficiency and picture high quality of its ePaper merchandise. Behind this breakthrough is highly effective {hardware} and software program included into each Tab sequence pill and BOOX‘s eager insights into customers’ wants. Primarily based on the frequency of human-machine interplay and the dynamism of contents, BSR gives 4 refresh modes: HD Mode, Balanced Mode, Quick Mode, and Ultrafast Mode.
Why did Onyx Boox launch the GO 10.3? It’s primarily designed to compete in opposition to the Outstanding two pill, which is 4 years outdated and getting outdated. Outstanding was once the gold commonplace for the general writing expertise and the sheer variety of instruments it supplied. Boox has caught up with freehand drawing, annotating PDF paperwork, and e-book studying.
{Hardware}
The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 options an E INK Carta 1200 e-paper show panel with a decision 2480×1880 and 300 PPI. The decision is among the greatest available on the market; the one different 10-inch with 300 PPI is the Amazon Kindle Scribe. Don’t get me mistaken, the Scribe is fairly good; it runs Linux and is comparatively steady. The benefit of Boox is that it runs Android, so it gives extra flexibility. Boox doesn’t lock you in a walled backyard.
The display screen solely displayed black-and-white e-paper content material and didn’t use a color show. This gadget ought to be used indoors or outdoor within the shade. That is because of the glass layer defending the display screen, and this tech tends to mirror direct mild. One of many drawbacks of this product is the dearth of a front-lit show and color temperature system; there aren’t any LED lights in any respect. Some customers would possibly assume that is dangerous, however fashionable entrance lights use a gel layer beneath the capacitive display screen; fewer layers imply extra room for the textual content to pop. The color scheme is off-grey across the bezel and surrounding the e-paper display screen. It has a pseudo ledger design, with a white strip operating from the left-hand aspect to the highest.
Beneath the hood is a 2.4ghz Octa-core processor, making Android carry out effectively since you’ll all the time have a sequence of background processes lively. There’s 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inside storage, however no SD card exists. You’ll be able to take heed to music or audiobooks by way of the stereo audio system. In case you don’t need to broadcast to everybody what you’re listening to, it does have Bluetooth 5.0 assist for wi-fi headphones or earbuds. Surf the web or obtain apps by way of WIFi 2/5 and switch information to your unit by way of USB-C. It’s powered by a good 3700 mAh battery, appropriate for per week or two of fixed use. The size are 235x183x4.5mm and weighs 375g.
This digital pocket book permits you to write on the display screen, inside ebooks and PDF information, freehand draw, or doodle. It comes with a brand new Onyx Boox Pen 2 Plus stylus with over 4096 levels of stress sensitivity. It additionally has a superb drawing app that permits you to choose totally different line thicknesses and select from totally different writing instruments and background templates.
Whereas the Onyx Boox 103 is a strong gadget with many strengths, it’s essential to notice just a few limitations. As an illustration, the absence of an SD card slot means you’ll have to depend on the 64GB of inside storage or use cloud storage for bigger information like PDFs or comics. Moreover, the dearth of a front-lit show could also be a disadvantage for some customers. Nonetheless, these limitations are balanced by the gadget’s highly effective {hardware}, Google Play integration, and the distinctive 300 PPI display screen for an distinctive studying expertise.
Software program
Onyx Boox is operating Google Android 12 for the Go 10.3. They’ve Google Play put in proper out of the field, so there’s nothing a consumer has to do save logging into their Google account to obtain hundreds of thousands of free and paid purposes. Onyx, one of many few within the business, makes use of Google Play on all of its gadgets geared for the worldwide market. They understand that customers need entry to apps and, extra importantly, maintain them routinely up to date.
Onyx has a brand new GO sequence UI that streamlines the menus. This makes it simply accessible for brand new customers and individuals who have had Boox {hardware} prior to now. The first consumer interface is on the aspect of the display screen. It contains solely 4 choices: Library, Retailer, Notes Storage, and Apps. On the prime is a quantity toggle, WIFI sign, time, and the way a lot battery life is remaining.
One of many hidden choices, within the type of an icon, is your management centre. That is the place you may pair Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to take heed 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, Freemark (for common drawing), Youngsters Mode, Break up Display, E INK Centre, Display Shot and a full web page refresh. AI Assistant is sort of a ChatGPT-style chatbot, the place you may ask questions and get solutions.
Youngsters Mode is fascinating; Onyx is the one model that does this, apart from Amazon. To make use of Youngsters mode, you could register or log in to your Onyx Account, after which you may 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 may be named after your little one. After they log in, they received’t see any books an grownup may be studying, or you may load in kid-friendly titles. In case you are an Amazon consumer, you may grant them entry to your Kindle app. There’s additionally a time choice that folks can set up, reminiscent of how lengthy you need them to make use of the Go 10 day-after-day, and a countdown timer will seem on the prime.
E INK Centre is useful. That is the place you may management world settings to get probably the most out of your Go. You may make all icons and textual content darker or lighter, relying in your choice. Wish to enhance the efficiency of your gadget? That is the place you may set the totally different pace modes.
- HD Mode is designed for deep studying. Like studying printed books, you may get pleasure from extremely sharp textual content with the least ghosting.
- Underneath Balanced Mode, BOOX coordinated calls for for clear show and intermittent interplay. Fast display screen response is assured when you find yourself skimming books or pictures.
- 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 probably the most fast response to dynamic content material. Although some particulars could also be misplaced, it helps you to watch movies and seamlessly use totally different apps.
Studying
The Boox Go 10.3 makes an ideal e-reader for studying books, comics, manga, PDF information, and different digital content material. It’s because it has a ten.3-inch and tons of actual property for all textual content to suit evenly throughout the display screen. Flipping pages is ultra-fast and even sooner should you have interaction in any pace modes from the E INK Management Centre. The picture high quality may be very pronounced, so if you’re searching for a multipurpose pill to learn, this one’s for you.
The e-reading expertise begins with the inventory app Neoreader, the place you may side-load all of your content material with many choices for font sizes, font kind, 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. Nonetheless, Amazon delivers manga in AZW3 and Kobo/Google by way of EPUB. You don’t want to fret about types should you set up apps reminiscent of VIZ or manga apps. It is usually essential to notice that Google Play Books can be put in by default, so you aren’t caught utilizing Neoreader by default.
This gadget excels at studying PDF information, whether or not replicas from a newspaper, Dungeons and Dragons supply materials and even studying workplace paperwork. You’ll be able to rapidly signal your tax returns or contract paperwork with a flourish of the stylus or use your fingers for handwriting. You’ll be able to rapidly fill in containers and write in fields. Manga can be glorious. Nonetheless, your mileage would possibly range relying on whether or not you employ a devoted app or side-load your content material.
The Go 10.3 shines if you entry Google Play and obtain your favorite apps. This offers you large flexibility and freedom to make use of no matter studying or information apps you normally use in your smartphone or pill. I do know many individuals all the time set up Libby to learn eBooks or take heed 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 all the time appears good and fairly, nevertheless it struggles on E INK gadgets because of the refresh challenge. Because of this 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. Over time, they’ve optimized many different apps however are likely to concentrate on the writing expertise on their in depth line of e-notes. The corporate has additionally made enhancements to a number of productiveness apps.
Onyx Boox has a bookstore on this gadget. Nonetheless, it primarily sells royalty-free books, the identical content material you’d discover simply looking the web or accessing websites like Undertaking Gutenberg. This bookstore is designed to get individuals studying instantly, however no bestsellers or books are paid for. You will need to obtain devoted apps to pay for books or use Google Play Books.
I believe the Go 10.3 make a lethal e-reader as a result of textual content and fonts pop when studying. I suppose that is due to the dearth of a front-lit show. There are fewer layers between the display screen and your eyes. This may be the very best pure studying pill Onyx has ever made. You would possibly purchase this for studying and never even use the accompanying stylus to take notes or draw. Nonetheless, you may attract books, which is useful.
Drawing
The Go 10.3 is a devoted digital note-taking gadget that permits you to draw freehand, make notes, or doodle in color. Eighteen color mixtures may be chosen, simply the first colors. If you find yourself completed drawing, it can save you the pocket book to the gadget, export it as a PNG or PDF file, and duplicate it to your PC/MAC. As soon as it’s opened in your pc, you may view the doc in all the colors you made.
While you need to draw one thing, there are a slew of pens and pencils and even different instruments like a mechanical pencil and highlighters, fountain pens, paintbrushes, ballpoint pens, or textual content. There are additionally line thickness settings to get thinner or thicker strains, however don’t neglect that the stylus has stress sensitivity, too.
One of many options I like is utilizing layers. This method is just like common photograph enhancing software program reminiscent of Adobe Photoshop. As an important characteristic that customers often require, layers will help individuals take notes with out ruining the templates and draw particulars whereas retaining the unique structure. The built-in Notes app presently helps you in including as much as 5 layers. Because the template is the bottom layer, you may concurrently have as much as six layers. By deciding on a template as the bottom layer, you can provide your work complete structure directions. You’ll be able to select from native house, cloud house, or customized templates in png format to present a web page a selected look.
However what else can it do? You should utilize screencast no matter is in your Tab Extremely C on to your PC. That is helpful throughout conferences or to indicate individuals what you’ve gotten been engaged on somewhat than crowding across the e-reader. Onyx additionally has a companion app Android, and they’re engaged on an IOS model. That is non-obligatory to make use of. It helps you to sync all the things on the Extremely C to your smartphone or out of your smartphone to the Be aware. Onyx additionally gives 10GB of cloud storage for all the things of their cloud. You solely want to make use of the companion app if you need smartphone integration.
There are just a few important options price mentioning. Paperwork can have 500 pages on them to have in depth notes. I additionally like saving your favorite pen settings to the complete UI, so you may choose each by tapping your finger on it or utilizing the stylus. For instance, Pen 1 can have a pencil with thick strains and be again. Pen 2 is usually a highlighter with RED and skinny strains; Pen 3 is usually a brush with thick strains. I additionally like how one can import footage from Dropbox or Google Drive into the notes, resize them in a message, and edit them.
You can begin drawing on PDF information as quickly as they’re loaded and save the edited file as a unique file title or overwrite the unique. You get a unique interface when enhancing PDF information than the usual drawing expertise on the note-taking app. Even with the Regular HD mode, I’ve by no means seen an Onyx Boox product carry out so effectively with PDF information. Web page turns are prompt, there is no such thing as a latency, and it’s like utilizing an iPad. Suppose you attempt pinching and zooming a PDF; a small notification window pops and asks should you ought to flip the operate on. Different Onyx fashions have this characteristic however are buried in varied sub-menus.
The Notes app gives extra highly effective instruments with fixed firmware updates than ever. You should utilize handwriting recognition (AI software) to rapidly remodel your handwritten notes into textual content. You may as well insert recordings, footage, attachments, and hyperlinks to an inside web page or an exterior web site to make your messages look vivid.
Wrap Up
To preface this, we’re confronted with an completely uncharacteristic Onyx gadget. Firms like Onyx and Bigme attempt or insist on including as many options as humanly attainable, even having redundant, overlapping, rapidly discontinued gadgets on the expense of 16 extra gigabytes of storage.
So, to our shock, Onyx makes one of the vital simplistic gadgets they’ve ever executed.
There isn’t a waterproofing, SD, Pogo pins, Carta 1300, fingerprint unlock, digital camera, or entrance mild.
Sure, it’s skinny, however that’s basically the place it begins and ends.
They stripped away all the things from considered one of their word items, particularly word 5, which resembles this unit based mostly on its aluminum construct development and has gone overly easy.
To be honest, they’ve shaved off, comparatively talking, a very good sum of money, round $130, in comparison with their different gadgets,
The unit has most Onyx consumer interface options, like cut up display screen, pace modes, Bluetooth, and no glow mild toggle.
It’s good that the glow mild layer just isn’t there from a viewer’s perspective, because the display screen appears larger as much as the floor, however that comes with some framing points, and a few UI components get reduce off due to the bezel.
It has Google Play and stereo audio system, which we had been pleasantly stunned at; you would use these to fill the room of a single occupant. And the pace modes are sufficient to take you thru actually any process.
Onyx Boox Go 10.3
$379.99
Execs
- 10-inch display screen with 300 PPI
- Google Play and Android 12
- Youngsters Mode
- Audio system and Bluetooth
- Stable studying expertise
Cons
- No SD
- No front-light
- Much like the Remakable
- AI Chatbot missing
- Many superior settings may be complicated
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 Instances have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
