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Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review: this Android ereader isn’t the page-turner I expected

10:08 am | August 15, 2024

Onyx Boox Go Color 7: Two-minute review

I’ve reviewed quite a few Boox ereaders over the last few years and have always been impressed by their design and the versatility of having Android as an operating system. The Go series carries on this tradition with the 7-inch Boox Go Color 7 ereader, which is essentially a color version of the Onyx Boox Page.

They’re both quite similar physically, featuring page-turn buttons on the wider bezel, flush screens and a plastic build, but the Go Color 7 features a textured rear panel that makes it grippier to hold, and that’s a good thing as it’s quite a thin device (6.4mm / 0.25 inch thickness). The texture also means you won’t see any fingerprints on the rear of the ereader but, sadly, the smooth front panel is a magnet for smudges.

Onyx says that the Go Color 7 is water resistant, but doesn’t provide any rating to suggest how much moisture it can survive. My suspicion is that it might just be splashproof and not submersible as the Kindles and Kobos are, but that’s better than the Page which has no waterproofing at all.

Physically, the Go Color 7 is a lovely device, although I personally would have preferred a little space between the two page-turn buttons, but that’s me nitpicking. What really lets this ereader down is its usability.

For starters, the black-and-white text, which has a resolution of 300ppi, lacks contrast and sharpness as compared to the Kobo Libra Colour, despite both ereaders using the same E Ink Kaleido 3 screen technology. Adding weight (or Enhancement as Onyx calls it) does absolutely nothing. Colors face a similar problem, and they’re noticeably more muted on the Boox compared to the Kobo, and any text in color comic panels, for example, isn't as sharp. If you make adjustments to the color, which Onyx lets you do but isn’t possible on the Kobo, they reveal a lot of texture on the page background that detracts from the reading experience.

That’s not to say the readability is bad – it could be better – but it’s compounded by a whole lot of other software flaws. For example: tap-to-turn doesn’t auto rotate when you turn the device (when you swap hands); the default fonts folder isn’t linked to Storage to make sideloaded fonts work easily; and you have to jump through hoops to use a wired connection for file transfers when using an Apple PC (MacBook or iMac).

These issues become cumulative and make using the Go Color 7 far from enjoyable and hard for me to recommend, at least not till Onyx releases firmware updates to fix some of the software problems that plagues this ereader. It also means that despite the versatility of having the Google Play Store at your fingertips, the higher price tag compared to its Kobo competitor doesn’t add any value.

A graphic novel page displayed on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review: price and availability

Announced June 2024
Launch price of $249.99 / €279.99 / AU$459
Available to buy directly from the Boox Shop and at select retailers

The Boox devices aren’t known for their affordability, but can offer bang for buck because of how versatile they can be on account of running Android. So it’s not surprising that the Boox Go Color 7 comes into the market with a price tag of $249.99 / €279.99 (about £239) / AU$459, which is the same price as the Boox Page (the B&W version of the Go) in the US and the European Union, but AU$40 more expensive in Australia. If you purchase it directly from the Boox Shop, it’s possible to get a little discount, but I think the Kobo Libra Colour offers more bang for your hard-earned buck.

With writing capabilities and a more optimized display that offers both superior sharpness and color saturation, in my opinion the Kobo Libra Colour for $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 is the better device. Even if you pay extra to buy the Kobo Stylus 2 to take advantage of the note-taking features, it’s still the better purchase on account of its more intuitive user experience and fewer software issues.

• Value score: 3 / 5

The native library app on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review: specs

Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review: design and display

Slim design with plastic build
Page-turn buttons
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display doesn’t seem to be optimized for reading

With a similar aesthetic to the Boox Page, the Go Color 7 has a lovely slim profile with an even thickness of only 6.4mm (0.25 inches). That’s just marginally thicker than the Page (6mm / 0.24 inches), but they both weigh in at a mere 195g and don’t put any pressure on the hand or wrist during long reading sessions.

The Go Color 7 takes it a step further by offering a little extra grip via a textured rear panel, which I found good to have as it makes holding the device a little more secure than the Page. However, I personally prefer the asymmetric thickness of the Kobo Libra series and the Kindle Oasis – this ensures your thumb is more securely placed on or near the page-turn buttons and is a little more ergonomic. With the Go Color 7 and the Page, I found I had to keep shifting my grip marginally every few minutes to avoid building up fatigue in the thumb joint and wrist. So while the slim profile is lovely to look at, it’s not ergonomic for single-hand use. I also think Onyx should consider adding a small gap between the two buttons – an issue I also had with the Page – to make each easier to find by touch and improve the ergonomics.

Etched branding on the rear of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — Subtle Boox branding on the rear of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What I really love about the buttons is the ability to customize them on a per-app basis. You can set one of three specific functions for all the apps you have on the device (including those downloaded from the Play Store), choosing between page-turn for library or reading apps, set them to scrolling (which is great for web browsing), or use them as volume controls for music or audiobooks. You can even set secondary functions for long presses if you want to via the Settings pane.

Despite having the page-turn buttons, you can use tap-to-turn via the screen if you prefer. However, I found that this functionality doesn’t auto-rotate when using NeoReader (the native library app). It does work for third-party reading apps like Kindle or Kobo, however.

Along with the page-turn buttons, the Go Color 7 also features a single speaker and a mic, housed at the top and bottom of the edge bordering the broader bezel. There’s even a microSD tray that can add more storage to the already-available 64GB. This is handy if you like audiobooks – audio files are typically larger than ebooks, so can eat through onboard storage quite quickly. The top edge houses a small power button.

I was sent the black Go Color 7 for this review, but there’s a white option as well which, I think, looks nicer – all the buttons are silver, adding a little life to the otherwise featureless plastic build. I also think that smudges and fingerprints will be a lot less visible on the white than on the black – the textured rear panel picks up nothing, but the top, smooth bezels are magnets for any oily substance on your fingertips.

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A thumb near the page-turn buttons of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — The page-turn buttons are close together on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The USB-C port, speaker and microSD tray on the side of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — A speaker and a microSD card add value to the Go Color 7 (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The rear panels of the Onyx Boox Page (right) and the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (right) — The smooth rear of the Onyx Boox Page (left) shows fingerprint smudges more than the textured rear of the Go Color 7 (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display is currently the best color e-paper screen tech available and has been used on my pick of the best ereader you can buy right now – the Kobo Libra Colour. The difference here is that the screen is set flush with the bezels on the Go Color 7, which makes it a little more reflective compared to the sunken display on the Kobo. It also means it picks up a lot of fingerprints when you use the screen for functions like tap-to-turn or the keyboard.

The screen is front-lit, with both white and amber LEDs, so you can adjust from cold to warm hues as you see fit. However, there’s no way to make this transition automatic at a specific time – as is available on the Kindle Oasis and several Kobo models – so that you read in colder light during the day and warmer light for evening or nighttime reading. That said, no Boox tablet has this feature, but you can always find your preferred brightness, then add in a little warmth to suit your needs and leave it at that.

I did, however, find that the screen light isn’t as bright as I’ve seen on other ereaders, Boox models included. For example, a side-by-side comparison with the Boox Page shows the latter can get a lot brighter at full bore, while the Go Color 7 looks like it’s barely at half brightness even though I’ve got the light turned up to the maximum. This isn’t a huge concern, but it could make a difference to some users when reading in certain light conditions.

My biggest concern with the Go Color 7’s display is its lack of sharpness in grayscale and comparatively low saturation when reading in color. I go into more detail in the User Experience section of this review, but it seems like Onyx hasn’t optimized the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen correctly for use. In comparison, the Kobo Libra Colour is sharper and the colors look better on the same screen tech.

• Design & display score: 3.5 / 5

The power button on the top of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go Color 7: Software

Slim version of Android 12
Full access to the Google Play Store
Microsoft OpenAI Azure GPT-3 available as an AI assistant

Onyx has been using Android as its operating system for a long while, with full Google Play Store access on its devices. The latest version of the OS to be used in Boox tablets is Android 12, which might seem outdated and can be deemed a security concern, but I doubt anyone will be using an ereader like the Go Color 7 for any sensitive transactions.

If you’ve used an Onyx Boox device before, you’ll be quite familiar with the setup on the Go Color 7 – nothing has really changed on that side of things. You get easy access to the library app, the bookstore, device storage, apps and settings via a navigation menu on the bottom of the home screen, and you can experiment with each of them quite easily. The bookstore, however, is not ideal as there’s really not a lot of options available to purchase, so you’re better off using the native browser to purchase content online, which then gets saved to the device.

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The Apps pane on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Text enhancements for comics and graphic novels in the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Settings available when reading a comic or graphic novel file on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

There’s a lot going on in the Settings pane, and that can take some time to wrap your head around, but there are settings for each native app as well, accessible when you open them. That said, some of these individual settings are hidden away, which isn’t ideal. The Apps pane is arguably the most intuitive section on the device, and it lists the Play Store separately. You just need to sign in and you’re ready to download any app you see fit for use on the Go Color 7 – in my case, I had the Kobo reading app installed, along with a couple of benchmarking applications I used to get more information on the device. I also downloaded a Mahjong game app for a bit of distraction.

There’s a customizable Floating Toolbar in the library app that I really like. It gives me quick access to some shortcuts, particularly the font styling and menu options for each book. While you can sideload fonts, you will need to create a new Fonts folder within the Storage pane for them to get activated – the existing Fonts folder listed in the Storage menu is not linked correctly and doesn’t work – just one of Boox’s many software failings on the Go Color 7, but this issue plagues all of Onyx’s tablets.

A hand holding the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can use a wired connection to transfer files, but I found that Apple devices like MacBooks and iMacs don’t register a Boox device – it’s only possible on a Windows PC. Again, another software issue. I’ve found that the best way to add content to the Go Color 7 is wirelessly by either using BooxDrop or signing into a supported cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive. However, files downloaded via the cloud don’t seem to get stored anywhere on the device – when plugged into a Windows PC, I found the library to be empty despite having ‘downloaded’ a bunch of EPUB files. Checking the breadcrumbs on the device for the files also show no pathways. I even tried an app called File Manager+ to find the files, but to no avail. So while I can open and read the files I’ve transferred, I actually can’t find them within the device’s internal pathways – another software issue that I haven’t come across on other Boox tablets previously.

To change things up on the Go Series of Boox tablets, Onyx has added an AI Assistant app. This is essentially Microsoft’s OpenAI Azure GPT and you can get it to write you a short story or start a simple conversation. It works fine, but I think it’s superfluous – I never found the need to use it, but did so only for testing purposes.

• Software score: 3 / 5

A graphic novel page displayed on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) and the Kobo Libra Colour (right) — Colors on the Kobo Libra Colour (right) have a touch more saturation than the Go Color 7 (left) and a lot of grain/texture is visible on the Onyx too (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go Color 7: User experience

Nice to use in one hand
Clunky, overwhelming interface
Screen not optimized for readability

One of the best things about a Boox tablet is the native file support, which is handy because you can sideload a heck of a lot of files to read on the Go Color 7. New here is the addition of one used in China for some academic journals, so while it may not have wider appeal, it takes the document file support to 20 – one more than the older models of Boox tablets.

However, having extensive file (and font) support only goes so far if the screen itself hasn’t been fully optimized for reading – the main function that the Go Color 7 should be good at. I found that despite the 7-inch screen having a 300ppi resolution for black-and-white text, the displayed page lacked sharpness and contrast. Edges are fuzzy when compared to the Boox Page and the Kobo Libra Colour, and the latter uses the exact same screen tech.

Onyx allows you to add weight to the text – it’s called Enhancements and is available in the NeoReader (the default library app) settings – but it does absolutely nothing. And I do mean nothing – as you slide to enhance text, there is no visible change at all. This isn’t a problem with the Boox Page, it works just fine there, even for sideloaded fonts. And a side-by-side comparison with the Kobo Libra Colour revealed a marked difference in contrast between the two competitors that you can see in the image below.

Two comic screenshots from Boox Go Color 7 and Kobo Libra Colour — A closer look at the difference in color saturation and page texture between the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) and the Kobo Libra Colour (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The optimization (or lack thereof) of the screen also affects the color saturation which, compared to the Kob Libra Colour is lacking. However, unlike the text Enhancements, the color customizations work. Some users might like the changes these offer, but I personally didn’t like any of the tweaks I made, but I should note that this was because I also had the Libra Colour in front me at the same time and much preferred the default color settings there – so I will admit to a bias in this case.

I tried adjusting the screen’s light to see if that helped with the display issues but the Boox frontlight system isn’t as bright as what you’d find on the latest Kobos or Kindles. Moreover, the light on the Boox is a lot bluer than on a Kobo or Kindle, which I personally didn’t find pleasing. That said, the Boox allows much more warmth to be added to the frontlight compared to a Kobo or Kindle, which can turn a page entirely yellow. If that’s not to your liking, you can opt to read in dark mode, which will reverse the grayscale display colors but not affect anything in full color.

The dull screen of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) beside the brighter screen of the Onyx Boox Page (right) — The Onyx Boox Page (right) has a brighter screen light at the same setting than the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The device can be set to automatically rotate orientation when you swap hands, which also swaps the page-turn buttons accordingly. What it doesn’t do is automatically change the tap-to-turn functionality, which is strange as it works fine on the Boox Page – another software failing on the Go Color 7.

This isn’t the first software issue I’ve listed – all the previous issues I’ve noted previously in this review have a cumulative effect on the user experience, making it rather difficult to recommend the Go Color 7 to anyone looking for a new ereader. Some of these niggles can be solved via firmware updates but Onyx isn’t very good at fixing existing problems, so I won’t be holding my breath.

A page of an ebook displayed on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) and the Kobo Libra Colour (right) — The image doesn't do it justice, but the text on the Kobo Libra Colour (left) is sharper than the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) when using the exact same font (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with all Boox tablets, the user interface requires some getting used to – there’s a lot happening here and it would be nice if Onyx could figure out a way to simplify the settings. Some important settings – like those from NeoReader – are hidden away while there are other not-so-important features that take center stage – like choice of servers (which automatically connects you to the closest option as soon as you set up the device). Using NeoReader as the default library app is also not the most enjoyable – there’s a lot of information included on a page that can be distracting. I’m referring to the battery, time, page numbers and the like shown on the screen when you’re reading. You can choose specific combinations of these, but I found them all to be overkill for a library app – I would prefer to be given the option to select individual bits of information that I want to see rather than combinations (or pairs) of them, just so I can reduce the clutter on a page.

I no longer expect finesse from Onyx’s user interface but what makes these little niggles stand out even more is the Go Color 7’s other software flaws.

• User experience score: 3.5 / 5

Text styles and enhancements for ebooks on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review: Performance

Not a lot of ghosting
Impressive battery life
Snappy screen responsiveness

Despite the software problems plaguing this ereader, the Go Color 7 performs well – so well, in fact, that this is the first Onyx device that I’ve tested that hasn’t made me complain about ghosting. That’s not to say it’s entirely gone, but of all the very many Boox tablets I’ve tested over the years, this has the least amount of ghosting issues. It’s most prevalent when using the AI Assistant app, where the keyboard invariably has an underlay of the graphics visible when the app is first opened, and then the shadow of the keyboard remains when the AI-generated response is displayed. That said, I think the AI Assistant app is superfluous on an ereader and really didn’t use it much, so the ghosting didn’t bother me overmuch.

The Go Color 7 uses the 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor that has been used to previously power budget phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11, Samsung Galaxy A53, Oppo Reno 7 and Realme 9 – when used in a low-power device like an ereader, it’s more than enough to run it smoothly. Paired with an Adreno 610 graphics chip, the Boox Go Color 7 has the exact same specs as the note-taking 10-inch Onyx Boox Note Air 3, which also performed quite well in our tests.

I didn’t notice any lag in opening apps, nor were there any problems with rapidly switching between apps or features. The screen is very responsive, whether you’re tapping to turn a page or typing something via the on-screen keyboard. In fact, it has one of the fastest response times when using the on-screen keyboard to type – it’s still not quite real-time and I don’t expect it to be, but it’s as close to that as is possible for an e-paper display to be.

The Onyx Boox Go Color 7 beside the white Kobo Libra Colour — The black Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (left) beside the slightly larger, white Kobo Libra Colour (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Like other Boox devices, you can, in theory, watch videos and play some mobile games on the Go Color 7, but don’t expect refresh rates and graphics like you’d see on your phone or tablet – E Ink screens aren’t optimized for real-time responsiveness. Even a simple task like scrolling through social media or even the Play Store can cause a few little hiccups as the refresh rate is not high enough for these kinds of tasks. That said, it’s good enough to play something like Solitaire or Mahjong, or browse the internet.

And even with internet usage, there’s more than enough battery life to last you a few weeks before requiring a top-up. There’s a decent 2,300mAh battery pack in the Go Color 7 and, in my tests, that gave me about 5 weeks of use before the level dropped to 19%, and included approximately two hours of reading each day, about 80 minutes of browsing or mobile games and about 3 hours of audio listening. This was also with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched on at all times, the frontlight set at a little over 50% brightness and the system refresh rate set to 5 taps. That’s not too bad considering I also saw about a 12% battery drain while the device was sleeping across the same time period of 5 weeks.

Topping up the battery takes approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes – that’s with the device plugged into a 65W wall charger and using a USB-A to C cable. If you use a PC dock to plug in the Go Color 7 for a charge, note that this will take a very long time as a dock may not offer the 5W of power needed for normal charging speeds. For example, during my testing, the Go Color 7 took about 9 hours to go from 0% to 100% when plugged into an Anker PC dock.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Fingerprint smudges on the broader bezel of the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 — Smudges and fingerprints are visible on the smooth broad bezel near the page-turn buttons (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go Color 7?

Buy it if...

You want a slim, lightweight ereader

The Go Color 7 is one of the slimmest 7-inch ereaders I’ve tested. It’s also compact and quite light, making it ideal for carrying around.

You like the option of having physical page-turn buttons

The advantage of having physical page-turn buttons on an ereader is that it makes it easy to use single-handed. The Go Color 7 takes it a step further by giving you the option to customize the buttons for other functions, and on a per-app basis too. That’s a lot of versatility.

Don't buy it if...

You care about user experience

As nice as it is physically, the Go Color 7 has too many software flaws that make the user experience far from enjoyable.

Value for money is important

It’s not too expensive for a color ereader, but it doesn’t offer as much as some of its competition. For example, you can get writing features, better sharpness and more saturation from the Kobo Libra Colour at a slightly lower price.

Also consider

If this review has you wondering if there are other options you can check out instead of the Go Color 7, take a look at the three alternatives below. They're great alternatives at approximately the same price point, although note that the Kindle option listed here is from 2019 and Amazon has slowly been removing it from some markets.

Kobo Libra Colour

Arguably the best color ereader on the market, with a streamlined, easy-to-use interface and the note-taking features, the Kobo Libra Colour is also slightly cheaper than the Go Color 7.

Onyx Boox Page

It may not have a color display, but if that’s not an issue, the Boox Page is a better Onyx choice than the Go Color 7. It doesn’t suffer from all the same issues as its Go-series cousin, and has sharper text and a brighter light for better readability.

Amazon Kindle Oasis

It’s a little long in the tooth now, but if the page-turn buttons are important to you, then the Oasis is one gorgeous ereader with a metal chassis. In terms of overall performance, it will be a little slower than newer models, but it’s the ereader that pioneered the asymmetric design that’s perfect for single-hand use.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Go Color 7

A book cover displayed on the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 while lying on a pile of physical books — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Used as daily ereader for approximately 7 weeks
Sideloaded books, music files and fonts via cloud transfer
Use the AI Assistant to write short stories

As soon as I received the Go Color 7 for this review, I signed into my existing Onyx account to sync files and documents I had on my previous device, then logged into the Google Play Store. I downloaded the Kobo app to access my purchases so I could read and listen to them on the Go Color 7, then downloaded a couple of benchmarking applications – CPU X and Geekbench 6.

I ‘bound’ my Google Drive account to the device to access ebooks I have saved on the cloud, but also used the desktop version of Onyx’s BooxDrop to sideload more content for reading. I had a mix of ebooks and comics, plus a few audiobooks and music files on the device.

I used the Go Color 7 for approximately 7 weeks as my regular ereader, during which time I charged it twice. I also compared it directly with the Onyx Boox Page and the Kobo Libra Colour, both of which I’ve previously tested for TechRadar.

I didn’t find a lot of use for the AI Assistant application but used it a couple of times by asking it to write me short stories based on a premise I provided.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed August 2024]

Onyx Boox Note Air 3 review: upgraded E Ink notetaker trades slickness for versatility

3:46 am | July 23, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: AU, Google Play Store | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Two-minute review

Onyx’s Boox Note Air 3 may not be the Chinese company’s thinnest e-paper tablet (having been usurped by the recently announced Boox Go 10.3), but this slim and comfortable Android device still has plenty of appeal for anyone after a flexible way to create digital handwritten notes.

With a sleek and relatively thin chassis, plus a slightly asymmetrical design, the Note Air 3 is great to hold and, despite its large size, can be comfortably supported with just one hand for both reading or writing. The monochrome E Ink Carta 1200 display is the same one used broadly across many other 10-inch epaper devices, and performs well when it comes to handwriting with the included stylus or text-based productivity and entertainment tasks. Being black and white, it’s not as geared towards highly visual tasks – images can sometimes be hard to make out – and if you’re after a device where you can highlight and mark up text with bright hues, then you’ll likely be better off with the color version – the Note Air 3 C.

With ‘Note’ right in its name, this is obviously a tablet geared towards productivity, and it’s undeniably a wiz when it comes to taking hand-written notes, with a full-featured app that allows a lot of sophistication and customization for both editing and sharing your documents. Editing features include the basics you’d expect, with a variety of notepad templates (from standard ruled lines to checklists or grid paper) and pen styles, alongside expected smart features like layers, shapes and converting handwritten notes to digital text. But beyond that, there’s advanced capabilities like being able to paste images or insert web links (or links to other on-device documents) and even record voice memos directly into notes. Note files can also optionally be saved as vector-based PDFs, then automatically synced to several cloud storage or online note-taking platforms (including Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, OneNote and more) for easy access on other devices.

Reading on the Note Air 3 is more of a mixed affair. While the integrated NeoReader app is admirably full featured and capably renders a variety of document and image formats (including ePub, PDF, Mobi, TXT, HTML, JPEG, PNG and plenty more) and there’s a large library of freely downloadable public domain books, there’s no ebook store from which to purchase titles. To satisfy your thirst for new titles, you’ll need to resort to third-party sources such as the Kindle or Kobo stores. If those platforms have an Android app, you can read your books in that, but otherwise you’ll need to manually copy your purchased ebooks over, either from your PC via USB or synced from a cloud storage service. (And if those ebooks happen to have digital rights management applied, then you’ll need to jump through hoops to remove that too.)

Onyx Boox Note Air 3 home screen and stylus on the open case — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

With the capacity to install Android apps straight from the Google Play Store, the Note Air 3’s capabilities can be expanded well beyond competing devices from brands like reMarkable, Kindle and Kobo – although there’s a big caveat here, in that not all of them are entirely usable on a black-and-white E Ink display. Any app that requires fast on-screen motion provides a middling experience at best – you’ll have to choose between smooth motion and significant ghosting, or juddering movement but clearer images. Certain color combinations can result in parts of user interfaces that are completely unusable too and, because tablet apps are optimized for LCD or OLED screens, on e-paper you’ll find fonts are often fuzzy or have ragged edges, lacking the sharpness of an app made with E Ink rendering in mind. The Note Air 3 fares best with high-contrast Android apps that avoid any kind of on-screen scrolling or video – which, thankfully, does include many productivity and reading apps.

Driving the Note Air 3 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor. Although this is an aging midrange chip, it provides enough power to deliver a generally speedy and frustration-free user experience here. And the battery life is fantastic thanks to a 3,700mAh capacity, meaning that, even with daily use, it can last a minimum of a week between charges – and sometimes between 2-3 weeks when used for an hour or two per day.

When it comes to price and overall value, the Note Air 3 likewise generally impresses. At $399.99 / €449.99 (about £380) / AU$749, in most territories it’s roughly the same price as competing devices like the reMarkable 2 and Kobo Elipsa 2E, and although it’s not as polished when it comes to UX and UI, the fact that it’s running Android means it’s unmatched for versatility.

Although it’s a bit rough-and-ready in parts, the Note Air 3 is ultimately a likeable and supremely flexible and full-featured e-paper tablet. It nails note-taking and can be easily integrated with a wide range of third-party cloud and productivity platforms, so it’s an easy recommendation if those are your primary needs.

The apps section on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Price and availability

Announced and shipping since December 2023
Standard bundle: $399.99 / €449.99 (about £380) / AU$749
Premium Stylus bundle: $479.98 / €529.98 (about £447) / unavailable in AU

The Note Air 3 starts at $399.99 / €449.99 (about £380) / AU$749 for the standard bundle, which includes Onyx’s basic stylus (without the eraser), five replacement stylus tips and a faux-leather folio case. In the US and Europe, you’ve also got the option to upgrade to the Premium stylus bundle for an additional $79.99 / €79.99 which, as the name suggests, adds in one of Onyx’s Pen2 Pro styluses, albeit at their normal retail price – there’s no discount being offered.

It’s worth noting that if you buy the Note Air 3 directly from Onyx or at Amazon in the US, it’s almost always discounted – during my months-long testing of the device, the US price was regularly reduced to $379.99 at the Onyx store, for example. Australians may also be better off buying the device directly from Onyx’s online store in US currency versus local retail, where there’s a considerable AU$150 mark up.

Given that discounting, the Note Air 3’s price is fairly competitive for a 10-inch note-taking e-reader – although the Note Air 3’s US price makes it more expensive than Amazon’s similar Kindle Scribe ($339.99), it matches the Kobo Elipsa 2E and reMarkable 2 (both around $399), and none of these competitors include a case, which usually adds a minimum of $50 to the price.

There’s also a color version of the Note Air 3, which costs an additional $100 / €100 / AU$170.

Value score: 3.5 / 5

The Onyx Boox Note Air 3 enclosed within a faux leather case — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Key specs

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Design and display

Thin design that’s easy to hold one-handed
Built-in frontlights for use in dim lighting
Stylus detaches too easily

At first glance, the Note Air 3 appears very similar to its Air 2 predecessor and its two most notable upgrades are invisible ones that reside under the hood – a 20% faster processor and bigger battery (3,700mAh vs 3,000mAh). In many other respects the Air 3 is almost identical to its forebear – its 10.3-inch E Ink display uses the same generation of Carta 1200 e-paper tech with a resolution of 227 pixels per inch, and the aluminum-magnesium alloy chassis is basically indistinguishable when it comes to both looks and dimensions – although the color has been dialed down slightly, going from a dark metallic blue to a greenish gunmetal grey. The Air 3 is 40g heavier than its predecessor, coming in at 460g on our scales, with the extra weight likely due to that larger capacity battery.

While it’s not as physically wafer-thin as the 4.7mm reMarkable 2 or Onyx’s newly announced 4.6mm Boox Go 10.3, the Note Air 3 is still slim for an e-paper tablet, measuring just 5.8mm thick. And critically, that width squeezes in frontlights for screen illumination – a feature both the reMarkable and Boox Go 10.3 lack – and that makes the Note Air 3 more versatile, particularly when you’re working or reading in dimmer lighting.

If you’re tossing up between the Note Air 3 and one of Onyx’s Tab Ultras, I found the Air 3’s thinner profile and wider left-side bezel made it a considerably more comfortable device to use. That wider bezel (measuring 28mm vs the Boox Tab Ultra C’s 20mm), in particular, means it’s much easier to hold in one hand for both reading and writing, and its 5.8mm thickness means it’s a bit less obtrusive when sitting on a table too – the Tab Ultra C is 6.7mm.

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The USB-C charging port on the side of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The fingerprint sensor is flush against the top edge of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Likewise, the rounded edges on all four sides mean handling the Note Air 3 is generally friendlier, although those curves do come with an unfortunate side effect: even with magnets to help hold it in place, the stylus only loosely attaches on the right edge and often sits slightly off-kilter. The fatter and squarer edges on many competitors’ e-ink tablets (and even Onyx’s own Tab Ultras) provide more surface area for stylus magnets to grip onto. Conversely, it’s very easy for the stylus to fall off the Note Air 3. Storing the tablet in a bag or even just carrying or moving the device about with a bit of jostling is enough for the stylus to detach.

To its credit, the Note Air 3’s folio case (which comes included in the box) does hold the stylus far more securely thanks to a clasp it nestles inside, although using the case also adds an extra 260g to the carry weight and doubles the device’s thickness. If you don’t plan on using that case however, you really do need to be careful about stowing the pen separately.

Onyx has made one extra addition to the Note Air 3 that you won’t find on any other Boox devices: a fingerprint reader on the power button. This makes unlocking the device a little more seamless if you want to keep it secure (you’ll otherwise be tapping in a pin every time) and, in testing, I generally found it worked well about 90% of the time, but occasionally required a rescan or two to recognize my fingerprint, particularly when using the device in its folio case.

Design & display score: 4 / 5

The Boox Pen Plus placed on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Software and user interface

Productivity

Powerful and flexible note-taking capabilities
Great support for cloud storage and notes services
Interface still a little inelegant

Onyx has heavily streamlined the Android interface on the Note Air 3 so it revolves around reading and note-taking. Instead of the typical home screen with app icons and widgets, the default interface has a menu bar that runs down the left edge of the screen, with icons that will jump you to one of six screens – Library, Store, Notes, Storage, Apps and Settings.

Those sections largely do what you’d expect, letting you browse, view and manage various elements. Library, for example, is the central place for reading, with access to any documents, ebooks, digital comics, presentations or images you’ve saved into the device’s Library folder, while the Apps pane displays all the Android applications you’ve downloaded, also letting you uninstall them or sort them into groups. Storage is where you can go for basic on-device file management, with shortcuts to key folders (Downloads, Documents, Images and Fonts, for example) or just straight access to the device’s full filesystem.

Notes is the key section here as it’s where you can create, browse, search and open notepads, and optionally move, delete or organize them into folders and subfolders. With more than half a dozen e-paper tablets under Onyx’s belt, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Note Air 3 delivers a mature and feature-laden note-taking experience. It offers all the basic features you’d expect, starting with a range of different notepad templates in various categories (ranging from standard lined notes to grid paper and checklists), five different pen styles with various thickness settings and colors (yes, on a monochrome display, and they’re named so you know what color you’re using) and inherent capabilities like undoing or redoing changes and converting handwritten notes to text.

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A section of handwriting circled within a note on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The lasso tool on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Handwriting recognition working on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Handwriting recognition on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

There’s a ton of advanced capabilities beyond these basics, such as editing shortcuts like gestures (scribbling over a word or drawing will erase it, for example, and you can draw a ring around a piece of text or object to ‘lasso’ and move it around within a note, or even copy or cut it to paste into an entirely separate document), the ability to add tappable links within a note’s body to link to websites or other notebooks on the device, and the optional capacity to sync vector-based PDF versions of your notepads to a wide variety of cloud storage services and note-taking apps (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneDrive and OneNote). There’s also a built-in text-search feature that works on hand-written notes – even those that have never explicitly been converted into text.

In terms of the physical interface, not much has changed between the Note Air 3 and its predecessor – and that’s a good thing. While basic, the ridged stylus is comfortable to hold and write with on screen, and the display provides enough of a matte texture and friction to at least vaguely mimic paper.

While Onyx’s UI and UX aren’t quite as slick or clean as what you’ll find on Kobo, Kindle or reMarkable’s note takers, the Note Air 3 arguably makes up for that with an admirably large and flexible set of tools that can more easily integrate with your existing productivity workflow and apps.

Productivity score: 4.5 / 5

Reading

Opens a huge range of file types
Lackluster font support
Store app only offers public domain titles

The reading experience on the Note Air 3 is a bit more of a mixed affair. If you’re viewing one of the plethora of supported document or image types (which includes the likes of ePub, PDF, Mobi, Word Doc, TXT, RTF, HTML, CBR, CBZ, PowerPoint, JPEG, BMP and PNG) and you’ve opened it via the Library or Storage screens, it’s displayed using Onyx’s native NeoReader app. NeoReader has been tailor-built for e-paper screens, so fonts are generally crisp and well-defined and, like you’ll find on Kindle and Kobo, there’s a lot of leeway for customizing things like font size and weight, or the spacing of paragraphs, line and margins. You can also leave handwritten notes directly on document pages – provided there’s clear space to do so, which is quite easy to add simply by increasing that line, paragraph or margin spacing.

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The NeoReader's floating toolbar on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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A book page displayed on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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A book page displayed on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 with the floating toolbar accessible — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Where the Note Air 3 reading experience disappoints is in its lack of onboard fonts – there’s only one English font included (an unnamed serif) and this doesn’t have dedicated type subsets for weights or style variations, like bold and italic. When needed, those styles are applied by digitally manipulating the original font – italics just lazily tilts the text to the left by a certain percentage, for example. Sideloaded third-party fonts are treated the same way, with NeoReader offering no capacity for properly loading full font families – something that both Kobo and Kindle do support. If you’re a diehard font nerd, this makes reading on the Note Air 3 (or indeed any Onyx E Ink device) a decidedly second-rate experience. It's a puzzling oversight, and one that's gone frustratingly unaddressed by Onyx for years.

Unlike Kindle and Kobo, the integrated Boox Store doesn’t actually sell any books. There’s a large selection of public domain titles that you can download for free, but you won’t find any modern bestsellers, so you’ll need to purchase any books you want to read on third-party stores and either use that platform’s Android app (if one’s available), or sideload them via USB or cloud storage. Sideloading may also first require you to jump through some hoops to strip the book’s DRM, if it has any.

Reading score: 3.5 / 5

Android system & apps

Highly customized Android interface
Full access to the Google Play Store
App usability varies

Of course, with its Android OS, the Note Air 3’s big advantage over other brands’ E Ink tablets is that it can download apps from the Google Play Store, unlocking capabilities beyond what you’ll find on devices like the Kindle Scribe, Kobo Elipsa 2E and reMarkable 2. How useful that actually is depends on the specific apps you want to use, in particular how friendly their UI design is to E Ink displays, and how reliant they are on real-time responsiveness. Although its mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is technically enough to handle them, the Note Air 3 is not a device I’d ever use for watching videos or real-time gaming, for example.

Productivity apps fare a bit better. Thanks to that Android OS, you can theoretically use any note-taking or document system you want that has an Android app – that includes the likes of Notion, Obsidian, Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, Google Docs and more. It’s worth noting that native handwriting support can be hit and miss in these apps however, so if you’re heavily invested in one of the systems, I’d strongly suggest researching this first.

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The folders within the Storage pane of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The Control Center overlaid over a book's page on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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A collection of notebooks within the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The library app of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The other caveat is that Android apps are almost universally designed to work on LCD- or OLED-based color screens – and E Ink doesn’t always respond well to this. Small text and soft colors are difficult for black-and-white E Ink to handle, for example, and font rendering in Android apps can also be hit and miss on e-paper – in both the Kobo and Kindle apps, for example, the edges of fonts are fuzzy and jagged rather than sharp.

I tested over a dozen different apps for this review and found that while most were generally usable, those with high-contrast interfaces worked best. Certain color combinations can result in parts of the UI being invisible in some apps and just how impactful that is depends on how central that UI element is.

To help with general navigation and app switching, the Note Air 3 supports some of Android’s native swipe gestures (swiping from the center bottom of the screen will close the app you’re in, for example, while swiping from the left side in goes Back) and also includes Onyx’s optional NaviBall button – a small circle that can be moved around the screen and overlays whatever app you’re in. Tap it and it quickly expands a selection of up to nine reconfigurable buttons which can trigger around 30 different Android functions – things like mimicking Back, Refresh and Multitask Switcher buttons, toggling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, taking a screenshot and more.

Android system & apps score: 4 / 5

The different shortcuts accessible via the Navball on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Note Air 3: Performance

Adequately speedy for reading and note-taking
E Ink display limits usability of some apps
Significant ghosting if refresh rate set too high

The Note Air 3 runs on a mid-range 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset. Paired with an Adreno 610 graphics processor, that’s plenty of horsepower for core tasks like reading and note taking without any real lag. When writing, there’s no noticeable delay between putting the stylus to screen and the digital ink appearing on the page, for example, and browsing and opening notebooks and other documents (including images) generally takes no more than a few seconds. Launching and using Android apps is likewise fast enough that you never feel like you’re stuck waiting.

There’s a wrinkle to performance, however, in that e-paper is not designed for real-time responsiveness, so if you try to use the Note Air 3 like a regular tablet, you’re quickly going to bump up against that limitation. As we noted earlier, tasks like scrolling through social media, watching videos and playing fast-paced games are all lackluster experiences on the Boox’s black-and-white E Ink screen – it’s simply not fast enough to keep up with the high rate of on-screen motion that’s required.

As on its other Boox devices, Onyx has tried to remedy this shortcoming by having a built-in tool that lets you switch between five different screen refresh rates on a per-app basis. When choosing a refresh rate, you’re basically making a trade-off between faster on-screen responsiveness – making scrolling web pages and motion in videos and games smoother and with less image flickering – at the cost of ghosting. The default setting works well for most reading and note-taking apps, and gives you a fairly traditional e-paper experience: slower and more juddering on-screen motion and image flickering, but with fairly minimal ghosting.

A handwritten page on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

For third-party apps, the idea is that you’ll experiment to find a setting that works well for the specifical app you’re using. Web browsers (where you’re moving between pages with entirely different content and doing a lot of scrolling up and down) are more pleasant and responsive if you bump up the refresh rate, although if you go too far, you’ll end up with significant ghosting – so much so that some people might find it distractingly unusable. An iPad replacement this is not.

One area where the Note Air 3 is not lacking is battery life, with that large 3,700mAH capacity outclassing most other 10-inch ereaders. There’s minimal drain while the tablet is sleeping (and almost none if completely switched off) and when using the device for about an hour a day at medium screen brightness, I would often go an impressive 2-3 weeks between recharges. While the battery will drain more quickly depending on usage (writing with the stylus has more of an impact than reading), even with 2-3 hours a day of mixed tasks, the battery easily lasted a week. Charging the battery from nearly empty to full does require a bit of patience however, taking around 2.5 hours.

Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Note Air 3?

Buy it if…

You want a flexible digital note-taking device
Continuing Onyx’s reputation for building highly capable note-taking devices, the Note Air 3 lets you create sophisticated digital notebooks, then easily sync them with other cloud storage and productivity platforms.

You want to run specific Android apps
With the ability to install Android apps from the Google Play Store, the Note Air 3’s capabilities for both work and entertainment can be expanded well beyond most other e-paper tablets.

You’re OK with a bit of inelegance
Boox devices often have a rough-and-ready approach to getting things done, and the Note Air 3 certainly fits that bill. It offers a plethora of features and tools, but that diversity means it’s sometimes not as polished or refined as other brands’ ereaders.

Don’t buy it if…

You only need basic note taking
If your note-keeping needs are relatively simple, the Note Air 3 is likely going to be overkill, and you might appreciate the slicker and more minimal experience offered by a note-capable Kobo or Kindle device.

You want a large-screen ereader
The Note Air 3 really is a device geared towards note taking, so if you don’t plan on using it for that purpose, then there are arguably better and cheaper alternatives, such as the Kindle Scribe or Kobo Elipsa 2E.

You want to use apps that need a high refresh rate
While it might be sized like a tablet and provide full access to the Google Play Store, the e-paper display on the Note Air 3 limits how usable it is with apps that require fast on-screen motion. It’s not great for scrolling web pages, watching videos or playing real-time 3D games.

Also consider

If this review of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 has left you wondering if it’s right for you, I’ve listed a few other alternatives below, complete with specs and price comparison, so you can choose the best option for you.

Amazon Kindle Scribe
Amazon’s one and only note-taking ereader arguably has one of the best screens on a 10-inch e-paper tablet. It’s bright, and its 300ppi resolution makes reading on it a pleasure. Where it falls short is in its note-taking features – while Amazon has been adding to the Scribe’s capabilities, they’re still a little niche compared to its biggest rival, the Kobo Elipsa 2E (listed below).
Read our in-depth Amazon Kindle Scribe review for more details.

Kobo Elipsa 2E
Balancing both digital reading and note-taking well, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is our pick of the best large-screen ereader you can buy today. Kobo’s Advanced Notebook features can compete with what Onyx Boox tablets offer without being too complicated, and its handwriting recognition is one of the best in the business. While reading on the Kindle Scribe might be better, the Elipsa 2E surpasses in writing features.
Read our full Kobo Elipsa 2E review to find out more.

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C
If you want a similar experience to what the Note Air 3 offers but not too enthused by its size, you can opt for a 7.8-inch Boox e-paper tablet with a color screen instead. While it might be smaller, it is bulkier on account of its large battery, and it runs Android 11 out of the box rather than Android 12. It also costs about as much as the Note Air 3, but you do get to read, write and draw in color. And, for now, it’s our pick of the best Android ereader.
Read our in-depth Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review to learn more.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Note Air 3

Used for business and personal note-taking for 3+ months
Read ebooks and articles and tested various Android apps and games
Compared with similar size e-paper tablets with note-taking capabilities

A person writing on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I jumped into testing the Note Air 3 by incorporating it into my daily work activities for several months, using it to create a wide variety of handwritten documents, including meeting notes, to-do lists and even the notes for this review.

For productivity tasks and note taking, I primarily used Boox’s own Notes app and set it up to use the Note Air 3’s in-built cloud-syncing capabilities with services including Dropbox, Microsoft OneNote and Google Drive. I also tested several third-party Android productivity apps including OneNote and Evernote to see how they fared on an E Ink screen when using a stylus as the primary input device.

To assess reading on the tablet, I loaded a variety of PDF documents and ePub books onto the device and opened them in the native reader app, NeoReader, judging areas like text legibility, customizability of fonts and other layout elements.

Lastly, to test how the Note Air 3 fared with the widely varying requirements of Android apps, I downloaded and used a wide range of popular examples, from video-driven services like YouTube and TikTok, to charting games, read-it-later services like Pocket, and RSS readers such as Feedly and NewsBlur.

Kobo Clara BW: Two-minute review

The Kobo Clara BW is the first big-brand ereader to feature the latest E Ink grayscale screen tech. While the screen resolution remains at the standard 300ppi, the E Ink Carta 1300 display promises a 25% increase in screen responsiveness and better contrast than the previous Carta 1200 panels being used in the current crop of ereaders, and these improvements are on full display on the Clara BW.

I initially began using the ereader without removing the plastic screen protector that comes stuck on newly-purchased tablets, and every light tap was registered by the Clara BW with the function correctly implemented. That’s an improvement over the Kobo Clara 2E and the base Amazon Kindle (2022) model, both of which sport the Carta 1200 screen and did have a few misses when I tried them with the sticky plastic film still on.

There’s also a visible difference in contrast between older 6-inch models using the Carta 1200 screen and the Clara BW, meaning the text on the device appears sharper and clearer, no matter how small or large you like your fonts to be, or how bright you set the frontlight. And that makes reading on the Clara BW an absolute pleasure, although some users might prefer a slightly larger screen.

The Kobo interface, as always, is easy to use and navigate around, which adds to the Clara BW’s appeal, and the ecosystem doesn’t keep you as locked in as Amazon does with its Kindles. Where you do get locked in with Kobo is audiobook support – the only ones a Bluetooth-enabled Kobo ereader will play are those purchased from the Kobo Store or downloaded as part of a Kobo Plus subscription.

Unfortunately, there’s no support for cloud file transfers via either Google Drive or Dropbox, as is available on the Kobo Libra Colour – you can, however, easily sideload content via a USB-C cable linking the device to a laptop or PC. You do, of course, get OverDrive support to borrow digital content from a public library that supports the platform.

It's also a shame that Kobo hasn’t improved the battery life or increased the storage from 16GB. It also still uses a 1GHz processor. While none of these affect how good the ereader is, it does make a difference to the overall value of the Clara BW over its color sibling, the Kobo Clara Colour. With similar specs but a color display, the Clara Colour costs more, but offers you a little more too.

That said, if you don’t need a color screen, then the Clara BW is competitively priced considering it’s boasting a much-improved display, and the ability to repair it to prolong its lifespan makes it easy to recommend to anyone looking for their first ereader.

An audiobook on the Kobo Clara BW with a pair of true wireless earphones — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Kobo Clara BW review: price and availability

Announced April 2024
Launch price of $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95
Repair kits and guides available from iFixit

Available to buy now directly from Kobo for $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95 apiece, the Clara BW is only a little more expensive than the 2022 release of the Amazon Kindle (which costs $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 for the non-ads option), despite boasting a better screen. That’s good value for money where performance is concerned.

To give it another point of comparison, the Kobo Clara 2E had a launch price of $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95, but was last listed for $139.99 in the US (UK and Australia pricing remained the same) on the Kobo Store, so the Clara BW is well priced compared to its predecessor too.

Moreover, the Clara BW is repairable, which can increase its life once its warranty has expired. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to provide both spare parts and the repair kits you will need, plus there are step-by-step instructions you can follow to perform the self-repair.

The parts – screen, motherboard, front and back covers, and battery – aren’t cheap, but they’re not what I would call terribly expensive either. For example, a new battery will cost you $39.99 / AU$67.99 (price not listed for UK and Europe at the time of writing), plus you need to factor in the repair kit too. However, it’s definitely cheaper than buying a new ereader when you’re still happy with the one you have… and you’re comfortable with self-repairing the tablet.

Value score: 5 / 5

A page from a graphic novel displayed on the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Kobo Clara BW review: Specs

Kobo Clara BW review: design and display

6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display – the latest in E Ink’s grayscale screen tech
Same design as used in the Kobo Clara line since 2018
85% of the body is recycled plastic

The Kobo Clara series of ereaders all look the same, resembling the Amazon Kindle, including raised side bezels that provide just enough room to hold the tablet without accidentally touching the screen while reading. The sunken screen also helps in reducing glare from overhead lights and can hide smudged fingerprints better than a flush screen.

According to Kobo, the Clara BW comes in just one colorway – black. Strangely, though, my test unit had black bezels on the front but a navy-blue rear panel. I’m going to assume this is an anomaly with just the test sample, but it looks a little odd – I’d much prefer a single-color body for an ereader or something with a bit of trim or detail using a lighter color, like silver maybe.

I personally think the overall design is getting a little stale, although I understand that not a lot can be done to make the 6-inch ereaders look more modern, other than perhaps making the screens flush with the bezels, like on the Onyx Boox Poke 5.

The power button on the rear of the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Using recycled plastic to make the body is a good trajectory, though, and Kobo says the Clara BW, like the Clara 2E before it and the Clara Colour, has about 85% of recycled plastic in its body. Even the packaging it comes in is fully recycled and recyclable, with the soy ink used to print the boxes being biodegradable.

Its eco-friendly credentials aside, the device’s repairability is also a good move by Kobo, making it an industry first. There are parts available on iFixit in some countries, with very detailed, step-by-step guides on how to go about self-repairing the tablet when the need arises. These parts include a rear panel, which might also explain why my test unit looked like it was cobbled together.

The display here, though, is the headline. The 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 screen makes its debut on the Kobo Clara BW, with a 10-inch iReader note-taking model being the only other ereader to boast this screen technology thus far. The Carta 1300 makes the screen more responsive and adds more contrast. The screen resolution remains at 300ppi, but the text on the display appears clearer and sharper than older models using the Carta 1200 screens.

The USB-C port on the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

The Clara BW shares the same proprietary ComfortLight Pro screen lighting tech as the other Kobo ereaders, and this adds to the device’s readability. Boasting both white and amber LEDs, the Clara BW can be set to automatically change its frontlight to warmer hues for evening and nighttime reading, or you can adjust it manually whenever you feel the need – a feature missing in the current base Kindle (2022) model. Brightness, too, is adjustable.

The dimensions here are identical to the Clara Colour, with the BW model also tipping the scales at 174g, a mere 4g more than the Clara 2E. It’s still light in the hand, comfortable to hold for long periods of time and the perfect size for a travel partner that can carry your entire digital library for you wherever you go. The fact that it’s got an IPX8 waterproof rating helps with giving you some peace of mind.

Design and display score: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara BW review: user interface

Simple, easy-to-use UX
Good font and file support
No Google Drive or Dropbox support

I’ve said this several times in my previous Kobo reviews and I’ll say it again – I’m a fan of the interface. Kobo’s UX is user-friendly and easy to navigate around. There’s no extraneous options in the settings to confuse matters and anyone can quickly learn their way around, even if they’ve never used an ereader before.

More importantly, I like how open the ebook ecosystem is – you can sideload your own collection of titles if you already have a bunch, and good font support means EPUB and MOBI are both natively supported (unlike on a Kindle where you need to jump through a few hoops to sideload an EPUB file). PDF and TXT files are also natively supported, plus two comic formats help display manga well.

The home screen on the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

The only audio format that any Bluetooth-enabled Kobo ereader supports, though, is the Kobo Audiobook, so you can’t sideload audiobooks you’ve sourced from outside the Kobo Store. This is the only part of the ecosystem that’s closed and, to me, that’s a little disappointing from a company that has always been more open than Amazon.

Font support is also excellent and you can sideload any that you think is missing, including Amazon’s own Bookerly and Ember fonts.

Whether it’s file transfer or font upload, getting the Clara BW loaded up is as simple as plugging it into a laptop or PC with the files already stored via an USB-C cable, then hitting the Connect button on the ereader screen, and finally dragging and dropping what you need onto the device. You can then move any fonts you’ve transferred to the Fonts folder or, if it’s missing, just create a new one. Disconnect, allow the ereader to finish a sync and you’re ready to get reading. Sadly there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox cloud transfer support on the Clara BW – these are only available on Libra Colour and the more premium Kobo models.

Like the Carta 1200 screen, a dark mode is available here, so if you prefer, you can switch that on and the colors get inverted to white text on a black background.

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The frontlight controls on the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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The My Books tab on the Kobo Clara BW displaying a library of ebooks and audiobooks — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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Page navigation on the Kobo Clara BW ereader — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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The settings pane on the Kobo Clara BW — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

One interesting feature on all Kobo ereaders is the Activity option in the Settings pane. This displays the total time you’ve spent reading, although specific stats are only related to ebooks you’ve purchased from the Kobo Store or read via a Kobo Plus subscription. Importantly, Kobo rewards you for reading more, awarding you badges as you hit specific targets and milestones. This goes a long way in developing reading into a habit.

As with all Kobo ereaders, OverDrive and Pocket support are baked in. The former allows you to borrow titles from a public library directly from the device – you just need a library card from one that supports OverDrive. The latter is essentially a browser plugin that allows you to save longform web articles for reading offline and you can access these on a Kobo ereader by just signing into your Pocket account on the ereader.

If you are buying the Clara BW for your child, Kobo allows you to block access to its store and the web – a very basic browser is available in the Beta Features section under the More tab. Kobo also allows you to lock the device by applying a four-digit PIN.

Bluetooth connectivity is also available so you can pair a set of wireless headphones or earbuds to listen to Kobo Audiobooks.

User interface score: 4.5 / 5

A hand holding the Kobo Clara BW ereader — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Kobo Clara BW review: Performance

Improved screen responsiveness
Best-in-class contrast and readability
Good battery life

I’ve barely ever complained about a Kobo ereader’s performance – they do what they do well. With the Clara BW, that performance has gone up a notch because of the Carta 1300 screen. Despite still using a 1GHz processor, it’s faster than the previous Clara models or the Kindle. As I’ve said previously in this review, even with a plastic screen over the display, the Clara BW registers taps correctly and implements them without any lag.

Even when it comes to displaying text, there’s none better. Not yet at least, as I’m sure other brands will follow suit by adopting the new generation of screen technology soon enough. Even if they do, not many ereader makers give you the option to add ‘weight’ to the fonts or make them slightly thicker, making them even easier to read.

Kobo Clara BW and Amazon Kindle (2022) displaying text in the same font — The Amazon Kindle (left) doesn't have as much contrast as the Kobo Clara BW (right) (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I compared the 2020 Amazon Kindle with the Clara BW and, to make sure it was a fair comparison, I sideloaded Amazon’s Bookerly font onto the Kobo. Displaying a page from two different books but in the same font, with the frontlights switched off and no weight to the font on the Kobo, the Clara BW was still superior, with the text looking darker and crisper on the screen. Even at full brightness, the Clara BW screen was the clear winner when comes to readability. I also did a side-by-side comparison with the 6-inch Onyx Poke 5 and, again, the Clara BW wins hands down.

Other functions are also snappy – opening a title (ebooks or audiobooks), turning pages, or navigating around the UX is quick. Even inputs via the on-screen keyboard didn’t have any lag during my testing period.

Kobo hasn’t changed the battery pack inside the Clara BW over the Clara 2E, meaning you still get only a 1,500mAh battery. This isn’t too bad but it’s not quite earth-shatteringly good either – you can get approximately six weeks of use if you read about an hour each day, depending on how bright you have the screen set and how often you keep turning pages.

The Bluetooth setup on the Kobo Clara BW ereader — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

During my testing, I had the Clara BW set at 15% brightness with auto light temperature change for 9:30pm local time, Wi-Fi always on, Bluetooth only on when listening to audiobooks, and the refresh rate set to every chapter. Reading for approximately 2 hours each day at these settings gave me 35 days of use – five weeks. This is good but I should point out that I didn't do a lot of listening during my testing period, which would have made a bigger dent on the battery. So I'd say you can get anywhere between 4-6 weeks of use from a full charge, depending on your use of the device.

Topping up the 1,500mAh battery in the Clara BW doesn’t take long – about 57 minutes to go from 19% to full during my testing period. I saw no trickle charging here, which I’ve seen in other Kobo ereaders, including the 2024 Clara Colour and Libra Colour. This seems a little strange for Kobo to not have trickle charging here as well when its other ereaders do, but I suspect a future firmware update might change that. Trickle charging will help maintain battery health, so it's not a bad thing, but if this happens, the charging time will likely double.

Performance score: 5 / 5

A book cover displayed on the Kobo Clara BW ereader — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Should I buy the Kobo Clara BW?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Kobo Clara BW

Used it as my main reading device for five weeks
I used it to listen to some preloaded audiobooks
Sideloaded my own ebooks and fonts

The Kobo Clara BW test unit that was sent to me for this review came preloaded with a few ebooks and audiobooks. I didn’t reset the device to sign in with my own Kobo account, but I sideloaded a few titles that I was reading on another ereader. So while I didn’t read any of the preloaded ebook titles, I did listen to a couple of the audiobooks that Kobo had set up for me. For the latter, I paired a set of Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to listen.

I used the Clara BW to read more than listen though, spending about two hours each day over a period of 5 weeks to finish a book. Through this testing period, I spent approximately three hours listening to audiobooks.

To see how different the new screen is, I did a side-by-side comparison with the Amazon Kindle and the Onyx Boox Poke 5 – both 6-inch ereaders – and, to make the comparison as fair as possible, I sideloaded Amazon's Bookerly font onto the Clara BW. This also gave me an idea of how easy it is to add new fonts to the device.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed May 2024]

Kobo Clara Colour review: finally, an affordable color ereader

3:32 am | April 30, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Comments: Off

Kobo Clara Colour: One-minute review

Kobo might play second fiddle to the popularity of Amazon’s Kindles, but the Japanese-Canadian brand has beaten the tech giant in being the first to deliver mainstream color ereaders that are also relatively affordable. Two were announced side by side, with the Kobo Clara Colour being the cheaper option.

It’s an entry-level model compared to its bigger 7-inch Libra Colour sibling but, despite its 6-inch display size and lack of stylus support, the Clara Colour is a great option for anyone looking for a dedicated reading device. With no other functionality on board, it’s distraction-free reading at its best and in color too.

In fact, Kobo makes full use of the E Ink Kaleido 3 display technology that’s adopted for the Clara Colour. Not only are the book covers displayed in color, but the selected tab on the bottom of the home screen changes to a reddish-brown when selected. Even the download status bar is that color.

There’s even a dark mode available here and, if you happen to have highlighted words and passages in an ebook, they will still be displayed in color – only the text and background colors get inverted.

Page turns are fast, the on-screen keyboard is responsive and the battery life is good too. It’s waterproof, lightweight and portable as well. It looks like the Amazon Kindle (2022) but its biggest selling point is that color screen, for which you will be paying a little more. All in all, Kobo has done really well with the Clara Colour.

A person holding the Kobo Clara Colour ereader — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Clara Colour review: price and availability

Announced April 2024
Launch price of $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Available in one colorway with optional slipcovers

There aren’t many mainstream 6-inch ereaders with a color display, so it’s hard to compare the Kobo Clara Colour with others. Still, at $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, it’s arguably the cheapest big-brand color ereader on the market. If you don’t need the color display, then opting for the 2022 edition of the Amazon Kindle or even the 2024 Kobo Clara BW will save you some cash, with the former costing only $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 without ads and the latter setting you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95.

If the color display is important to you, then you’re looking at going up one size at the very least, with the Kobo Libra Colour being one of the cheapest in the 7-inch size class at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95. All other color ereaders worth their salt are more expensive.

Value score: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara Colour review: Specs

Kobo Clara Colour review: Design and display

Body built with up to 85% recycled plastic
Sharp, responsive 6-inch display
Sunken screen, which reduces glare

Kobo has stuck with the same design formula it used for the Clara 2E, bringing an identical black plastic body and raised bezels over to the Clara Colour – while its monochrome sibling, the Clara BW, gets a two-tone chassis to shake things up a little. Available in just a black colorway, the rear panel is textured to provide a little grip, while the side bezels on the front are just broad enough to offer your thumbs a place to rest.

While the raised bezel design might look a little dated now, it’s better at preventing glare from overhead lighting (indoor or sunshine). Less glare also means you won’t be spotting smudged fingerprints as much either.

That’s not to say the screen is reflective – far from it. The 6-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display is, like all other e-ink displays, glare-free but its smooth surface can have bright spots from overhead lights. That said, the built-in frontlight on the display can help reduce those bright spots.

The ComfortLight Pro on the Clara Colour is the same frontlight Kobo has been using on all its ereaders for a long while now. It lights up the screen evenly – I didn’t notice any areas of shadows or excessive lighting – which makes the reading experience a good one. Moreover, there are amber LEDs on the device, so you can adjust the light temperature to warmer tones for evening or nighttime reading to reduce eye fatigue.

Branding and power button on the rear of the Kobo Clara Colour ereader — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As the name of the device suggests, the display can now handle some color – 4,096 hues to be precise. As I’ve mentioned in all my other reviews of color ereaders: don’t expect the colors to pop with saturation as they do on an LCD screen. They will appear a little muted in comparison and that’s a limitation of the e-ink screen technology, not an issue with Kobo’s implementation.

Anything displayed in black and white on this screen will have a resolution of 300ppi, while anything shown in color will be at 150ppi resolution. The lower resolution might sound like color images (like comics and book covers) won’t look good, but far from it. In fact, the higher pixel density actually renders colors well, making them appear a little more saturated than they would on a larger E Ink Kaleido 3 display as used in the 7-inch Kobo Libra Colour or the 7.8-inch Onyx Boox Tab Mini C.

Despite tipping the scales at 174g – just 4g more than the Clara 2E – the Clara Colour is light and compact, being the perfect size for traveling with. It’s also waterproof, with an IPX8 rating that will keep the device in working condition if immersed in 2 meters of water for up to an hour.

The black rear panel of the Kobo Clara Colour beside the blue rear panel of the Kobo Clara BW — The navy blue rear panel of the Kobo Clara BW (left) and the black of the Kobo Clara Colour (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Like its predecessor, over 85% of the body is recycled plastic, which includes waste that would have ended up in our oceans (like plastic bottles and CDs). The packaging it comes in is made from 100% recycled materials and is recyclable in turn, and the ink used to print the text and images on the box is soy, so biodegradable.

Rounding out the design elements is a concave power button on the rear of the device, a USB-C port placed off-center of the bottom edge, and the Kobo branding on the lower bezel. It’s a simple design that reflects the device’s single-minded purpose of digital reading.

It’s also possibly one of the most repairable ereaders on the market, along with its 2024 siblings. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to provide spare parts and instructions on how to perform some repairs, although, at the time of writing, neither of these are available on the iFixit website. I'll update this review when there's more information from either Kobo or iFixit.

Design & display score: 4 / 5

Home screen on the Kobo Clara Colour — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Clara Colour review: User interface

Streamlined, easy-to-use UX
Good font and file support
Cloud transfer files not available

I have always been a fan of Kobo’s easy-to-use interface on its devices, with everything neatly laid out on the home screen. Up to four of your current reads are listed right up top of the home screen, followed by a My Books section and another that cycles through either new recommendations, access to Kobo Plus or one of your Collections within your library.

Above the book tiles is the quick menu for screen brightness, Wi-Fi, battery, cloud sync (for firmware updates) and search, while at the bottom of the home screen are the four tabs to navigate around the device and the Kobo Store.

It’s nice to see Kobo has taken full advantage of the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen by displaying the selected navigation tab in color. The same red-brown hue is also used for the download status of a title you’re either purchasing or accessing via Kobo Plus.

Kobo Clara Colour beside the Kobo Libra Colour showing the settings pane — The More pane on the Kobo Clara Colour (right) misses out on the Google Drive and Dropbox support seen on the Kobo Libra Colour (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

OverDrive support to borrow from partnered public libraries is still a stalwart presence on Kobo ereaders, as is Pocket. The latter, which is essentially a browser plugin that allows you to save web articles for reading later, gives you access to those articles on the Clara Colour if you already have a Pocket account.

Unlike the more expensive Kobo ereaders, there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox support on the Clara Colour. The only way to sideload titles is by plugging the device into your laptop and PC via the USB-C port and dragging files over.

File support is good, although not as extensive as what you’ll get on an Onyx ereader. Despite that, all the essential file formats are supported, including EPUBs, the most common ebook file format. Two comic files are also supported, plus 4 image formats. The only audio format supported is Kobo Audiobooks, so you can’t sideload audiobooks you might have sourced from a third party – you have to either purchase it from the Kobo Store or listen via Kobo Plus.

Audiobooks, however, take up storage space on a device and the Clara Colour only has 16GB to offer, with no microSD slot to increase it. So you may need to keep an eye on the storage if you're more into audiobooks than ebooks.

Kobo Clara Colour and Kobo Libra Colour displaying the same color image in regular mode and dark mode respectively — The Kobo Libra Colour (left) and the Clara Colour (right) have dark mode, with color content displayed as is. Only text is inverted. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

A new addition to the Clara Colour’s settings is the option to “reduce rainbow effect” when viewing in color. I’ve never come across this option in color ereaders from other brands, and I haven’t been able to figure out what exactly a rainbow effect is, so I haven’t a clue how the setting works. I suppose, if color content starts to look a little strange, selecting this setting might help.

Dark Mode is available here and that only inverts text color while you’re reading an ebook. If your book has color images, you will see them displayed in color on a black background, which I think can make some pictures pop a little more.

One change I’ve been waiting for Kobo to make to its interface is the ability to create subfolders within the library. You can create what Kobo calls Collections, but you can’t set up nested sub collections within your main ones. Kindle allows for it, so I think it’s time Kobo adopted a similar option.

User interface score: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara Colour review: Performance

Responsive touchscreen
Good battery life
Less contrast in black-and-white compared to some other ereaders

It’s been hard for me to fault Kobo’s ereaders when it comes to performance and it’s the same with the Clara Colour too, especially with a 2GHz processor keeping things ticking along nicely. Reading on it is a pleasure, although I personally find a 6-inch screen too small due to needing to turn a page a touch too often for my liking – that can eat into the battery life of the device. The small size might also make reading comics and graphic novels less enjoyable as, depending on how the title has been formatted, some frames could get cut off.

Both black-and-white books and color content look good on the Clara Colour, but I found the former lacked little contrast in comparison to some other monochrome ereaders I’ve previously tested. That said, you'll only notice the difference if you compare two different models side by side and it doesn't affect the reading experience at all. If it does, though, Kobo allows you to make the text on the screen ‘heavier’ by making the font a little thicker. Colors, on the other hand, appear comparatively more saturated on the 6-inch screen when compared to larger color ereaders and that’s down to the pixel density.

Opening an ebook on the Libra Colour during testing had a significant lag, but that’s not the case with the Clara Colour. It’s faster in that respect and, just like its bigger sibling, has a peppy screen performance. Page turns are quick and the on-screen keyboard has no major lag either, whether that’s to make annotations or type in your Wi-Fi password.

A person holding the Kobo Clara Colour ereader displaying an illustration — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I had no issues pairing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones to the Clara Colour to listen to audiobooks, although the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II took a few tries before they paired. I’m putting that down to the slightly temperamental nature of the earbuds as I’ve had this issue with the same set and other ereaders before.

As with other ereaders, the Clara Colour will give you weeks of reading pleasure on a single charge. It has a 1,500mAh battery pack – the same as the Kobo Clara 2E but smaller than the 2,050mAh in the Libra Colour – and you can easily eke out up to 5 weeks of use, depending on how you use it. In my case, a screen brightness of 15%, the refresh rate set to every chapter and the Wi-Fi always on, gave me 34 days of reading about an hour each day before the battery dropped to 21% from full. So you can definitely get more. In fact, the Clara Colour has better battery life than the Libra Colour despite a smaller capacity, but then it doesn’t need to handle as many tasks as its bigger sibling needs to.

A recharge can take up to two hours, but that’s only because trickle charging kicks in at about the 95% mark – as happens with other Kobo ereaders. While it might seem frustrating to have to wait for an hour to see just a 5% top up, trickle charging preserves the battery for longer, thus ensuring a longer lifespan for your device.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Rear panel of the Kobo Clara Colour — Marginally bigger and heavier than the Amazon Kindle (2022), the Kobo Clara Colour is still light and portable. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Kobo Clara Colour?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Kobo Clara Colour

Used for three weeks alongside the Kobo Libra Colour and the Onyx Boox Palma
Used it for both reading ebooks and listening to audiobooks
Compared it with other 6-inch and 7-inch ereaders

I was lucky to have been sent the Kobo Clara Colour ahead of the official announcement, so I'd been using it for a few weeks before publishing this review. I used it alongside the Kobo Libra Colour as well as the rather different-looking Onyx Boox Palma. I also had the brief pleasure of comparing it to the Kobo Clara BW as well.

I used to the Clara Colour to both read and listen – I have a Kobo account, so signing into it via the device gave me access to my existing library. It also gave me access to my Kobo Plus subscription, which is where I found some audiobooks to listen to.

While using the Clara Colour, I had the opportunity to compare it to other ereaders, both black and white as well as color. These include the Libra Colour, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, the Onyx Boox Poke 5 and the PocketBook InkPad 4.

Onyx Boox Palma: One-minute review

There are plenty of 6-inch ereaders, but there’s nothing quite like the Onyx Boox Palma. It mimics a smartphone’s design, right down to a rear camera, side buttons and a speaker on the top bezel.

With an aspect ratio of 2:1 on its 6.3-inch display as opposed to the roughly 4:3 (technically 8.9:6.7) of other 6-inch ereaders like the Amazon Kindle (2022) or the Kobo Clara 2E, the Palma doesn’t offer as much width while reading. It will, however, allow you to read in both landscape and portrait orientation, a feature that no other 6-inch ereader that I’ve tested offers.

If you’re someone who regularly reads on your phone only to suffer from eye fatigue, then the Palma is an easy switch to make. For others, the screen might feel too small and narrow. Still, its size is perfectly suited for reading on the go, and it’s remarkably lightweight too. To give it a little more grip, Onyx also has cases that resemble the ones you’d buy for your own phone.

Compared to a smartphone, the one thing the Palma really can’t do is make calls.

What it can do is get you access to the Google Play Store thanks to running on a lean version of Android 11. So you can download apps, including mobile games, news aggregators for RSS feeds, social media and even messaging apps. It’s got a speedy enough processor and a good amount of memory that allows those apps to run smoothly – although seeing them all displayed like black-and-white print takes a little getting used to.

There really is a case to be made for a device like this, but I think it’s a missed opportunity to not have added stylus support. That truly would have made the Palma unbeatable as a portable note-taking and digital reading device. I think there’s enough room for a stylus like Samsung’s S Pen to be added to the Palma; it would also make its price tag a little more palatable.

A page of a book on the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Palma review: Price and availability

Released August 2023; available to buy now
List price of $279.99 / AU$499 (around £259)
Cases available as part of bundles

At $279.99 / AU$499 (around £259) with a case in the box, the Onyx Boox Palma is an expensive device compared to other 6-inch ereaders, but to be fair, there really is nothing on the market quite like the Palma to compare. Its novelty alone might be justification enough for some users to splurge, but it would have been easier to recommend if it came with stylus support.

Even though access to the Play Store makes this a more versatile ereader than 6-inch alternatives from Amazon and Kobo, and it comes with more storage and a bigger battery than what the aforementioned brands offer, it’s still hard to justify the price.

To compare, you can pick up the 2022 Kindle with 16GB of storage for $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 without ads at full price and the Kobo Clara BW for $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95, with the latter getting you superior screen tech.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Rear of the Onyx Boox Palma with camera and flash — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Palma review: Specs

Onyx Boox Palma review: Design and display

Smartphone-like looks with built-in speaker and flash
Very lightweight and comfortable to use
Rear 16MP camera not best for scanning

Available in both black and white colorways, the Onyx Boox Palma instantly gives up its ereader status thanks to its black-and-white screen. Out of the box you can tell it’s an e-paper display and it feels lighter than an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy handset of similar size.

The 6.13-inch E Ink Carta 1200 display is encased within a plastic body that features two buttons on the right edge (one for power and another for volume/page turns) as well as a customizable function button on the left. Above the function button is a microSD card tray that can add more storage to the 128GB already available on board, although Onyx doesn’t specify how much additional storage is supported. Considering the 6-inch Onyx Boox Poke 5 can support an additional 1TB microSD, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Palma can too.

The buttons and the card tray are silver on the white Palma colorway, adding a touch of color, but no such embellishments are on the black device. For this review, I was sent the white option.

The bottom edge has a USB-C port with OTG support, so you can plug a USB-C storage device directly into the Palma to access files. On either side of the charging port are what appear to be speaker grilles, although only one of them is for audio output, while the other is a mic. The latter might be handy for voice notes, but this device isn't really intended for more common mic needs, like video or audio calls.

USB-C port, mic and speaker grille on the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Another speaker is on the top bezel, just where you’d expect to see one on a smartphone, alongside a light sensor. The latter, however, doesn’t seem to be associated with the screen’s auto-brightness, but to enable the LED flash located on the rear. The flash can also act as a torch, which can be switched on via the Onyx Control Center accessible by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen.

Above the flash is a 16MP rear camera that can be used to scan documents and, unlike most phones, isn’t housed in a bump. So the device can lie flat on a table, which is nice. The rear plastic panel is also textured to add some grip, but Onyx has cases (the devices ships with one in the box as a bundle) that add to the heft if you’re after a little more security.

If you’ve been using a grayscale ereader already, you’re probably familiar with ones like the E Ink Carta 1200 used here, which is both responsive and sharp. What's novel here is the screen's 2:1 aspect ratio – there's nothing like it among ereaders, and it'll likely best suit those who like reading on their phone, but it will help reduce the eye fatigue that can occur when staring at an LCD or OLED display for long. I personally find my phone’s screen too small for reading, and I largely felt the same with the Palma, but I have to admit that this little tablet (can you really call it that?) is pocketable and perfect for reading on the go.

It’s also really light, tipping the scales at 170g without a microSD card, and comfortable to hold. That makes it the perfect travel companion, especially since its 128GB storage can store hundreds of books and audio files. Thanks to its all-plastic build, it might survive an accidental drop better than your phone, but there’s no waterproofing here, much like most other Onyx devices, which is another factor that makes the price point hard to justify.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Power and volume buttons on the side of the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Palma review: User experience

Simpler interface than other Onyx devices but still complicated
Runs Android 11 with access to the Google Play Store
Built-in browser and music player

As with other Onyx Boox devices that were released in 2023, the Palma runs a very slimmed-down version of Android 11. Yes, that version’s a little outdated, but Onyx only moved up to Android 12 with the 2024 release of the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 and, in any case, you won’t be using an ereader for anything too financially or personally sensitive – well, I wouldn’t – so there’s probably no need to worry about security issues.

The operating system gives you access to the Google Play Store, available directly on the home screen via its icon. You can download almost any Android app, including the Kobo and Kindle apps so you can log into an existing account and purchase ebooks and other content. There’s also a native browser that will allow you to do the same via other stores.

You can even download a music streaming service like Spotify and listen without headphones – the Palma can get quite loud! Heck, you could even use a message app that works over Wi-Fi, but note that the device disconnects the moment it’s in Sleep mode, so it may not be the most ideal way to stay in touch with people.

A camera sample on the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can set the volume button to turn pages back and forth, and the function button on the other side can fulfil three different actions from a list of 15 via either a short press, double click or a long press.

The floating toolbar in the native library app on other Onyx devices isn’t offered here, but that’s arguably a good call, as it takes up precious screen space that the Palma can’t spare. A lot of the other customizations I’ve found to be overkill on the other Onyx ereaders have also been trimmed down, and yet there’s still quite a lot going on here. You can customize the home screen widgets, just like on a phone, add a wallpaper, change the power-off image and add a screensaver. I would recommend not bothering with the wallpaper however, as it can affect the way the home screen widgets appear.

The display renders text well and reading on the Palma is a pleasure… provided you like reading on a small screen. Pinch-to-zoom is available, which means you can change font size in the native library app easily.

The Control Center on the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can watch videos on this screen too and also adjust the refresh rate to be faster for specific apps, but don’t expect the refresh rate to match what you’d get from your phone. YouTube videos are, for the most part, fine to watch on the Palma, but it’s all obviously in black and white. It's a similar situation with playing mobile games on the Palma – while it's quite responsive and its processor handles graphics remarkably well, something that really impressed me, we can't imagine wanting to use this for anything other than simple games (like puzzle, word or card games) without much animation.

What didn’t impress, however, was the uneven screen lighting. There are random bits throughout the screen that aren't as bright as rest, which largely isn't an issue while reading, but can make a difference if you're, say, playing a game on the Palma. The Palma has the same Moon Light 2 tech used in other Onyx ereaders, and I’ve not had an issue with the smaller devices like the 6-inch Poke 5 and the Onyx Boox Page, so it’s a little surprising that the LEDs on the Palma aren’t as effective.

I would have also really liked to see stylus support here for writing and note-taking.

• User interface score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma review: Performance

Fast and responsive
Good refresh rates for most tasks
Handles graphics well

The Palma has a decent processor in the form of a 2GHz 8-core Qualcomm CPU with integrated graphics. That’s a phone-grade chip that's plenty for most ereaders and, paired with 6GB of RAM, is enough to handle mobile games with some heavy graphics requirements. For example, I downloaded Sky: Children of the Light, which is a resonably graphics-intensive game and, despite the lack of colors, it was easy to play on the Palma. The device did get a little warm, but no more than what my iPhone 13 Max gets when playing the same game.

On-screen controls while playing were smooth, which is the same case when doing anything else that needs fast response times. Whether typing via the on-screen keyboard or navigating using gestures and taps, the display is responsive and peppy. I experienced no lag at any time during my weeks-long testing.

Onyx Boox Palma display versus the Kobo Clara Colour — The Kobo Clara Colour alongside the Onyx Boox Palma (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx has an array of refresh rates it offers on most of its devices, which I’ve previously said don’t do much to reduce ghosting. That thankfully wasn't an issue on the Palma, as I experienced no ghosting while reading or when navigating between apps and screens.

As I’ve already mentioned, the speaker can get loud and doesn’t sound too bad – the sound quality and volume are similar to a lot of budget phones out there. I’d still pair a set of Bluetooth headphones with it though, as I personally like bass, which the Palma doesn’t offer much of. For listening to audiobooks and podcasts, however, that speaker is great.

Overall, the performance here is better than the brand’s own 6-inch Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader, and a touch better than the 2022 Kindle or the Kobo Clara 2E. I’ve been testing the new Kobo Clara Colour alongside the Palma and, while I can’t compare the two devices as the screens are different, both devices are on par in speed and responsiveness.

The rear camera is intended to be used to scan documents; it isn't meant for taking actual photos like a phone can, and there's no native camera app. Unfortunately, it isn't great at scanning. The included DocScan app lets you take photos, which you can edit and export as PDFs. There is also OCR (optical character recognition) available within DocScan to convert words within the image into text, but the final results were quite garbled and nonsensical in my testing. I think I'd stick with my iPhone for quick document scans instead.

OCR on the scan app of the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Battery life is where most Onyx Boox tablets shine, and that’s the case here as well. If you’re just reading on the Palma for say, 30 minutes a day, you can easily eke out two months of reading, if not more, on a single charge – even with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on all the time. In my case, I used it to read, listen to music, play mobile games and browse the web, and I still got about 6 weeks of use, with the battery dropping to 20% from full – so I still had a ways to go before it ran dry.

Topping it up can take a while, depending on how low you let the battery level drop. It took over two hours to go from 30% to full when plugged into a 65W wall adapter and using a good quality USB cable, but then it is a larger battery than most such devices typically use. A progress notification is visible on the display when in Sleep mode as soon as you plug the Palma in for a charge.

A graphics-heavy game on the Onyx Boox Palma — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Palma?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

It’s a little hard to compare the Onyx Boox Palma to other devices because it has no real counterparts. However, because it’s an ereader at heart, I’ve listed a few alternatives to consider if you’re not sold on the Palma.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Palma

Onyx Boox Palma wallpaper and apps — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Used every day for three weeks, intermittently for a more extended period
Used it to read, listen to music and play mobile games
Downloaded other apps from the Play Store to use

I’ve had the Onyx Boox Palma for a couple of months now and have used it on and off since it arrived. However, for the purposes of this review, I used it every single day for about three weeks to read, listen to music and audiobooks, and download apps from the Play Store.

These included the Kindle and Kobo apps so I could access my existing libraries on both platforms, but I also sideloaded some ebook titles to read via the native library application. The other apps I used were Dropbox and a notes application.

To test the device’s performance, I also downloaded a graphics-intensive mobile game and played it for about 20 minutes. The other content I had on the Palma included music files so I could test the native player, as well as the speaker performance.

To test the rear camera’s performance, I used it to scan a printout and a page from an appliance manual. I also tried the OCR feature on both and tested how easy it is to export or share these documents.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed April 2024]

Kobo Libra Colour review: twice improved for better reading and writing

8:43 am | April 10, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: Google Drive | Comments: Off

Kobo Libra Colour: Two-minute review

In April 2023, I wrote an article about how I wanted a small-screen ereader with a color display and writing features. It seems like Japanese-Canadian ereader maker Kobo heard me, releasing what I wanted – well, almost – in the Kobo Libra Colour. I would have loved an 8-inch device, but then I’ve been a fan of Kobo’s Libra line of 7-inch ereaders since the first one was launched in 2019. They’ve been TechRadar’s pick of the best ereaders since then, including the Kobo Libra 2 from 2021.

The trend continues with the Kobo Libra Colour, which is a double-whammy upgrade over its predecessor.

The Libra Colour looks identical to the Libra 2, which I think is great – why fix something that isn’t broken? The page-turn buttons and the slightly curved thicker bezel make the ereader really comfortable to hold and use in one hand. What’s new, though, is its display.

As the name indicates, the Kobo Libra Colour gets the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that supports 4,096 hues, and is currently the best color e-paper display being used on consumer devices.

I compared the Libra Colour with what I would consider its biggest rival, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, and thanks to the smaller size of the screen (7 inches vs 7.8 inches), text and images on the Libra Colour are sharper and the colors slightly more saturated even though they both use the same screen technology. While I admit I prefer the slightly larger screen for note-taking, the 7-inch Libra Colour is the sweet spot when it comes to portability. It's also a lot lighter than its competition.

While the color display alone would make it a worthy update, Kobo didn’t seem to be satisfied with just one new feature – the company also gave the Libra Colour writing capabilities. It inherits all the notebook features from the Kobo Sage and Kobo Elipsa 2E, but now lets you add some color to your notes. You can choose the ink and highlight colors, plus the type of pen, the thickness of the nib and more. And the handwriting recognition is something I’ve not been able to fault for a long time, but that, of course, depends on how badly you tend to scribble.

Writing on the Libra Colour is different to how it feels like on the Kobo Sage or the Elipsa 2E – it’s a lot smoother, not at all like writing on actual paper. It’s not quite as good as writing on the Amazon Kindle Scribe either – it feels like you're gliding over excessively smooth plastic and is my only complaint with this device.

Reading and writing in color takes a little extra power, so Kobo has updated the processor too, now using a 2GHz CPU compared to the 1GHz we saw in the Libra 2. And, of course, the same features can drain the battery, so the capacity here is larger as well, going from a 1,500mAh pack to 2,050mAh.

You still get 32GB of (non-expandable) storage, Bluetooth support so you can listen to audiobooks, and USB-C charging that debuted with the Libra 2 in 2021.

And you get all this for not a lot more than what the Libra 2 retails for at the time of writing, which is something I have to give Kobo credit for. This is arguably one of the more affordable color note-taking tablets on the market now and offers excellent value, just like its predecessor.

Neal Sephenson's Zodiac book cover displayed in color on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — While not as saturated as you'd see on an LCD screen, the Kobo Libra Colour displays colors well on its e-paper screen (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Libra Colour review: Price and availability

Launch price of $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95
Available to purchase off shelves from April 30, 2024
Kobo Stylus 2 and sleepcover sold separately

Available in two colors – black and white – the Kobo Libra Colour is quite competitively priced at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95. That, as I’ve just mentioned, makes it a lot more affordable than some of its competition. However, it doesn’t ship with a stylus, so if you want to take full advantage of the Libra Colour’s new features, you’ll need to invest an additional $69.99 / £69.95 / AU$119.95 for the Kobo Stylus 2. The good thing about this pen is that it charges via USB-C, so there’s no ongoing battery costs to worry about.

Even with the price of the stylus piled on, it’s still cheaper than the likes of the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, which is currently my pick for the best color ereader and retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765. That said, it’s hard comparing the two as the Onyx ships with a capacitive stylus, has a bigger 7.8-inch screen, has 64GB of storage (compared to 32GB in the Libra Colour) and a 5,000mAh battery that’s double of what Kobo offers in its biggest ereader.

Another point of comparison would be the 7.8-inch PocketBook InkPad Color 3 that will set you back $329 / £345 / AU$595 and not offer you any writing features.

Long story short, the Kobo Libra Colour, just like its predecessor, is pretty good value. To add a little more comparison, the Kobo Libra 2 currently retails for $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$319.95 at full price, so it really isn't a huge leap in price.

The My Books tab on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — You can choose to view your library as a list or as a gallery in the My Books tab (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Libra Colour review: Specs

Kobo Libra Colour review: Design and display

Identical body to the Kobo Libra 2
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 touchscreen
Magnetic edge to hold the (optional) stylus

For someone who’s used the previous two Kobo Libra ereaders, I will admit to initially being a little disappointed that the design hasn’t changed over the Libra 2. That’s only because I’ve been seeing it since 2019, but I’ll also be the first to admit that it’s one of the most ergonomic designs I've used in an ereader.

Built for single-hand use, the edge of the thicker bezel is still slightly curved upward, with the two page-turn buttons perfectly placed to provide a comfortable grip. The back panel is textured, which adds to the secure grip, and the power switch on the rear is still the same round, concave. Also inherited from the Libra 2 is the round, white indicator light that glows when you pop a USB-C cable into the charging port. The entire thing is still encased in plastic, which is made from 80% recycled materials, including ocean-bound plastics.

It’s quite impressive that Kobo has managed to keep the weight of the device down despite using a larger capacity battery in the Libra Colour. It weighs just 199.5g without a case, which is lighter than the Libra 2 that tips the scales at 215g.

The slightly curved edge on the thicker bezel of the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — Subtle design elements make the Kobo Libra Colour quite ergonomic (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

For anyone who’s planning on using the new Libra Colour for note-taking and scribbling, Kobo has ensured the stylus stays magnetically secure on the edge of the slim bezel. I’ve complained previously that this magnetic edge on some ereaders isn’t always very secure, but it seems quite strong here.

Speaking of the pen: it’s recommended that you use the Kobo Stylus 2 with the Libra Colour, which is the only one of Kobo’s pens that will stick to the side of the device. That said, the older Kobo Stylus will also work on the Libra Colour, but can’t be secured magnetically and requires a single AAAA battery. The Stylus 2, on the other hand, charges via USB-C and is, thus, lighter.

What stands out from a design perspective is the screen – it can display colors! It still retains the 7-inch screen size of the other Libra devices, but utilizes the E Ink Kaleido 3 display that I’ve seen in other color ereaders like the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C and the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C. While this screen tech can display 4,096 colors, they don’t appear as saturated as they look on a phone, laptop or tablet – they’re a little muted in comparison, but that’s the limitation of the e-paper screen technology.

The 7-inch screen on the Libra Colour, however, makes the colors look a touch truer as compared to what you’d see on a 7.8-inch or larger e-apaper screen, even when the bigger devices share the same screen tech and resolution. This is because on the smaller screen the pixels are packed more tightly together, providing more contrast. You get 150ppi resolution when reading in color (as with all other color ereaders using this screen), but it’s 300ppi when you’re viewing something in black and white, which is standard for monochrome ebook readers.

Textured rear panel on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — A textured rear panel adds to the Kobo Libra Colour's grip (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

While Onyx uses a glass sheet as the top layer of its display, Kobo seems to have adopted plastic – one way to keep costs low. This top layer is very smooth, which you can feel when writing on the device and the experience of scribbling on the Libra Colour is likely going to take some getting used to. It feels like you’re writing over a sheet of very smooth plastic, with no friction at all and I can't say I'm a fan.

As with all the more premium Kobo ereaders, the Libra Colour screen is also lit up with ComfortLight Pro which, when set to, automatically changes the light hue from cool to warmer tones as the day progresses. This reduces the amount of blue light hitting your eye closer to bedtime.

One issue I’ve had previously with some ereaders, particularly with a black chassis, are oily fingerprint smudges. I was sent the white colorway of the Libra Colour for this review which, like the Libra 2, shows no such thing. I haven’t seen the black version of this device so can’t tell for sure whether this will be an issue or not, but I didn’t have this problem with the Libra H2O, so I’m going to hope not.

USB-C port on the side of the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — The USB-C port can be used to charge the device or transfer files (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Libra Colour review: User interface

Easy-to-use, streamlined interface
Full suite of Kobo’s writing features
Notes easily exported to Google Drive and Dropbox

I’ve always been a fan of Kobo’s user interface – it’s streamlined, very easy to navigate and wrap your head around. It only takes minutes to figure your way around if you’ve never used a Kobo device before. That hasn’t changed but, for the Libra line, there is one major difference to the interface.

There is now the My Notebooks tab smack bang in the center of the bottom navigation bar. This gives you the full suite of Kobo’s writing features, including the Advanced Notebooks that I said made the Kobo Elipsa 2E a better note-taker than the Amazon Kindle Scribe. I will admit that writing on a 7-inch screen, particularly if there’s a lot to jot down, can feel a little constricted, but then I have been using the 10-inch Kobo Elipsa 2E as my everyday ereader and note-taker for the last few months, so dropping down to a smaller notebook size is my bias and may not bother other users.

The other change to the interface is the addition of color… and I don’t mean the book covers displayed on the home screen. Every time you select a tab from the bottom navigation bar, it changes color from black to brown. In fact, if you’re downloading books – whether from Dropbox, Google Drive or the Kobo Store – the status bar is also the same color. That’s a nice touch that I haven’t seen in other color ereaders I’ve tested.

Everything else about the Libra Colour is quintessential Kobo – good file format support, including EPUBs that Amazon requires you to jump through hoops to read on a Kindle. There are a total of 10 document file types that Kobo supports by default, and this includes text and comic formats. There are also four image files supported. The only audio file support, though, is for Kobo’s own audiobooks that you can download from the Kobo Store or via a subscription to Kobo Plus. Note that Kobo Plus isn’t available in all markets that Kobo operates in, but it is in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and select European countries.

A person making brightness adjustments on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — Kobo's user interface is very easy to wrap your head around (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, you can sign into either Dropbox or Google Drive to help transfer books. The partnership with Google is relatively new, so Kobo has a single-page instruction sheet (in PDF) already in the device’s library. It’s very seamless to use either cloud service, and that also holds true for transferring any notes or notebooks. The latter can also be accessed via the Kobo app on your phone if you need any of them in a pinch.

Unlike the newer monochrome Kobo devices like the Sage and Elipsa 2E, there is no dark mode on the Libra Colour because the E Ink screen used doesn’t support it and, if you want to see colors, you aren’t going to need it. However, there are amber LEDs that allow you to change the white light hue to warmer tones if you want to cut down on blue light. And you can easily adjust this by tapping on top of the screen to bring up the quick controls. Like the previous Libra 2 and the newer models, you can set the light temperature to change automatically at a specific time in the evening or night. You can also slide up and down the left edge of the screen to change brightness.

OverDrive, as with all Kobo ereaders, is still baked in and despite it being replaced by Libby on mobile, it is still supported on the e-ink tablets. This means, if your local public library also has OverDrive support, you can borrow digital books and magazines directly from your device without having to leave home – you just need a library card.

A drawing in color on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — Writing and drawing on the Kobo Libra Colour feels like the stylus is gliding (or slipping) over very smooth plastic (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Pocket support is also integrated into the Libra Colour. This is a browser plugin that allows you to save online articles to read later – you just sign into your Pocket account on the Kobo and you’ll have access to anything you’ve previously saved.

Auto-rotation is also available, so you can read in either portrait or landscape mode. This can get a little annoying, though, as a small change in angle when holding the device can change the orientation of the page you’re on. So you can lock the orientation to one or the other to prevent this from happening.

Admittedly Onyx Boox devices give you plenty more options when it comes to customization and functionality within the user interface, but I think they’re overkill and it takes a steep learning curve to get the hang of it all.

Highlights and handwritten annotations on the Kobo Libra Colour ereader — You can highlight passages in color and add handwritten annotations to books on the Kobo Libra Colour (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Kobo Libra Colour review: Performance

Sharp display, with good colors due to screen size
Excellent handwriting recognition
Very responsive, but a couple of functions have a significant lag

Adding features to a tech product means it’s going to need some extra power to make sure things run smoothly and Kobo has done that by upgrading the processor for the Libra Colour. Instead of the previous 1GHz CPU, it’s now 2GHz and that seems to do the trick. After two weeks with the Libra Colour, I’ve had nothing to complain about, although there are two very specific functions that suffer from a significant lag.

Opening an ebook from either the home screen or the My Books page keeps you waiting about 7-10 seconds before something happens. Similarly, the Back To Home button on the top left corner of a page also takes a few seconds to initiate. I’m putting this down to teething problems for now and it’s a software issue, so I think it’s likely fixable via a firmware update.

Everything else, though, runs smoothly. There’s no lag when writing and drawing, neither are there any when triggering a page turn either via the buttons or tapping on the screen. Using the onscreen keyboard is also quite good.

Kobo Libra Colour and the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C displaying the same book cover — The Kobo Libra Colour's smaller size makes colors appear a touch more saturated than on a larger screen like the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I’ve tested color ereaders before in the 7.8-inch size category as well as 10-inch, and I’ve come to expect a lack of saturation when viewing in color. The Libra Colour exceeded my expectations, not because Kobo is doing anything differently, but because the smaller screen packs the pixels more tightly, adding more contrast which, in turn, gives some images depth and better saturation. 7 inches isn’t ideal for reading comics and graphic novels, but just to see better color saturation I would recommend it. Even highlight colors available when reading a title – which are the same across all color-screen ereaders – look a touch more saturated in comparison to larger-screen devices.

One thing that Kobo has always done well is handwriting recognition and that’s been brought over to the Libra Colour. This feature only works in the Advanced Notebooks when you want to digitize your scribbles, but it can even recognize sub- and superscripts. I had two other colleagues try this feature and Kobo almost aced it each time – it misspelt only one word that no human was able to decipher anyway.

Kobo Libra Colour ereader handwriting recognition test — Handwriting recognition on the Kobo Libra Colour is spot on most of the time (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

During my limited time with the Libra Colour, I experienced no ghosting – something that bothers me no end with Onyx ereaders. Two weeks with the device, however, may not be enough to say for sure that ghosting won’t be a problem, and I would expect some along the way. Still, I am impressed.

Additional functionality with a better CPU needs to be matched with enough battery life to keep an ereader going for weeks as opposed to days. So Kobo has upped the battery capacity in the Libra Colour to 2,050mAh compared to 1,500mAh in the Libra 2. This got me about 14 hours of use in total.

My testing was a little sporadic, averaging about 45 minutes of use over each day over two weeks (sometimes a little more, sometimes less). I started using the device straight out of the box at 82% battery life and didn’t top up till it hit 19% after two weeks. I’d say that’s pretty good, considering I was writing, reading and listening to audiobooks via Bluetooth. I had Wi-Fi on all the time, the screen was set at 20% brightness, and a refresh set to every 5 pages. It’s also important to note that a page refresh occurs more frequently when writing, and every erase triggers another refresh too. So the bigger battery capacity is definitely working in Kobo’s favor here.

Topping up via the USB-C port is quick, but like the previous Kobos, trickle charging kicks in at about 96%. It took the Libra Colour about 55 minutes to go from 19% to 96%, then another 45 minutes to top up completely. While it might seem annoying to have to wait that long for just a tiny bit more charge, trickle charging can preserve the battery, adding to its overall lifespan.

Should I buy the Kobo Libra Colour?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

I think the Kobo Libra Colour is the Japanese-Canadian brand’s best device yet, but if you’re not convinced and need alternatives, take a look at the two options below, including a specs comparison with this ereader.

How I tested the Kobo Libra Colour

A hand holding the Kobo Libra Colour ereader to read — The Kobo Stylus 2 can stay magnetically secure to the slim edge of the Kobo Libra Colour (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Used as main reading and writing device for two weeks
Listened to audiobooks via a Kobo Plus subscription
Used Google Drive to transfer files, including notes written on the device

My regular e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E, but switching to the Libra Colour was just a matter of signing into my Kobo account to sync all my ebooks, notes and also access my Kobo Plus subscription.

I also have an existing library of ebooks in the EPUB format saved in Google Drive, so signing into that via the Libra Colour’s More tab gave me instant access to those, from where I saved a handful of titles to read on the device.

While I can’t draw to save my life, I did some random scribbling on the device – both while reading a book as well as in notebooks. I even got some colleagues to try the handwriting recognition feature.

I have an existing Kobo Plus subscription which gave me access to audiobooks on the Libra Colour, and I spent about 20 minutes listening to one title during my testing of the device.

All new notes and annotations that I made on the Libra Colour automatically updated to my Kobo Elipsa 2E as soon as it connected to Wi-Fi, giving me access across multiple devices.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed April 2024]

Onyx Boox Poke 5 review: a versatile and cute 6-inch ereader with one too many flaws

9:07 am | January 3, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: Google Play Store | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Poke 5: One-minute review

The first word that struck me as soon as I powered on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 after receiving it for this review was “cute”. While its little plastic body isn’t anything to write home about, the device's wallpaper and the boot-up screen's animations always make me smile.

Throw in the 6-inch screen size and the Onyx Boox Poke 5 is quite an adorable entry-level ereader that’s competing against the current Amazon Kindle (2022), as well as the Kobo Nia and Kobo Clara 2E. What sets it apart from the other 6-inch ereaders is its 32GB of onboard storage, the expandable microSD storage of up to 1TB, and access to the Google Play Store thanks to its Android 11-based user interface.

So, while Onyx doesn’t have a good bookstore to purchase content from, you can download the Kindle and Kobo apps to source your next read or audiobook. There's also a native web browser from where you can make purchases too. And with apps like Libby, you can borrow ebooks from a public library that supports this platform.

However, this headline feature – i.e. getting access to the Play Store – isn’t enabled by default as it is on other Onyx Boox models I’ve tested. You’ll see the app on the Poke 5 but users are required to register the device for access first and these steps are hidden away. In my opinion, an entry-level ereader that promises access to the Play Store should have it enabled by default.

If you don’t want to bother with the Play Store, then the best use case for the Onyx Poke 5 would be if you already have an existing library you can sideload onto the device. This is easy enough via either signing into Dropbox or Google Drive on the Poke 5, or you can use Onyx’s own BooxDrop application.

As with all Onyx ereaders, the user interface isn’t very intuitive and, again, as an entry-level model, this makes it a little harder to recommend compared to its competition from Amazon and Kobo.

Boot-up animation on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

Onyx Boox Poke 5 review: price and availability

Retail price of $169.99 / £169.99 / AU$289
Available to buy now in most markets

Onyx ereaders don't come cheap and the same is the case with the Poke 5 as well. At $169.99 / £169.99 / AU$289 apiece, it’s a high price to pay for a 6-inch entry-level ereader without any waterproofing, although you get a lot of storage here.

In comparison, the 2022 edition of the Amazon Kindle with 16GB of storage and no waterproofing will set you back $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 at full price for the no-ads version, but it’s often available at a discounted price that makes it remarkable value. The 6-inch Kobo Nia, which is also a no-frills ereader is cheaper than the Poke 5 at $109.99 / £94.99 / AU$179.95, and that’s after the Japanese-Canadian company upped the Aussie RRP a couple times since it launched in 2020.

Even the Kobo Clara 2E, with a retail price of $139.99 / £129.99 / AU$249.95 is better value with a 6-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen, waterproofing and the ability to borrow books via OverDrive, although it comes with just 16GB of internal storage.

• Value score: 2.5 / 5

The apps on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader, including Kindle and Kobo — (Image credit: Future)

Onyx Boox Poke 5 specifications

Onyx Boox Poke 5 review: design and display

6-inch E Ink Carta Plus screen is good, but lacks the Kindle’s contrast
Brightness and light hue can be controlled independently
Microphone and microSD expansion of up to 1TB

When it comes to entry-level ereaders, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of room for design innovation, as the Onyx Boox Poke 5 is very similar to the base Kindle or the Kobo Nia and Clara 2E, with minor differences here and there.

Where the rear panels of the Kindle and Kobo alternatives are textured that offer some grip, the Poke 5 has a smooth plastic rear that’s a magnet for fingerprints. The front has a Boox branding on the lower bezel for embellishment, but the top edge houses the power button that’s easy to find and press, while the lower edge is home to the USB-C port, a mic and a microSD tray.

Tipping the scales at just 160g without a case, the Poke 5 is one of the lightest ereaders I’ve tested. To put that number into perspective, it’s just 2g more than the 2022 Amazon Kindle (which weighs 158g), while the two 6-inch Kobos weigh in at 172g for the Nia and 171g for the Clara 2E.

The USB-C port on the lower edge of the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

The compact and lightweight body encapsulates a 6-inch E Ink Carta Plus screen, which is an older technology then the current Carta 1200 displays that the Kindle and Kobo Clara 2E use, and that means the contrast here isn’t as good as what I saw on the 2022 Kindle. In fact, a side-by-side comparison between the Onyx and the Kindle makes the latter more appealing.

However, the Poke 5 allows you to not only change the frontlight’s brightness, but also its light temperature, giving you the flexibility between cool and warm hues, the latter being better for evening and night reading. This is something you’ll get with the Kobo Clara 2E as well, where you can automatically have the light hue change at a set time, but the Kindle and the Nia miss out on this feature.

Another thing the Poke 5 misses out on is waterproofing, which isn’t available on the Kobo Nia either, but considering the price you’re paying for the Onyx, I think it’s a major omission.

• Design and display score: 3.5 / 5

Onyx Boox Poke 5 review: User experience

6-inch screen could be small for some users
Complicated UI
Google Play Store access not available by default

I love how portable a 6-inch ereader can be – without a case, they can easily slip into a jacket pocket if you’re going for a stroll and decide to sit down for a read somewhere nice. The small size of the screen, however, isn’t for me as the amount of text displayed is less and, although page turns are mostly responsive, 6 inches of screen real estate feels too cramped. My colleague and I had a similar experience when we tested the 2022 Kindle, and I suspect this might be the case for other users too, so make sure you’ll be comfortable with a small screen before you drop money on an entry-level ereader.

As with other Onyx ereaders, the Poke 5’s user interface isn’t as simple as it is on a Kindle or a Kobo. Despite being a basic model, there’s actually quite a lot of menu options to go through here so it’s set up just right for you, including a floating toolbar in the native library application, different refresh rates that can be set for each application, and further enhancements for text of a book within the library.

Text enhancements on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

This is where all your sideloaded books go and adding to the library is easy – you can use cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive, plus you can use BooxDrop, which is accessible without an Onyx account if you don’t want to create one.

My biggest issue with the Poke 5’s user experience was needing to go through hoops to activate Google Play Store access on the ereader. While this is available by default on other Onyx that I’ve tested, it’s strange that an entry-level model requires a user to go through some steps that are buried in the settings. Onyx provides online tutorials on how to go about doing this, and it’s easy enough once you wrap your head around it, but I think it’s far from ideal on a device like this.

Once you’ve managed to activate Play Store access, though, you’ve got a plethora of Android apps at your disposal that you can use. For me, it was downloading the Kindle and Kobo apps so I could access my existing library on both platforms, but note that when using the apps, you don’t have access to the font and page customizations available in the native library app. If that doesn’t bother you, the Poke 5 could be worth it just by giving you access to a multitude of bookstores to purchase content from, even online via the native web browser.

Don’t want to purchase books? You can also download the Libby app that helps you borrow ebooks from a public library, but you will need to check with your local one if this option is supported.

• User experience score: 3 / 5

Control Center on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

Onyx Boox Poke 5 review: Performance

Good processor but sluggish performance
Decent battery life
Responsive page turns in native library application, but not on downloaded reading apps

I’m not sure why Onyx chose to use an E Ink Carta Plus screen for the Poke 5 when the Carta 1200 is a better option in terms of both responsiveness and contrast, but the display here isn’t bad at all. Text is still sharp and clear, and given you can adjust both brightness and light temperature, it’s readable in any kind of ambient light. The only way you can tell there’s something better out there is if you do a side-by-side comparison with the 2022 Kindle... or if you take my word for it.

However, the Poke 5’s overall performance is a little sluggish compared to the Kindle and the Kobo Clara 2E, but on par with the Kobo Nia, which is a much older model. That’s despite the Poke 5 having a better processor and more RAM – it comes with a 2GHz quad-core Qualcomm CPU and 2GB of RAM compared to the Kindle and Clara 2E’s 1GHz CPU and 512GB of system memory.

This is reflected in the occasional sluggishness of the onscreen keyboard – I found that I sometimes had to select a letter twice or three times for it to register when typing. While tapping to turn a page when using the native library app is mostly fine, I found that to be a bit hit and miss on the Kindle app where I sometimes needed to tap twice for the function to take place and, when it did, it was a little delayed.

The Kobo app opening on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

Ghosting, however, was quite rare when I was testing the Poke 5. This was something I was expecting to happen a lot given my previous experience with other Onyx e-ink tablets, so it was a pleasant reading experience to not have to deal with overlays of a previous application or page.

As expected from an Onyx ereader, battery life is quite good. There’s a 1,500mAh battery that lasted a little over four weeks for me (about 34 days), dropping to 12% before I plugged in for a charge. This is with brightness set to mid level and light temperature at warmer hues, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth always on, and refresh rate set to every 1 tap.

Topping up the battery didn’t take long for me either – about 55 minutes from 12% to full – as I had it plugged into a 65W GAN wall charger via a good quality USB-C to C cable. If you use a laptop or one of the best power banks to charge the Poke 5, note that it will take longer than plugging it directly into a wall adaptor.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Poke 5?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you’re looking for other options to the Onyx Boox Poke 5, your best bets are the Amazon Kindle (2022 release) and the Kobo Clara 2E. You can take a look at some direct specs comparisons below.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Poke 5

Used every day for about 5 weeks but intermittently for longer
Sideloaded some of my own previously purchased content, plus used the Kindle and Kobo apps
Browsed the web via the native web browser

A page of a book displayed on the Onyx Boox Poke 5 ereader — (Image credit: Future)

I’ve had the Onyx Boox Poke 5 for a while now, but while I was working on the Onyx Boox Page review, I used it only intermittently. However, once that was complete, the Poke 5 became my everyday ereader.

When it became my main reading device, I used the Poke 5 for about 2-3 hours a day (I am a voracious reader) and tried some different apps and played around with the custom settings too.

While I used Google Drive and BooxDrop to add some content to the device, I also downloaded the Kindle and Kobo apps to access my existing libraries on those platforms as well and read on those apps. This, however, required me to first enable Google Play Store access on the device, which took some doing. I was expecting to be able to sign in on setup, but after some research realized that it needed me to dig into some hidden menus to enable.

I like the idea of having a web browser on an entry-level ereader as it allows me to immediately do any research while reading a particular title.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed Jan 2024]

Onyx Boox Page review: the Android ereader that can shop both Kindle and Kobo stores

3:25 am | December 19, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: Control Center | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Page: Two-minute review

The Onyx Boox Page is very much like the Kindle Oasis, especially since its plastic body looks far more premium than the Kobo Libra 2. Sharing the same 7-inch screen size as both the older models from Amazon and Kobo, the Onyx Page is just a touch faster thanks to a better processor.

Like the other two, there are physical page-turn buttons here that also double up as the volume controls. Yes, there’s a speaker built-in, but don’t expect the sound quality to wow you. It sounds a little tinny but it suffices if you’re only using it for audiobooks. However, a better listening experience would be via Bluetooth-connected headphones or speaker of your choice.

There’s a very generous 32GB of storage here, just like the Kobo Libra 2, but the Page also features a microSD slot in case you want to expand storage – after all, audiobooks take up more space than ebooks. Moreover, the battery life here is excellent, thanks to a 2,300mAh pack under the hood.

My main complaint is the afterimage issue caused by bringing up the E Ink Center to access shortcuts or control sliders. I’ve seen this before on other Onyx ereaders, but where that’s usually been a ghosting issue, here it’s a dark overlay of the control panel remaining on the page. This doesn’t happen every time, but often enough that it gets annoying.

Another complaint I have is the lack of waterproofing for the Page, so avoid the bath, the pool and the kitchen sink when using this ereader.

Access to content on an Onyx Boox ereader is also still disappointing. While there are two bookstores on the Page, one is Chinese, the other only has ebooks that are already in the public domain.

That said, the Page runs on a simplified version of Android 11 and gives you access to the Google Play Store. From here, you can download the Kindle or the Kobo app (or both) and find your next read there. The flip side to this is your purchased content from the apps won’t get added to the Page’s default library, taking away the plethora of customizations you can apply to ebooks within that default folder.

So if you don’t mind being restricted within the Android apps for Kindle or Kobo, the Onyx Boox Page can be considered to be two ereaders in one. And it's certainly priced competitively in some markets, costing as much as the Kobo Libra 2 in the US, which is still our #1 pick of the best ereader overall.

A hand holding the Onyx Boox Page with the thumb on the page-turn buttons — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Page review: price and availability

Retails for $249 / €279 / AU$419
Available now directly from Onyx or select retailers

Announced in the first half of 2023, the Onyx Boox Page is available to purchase directly from the manufacturer or from selected retailers like B&H in the US. Onyx has an European warehouse from where UK customers can order the Page, and potential Aussie customers can grab one from third-party retailers like Big W.

It will set you back $249 / €279 / AU$419 at full price (around £240 in the UK), matching the Kindle Oasis in the US and UK, but costing more in Australia where the Amazon alternative is AU$399. It’s more expensive than the Kobo Libra 2 in all markets, however, which now retails for $189.99 / £169 / AU$319.95.

While it might cost more in some regions, it's worth considering if you want one ereader to access both the Kindle and Kobo Stores, although it’s important to keep in mind that you will be restricted to reading on those apps if you purchase content from there.

• Value score: 4 / 5

A hand holding the Onyx Boox Page within its magnetic sleepcover — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Page specifications

Onyx Boox Page review: Design and display

7-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen with glass anti-glare layer
Premium looks despite plastic body
No water resistance

When it comes to ereaders with physical page-turn buttons on a side bezel, the popular models like the Kindle Oasis and the Kobo Libra 2 are slightly thicker on that side to allow for a comfortable grip. The Onyx Page, on the other hand, has uniform thickness throughout, which gives it a sleek aesthetic. The page-turn buttons are comfortably located, although I think a little bit of space between them would make switching between the two a bit more ergonomic (but that’s me just nitpicking, really).

The 7-inch E Ink screen – which has a glass anti-glare layer on top and sits flush with the bezels – is encased within a plastic body that looks much better than what we saw on the Kobo Libra 2. At first glance, I thought the Page had a metal chassis like the Kindle Oasis. There’s a strip of subtle artwork on the rear panel where you would expect a grip and it seems to be silk-screened on. However, there really is no grip here and I think the magnetic case that Onyx has made for the Page might be a good (additional) investment in case of butter fingers.

Another reason I think the sleepcover would come in handy is to avoid smudges on the device. As nice as the chassis looks, it’s a magnet for fingerprints – both front and rear.

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The USB-C port, speaker and microSD card tray on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Onyx Boox Page ereader within its magnetic case — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The apps interface on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

On one corner of the device’s edge is a power button, so subtle that it’s easy to miss. Another long edge has the rest of the physical goodies, including a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, dual speaker grilles and a microSD card tray. In the box, Onyx has thoughtfully included a pin so you can open the card slot in case you want to expand the 32GB built-in storage.

The screen itself is lovely and very responsive. Most ereaders I’ve tested that use the E Ink Carta 1200 screen tech offer good contrast, so text stands out nice and sharp on the display, and that’s the case here. It’s a capacitive multitouch screen with no writing capabilities.

You can adjust the screen’s frontlight to either cold or warm hues but there’s no way to set automatic light temperature changes from cold to warm as the day progresses – both the Kindle Oasis and the Kobo Libra 2, however, do offer this feature. That said, none of the Onyx Boox tablets I’ve tested allow you to set automatic light hue changes for reading in the evenings and nights, so I’ve always just set it to a slightly warmer setting that I find comfortable at any time.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Within the Kobo app on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Page review: User experience

Overwhelming device settings options
Auto-rotates orientations, which can be locked if needed
Onyx’s Control Center is handy but often leaves overlay

As with most Onyx ereaders, the user interface takes a little getting used to – it’s not as intuitive as, say, Kindle or Kobo, but you do get a lot of control on how you want your e-paper tablet set up.

For example, you can set the page-turn buttons to scroll instead of turn a page, and they also double up as the volume controls when you’re listening to an audiobook or music (which you can sideload, and there’s a dedicated player too).

By default, the screen is set to refresh after every five taps, but this can also be changed as you see fit. I had mine set to refreshing after every tap, however, as I found ghosting can be an issue, and it also meant any overlay from the Control Center dropdown would disappear immediately too. This, though, can affect battery life and, if you don’t need the Control Center too often, leaving screen refresh rate at five or 10 taps will help push the charge for longer.

Button settings on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can choose what you see as soon as you wake or power on the Onyx Page (default library, the apps page, store, etc) and set up on-screen gesture controls as well. I personally think that Onyx’s customization options are overkill for basic ereaders like the Page, but it’s also nice to know they’re there.

Speaking of the Control Center: this is where you get shortcut access to a lot of controls, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, plus volume and frontlight adjustments. To access the Control Center you just swipe down from the top right corner of the screen. This is also where you get other options, like setting the device to airplane mode, auto-rotation controls and a screen recorder. There’s also a Kids’ Mode option that allows you to set a screen password, but keep in mind that you cannot reset this password once set.

Within the default library application – where all ebooks are automatically stored when you sideload – is a floating toolbar that gives you easy access to font and page controls. This, too, can be customized to include the shortcuts you will actually use within this application. The floating toolbar isn’t available outside of the default library application however.

The floating toolbar in the default library app on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As I’ve already mentioned, this Android tablet gives you access to the Google Play Store, from where you can download handy apps. In my case, it was the Kobo and Kindle apps so I could access not only the respective bookstores but also my existing library on each, as well as the ebook subscription services I pay for (Prime Reading and Kobo Plus in my case). While you can’t move your purchased content to the default library application, you can read within the app, but without the advantages of the floating toolbar.

The Onyx Boox Page allows you to sign into select cloud services, which is handy if you have an existing library you want to sideload onto the device. This includes Dropbox and Google Drive, but if your files aren’t on any cloud storage service, I found using BooxDrop was the best option to transfer content. You don’t need to create an Onyx account – you can use your mobile number to receive a verification code, then drag and drop what you want transferred onto the web version of the application.

Like I said, there’s a lot here to wrap your head around and it takes some experimentation, but once you’ve found the best setup for you, the Page can be quite enjoyable to use.

• User experience score: 4 / 5

The navigation options on the Onyx Boox Page with the Library selected — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Page review: Performance

Remarkable battery life
Quick page turns and responsive screen
Ghosting occurs intermittently; occasionally significant when using the Control Center

When it comes to overall performance, it’s hard to fault the Onyx Boox Page. Reading is a good experience, with page turns working well via both screen taps and the buttons. Text appears nice and sharp, although if what you’re reading has low-resolution images, they can appear a little fuzzy.

I found sideloading files (ebooks and music) via Google Drive and BooxDrop was very easy; while I didn’t try signing into my Dropbox account, I reckon it’s just as simple and quick.

The speakers, though, aren’t anything to write home about. They’re fine for listening to audiobooks, although they don’t get too loud, but music doesn’t sound great. Pairing a set of Bluetooth headphones with the Page was easy when I tried it and I found that using headphones or a paired speaker to be the better listening experience for both audiobooks and music.

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The highlight function on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The Kobo Android app on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ghosting can occur occasionally if the ebook you're reading has images in it, but the most significant problem is the dark overlay of the Onyx Control Center as I've mentioned before. While it doesn't occur all the time, it happened often enough that I changed the refresh rate to be after every 1 tap from the default 5 taps. This is my only complaint when it comes to performance and it's not isolated – a lot of the Onyx ereaders I've tested do have issues with ghosting.

Where the Page really excels is battery life. It houses a 2,300mAh pack and that can last you about six weeks with an hour of reading each day. I had my review sample of the Page set to 40% brightness and approximately 25% yellow light, refresh rate set at 1 tap and Wi-Fi always on to access my Kindle and Kobo accounts. I also used the device for an average of two hours and got about 4.5 weeks of reading till it dropped to 10% battery. My battery life test also included a few minutes of web browsing using the built-in browser app, as well as listening to audiobooks on the Kobo app.

Topping up for me was just as good – I had it plugged into a 65W GAN wall charger via good quality USB-C to C cable and it took about an hour and 20 minutes to go from 9% to full.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

The navigation options on the Onyx Boox Page — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Page?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

The closest competitors to the Onyx Book Page are the Kindle Oasis and the Kobo Libra. While both these options are now aging, they're still excellent alternatives and we've listed direct specs comparisons below.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Page

Used as main ereader for about eight weeks
Read for about two hours a day, with some ad hoc listening sessions
Use the device to browse the web and download Android apps

Onyx Boox Page standing upright on a table — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I am a voracious reader, so reading every single day for at least an hour or two is normal for me. So I just switched out my usual ereader for the Onyx Boox Page for a period of about eight weeks.

During this time, I averaged about two hours of reading each day, although every once in a while I listened to an audiobook for about 20-30 minutes on the Kobo app, which I downloaded via the Google Play Store that is already available on the Page.

I also downloaded the Kindle app to access my purchased content there.

I signed into Google Drive to sync some ebooks I already own, plus used BooxDrop to sideload other content, including music files, which I also listened to intermittently without headphones. Most of my listening sessions, however, were via a set of paired Bluetooth true wireless earbuds.

I used the default browser occasionally as well and kept tabs on battery drain as I performed different tasks on the Onyx Boox Page.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed December 2023]

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: an ereader that’s colorful and compact, but expensive

7:06 am | September 27, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: Google Play Store | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C: Two-minute review

The Onyx Boox Tab Mini C joins the ranks of the many color ereaders that Chinese manufacturer Onyx already has. In fact, it’s also a note-taking tablet – a smaller version of the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C, but without a rear camera for scanning documents.

Going small from a 10.3-inch color E Ink screen to one that’s 7.8 inches is a good call in my opinion. You get everything that’s on the Tab Ultra C, with the sole exception of the rear camera to scan documents, making this a more compact, portable and more affordable alternative. And considering I found that camera superfluous on the larger tablet, I don’t miss it here at all.

Onyx has stuck with the latest E Ink Kaleido 3 screen tech for the Tab Mini C, so don’t expect all color hues to pop. Some will look good, others will be muted. I’m still waiting for someone to perfect the Gallery 3 screen and use it on a color ereader – it promises good saturation, but there’s no word on when it will be available on mainstream devices.

Reading and writing on the Tab Mini C is good, even in color. Despite the color screen resolution being just 150ppi – half that of its grayscale resolution – it’s a lot easier to read in any lighting condition than some other color ereaders, like the PocketBook InkPad Color 2, thanks to better contrast.

As with all of Onyx’s newer tablets, the Tab Mini C also runs Android 11, which means you get access to the Google Play Store and can download quite a few apps that you think you might use. This includes the Kindle or the Kobo apps, so you get access to bookstores. This is handy as Onyx doesn’t have its own to purchase content from. And given it’s got a web browser pre-installed, you can even buy content from other online stores as well.

There are other pre-installed apps that will be sufficient for most users, including a reading application. If you don’t like any of them, you can always get the Android version of your favorite apps off the Play Store. The note-taking app is a little complicated for most people, so if you use EverNote or any other app, you can have that on the Tab Mini C easily enough.

As good as it is, the Tab Mini C is not perfect. Despite being a smaller size, it’s a relatively heavy ereader by virtue of its big battery and metal chassis. Its weight and thin side bezels make it a little difficult to hold while reading, but I like its sleek, metal body.

Despite having four different refresh rates to choose from for different applications, I still found ghosting can be a problem, particularly in the default notes app. It’s a niggle that may not bother too many users, but I found it a distraction if I didn’t force a screen refresh.

Like most other note-taking ereaders that ship with a stylus, one side of the Tab Mini C allows the pen to stick on magnetically. As strong as the magnet is, it’s not the most secure way to stow the pen. Instead, a magnetic flap to close the optional sleepcover holds the pen in its spot on the side bezel. This additional expense can pinch as the Tab Mini C isn’t cheap – it carries a premium price tag to match its premium build.

The library setup on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C ereader — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: price and availability

Retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765
Available to buy now directly from Onyx and resellers
Ships with a stylus but sleepcover sold separately

At $450 / £450 / AU$765 for the tablet and the accompanying stylus, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C is an expensive investment, but it could be worthwhile if you use all its features. That includes taking full advantage of its color screen – as washed out as the colors might appear – and use its writing capabilities to the fullest. And considering you can use a plethora of Android apps as well, its price begins to make a little sense.

However, if you don’t need any writing features but would still like a color ereader, you can save money by opting for something like the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 (although I wasn’t too sold on its low-contrast screen) for about $329 / £345 / AU$595.

If note-taking capabilities are important but you don’t need a color screen, then perhaps the 8-inch Kobo Sage for $269 / £259 / AU$459 would be a good option. And if you do feel like splurging, you can go bigger and snap up the Amazon Kindle Scribe or the Kobo Elipsa 2E for their writing abilities and great (grayscale) screens for $339 / £339 / AU$549 and $399 / £349 / AU$629 respectively. They’re still cheaper than the Tab Mini C, but you aren’t getting a color screen with any of the other note-taking ereaders.

Keep in mind that you’ll want to consider the magnetic sleepcover for the Tab Mini C if you want to keep your stylus safe, and that will set you back an additional $43.99 / AU$79.99 (about £36).

• Value score: 3 / 5

The Onyx Boox Tab Mini C's stylus lying across the display showing grayscale text — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C key specs

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: Design and display

7.8-inch flush glass screen with great contrast
Metallic body with solid build
Stereo speakers

Onyx really knows how to make some good-looking e-paper writing tablets. I’ve had high praise for most of them, as they all feature metallic bodies that look pretty sleek. The Tab Mini C is no different, featuring a black chassis with a screen that sits flush with the bezels.

A layer of glass on the top gives it a smooth finish, but has no detrimental effect on the touch functionality, readability or the anti-glare nature of the display. While this gives a slightly glossy look to the top, the rear panel has a matte finish. Along with slightly rounded rear edges, the Tab Mini C gets a decent grip compared to its bigger brethren.

The sides of the device are clean, with just a small, slightly raised power button on the top left corner, and the USB-C port and two speaker grilles on the bottom.

USB-C port and speakers on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As I’ve already mentioned, the screen measures 7.8-inches, which is a good size for most users. It makes the tablet more portable than other writing ereaders, most of which are 10.3 inches. And the glass layer on the top makes writing on it a pleasure – it’s not as smooth as it feels on the Amazon Kindle Scribe, but it comes close.

Importantly, getting a full color display means you can enjoy comics and graphics novels as they were meant to, or just ogle at some book covers in color before you start reading. You can sketch and draw, with a few colors at your disposal when choosing your pen or brush type.

However, because of the limitations of the technology, the colors appear a little washed out. Some hues do look good, though, and the screen has excellent contrast to make reading a pleasure. This became evident to me when I was comparing it to the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 – another 7.8-inch color ereader, but with an older screen technology and no writing capabilities.

The Onyx Boox Tab Mini C stylus lying across the tablet — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Speaking of writing, the stylus that ships with the Tab Mini C is a basic option compared to what comes with the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra and Tab Ultra C – what you miss out on here is the eraser on the top of the pen. The stylus has a grippy, textured surface, with a flat side that attaches magnetically to one edge of the tablet. Strangely, the strongest way to attach the stylus is nib pointing down – if you attach it the other way, the magnet isn’t as strong. Either way, the pen can get dislodged when taking it in and out of a bag, for example, making the magnetic sleepcover an additional purchase to consider.

For an ereader in this size category, though, the Tab Mini C is heavy (as are most other Onyx tablets) by virtue of its large battery and metal body. While it’s not uncomfortable to hold, it can start to feel heavy after about 20-30 minutes, particularly if you’re using it with its sleepcover.

• Design & display score: 4.5 / 5

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: software and user interface

Runs modified version of Android 11 with access to the Google Play Store
Four refresh rates to choose from for individual apps
Plenty of ways to sync/transfer books and notes

Like all other Onyx ereaders, the Tab Mini C runs a modified version of Android 11. While I’ve previously said that Android 11 does feel dated now, and I still stand by the statement, Onyx isn’t alone in using it for its devices. Amazon’s latest version of its Fire OS is also a modified version of Android 11.

The default notes application on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Running Google’s operating system means you get easy access to the Play Store and the good thing about that is you can download and use a huge number of Android apps on the Tab Mini C. This includes YouTube for watching videos. Yes, the video won’t look its best because of the E Ink screen and its limitations, but it’s just about watchable.

Where it comes in handy is being able to purchase content directly from the device via the Kindle or Kobo apps, as well as using third-party note-taking apps. In fact, you can link a number of accounts to gain access to your work – Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, OneNote, Everdrive and more. In my case, I had a bunch of ebooks stored in Google Drive, and linking it made it easy to transfer files to read on my Tab Mini C.

For most users, though, the default apps would suffice. You can use BooxDrop to transfer files (ebooks, audiobooks, PDFs, photos, music and more) and you just need your mobile number to set it up, you don’t necessarily have to open a Boox account if you don’t want to.

Color options for highlighting text on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Within each app you use, there are four refresh rates available, each meant for different types of media – from HD for general reading to Ultrafast for watching videos – and these are accessible via the E Ink Center that appears when you swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open up the device's Control Center. This is also where you can adjust volume and the frontlight, and take a screenshot, record your screen or get into split-screen mode. The setup is great, but there are a lot of features to wrap your head around and the settings can be far from intuitive if you’ve never used an Onyx tablet before.

There are several customizable gestures and functions that take time to delve into in the settings but, once you’ve gotten used to them all, they do make using the ereader easier. For example, swiping up from the bottom bezel takes you back to the home screen, while swiping down from the top opens up your notification center. The user interface isn't as streamlined as a Kobo or a Kindle ereader, but neither of the bigger brands have as many features as the Onyx tablets do, so kudos for the brand for trying to fit it all in. And I definitely prefer the Onyx interface to what PocketBook offers on its ereaders.

• Software & user interface score: 4 / 5

A crude color drawing of a boat on water on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C ereader — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: Performance

Excellent reading and writing experience
Sluggish refresh rates, with significant ghosting
Remarkable battery life

The Tab Mini C is a great ereader and writing tablet. Despite its color screen resolution topping out at 150ppi, there’s very good contrast that makes it a much easier display to read on in any kind of lighting condition than the PocketBook InkPad Color 2. Admittedly some colors aren’t as good as they would appear on, say, an LCD display, but it’s important to remember that the Tab Mini C is not meant to be a multimedia tablet like an iPad. All the colors will be recognizable, though.

Onyx uses a powerful 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM for the Tab Mini C, and it shows in how quickly the device responds to touch and stylus functionality. Page turns are rapid, pen input is excellent and apps open quite quickly too.

What doesn’t really work on the Tab Mini C is the significant ghosting visible in several applications. Despite four options to choose from for different purposes, having an imprint of the previous page or application is very distracting. Forcing a refresh each time is not ideal. Ghosting can occur when reading in color or black and white, but it’s most prevalent in the former. I noticed it in the default notes app when changing pen types and colors while drawing. I seen it on the home screen after I’ve used the Control Center to adjust volume or frontlight brightness. This is an issue I saw with the bigger Tab Ultra C and Onyx clearly hasn’t figured out how to minimize ghosting or optimize the refresh rates better.

Ghosting visible on a drawing on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C — A significant amount of ghosting occurs on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C despite four different refresh rates to choose from (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Speaking of volume… I have to say I am amazed at how loud the stereo speakers can get on this little tablet. While the sound quality isn’t comparable to some of the best headphones or best earbuds, it’s not bad for listening to audiobooks. And the volume far exceeds what the PocketBook Era or the InkPad Color 2 can hit.

Another good thing about investing in the Tab Mini C is the battery life. With a 5,000mAh pack inside, it feels like the tablet can go on forever. Battery management here is definitely better than what I experienced with the Tab Ultra C. Depending on how you use the Tab Mini C, you’ll likely get up to eight weeks of use between charges. Topping up will take a little while, but if you have a good USB-C to C cable plugged into a wall socket via a high wattage adaptor, the Tab Mini C could top up in about 2.5 hours from 35% battery.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

The sleepcover of the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C holding the stylus — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

It’s not too hard to imagine the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C competing for your attention amongst the best ereaders you can get today, but it’s a very expensive investment. You can get better performers from more popular brands that will cost you less – you just need to be willing to forgo the color display.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C

Used as main ereader for a few weeks
Wrote notes on it, and used it to draw as best I could, plus listened to music and audiobooks
Compared with other ereaders in the same size class and with note-taking features

The Onyx branding on the boot-up page of the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C color ereader — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with all my ereader testing, I used the Tab Mini C for a few weeks before I started noting down my thoughts… on the device itself, by the way. I used it for an average of two hours a day most days, but occasionally that would be a lot longer (on weekends) or for less (on weeknights).

I used the BooxDrop feature to transfer some ebooks I own, but I also linked my Google Drive account – via the Settings pane – to download a bunch more. While I did a lot of my reading using the default reader app on the device, I also downloaded the Kindle and the Kobo apps to access my library on each of those platforms.

I absolutely cannot draw to save my life, but I gave it a go to see how the colors looked and how changing the pen type and size can help with sketching. I also made my own notes – this included editing existing notes I’d already made on other Onyx tablets that got synced to my account.

I used the Tab Mini C to browse the internet using the default browser, and downloaded a couple mobile games to see how they performed on an E Ink screen.

I compared the Tab Mini C with other ereaders, including the Kobo Sage and the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 that are in the same size class, as well as to the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C for a direct performance comparison. During my testing, I also had the Kobo Elipsa 2E and the Amazon Kindle Scribe for more comparisons.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed September 2023]

Amazon Kindle (2022)

12:59 am | November 11, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2022
• Add supported pricing tiers available
• Launch price: $119 / £94 / AU$179
• Official price now with ads: $99 / £84 / N/A

Updated: January 2024. The standard 2022 Kindle is an ereader that'll basically suit everyone. It's small, light, has a good battery life and represents an overall evolution over the models that came before it. It can now be had for a cheaper starting price in the US and UK if you're willing to put up with adverts. But paying a little more still gets you a very fine Kindle, hassle-free. Do bear in mind you can get a great price on the standard Kindle when seasonal sales are in full swing, but it's still great at full price. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Amazon Kindle (2022): One-minute review

Over 15 years after Amazon launched its first Kindle ereader, the retail giant has launched the latest Kindle (2022) model. Because Amazon is so huge these days, from turning into a shop where you can buy almost anything, while also making its own smart home Alexa-powered devices and even creating its own high-budget TV shows (such as the recent Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power), it can be easy to forget that it started out life as an online bookstore.

Still, with the Kindle range, it shows that books can still be a passion for the company, and with the launch of the Kindle (2022), you’d be forgiven for expecting an extremely accomplished ereader, considering the expertise and budget behind it.

The good news is that with the latest Kindle you get just that. While it lacks some of the bells and whistles offered by other ereaders – and even the more expensive Kindle models in Amazon’s growing range – if you want a simple and dependable device for reading ebooks on, the Kindle (2022) could be an excellent choice.

A higher resolution screen makes ebooks look fantastic, and as the most compact Amazon ereader, the Kindle (2022) slips easily into bags and some pockets, making it a good choice for travellers. However, the small screen size can be uncomfortable to read on for some people, as well as difficult to grip onto.

For people looking for a main ebook reader for home, the Kindle (2022) probably won't be the best ereader for your needs. However, starting at $99.99 / £84.99 / AU$179, it's one of the better value ereaders out there. It also comes with double the storage space (now 16GB), extended battery life, and its integration with Amazon's store and services remains excellent – as long as you don't mind buying from Amazon. If you do mind getting locked into Amazon's ecosystem, then look elsewhere. You'd be missing out on a decent and affordable compact ereader however.

Amazon Kindle 2022 inside its sleepcover — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Kindle (2022) review: Price and availability

Costs $99.99 / £84.99 for ad-supported model
No ad-supported version for Australia (RRP of AU$179)
More expensive than last model

The new Kindle (2022) is Amazon’s most affordable ereader, and costs $99.99 / £84.99 for the model with adverts on the lockscreen – there's no ad-supported version of the Kindle in Australia. For the non-advert version, you’ll need to pay $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179.

While this makes the Kindle (2022) the cheapest current model, it does represent a price increase over the previous model, which sold for £69.99 / $89.99 / AU$139.

It remains more affordable than its chief competitor, the Kobo Clara 2E , although the rival offers a few more features that the 2022 Kindle misses out on. If you’re a regular user of Amazon's different services, though, then the Kindle’s integration with the huge retailer will likely appeal.

Price and availability score: 4/5

The USB-C charging port under the Amazon Kindle 2022 — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Kindle (2022) review: Design and display

Smallest Kindle yet
Ideal for travelling
May be too small for some

The Kindle (2022) comes with a new design, and some changes are very welcome… and some less so. It’s now smaller and lighter than ever before, and weighs just 158g, with measurements of 6.2-inches x 4.3-inches x 0.32-inches (157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0 mm).

This makes it an excellent choice for travellers who want to take something to read while they globetrot. The Kindle (2022) can easily slip into a bag, or even a pocket, and you’d hardly notice it’s there. For short-haul flights where you’re limited to the amount of luggage you can bring on board, this could again be a great feature, as it takes up less space than even a rather slim book.

However, some people may not enjoy holding and reading on such a small device. It doesn’t feel as secure to hold as some of the larger, and more expensive, ebook readers out there, and the lack of a textured rear panel can make it feel a little hard to grip onto. There are Kindle cases on sale that can mitigate this, but without one, the Kindle (2022) can feel a little too slight for some people.

That’s not to say the build quality is lacking, however. Quite the opposite, in fact, as despite its budget price, the Kindle (2022) feels like a well-put-together device.

Kindle branding on bottom bezel of theAmazon Kindle 2022 — (Image credit: TechRadar)

The design is minimalist, with a single power button and a USB-C port for charging. Most of the controls for the Kindle are done via the 6-inch E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen. The USB-C is a new addition, and means you can quickly charge the Kindle (2022) – and you can use any USB charger to do so.

The new blue color is a nice change from the standard black or white designs of other ereaders and, thanks to an update that happened in April 2021, you can set the cover of book you're currently reading to display on the sleep screen instead of cycling through a few wallpapers that were available on Kindles by default.

The screen itself has had a lot of attention lavished on it. It’s now got a 300ppi (pixels per inch) high resolution screen that is crisp and sharp on the 6-inch display. As an e-ink screen, it feels comfortable to read on, though we ended up making the text smaller to fit more of a page onto the 6-inch screen.

The screen has an adjustable front light for reading in the dark, and the Dark Mode option makes it more comfortable to read in low-light conditions. However, the front light cannot be adjusted for temperature, meaning you're stuck with white/blue light at all times, so people sensitive to blue light may find the Kindle (2022) less appealing for bedtime reading.

Unlike more expensive Kindles, the standard Kindle (2022) isn’t waterproof, but it does have a handy sensor that lets you know if there’s moisture in the USB-C port, so you can unplug it and wait for it to dry. We tried it out during the review, and it does indeed work.

In some markets the Kindle (2022) also comes with a ‘Kid’ version that features a rugged cover, one year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and an extended two-year guarantee (the standard model has one year).

Design and display score: 4/5

Amazon Kindle 2022 in dark mode — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Kindle (2022) review: Specs and performance

Good looking (yet small) screen
16GB capacity should be more than enough

As well as the improved screen, the Kindle (2022) also features twice the storage space of its predecessor. While the new 16GB capacity may seem a little low when compared to a phone or tablet, ebooks don’t take up much digital space, with an average ebook file size of 2.6MB. That means there’s room for well over 7,000 books – so even the most ardent bookworm won’t have to worry about space. There’s no microSD card slot, so you can't expand the storage space, but we can’t see many people needing to.

You can also download and listen to audiobooks using Amazon’s Audible service, and these obviously take up a lot more space than an ebook – though 16GB will still be able to handle a ridiculous amount. There are no built-in speakers, so you’ll need to pair a Bluetooth device, which can be done through the interface. We did find this to be a bit difficult to set up, with the Kindle becoming unresponsive at one point, but once paired, it works well.

Of course, the main reason you’d want to use the Kindle for is reading ebooks, and the good news is that it does this very well. The e-ink screen is comfortable to read on and, while the dark mode makes things comfortable at night, we didn’t find it was bright enough to read on without a light on. However, in both dark rooms and out in sunlight, the non-reflective screen performed well.

However, at 6 inches, we felt it was too small to read at the default text size, as it meant we had to keep flipping pages (done via tapping the side of the screen you want to turn the page to). Making the text smaller fitted more of the text on the screen, which reduced the number of times we had to turn the page – but some people may find the text size too small to read comfortably. As an ereader for travellers, this is great, but people reading at home may wish they’d gone for something bigger.

Amazon Kindle 2022 control panel on top of screen — (Image credit: TechRadar)

The interface has been refreshed, and it takes a bit of getting used to. The minimalist design means there’s no buttons apart from the power button, and so if you haven’t used a Kindle before, you may be confused about how to get to your library. A nice touch is that when the Kindle (2022) goes into sleep mode, you can set the sleep screen to show the cover of the book you’re currently reading – though if you buy the ad supported version you’ll see adverts instead.

As you’d expect from an Amazon device, the Kindle is heavily integrated with the retail giant’s services. Once you’ve connected it to your Amazon account, you can buy Kindle ebooks and audiobooks through the Amazon website on other devices, and they will appear on the Kindle almost immediately, as long as it has an internet connection. This makes setting up the Kindle and filling it with books very straightforward, especially if you already have a Kindle library. You can also buy books directly through the Kindle’s interface. However, we prefer doing it on another device with a larger screen, such as a laptop.

While this means the Kindle is an easy and convenient gadget to use if you’re already invested in Amazon’s ecosystem – and many people are – but if you don’t use them or like Amazon as a company, then you may find the Kindle’s heavy reliance on Amazon frustrating. You can load non-Amazon ebooks onto it, but it’s not as easy and organizing them into collections aren't possible, leaving your library looking a tad dishevelled. So this really is only worth considering if you’re an Amazon customer.

When you purchase a Kindle (2022), you get three months of Kindle Unlimited free, essentially a Netflix-like subscription service for ebooks, which at least gives you a chance to check out the service and get access to a huge range of books before you spend any extra money. That said, you won't find a lot of big names (authors or publishers) on Kindle Unlimited but there is plenty to discover if you aren't too fussy about what you like to read.

Specs and performance score: 3/5

The settings pane on the Amazon Kindle 2022 — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Kindle (2022) review: Battery life

Better battery life than before
Drains slightly faster in dark mode

Amazon has not only upped the internal storage on the 2022 edition of the Kindle, but has also improved the battery life. Whether that’s due to improved efficiency of the same old battery or if it’s a bigger capacity is unclear as Amazon doesn’t ever reveal its battery secrets, but our guess is the latter.

The older 10th generation Kindle from 2019 offered up to four weeks of reading (according to Amazon’s own estimates), but we got about two weeks of reading for an hour each day on a single charge. Now, however, we’re getting a full 30 hours of reading – basically, four weeks of reading an hour each day.

In fact, we think you could get more. Our tests showed that there’s marginally more drain when using the Kindle in dark mode, and we measured battery life with the screen set to the usual view and dark mode. Not just that, we also set the front light to 7%, both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth always on, a mix of browsing Kindle Unlimited, the Kindle Store and using VoiceView (we were really curious how it sounded). If you aren’t going to be doing so much on your Kindle, you could push that battery a little more, and that’s pretty impressive.

Amazon has updated the charging port to USB-C in keeping with the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite (and other ereader) models and this makes the battery top up quicker. In our tests, the Kindle went from 9% to full in 1 hour 25 minutes. This, however, includes a little bit of trickle charging, which is actually better than what any of the latest Kobo ereaders manage. Where trickle charging on the Kobo Libra 2, for example, is super slow (an hour to go from 92% to full), the Kindle went from 9% to 93% in 1 hour 10 minutes, then another 15 minutes to finish the remaining 7%.

Battery score: 4/5

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle (2022)?

The rear panel with the Amazon smile logo on the 2022 Kindle

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Amazon Kindle (2022) report card

Also consider...

If our Amazon Kindle (2022) review has you considering other options, here are three more ereaders that are great alternatives.

First reviewed November 2022

How we test

We pride ourselves on our independence and rigorous review-testing process, offering long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

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