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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 2024 review: faster, brighter, and that’s all there is to it
12:59 am | November 28, 2024

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

Kindle Paperwhite SE: One-minute review

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a mainstay on our list of the best Kindles, and the new Paperwhite offers just enough improvements to keep the e-reader feeling fresh while still leaving me wanting a bit more. It’s a little brighter, a little sharper, and a lot faster, and it turns out that speed truly makes a difference if you read a lot.

The main factor behind your choice of e-reader is where you get your books. If you buy books from Amazon or subscribe to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service, the Kindle is your only choice, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle for most people. It’s bright, durable, and even water-resistant enough to survive a splash of salt water if you want to read in the sand.

Of course, the color Kindle is here, but don’t look at the Kindle Colorsoft if you don’t yearn for color when you read. It’s hard to go back to black and white once you’ve seen it, and the Colorsoft costs a lot more than the Kindle Paperwhite.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature edition e-reader showing graphic novels, cookbooks, and fiction, as well as settings

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is basically a Paperwhite in color (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

That’s fine because the Kindle Paperwhite does everything you’d expect from a Kindle, no more and no less. If you want a bit more, my review sample was the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which includes wireless charging and maxes out the storage. I didn’t once charge the Kindle wirelessly except to test that it works, but you can buy a dock from Amazon to prop your Kindle at your bedside and let it charge while it shows you the cover of the book you’re reading.

That’s if you pay a little extra for the Kindle Paperwhite without lockscreen ads. I’m not a fan of Amazon’s common lockscreen ad scheme. I don’t like my phone, tablet, or e-reader serving me ads as a privilege of ownership. It feels cynical, and even though you can save $20 / £10 (and why is it so much cheaper in the UK?!) by allowing Amazon to take over your Kindle lockscreen with advertisements, I’d rather see my book covers or even just Amazon’s pleasant reading-themed wallpapers. Thankfully, the Signature Edition doesn't have lockscreen ads.

If you get your books from the library (yes, your local library will lend you an e-book) or if you buy from a seller other than Amazon, you have more choices, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the best. I wish it had real buttons to turn pages, like the Kobo Libra e-reader. Buttons just feel more reliable than tapping or swiping, especially if I’m in the tub and my fingers are soapy.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition held up by one hand showing book covers in a grid including Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition exceeds other e-readers in its speed and responsiveness. Turning pages feels fast now, much faster than it was on older Kindle devices, and zooming into a chart or a picture happens almost as quickly as it would on a smartphone. I didn’t think a performance boost would make such a huge difference for a Kindle, but it’s really noticeable and makes the e-reader better.

Besides the library, Amazon’s Kindle book store is also the most robust place to buy books. You’ll find every title you want, and the store is great at making suggestions. I was slightly disappointed by the Kindle Unlimited content offering, though, so I wouldn’t recommend the subscription service unless reading is your passion and not just a pastime.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is an easy e-reader to recommend because the Paperwhite wasn’t broken, and Amazon didn’t fix it. It’s just a bit better, but it does everything I need an electronic book to do. The only thing I miss is color, and I suspect that the next Paperwhite upgrade that comes along in a few years will satisfy that craving.

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: price and availability

Kindle Paperwhite showing the cover of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in black and white

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • $159.99 / £159.99 for the Kindle Paperwhite with 16GB of storage, with ads
  • $199.99 / £189.99 for the Signature Edition with 32GB and wireless charging
  • No Australia launch date yet

The Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are a bit more expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite from 2021, and you don’t really get anything new. It’s a better device, to be sure, with a brighter screen and a more responsive interface, but I don’t like that it’s creeping up in price, especially since it’s an excellent vessel for Amazon to sell you more Kindle books.

Never fear! Because the Kindle Paperwhite will likely get discounted often. I’m finishing this review just before the 2024 Black Friday deals season starts, and the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition already has its first discount: it’s $45 / £35 off at Amazon. That’s a good start! I’m sure we’ll see this e-reader drop in price every time Amazon has a sale day, or a holiday, or a day that ends in 'y.'

Is it worth the price? Compared to what? There aren’t any other e-readers that synchronize perfectly with Amazon’s book store, unless you buy a more expensive device that runs Android and can load the Kindle app. That’s a bridge too far, on my reading journey.

A person holding the Kobo Clara Colour ereader with a book cover displayed

The Kobo Clara Color costs less than a Kindle Paperwhite (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can find a Kobo Clara e-reader with a smaller display for less money; you can even get a Kobo Clara Color e-reader for less than a Kindle Paperwhite, let alone the Signature Edition Paperwhite. The Clara has a smaller display, and you should definitely explore Kobo’s book library before you commit if you’re making a switch.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: Specs

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition showing settings menu for screen brightness and warmth, Wi-Fi, Airplane mode, and more settings

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: design

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Looks nicer with Signature Edition metallic paint
  • No page turning buttons, and power button is poorly placed

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a very simple e-reader, and Amazon hasn’t improved the design at all except to offer some brighter paint options, especially if you spring for the Signature Edition with its metallic paint. That’s the review sample I have, and I like the look much more than the basic matte black finish, as you’ll find on the Paperwhite and the Kindle Colorsoft.

What happened to Kindles that felt premium? The Kindle Oasis lingered for years as a premium model, clad in metal with real page-turn buttons. I guess Amazon gave that all up to cut prices, or maybe readers just didn’t want to pay more for a luxurious electronic book. In any case, I hope Amazon offers an alternative to the bland plastic Kindle Paperwhite slab in the future.

Kindle Paperwhite from the side in greet metallic finished help by one hand

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition from the side (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I also hope Amazon brings back page buttons because pressing a button is easier than swiping or tapping on the correct spot. If I held the Kindle Paperwhite SE too high, I’d open a menu instead of turning the page. Just give me a button.

There's only one button on the Kindle Paperwhite SE, and it’s the unfortunately placed power button. If you rest the Paperwhite on a desk while reading or rest it heavily on a finger for balance, you might turn off the screen by accident.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is certainly simple; I just wish there were more elegance to be found.

  • Design score: 2 / 5

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: display

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition showing text from the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the top of the screen

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • E Ink Carta 1300 display
  • Full set of white and amber LEDs for reading at night

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition uses the latest E Ink black and white Carta 1300 display, which doesn’t offer more sharpness than past Kindle screens, but the Kindle already looks great when it’s displaying text and writing. Pictures look good enough in 16 levels of grey, but if you want better graphics, you should go for the Kindle Colorsoft.

The display does an impressive job keeping up with the improved performance inside. I expected to see a lot more ghosting and residual characters as I zoomed in and out of a page, but the Paperwhite SE gave me a lighter version of my screen for panning, then flashed briefly and gave me a darker, final version when I was steady.

The Kindle Paperwhite SE can get plenty bright, so be warned that the incredible 12 weeks of battery life only applies when you are reading at half brightness. If you are in a well-lit room you won’t need any light at all, but reading before bed is my personal habit, so I use the light frequently. There’s a full set of amber lights and white LEDs inside so that you can eliminate all the blue light before bedtime.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: software

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition showing Goodreads welcome screen and star reviews for recently read books including Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy

The Kindle has direct access to Goodreads to rate your books (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Amazon’s Kindle software keeps things very simple
  • Better performance makes menus and libraries move faster

If you buy books through Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition does a perfect job delivering those books to your device. The Kindle can synchronize your progress easily if you read across multiple devices. It can also report your reading to Goodreads automatically or connect you to the social service to write your own reviews.

There isn’t much more to the Kindle Paperwhite SE. If you have books from other sources, you can connect the Kindle Paperwhite to your computer directly or just synchronize through Amazon’s web-based software.

Kindle Paperwhite showing Kindle bookstore with a selection of book covers shown in Recommended for You sections

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There is a web browser, but it’s dreadfully simple, maybe thankfully so. You won’t find yourself distracted and browsing your favorite websites on this e-reader. I could barely get TechRadar.com to load beyond some text boxes.

The big thing that I’m missing with Kindle software is the ability to annotate my books right on the page. The Kobo Libra can use a stylus to take notes on a book. Not just highlighting or sticky notes but actually drawing in the margins and on the page. It’s a nifty trick that Amazon really needs to adopt, especially for the Kindle Scribe.

  • User experience score: 4 / 5

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: performance

Kindle Paperwhite shown with warmth turned all the way up and amber LED lights lighting the display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Surprisingly fast performance on E Ink
  • Improved scrolling, moves faster than before

Amazon gave the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition a dual-core processor inside, which makes this electronic book more powerful than the Apollo 11 lunar lander. That means it can turn pages very quickly. I joke, but in fact, the difference is noticeable if you’ve ever owned a Kindle and been annoyed by slow page turns.

The only place where the Kindle still lags behind modern technology is in touch sensitivity. The E Ink display is not very sensitive, and I still felt a delay between tapping the screen, like when I needed to enter my Wi-Fi password, and when the character appeared. Menus were faster when I was scrolling, but still not totally reliable when tapping through them.

Frankly, there’s not much more I could ask for with Kindle performance. I’ve seen E Ink displays that try to do a lot more, and they overcomplicate simple technology like e-paper. I’m happy that Amazon made the interface more responsive. The next frontier is touch response.

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Kindle Paperwhite SE review: battery

Kindle Paperwhite from bottom showing USB-C port and poorly placed power button

USB-C charging or go wireless with the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Excellent battery life, if you follow the rules
  • Avid readers will get a week of battery life or more

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition will last for 12 weeks on a single charge, if you’re a casual reader. Amazon’s 12-week claim calls for 30 minutes of reading with the screen at just under half brightness. If you read all day in bright sunshine, the Kindle Paperwhite SE might last longer. If you read in the dark New England winter nights, the Paperwhite will need to charge more often.

The good news is that you will get over 40 hours of screen time between charges, and the battery won’t die if you put the book down for a few weeks. If you read at a good pace, you’ll be able to read a couple of books before you need to charge the Kindle Paperwhite, and that’s exceptional for any modern electronic device.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition features wireless charging. I like the wireless option as an elegant solution for keeping your Kindle topped up on a bedside stand, but it’s not essential at all.

  • Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition?

Buy it if...

You want a new Kindle
Amazon hasn’t given us a proper new Kindle for reading in years. Time to rejoice! New Kindles have arrived.

You’re a serious reader
You can buy the cheaper Amazon Kindle, but serious readers want brighter displays with better battery life, and the Paperwhite is the one.

You’ll be reading in harsh, beach-like conditions
The Kindle Paperwhite is IP67 rated, so it can resist sand and even salt-water (with a proper rinse after).

Don't buy it if...

You read comics or graphic novels
If you don’t care about color, don’t worry about the Kindle Colorsoft. But who doesn’t care about color?!

You want to take notes on your books
E-readers from Kobo can write directly on the pages, and there’s always the Kindle Scribe if you need a pen.

You expect a real web browser
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite still keeps things simple. This device is for reading without distractions, not doomscrolling.

Also consider

Kobo Clara Colour
You can save a bit of money and even check out a color E Ink display with the Kobo Clara Color. As long as your books aren’t all on Kindle, it’s worth a look.
Read our in-depth Kobo Clara Color review

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
The base model Kindle Paperwhite doesn't have wireless charging, which I never needed, and it comes with only 16GB of storage, which is more than enough for most avid readers.

Check out the Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Testing period - three weeks
  • Subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and Comixology
  • Tested books, comics, audiobooks, and bathtub reading

I used the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for three weeks before I published this review. I read two novels, multiple short stories, Japanese manga, and a number of other materials, including cookbooks and magazine.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for listening to audiobooks from Audible, and for listening while I read the same book. I used the Paperwhite in the bathtub to test its water resistance, and because reading in the bathtub is the main reason I like to review Kindle Paperwhite devices.

I did not have a dedicated wireless charging dock, but I tried charging the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition with a Qi-compatible wireless charging adapter that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone. Before my review period I charged the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition using the USB-C port, and I only charged it one more time before this review was completed, even though I read daily and usually for more than an hour a day.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite without a case, and the photos in this review reflect its condition after daily use without a case, which is pretty good. I subscribed to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service and Comixology, and I also loaded books into my collection through the Overdrive library borrowing system and my local library.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed November 2024]

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review: faster, brighter, and still the best Kindle
12:40 am |

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

Kindle Paperwhite: One-minute review

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a mainstay on our list of the best Kindles, and the new Paperwhite offers just enough improvements to keep the e-reader feeling fresh while still leaving me wanting a bit more. It’s a little brighter, a little sharper, and a lot faster, and it turns out that speed truly makes a difference if you read a lot.

The main factor behind your choice of e-reader is where you get your books. If you buy books from Amazon or subscribe to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service, the Kindle is your only choice, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle for most people. It’s bright, durable, and even water-resistant enough to survive a splash of salt water if you want to read in the sand.

Of course, the color Kindle is here, but don’t look at the Kindle Colorsoft if you don’t yearn for color when you read. It’s hard to go back to black and white once you’ve seen it, and the Colorsoft costs a lot more than the Kindle Paperwhite.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature edition e-reader showing graphic novels, cookbooks, and fiction, as well as settings

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is basically a Paperwhite in color (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

That’s fine because the Kindle Paperwhite does everything you’d expect from a Kindle, no more and no less. If you want a bit more, my review sample was the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which includes wireless charging and maxes out the storage. I didn’t once charge the Kindle wirelessly except to test that it works, but you can buy a dock from Amazon to prop your Kindle at your bedside and let it charge while it shows you the cover of the book you’re reading.

That’s if you pay a little extra for the Kindle Paperwhite without lockscreen ads. I’m not a fan of Amazon’s common lockscreen ad scheme. I don’t like my phone, tablet, or e-reader serving me ads as a privilege of ownership. It feels cynical, and even though you can save $20 / £10 (and why is it so much cheaper in the UK?!) by allowing Amazon to take over your Kindle lockscreen with advertisements, I’d rather see my book covers or even just Amazon’s pleasant reading-themed wallpapers.

If you get your books from the library (yes, your local library will lend you an e-book) or if you buy from a seller other than Amazon, you have more choices, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the best. I wish it had real buttons to turn pages, like the Kobo Libra e-reader. Buttons just feel more reliable than tapping or swiping, especially if I’m in the tub and my fingers are soapy.

Kindle Paperwhite held up by one hand showing book covers in a grid including Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Kindle Paperwhite exceeds other e-readers in its speed and responsiveness. Turning pages feels fast now, much faster than it was on older Kindle devices, and zooming into a chart or a picture happens almost as quickly as it would on a smartphone. I didn’t think a performance boost would make such a huge difference for a Kindle, but it’s really noticeable and makes the e-reader better.

Besides the library, Amazon’s Kindle book store is also the most robust place to buy books. You’ll find every title you want, and the store is great at making suggestions. I was slightly disappointed by the Kindle Unlimited content offering, though, so I wouldn’t recommend the subscription service unless reading is your passion and not just a pastime.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is an easy e-reader to recommend because the Paperwhite wasn’t broken, and Amazon didn’t fix it. It’s just a bit better, but it does everything I need an electronic book to do. The only thing I miss is color, and I suspect that the next Paperwhite upgrade that comes along in a few years will satisfy that craving.

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: price and availability

Kindle Paperwhite showing the cover of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in black and white

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • $159.99 / £159.99 for the Kindle Paperwhite with 16GB of storage, with ads
  • $199.99 / £189.99 for the Signature Edition with 32GB and wireless charging
  • No Australia launch date yet

The Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are a bit more expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite from 2021, and you don’t really get anything new. It’s a better device, to be sure, with a brighter screen and a more responsive interface, but I don’t like that it’s creeping up in price, especially since it’s an excellent vessel for Amazon to sell you more Kindle books.

Never fear! Because the Kindle Paperwhite will likely get discounted often. I’m finishing this review just before the 2024 Black Friday deals season starts, and the Kindle Paperwhite already has its first discount: it’s $30 / £35 off at Amazon. That’s a good start! I’m sure we’ll see this e-reader drop in price every time Amazon has a sale day, or a holiday, or a day that ends in 'y.'

Is it worth the price? Compared to what? There aren’t any other e-readers that synchronize perfectly with Amazon’s book store, unless you buy a more expensive device that runs Android and can load the Kindle app. That’s a bridge too far, on my reading journey.

A person holding the Kobo Clara Colour ereader with a book cover displayed

The Kobo Clara Color costs less than a Kindle Paperwhite (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can find a Kobo Clara e-reader with a smaller display for less money; you can even get a Kobo Clara Color e-reader for less than a Kindle Paperwhite. The Clara has a smaller display, and you should definitely explore Kobo’s book library before you commit if you’re making a switch.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: Specs

Kindle Paperwhite showing settings menu for screen brightness and warmth, Wi-Fi, Airplane mode, and more settings

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: design

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Looks nicer with Signature Edition metallic paint
  • No page turning buttons, and power button is poorly placed

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a very simple e-reader, and Amazon hasn’t improved the design at all except to offer some brighter paint options, especially if you spring for the Signature Edition with its metallic paint. That’s the review sample I have, and I like the look much more than the basic matte black finish, as you’ll find on the Paperwhite and the Kindle Colorsoft.

What happened to Kindles that felt premium? The Kindle Oasis lingered for years as a premium model, clad in metal with real page-turn buttons. I guess Amazon gave that all up to cut prices, or maybe readers just didn’t want to pay more for a luxurious electronic book. In any case, I hope Amazon offers an alternative to the bland plastic Kindle Paperwhite slab in the future.

Kindle Paperwhite from the side in greet metallic finished help by one hand

The Kindle Paperwhite from the side (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I also hope Amazon brings back page buttons because pressing a button is easier than swiping or tapping on the correct spot. If I held the Kindle Paperwhite too high, I’d open a menu instead of turning the page. Just give me a button.

There's only one button on the Kindle Paperwhite, and it’s the unfortunately placed power button. If you rest the Kindle Paperwhite on a desk while reading or rest it heavily on a finger for balance, you might turn off the screen by accident.

The Kindle Paperwhite is certainly simple; I just wish there were more elegance to be found.

  • Design score: 2 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: display

Kindle Paperwhite showing text from the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the top of the screen

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • E Ink Carta 1300 display
  • Full set of white and amber LEDs for reading at night

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite uses the latest E Ink black and white Carta 1300 display, which doesn’t offer more sharpness than past Kindle screens, but the Kindle already looks great when it’s displaying text and writing. Pictures look good enough in 16 levels of grey, but if you want better graphics, you should go for the Kindle Colorsoft.

The display does an impressive job keeping up with the improved performance inside. I expected to see a lot more ghosting and residual characters as I zoomed in and out of a page, but the Paperwhite gave me a lighter version of my screen for panning, then flashed briefly and gave me a darker, final version when I was steady.

The Kindle Paperwhite can get plenty bright, so be warned that the incredible 12 weeks of battery life only applies when you are reading at half brightness. If you are in a well-lit room you won’t need any light at all, but reading before bed is my personal habit, so I use the light frequently. There’s a full set of amber lights and white LEDs inside so that you can eliminate all the blue light before bedtime.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: software

Kindle Paperwhite showing Goodreads welcome screen and star reviews for recently read books including Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy

The Kindle has direct access to Goodreads to rate your books (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Amazon’s Kindle software keeps things very simple
  • Better performance makes menus and libraries move faster

If you buy books through Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite does a perfect job delivering those books to your device. The Kindle can synchronize your progress easily if you read across multiple devices. It can also report your reading to Goodreads automatically or connect you to the social service to write your own reviews.

There isn’t much more to the Kindle Paperwhite. If you have books from other sources, you can connect the Kindle Paperwhite to your computer directly or just synchronize through Amazon’s web-based software.

Kindle Paperwhite showing Kindle bookstore with a selection of book covers shown in Recommended for You sections

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There is a web browser, but it’s dreadfully simple, maybe thankfully so. You won’t find yourself distracted and browsing your favorite websites on this e-reader. I could barely get TechRadar.com to load beyond some text boxes.

The big thing that I’m missing with Kindle software is the ability to annotate my books right on the page. The Kobo Libra can use a stylus to take notes on a book. Not just highlighting or sticky notes but actually drawing in the margins and on the page. It’s a nifty trick that Amazon really needs to adopt, especially for the Kindle Scribe.

  • User experience score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: performance

Kindle Paperwhite shown with warmth turned all the way up and amber LED lights lighting the display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Surprisingly fast performance on E Ink
  • Improved scrolling, moves faster than before

Amazon gave the Kindle Paperwhite a dual-core processor inside, which makes this electronic book more powerful than the Apollo 11 lunar lander. That means it can turn pages very quickly. I joke, but in fact, the difference is noticeable if you’ve ever owned a Kindle and been annoyed by slow page turns.

The only place where the Kindle still lags behind modern technology is in touch sensitivity. The E Ink display is not very sensitive, and I still felt a delay between tapping the screen, like when I needed to enter my Wi-Fi password, and when the character appeared. Menus were faster when I was scrolling, but still not totally reliable when tapping through them.

Frankly, there’s not much more I could ask for with Kindle performance. I’ve seen E Ink displays that try to do a lot more, and they overcomplicate simple technology like e-paper. I’m happy that Amazon made the interface more responsive. The next frontier is touch response.

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: battery

Kindle Paperwhite from bottom showing USB-C port and poorly placed power button

USB-C charging or go wireless with the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Excellent battery life, if you follow the rules
  • Avid readers will get a week of battery life or more

The Kindle Paperwhite will last for 12 weeks on a single charge, if you’re a casual reader. Amazon’s 12-week claim calls for 30 minutes of reading with the screen at just under half brightness. If you read all day in bright sunshine, the Kindle Paperwhite might last longer. If you read in the dark New England winter nights, the Paperwhite will need to charge more often.

The good news is that you will get over 40 hours of screen time between charges, and the battery won’t die if you put the book down for a few weeks. If you read at a good pace, you’ll be able to read a couple of books before you need to charge the Kindle Paperwhite, and that’s exceptional for any modern electronic device.

My review sample was a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which comes with wireless charging. I like the wireless option as an elegant solution for keeping your Kindle topped up on a bedside stand, but it’s not essential at all.

  • Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Kindle Colorsoft Signature?

Buy it if...

You want a new Kindle
Amazon hasn’t given us a proper new Kindle for reading in years. Time to rejoice! New Kindles have arrived.

You’re a serious reader
You can buy the cheaper Amazon Kindle, but serious readers want brighter displays with better battery life, and the Paperwhite is the one.

You’ll be reading in harsh, beach-like conditions
The Kindle Paperwhite is IP67 rated, so it can resist sand and even salt-water (with a proper rinse after).

Don't buy it if...

You read comics or graphic novels
If you don’t care about color, don’t worry about the Kindle Colorsoft. But who doesn’t care about color?!

You want to take notes on your books
E-readers from Kobo can write directly on the pages, and there’s always the Kindle Scribe if you need a pen.

You expect a real web browser
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite still keeps things simple. This device is for reading without distractions, not doomscrolling.

Also consider

Kobo Clara Colour
You can save a bit of money and even check out a color E Ink display with the Kobo Clara Color. As long as your books aren’t all on Kindle, it’s worth a look.
Read our in-depth Kobo Clara Color review

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024)
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature gives you twice the storage and wireless charging, plus nice metallic paint and no ads. It might be worth the upgrade.
Check out the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition at Amazon

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Testing period - three weeks
  • Subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and Comixology
  • Tested books, comics, audiobooks, and bathtub reading

I used the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for three weeks before I published this review. I read two novels, multiple short stories, Japanese manga, and a number of other materials, including cookbooks and magazine.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for listening to audiobooks from Audible, and for listening while I read the same book. I used the Paperwhite in the bathtub to test its water resistance, and because reading in the bathtub is the main reason I like to review Kindle Paperwhite devices.

I did not have a dedicated wireless charging dock, but I tried charging the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition with a Qi-compatible wireless charging adapter that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone. Before my review period I charged the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition using the USB-C port, and I only charged it one more time before this review was completed, even though I read daily and usually for more than an hour a day.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite without a case, and the photos in this review reflect its condition after daily use without a case, which is pretty good. I subscribed to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service and Comixology, and I also loaded books into my collection through the Overdrive library borrowing system and my local library.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed November 2024]

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review: faster, brighter, and still the best Kindle
12:40 am |

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

Kindle Paperwhite: One-minute review

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a mainstay on our list of the best Kindles, and the new Paperwhite offers just enough improvements to keep the e-reader feeling fresh while still leaving me wanting a bit more. It’s a little brighter, a little sharper, and a lot faster, and it turns out that speed truly makes a difference if you read a lot.

The main factor behind your choice of e-reader is where you get your books. If you buy books from Amazon or subscribe to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service, the Kindle is your only choice, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle for most people. It’s bright, durable, and even water-resistant enough to survive a splash of salt water if you want to read in the sand.

Of course, the color Kindle is here, but don’t look at the Kindle Colorsoft if you don’t yearn for color when you read. It’s hard to go back to black and white once you’ve seen it, and the Colorsoft costs a lot more than the Kindle Paperwhite.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature edition e-reader showing graphic novels, cookbooks, and fiction, as well as settings

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is basically a Paperwhite in color (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

That’s fine because the Kindle Paperwhite does everything you’d expect from a Kindle, no more and no less. If you want a bit more, my review sample was the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which includes wireless charging and maxes out the storage. I didn’t once charge the Kindle wirelessly except to test that it works, but you can buy a dock from Amazon to prop your Kindle at your bedside and let it charge while it shows you the cover of the book you’re reading.

That’s if you pay a little extra for the Kindle Paperwhite without lockscreen ads. I’m not a fan of Amazon’s common lockscreen ad scheme. I don’t like my phone, tablet, or e-reader serving me ads as a privilege of ownership. It feels cynical, and even though you can save $20 / £10 (and why is it so much cheaper in the UK?!) by allowing Amazon to take over your Kindle lockscreen with advertisements, I’d rather see my book covers or even just Amazon’s pleasant reading-themed wallpapers.

If you get your books from the library (yes, your local library will lend you an e-book) or if you buy from a seller other than Amazon, you have more choices, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the best. I wish it had real buttons to turn pages, like the Kobo Libra e-reader. Buttons just feel more reliable than tapping or swiping, especially if I’m in the tub and my fingers are soapy.

Kindle Paperwhite held up by one hand showing book covers in a grid including Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Kindle Paperwhite exceeds other e-readers in its speed and responsiveness. Turning pages feels fast now, much faster than it was on older Kindle devices, and zooming into a chart or a picture happens almost as quickly as it would on a smartphone. I didn’t think a performance boost would make such a huge difference for a Kindle, but it’s really noticeable and makes the e-reader better.

Besides the library, Amazon’s Kindle book store is also the most robust place to buy books. You’ll find every title you want, and the store is great at making suggestions. I was slightly disappointed by the Kindle Unlimited content offering, though, so I wouldn’t recommend the subscription service unless reading is your passion and not just a pastime.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is an easy e-reader to recommend because the Paperwhite wasn’t broken, and Amazon didn’t fix it. It’s just a bit better, but it does everything I need an electronic book to do. The only thing I miss is color, and I suspect that the next Paperwhite upgrade that comes along in a few years will satisfy that craving.

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: price and availability

Kindle Paperwhite showing the cover of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in black and white

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • $159.99 / £159.99 for the Kindle Paperwhite with 16GB of storage, with ads
  • $199.99 / £189.99 for the Signature Edition with 32GB and wireless charging
  • No Australia launch date yet

The Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are a bit more expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite from 2021, and you don’t really get anything new. It’s a better device, to be sure, with a brighter screen and a more responsive interface, but I don’t like that it’s creeping up in price, especially since it’s an excellent vessel for Amazon to sell you more Kindle books.

Never fear! Because the Kindle Paperwhite will likely get discounted often. I’m finishing this review just before the 2024 Black Friday deals season starts, and the Kindle Paperwhite already has its first discount: it’s $30 / £35 off at Amazon. That’s a good start! I’m sure we’ll see this e-reader drop in price every time Amazon has a sale day, or a holiday, or a day that ends in 'y.'

Is it worth the price? Compared to what? There aren’t any other e-readers that synchronize perfectly with Amazon’s book store, unless you buy a more expensive device that runs Android and can load the Kindle app. That’s a bridge too far, on my reading journey.

A person holding the Kobo Clara Colour ereader with a book cover displayed

The Kobo Clara Color costs less than a Kindle Paperwhite (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can find a Kobo Clara e-reader with a smaller display for less money; you can even get a Kobo Clara Color e-reader for less than a Kindle Paperwhite. The Clara has a smaller display, and you should definitely explore Kobo’s book library before you commit if you’re making a switch.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: Specs

Kindle Paperwhite showing settings menu for screen brightness and warmth, Wi-Fi, Airplane mode, and more settings

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: design

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Looks nicer with Signature Edition metallic paint
  • No page turning buttons, and power button is poorly placed

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a very simple e-reader, and Amazon hasn’t improved the design at all except to offer some brighter paint options, especially if you spring for the Signature Edition with its metallic paint. That’s the review sample I have, and I like the look much more than the basic matte black finish, as you’ll find on the Paperwhite and the Kindle Colorsoft.

What happened to Kindles that felt premium? The Kindle Oasis lingered for years as a premium model, clad in metal with real page-turn buttons. I guess Amazon gave that all up to cut prices, or maybe readers just didn’t want to pay more for a luxurious electronic book. In any case, I hope Amazon offers an alternative to the bland plastic Kindle Paperwhite slab in the future.

Kindle Paperwhite from the side in greet metallic finished help by one hand

The Kindle Paperwhite from the side (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I also hope Amazon brings back page buttons because pressing a button is easier than swiping or tapping on the correct spot. If I held the Kindle Paperwhite too high, I’d open a menu instead of turning the page. Just give me a button.

There's only one button on the Kindle Paperwhite, and it’s the unfortunately placed power button. If you rest the Kindle Paperwhite on a desk while reading or rest it heavily on a finger for balance, you might turn off the screen by accident.

The Kindle Paperwhite is certainly simple; I just wish there were more elegance to be found.

  • Design score: 2 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: display

Kindle Paperwhite showing text from the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the top of the screen

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • E Ink Carta 1300 display
  • Full set of white and amber LEDs for reading at night

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite uses the latest E Ink black and white Carta 1300 display, which doesn’t offer more sharpness than past Kindle screens, but the Kindle already looks great when it’s displaying text and writing. Pictures look good enough in 16 levels of grey, but if you want better graphics, you should go for the Kindle Colorsoft.

The display does an impressive job keeping up with the improved performance inside. I expected to see a lot more ghosting and residual characters as I zoomed in and out of a page, but the Paperwhite gave me a lighter version of my screen for panning, then flashed briefly and gave me a darker, final version when I was steady.

The Kindle Paperwhite can get plenty bright, so be warned that the incredible 12 weeks of battery life only applies when you are reading at half brightness. If you are in a well-lit room you won’t need any light at all, but reading before bed is my personal habit, so I use the light frequently. There’s a full set of amber lights and white LEDs inside so that you can eliminate all the blue light before bedtime.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: software

Kindle Paperwhite showing Goodreads welcome screen and star reviews for recently read books including Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy

The Kindle has direct access to Goodreads to rate your books (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Amazon’s Kindle software keeps things very simple
  • Better performance makes menus and libraries move faster

If you buy books through Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite does a perfect job delivering those books to your device. The Kindle can synchronize your progress easily if you read across multiple devices. It can also report your reading to Goodreads automatically or connect you to the social service to write your own reviews.

There isn’t much more to the Kindle Paperwhite. If you have books from other sources, you can connect the Kindle Paperwhite to your computer directly or just synchronize through Amazon’s web-based software.

Kindle Paperwhite showing Kindle bookstore with a selection of book covers shown in Recommended for You sections

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There is a web browser, but it’s dreadfully simple, maybe thankfully so. You won’t find yourself distracted and browsing your favorite websites on this e-reader. I could barely get TechRadar.com to load beyond some text boxes.

The big thing that I’m missing with Kindle software is the ability to annotate my books right on the page. The Kobo Libra can use a stylus to take notes on a book. Not just highlighting or sticky notes but actually drawing in the margins and on the page. It’s a nifty trick that Amazon really needs to adopt, especially for the Kindle Scribe.

  • User experience score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: performance

Kindle Paperwhite shown with warmth turned all the way up and amber LED lights lighting the display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Surprisingly fast performance on E Ink
  • Improved scrolling, moves faster than before

Amazon gave the Kindle Paperwhite a dual-core processor inside, which makes this electronic book more powerful than the Apollo 11 lunar lander. That means it can turn pages very quickly. I joke, but in fact, the difference is noticeable if you’ve ever owned a Kindle and been annoyed by slow page turns.

The only place where the Kindle still lags behind modern technology is in touch sensitivity. The E Ink display is not very sensitive, and I still felt a delay between tapping the screen, like when I needed to enter my Wi-Fi password, and when the character appeared. Menus were faster when I was scrolling, but still not totally reliable when tapping through them.

Frankly, there’s not much more I could ask for with Kindle performance. I’ve seen E Ink displays that try to do a lot more, and they overcomplicate simple technology like e-paper. I’m happy that Amazon made the interface more responsive. The next frontier is touch response.

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Kindle Colorsoft Signature review: battery

Kindle Paperwhite from bottom showing USB-C port and poorly placed power button

USB-C charging or go wireless with the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Excellent battery life, if you follow the rules
  • Avid readers will get a week of battery life or more

The Kindle Paperwhite will last for 12 weeks on a single charge, if you’re a casual reader. Amazon’s 12-week claim calls for 30 minutes of reading with the screen at just under half brightness. If you read all day in bright sunshine, the Kindle Paperwhite might last longer. If you read in the dark New England winter nights, the Paperwhite will need to charge more often.

The good news is that you will get over 40 hours of screen time between charges, and the battery won’t die if you put the book down for a few weeks. If you read at a good pace, you’ll be able to read a couple of books before you need to charge the Kindle Paperwhite, and that’s exceptional for any modern electronic device.

My review sample was a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which comes with wireless charging. I like the wireless option as an elegant solution for keeping your Kindle topped up on a bedside stand, but it’s not essential at all.

  • Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Kindle Colorsoft Signature?

Buy it if...

You want a new Kindle
Amazon hasn’t given us a proper new Kindle for reading in years. Time to rejoice! New Kindles have arrived.

You’re a serious reader
You can buy the cheaper Amazon Kindle, but serious readers want brighter displays with better battery life, and the Paperwhite is the one.

You’ll be reading in harsh, beach-like conditions
The Kindle Paperwhite is IP67 rated, so it can resist sand and even salt-water (with a proper rinse after).

Don't buy it if...

You read comics or graphic novels
If you don’t care about color, don’t worry about the Kindle Colorsoft. But who doesn’t care about color?!

You want to take notes on your books
E-readers from Kobo can write directly on the pages, and there’s always the Kindle Scribe if you need a pen.

You expect a real web browser
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite still keeps things simple. This device is for reading without distractions, not doomscrolling.

Also consider

Kobo Clara Colour
You can save a bit of money and even check out a color E Ink display with the Kobo Clara Color. As long as your books aren’t all on Kindle, it’s worth a look.
Read our in-depth Kobo Clara Color review

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024)
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature gives you twice the storage and wireless charging, plus nice metallic paint and no ads. It might be worth the upgrade.
Check out the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition at Amazon

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Testing period - three weeks
  • Subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and Comixology
  • Tested books, comics, audiobooks, and bathtub reading

I used the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for three weeks before I published this review. I read two novels, multiple short stories, Japanese manga, and a number of other materials, including cookbooks and magazine.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for listening to audiobooks from Audible, and for listening while I read the same book. I used the Paperwhite in the bathtub to test its water resistance, and because reading in the bathtub is the main reason I like to review Kindle Paperwhite devices.

I did not have a dedicated wireless charging dock, but I tried charging the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition with a Qi-compatible wireless charging adapter that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone. Before my review period I charged the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition using the USB-C port, and I only charged it one more time before this review was completed, even though I read daily and usually for more than an hour a day.

I used the Kindle Paperwhite without a case, and the photos in this review reflect its condition after daily use without a case, which is pretty good. I subscribed to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service and Comixology, and I also loaded books into my collection through the Overdrive library borrowing system and my local library.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed November 2024]

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus review: a performance powerhouse for artists
8:09 pm | November 8, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Tablets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: One-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is the best of both worlds, sitting between a phone and a laptop. It has perks if you prefer writing text, with its included S Pen stylus, and it aces tasks that take advantage of everything the stylus has to offer. But to the casual consumer, these specialized features would likely be a waste, and I'd instead push you in the direction of the Tab A series.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has exceptionally rich sound to match its beautiful AMOLED display, and it's comfortable enough to hold for a while in its landscape form factor. It's no surprise that streaming content and listening to music with the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is so satisfying.

Close rivals, particularly from Apple, also do this exceptionally well, and the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus's $999.99 / £999 / AU$1,799 price point puts it in heated competition with Apple’s iPad Pro ($999 / £999 / AU$1,699). Still, with the included S Pen stylus, and some retailers offering the Galaxy Tab keyboard as a bundle bonus , the Tab S10 Plus looks like a better deal all-around.

Samsung still sells the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, and its price is now more accessible, even though that tablet is a generation old. But if you want the best, you'll want the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, and if you want a bigger screen, then consider the Tab S10 Ultra, which is the same tablet just bigger.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: price and availability

  • $999.99 / £999 RRP / AU$1,799 for the 256GB / 12GB RAM model
  • 256GB, 12GB RAM and 512GB, 12GB RAM storage options available
  • Wi-Fi and 5G options available in Moonstone Gray and Platinum Silver colorways (not all colorways available in all markets)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus lying on a table

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)

You get what you pay for with the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. The large, 12.4-inch screen surpasses most of its competitors (the similarly-priced iPad Pro is 11-inches), and if that is somehow not big enough, there's also the larger S10 Ultra (14.6-inches) to consider. The processing power – underpinned by a Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ SoC – is more than enough for an all-purpose device, but is especially capable when used to be creative.

If you’re more concerned about price, I would encourage you to consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, as it has received a price drop now that it's not the cream of the crop. If you're a more casual user that doesn't need an art slate, you should consider something far less powerful, such as the Google Pixel Tablet (it’s still my pick of the bunch for my style of tablet use), or the 10th-generation iPad.

The Tab S10 Plus includes an S Pen as well as Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite of features, though these may eventually cost a premium at the end of 2025. Some retailers are including the Book Cover Keyboard attachment as a bundle, which makes the Tab S10 Plus an even more attractive prospect and maybe a laptop replacement. Samsung has offered this bundle with its tablets before and it’s a wonder they don’t just make it a part of every purchase.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is still admittedly expensive. It costs as must as a 13-inch MacBook Air or a Microsoft Surface Pro 11. It's a brilliant device, but casual users should steer clear – it's more powerful (and more expensive) than you need. Professionals, this is for you.

  • Value: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: specs

Though Samsung elected to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in the Galaxy Tab S9 family, the tech giant has surprisingly chosen the Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. It’s a confusing move that further separates its high-end smartphones from its high-end tablets. This year's tablet still launches at the same price as last year's.

I never noticed performance lacking. Putting quick images together in Canva, editing photos in Google Photos, and trimming and cutting up clips in CapCut never resulted in any hangups. Comparing performance through benchmarks, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor doesn't have a huge advantage. The Mediatek 9300+ chip performed better than, if not equal to, the Snapdragon on every test.

It’s worth noting that the Tab S10 Plus also comes with a MicroSD card slot in case you want to bump up the storage capacity or if you want to quickly transfer photos over from a camera. Additionally, during my testing over two weeks, I only charged the Tab S10 Plus a handful of times and it never felt like I needed to charge it every night. With such a big battery inside, charging speeds weren’t as quick as a smartphone, and 30 minutes was only enough to bump it up from 20% to 54%.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus in landscape orientation

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Huge, bright display with tons of detail
  • Great space for multitasking
  • Four strong speakers placed around the device

I can’t fault the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus on its display – it’s brilliant and easily ranks among the best tablets as far as visuals go (though the Tab S10 Ultra takes the Tab S10 Plus’s 12.4-inch screen and bumps it up to 14.6-inches).

The content I watched on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus included various Twitch streams, YouTube videos, Mad Max: Fury Road and Arcane on Netflix, and Avengers Endgame and Light and Magic on Disney+. At no point did anything look bad, blurry or washed out, with the display more than capable of showing enough color and creating enough light to fill an interesting scene.

Outside of simply describing the display, Samsung’s approach to multitasking is second to none. The freedom you’re given to adjust apps running concurrently, side-by-side on the screen, with easily adjustable boundaries, feels like the real laptop-rivaling feature of the Galaxy Tab S series.

To match the strong display, the four speakers located around the device offer powerful, room-filling sound. Every piece of content I viewed felt like it had the audio to match. While cleaning my house, playing Spotify from the tablet sounded equivalent to using a smart speaker with a screen.

  • Display: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: design

The back side of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Slightly slimmer than the Tab S9 Plus
  • S Pen attachment is a bit odd on the back
  • Feels awkward in portrait orientation

It’s the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus’s bread and butter to be big, with a beautiful display to match and powerful performance for any task. But parts of the design feel… Too big. Big is good for a tablet positioned as a powerful laptop rival and artistic tool, but some elements feel like they’re rubbing up against others.

It’s difficult to use the tablet in portrait mode, which I prefer when reading news articles online and taking notes. The back of the tablet looks nice but it isn't easy to hold in portrait orientation. The charging area for the S Pen, located on the back, feels rough against my fingers whether or not the pen is magnetically attached. Trying to get a better grip from the other end caused my hand to come into contact with the cameras, resulting in a similar hand feeling issue.

The pen charging on the back of the device is another issue. When the pen is attached, the tablet won’t sit flat on its back. Though the pen can magnetically attach to the edge of the display, it will not charge there – but at least it's out of the way.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is meant to be used in landscape orientation, with the selfie camera located in the top middle, which is ideal for video calling. This mode feels perfectly comfortable.

  • Design: 3/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: software

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus being used for writing text

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Brilliant tablet performance
  • Operating system is nicely designed
  • Not as casual as an iPad or Pixel Tablet

Samsung’s approach to tablets is probably my favorite. Having a persistent app tray at the bottom of the screen just rocks, especially for quickly switching between windows. I could get a lot of work done on the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, but it still has quirks here and there that make it a bit less user-friendly than its rivals.

My love for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus’ software mostly stems from multitasking. Being able to have two apps open concurrently, for example, having Spotify open on one side and Canva on the other, is brilliant. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus let me drag windows freely around the screen to be placed wherever I want. I could also connect the tablet to a monitor to enable Samsung DeX, which makes the interface look a bit more like a desktop.

Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite is unimpressive. Circle to Search, which lets me circle something on the screen to instantly search for it with Google is something I use quite a lot, but I can’t think of a single other AI feature that I enjoyed using.

A lot of the features, such as Note Assist and Sketch to Image, are interesting for a moment but are ultimately inconsequential. The AI image generator feels particularly tacked on.

Handwriting Help, exclusive to the Notes app, is a handy feature for character recognition with the S Pen, cleaning up and aligning your pen handwriting and making it easier to read. A simple click in the app and your handwritten notes will convert to text. You can also convert writing to text on the fly, as you write.

As you'd expect, the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus aces its stylus support. It has good palm rejection, so I was more comfortable drawing. Navigating between tools feels simple in Samsung's native drawing and writing apps.

  • Software: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus being held in a hand

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Galaxy S Pen feels great in-hand
  • Doesn’t feel slow despite axing the Snapdragon chip

Not once did I have a problem with the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. Capable of smoothly running every application I opened, including Canva, Spotify, Twitter (X), Messenger, Instagram, Samsung Notes, PENUP, Google Photos, Netflix, Disney+ and Crossy Road, the Tab S10 Plus handled everything a power user would want.

That’s a relief, considering Samsung skipped the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, after including the previous Snapdragon in the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus. Instead, this tablet is underpinned by a Mediatek Dimensity 9300+, which doesn’t skip a beat.

Creating and editing images on Canva was an exceptionally fluid experience and the application was responsive and fast the entire time – even with Spotify running in the background. The same can be said for editing pics via Google Photos or writing with Samsung Notes: no hold-ups whatsoever.

  • Performance: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: battery

The side of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Gigantic all-day battery
  • Faster charging would be nice

The mighty 10,090 mAh Li-Po battery in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is so immense that, during my review, I rarely had to charge it.

You’d obviously expect this from a device with such a large battery, but it comes with the obvious drawback of slower charging. From 0%, the tablet took one hour and 50 minutes to return to 100% charge.

In testing the battery against a fairly long movie, Avengers Endgame, the tablet drained to 59% after three hours of watching. Despite a shift to MediaTek, it doesn’t seem the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is more power hungry than previous generations.

  • Battery: 5/5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus leaning against a pot plant.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)

Buy it if…

You’re a professional in search of a tablet

With brilliant character recognition and optimisation for digital artists, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is an attractive device for a professional.View Deal

You want a big, beautiful screen that’s not too big

The 12.4-inch size feels just right, smaller than the Tab S10 Ultra’s gigantic 14.6-inch display.View Deal

You’re team Samsung

iPadOS is brilliant, but this is one of your best options if you want a tablet outside of the Apple camp.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You want the easiest to use OS

Samsung’s OneUI is brilliant, but it’s not as intuitive as iPadOS and Google’s version of Android.View Deal

You’re just going to watch videos

It’s a waste to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus for just streaming content, and if this is what you’d be doing, you could get a serviceable tablet for much cheaper.View Deal

You want to save some money

The high price point of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus makes it a tough sell to a casual user or even a professional, especially when differences to the Tab S9 Plus aren’t very dramatic.View Deal

Also consider

Not convinced by the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus? Here are a few other options to consider:

Apple iPad Pro 2024

While the entry-level iPad Pro isn’t as large as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, it is fairly competitive in terms of performance while priced extremely similarly. You’ll just have to buy an Apple Pencil separately.

Read our full Apple iPad Pro review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus

There are very few differences between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and the S10 Plus, so if you want to save some cash, there’s no shame in going for the older model.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

If the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus isn’t big enough for you, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers a gigantic 14.6-inch display, which may be a bit cumbersome for some, but would also function as an effective laptop or art tablet replacement for professionals.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

From the moment I received the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, I replaced my second monitor, a small 11-inch touchscreen monitor, with it as my companion screen, using it for Spotify, scrolling social media, and streaming content while I worked at my desk.

My time with the Tab S10 Plus didn’t include all-hours use, but I did find time to edit images with it via Google Photos and Canva. I edited a video with it in CapCut and streamed a lot of movies and TV shows with the device. As far as games went, I mostly played Crossy Road.

I brought the Tab S10 Plus with me on a trip to see my family where it functioned as a good distraction for my niece. On this trip, I touched base with friends on Messenger and Instagram and doomscrolled on social media often.

For battery testing, I avoided charging the tablet as much as I could, and ran my standard Avengers Endgame beginning-to-end test closer to the end of my review period. I’d check in on the tablet’s battery now and then on days where I wasn’t using it much, and kept an eye on it on days where I was. I also depleted the battery in its entirety and timed how long it took to charge to 100%.

Most of my performance relied on real-world use relative to how I use tablets in my day-to-day life.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus review: a performance powerhouse for artists
8:09 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Tablets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: One-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is the best of both worlds, sitting between a phone and a laptop. It has perks if you prefer writing text, with its included S Pen stylus, and it aces tasks that take advantage of everything the stylus has to offer. But to the casual consumer, these specialized features would likely be a waste, and I'd instead push you in the direction of the Tab A series.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has exceptionally rich sound to match its beautiful AMOLED display, and it's comfortable enough to hold for a while in its landscape form factor. It's no surprise that streaming content and listening to music with the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is so satisfying.

Close rivals, particularly from Apple, also do this exceptionally well, and the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus's $999.99 / £999 / AU$1,799 price point puts it in heated competition with Apple’s iPad Pro ($999 / £999 / AU$1,699). Still, with the included S Pen stylus, and some retailers offering the Galaxy Tab keyboard as a bundle bonus , the Tab S10 Plus looks like a better deal all-around.

Samsung still sells the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, and its price is now more accessible, even though that tablet is a generation old. But if you want the best, you'll want the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, and if you want a bigger screen, then consider the Tab S10 Ultra, which is the same tablet just bigger.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: price and availability

  • $999.99 / £999 RRP / AU$1,799 for the 256GB / 12GB RAM model
  • 256GB, 12GB RAM and 512GB, 12GB RAM storage options available
  • Wi-Fi and 5G options available in Moonstone Gray and Platinum Silver colorways (not all colorways available in all markets)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus lying on a table

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)

You get what you pay for with the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. The large, 12.4-inch screen surpasses most of its competitors (the similarly-priced iPad Pro is 11-inches), and if that is somehow not big enough, there's also the larger S10 Ultra (14.6-inches) to consider. The processing power – underpinned by a Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ SoC – is more than enough for an all-purpose device, but is especially capable when used to be creative.

If you’re more concerned about price, I would encourage you to consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, as it has received a price drop now that it's not the cream of the crop. If you're a more casual user that doesn't need an art slate, you should consider something far less powerful, such as the Google Pixel Tablet (it’s still my pick of the bunch for my style of tablet use), or the 10th-generation iPad.

The Tab S10 Plus includes an S Pen as well as Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite of features, though these may eventually cost a premium at the end of 2025. Some retailers are including the Book Cover Keyboard attachment as a bundle, which makes the Tab S10 Plus an even more attractive prospect and maybe a laptop replacement. Samsung has offered this bundle with its tablets before and it’s a wonder they don’t just make it a part of every purchase.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is still admittedly expensive. It costs as must as a 13-inch MacBook Air or a Microsoft Surface Pro 11. It's a brilliant device, but casual users should steer clear – it's more powerful (and more expensive) than you need. Professionals, this is for you.

  • Value: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: specs

Though Samsung elected to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in the Galaxy Tab S9 family, the tech giant has surprisingly chosen the Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. It’s a confusing move that further separates its high-end smartphones from its high-end tablets. This year's tablet still launches at the same price as last year's.

I never noticed performance lacking. Putting quick images together in Canva, editing photos in Google Photos, and trimming and cutting up clips in CapCut never resulted in any hangups. Comparing performance through benchmarks, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor doesn't have a huge advantage. The Mediatek 9300+ chip performed better than, if not equal to, the Snapdragon on every test.

It’s worth noting that the Tab S10 Plus also comes with a MicroSD card slot in case you want to bump up the storage capacity or if you want to quickly transfer photos over from a camera. Additionally, during my testing over two weeks, I only charged the Tab S10 Plus a handful of times and it never felt like I needed to charge it every night. With such a big battery inside, charging speeds weren’t as quick as a smartphone, and 30 minutes was only enough to bump it up from 20% to 54%.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus in landscape orientation

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Huge, bright display with tons of detail
  • Great space for multitasking
  • Four strong speakers placed around the device

I can’t fault the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus on its display – it’s brilliant and easily ranks among the best tablets as far as visuals go (though the Tab S10 Ultra takes the Tab S10 Plus’s 12.4-inch screen and bumps it up to 14.6-inches).

The content I watched on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus included various Twitch streams, YouTube videos, Mad Max: Fury Road and Arcane on Netflix, and Avengers Endgame and Light and Magic on Disney+. At no point did anything look bad, blurry or washed out, with the display more than capable of showing enough color and creating enough light to fill an interesting scene.

Outside of simply describing the display, Samsung’s approach to multitasking is second to none. The freedom you’re given to adjust apps running concurrently, side-by-side on the screen, with easily adjustable boundaries, feels like the real laptop-rivaling feature of the Galaxy Tab S series.

To match the strong display, the four speakers located around the device offer powerful, room-filling sound. Every piece of content I viewed felt like it had the audio to match. While cleaning my house, playing Spotify from the tablet sounded equivalent to using a smart speaker with a screen.

  • Display: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: design

The back side of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Slightly slimmer than the Tab S9 Plus
  • S Pen attachment is a bit odd on the back
  • Feels awkward in portrait orientation

It’s the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus’s bread and butter to be big, with a beautiful display to match and powerful performance for any task. But parts of the design feel… Too big. Big is good for a tablet positioned as a powerful laptop rival and artistic tool, but some elements feel like they’re rubbing up against others.

It’s difficult to use the tablet in portrait mode, which I prefer when reading news articles online and taking notes. The back of the tablet looks nice but it isn't easy to hold in portrait orientation. The charging area for the S Pen, located on the back, feels rough against my fingers whether or not the pen is magnetically attached. Trying to get a better grip from the other end caused my hand to come into contact with the cameras, resulting in a similar hand feeling issue.

The pen charging on the back of the device is another issue. When the pen is attached, the tablet won’t sit flat on its back. Though the pen can magnetically attach to the edge of the display, it will not charge there – but at least it's out of the way.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is meant to be used in landscape orientation, with the selfie camera located in the top middle, which is ideal for video calling. This mode feels perfectly comfortable.

  • Design: 3/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: software

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus being used for writing text

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Brilliant tablet performance
  • Operating system is nicely designed
  • Not as casual as an iPad or Pixel Tablet

Samsung’s approach to tablets is probably my favorite. Having a persistent app tray at the bottom of the screen just rocks, especially for quickly switching between windows. I could get a lot of work done on the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, but it still has quirks here and there that make it a bit less user-friendly than its rivals.

My love for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus’ software mostly stems from multitasking. Being able to have two apps open concurrently, for example, having Spotify open on one side and Canva on the other, is brilliant. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus let me drag windows freely around the screen to be placed wherever I want. I could also connect the tablet to a monitor to enable Samsung DeX, which makes the interface look a bit more like a desktop.

Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite is unimpressive. Circle to Search, which lets me circle something on the screen to instantly search for it with Google is something I use quite a lot, but I can’t think of a single other AI feature that I enjoyed using.

A lot of the features, such as Note Assist and Sketch to Image, are interesting for a moment but are ultimately inconsequential. The AI image generator feels particularly tacked on.

Handwriting Help, exclusive to the Notes app, is a handy feature for character recognition with the S Pen, cleaning up and aligning your pen handwriting and making it easier to read. A simple click in the app and your handwritten notes will convert to text. You can also convert writing to text on the fly, as you write.

As you'd expect, the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus aces its stylus support. It has good palm rejection, so I was more comfortable drawing. Navigating between tools feels simple in Samsung's native drawing and writing apps.

  • Software: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus being held in a hand

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Galaxy S Pen feels great in-hand
  • Doesn’t feel slow despite axing the Snapdragon chip

Not once did I have a problem with the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. Capable of smoothly running every application I opened, including Canva, Spotify, Twitter (X), Messenger, Instagram, Samsung Notes, PENUP, Google Photos, Netflix, Disney+ and Crossy Road, the Tab S10 Plus handled everything a power user would want.

That’s a relief, considering Samsung skipped the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, after including the previous Snapdragon in the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus. Instead, this tablet is underpinned by a Mediatek Dimensity 9300+, which doesn’t skip a beat.

Creating and editing images on Canva was an exceptionally fluid experience and the application was responsive and fast the entire time – even with Spotify running in the background. The same can be said for editing pics via Google Photos or writing with Samsung Notes: no hold-ups whatsoever.

  • Performance: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: battery

The side of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)
  • Gigantic all-day battery
  • Faster charging would be nice

The mighty 10,090 mAh Li-Po battery in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is so immense that, during my review, I rarely had to charge it.

You’d obviously expect this from a device with such a large battery, but it comes with the obvious drawback of slower charging. From 0%, the tablet took one hour and 50 minutes to return to 100% charge.

In testing the battery against a fairly long movie, Avengers Endgame, the tablet drained to 59% after three hours of watching. Despite a shift to MediaTek, it doesn’t seem the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is more power hungry than previous generations.

  • Battery: 5/5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus leaning against a pot plant.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly/TechRadar)

Buy it if…

You’re a professional in search of a tablet

With brilliant character recognition and optimisation for digital artists, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is an attractive device for a professional.View Deal

You want a big, beautiful screen that’s not too big

The 12.4-inch size feels just right, smaller than the Tab S10 Ultra’s gigantic 14.6-inch display.View Deal

You’re team Samsung

iPadOS is brilliant, but this is one of your best options if you want a tablet outside of the Apple camp.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You want the easiest to use OS

Samsung’s OneUI is brilliant, but it’s not as intuitive as iPadOS and Google’s version of Android.View Deal

You’re just going to watch videos

It’s a waste to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus for just streaming content, and if this is what you’d be doing, you could get a serviceable tablet for much cheaper.View Deal

You want to save some money

The high price point of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus makes it a tough sell to a casual user or even a professional, especially when differences to the Tab S9 Plus aren’t very dramatic.View Deal

Also consider

Not convinced by the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus? Here are a few other options to consider:

Apple iPad Pro 2024

While the entry-level iPad Pro isn’t as large as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, it is fairly competitive in terms of performance while priced extremely similarly. You’ll just have to buy an Apple Pencil separately.

Read our full Apple iPad Pro review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus

There are very few differences between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and the S10 Plus, so if you want to save some cash, there’s no shame in going for the older model.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

If the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus isn’t big enough for you, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers a gigantic 14.6-inch display, which may be a bit cumbersome for some, but would also function as an effective laptop or art tablet replacement for professionals.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

From the moment I received the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, I replaced my second monitor, a small 11-inch touchscreen monitor, with it as my companion screen, using it for Spotify, scrolling social media, and streaming content while I worked at my desk.

My time with the Tab S10 Plus didn’t include all-hours use, but I did find time to edit images with it via Google Photos and Canva. I edited a video with it in CapCut and streamed a lot of movies and TV shows with the device. As far as games went, I mostly played Crossy Road.

I brought the Tab S10 Plus with me on a trip to see my family where it functioned as a good distraction for my niece. On this trip, I touched base with friends on Messenger and Instagram and doomscrolled on social media often.

For battery testing, I avoided charging the tablet as much as I could, and ran my standard Avengers Endgame beginning-to-end test closer to the end of my review period. I’d check in on the tablet’s battery now and then on days where I wasn’t using it much, and kept an eye on it on days where I was. I also depleted the battery in its entirety and timed how long it took to charge to 100%.

Most of my performance relied on real-world use relative to how I use tablets in my day-to-day life.

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: a creative tablet that comes at a serious cost
8:00 pm | November 3, 2024

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

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition: two-minute review

The Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte edition is a tablet aimed at creatives, with an emphasis on illustration, thanks in no small part to the Tandem OLED PaperMatte display.

The display is indeed impressive: it’s vibrant while at the same time being easy on the eye. Video, photos, drawing and text are all equally displayed vividly and clearly. There’s a slight graininess and soft-focus effect to the picture, but I didn’t find either detracted from the experience.

The gold finish on the PaperMatte Edition is subtle with a scratchy pattern that might not be to everyone’s taste. However, I found it suited the overall design well. I was also impressed by the build quality, which is up there with some of the best tablets, with every panel and join being close to perfect. The power and volume buttons are also of a similarly high standard.

The Glide Keyboard case, however, is more of a mixed bag. While it fits well onto the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, opening and closing it is difficult, thanks to the extra hinge mechanism that’s necessary to house the M-Pencil 3 charging compartment. It was always awkward to open and close. And while the keys and trackpad feel premium, the material around them appears to show signs of peeling, which spells trouble for its longevity. The case also fails to protect the camera.

One of the major issues with the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, though, is related to software. Google’s lack of support for Huawei devices means its apps aren’t natively supported, requiring workarounds that are hit and miss in their success. While I was able to get Google apps installed via GBox, they didn’t always perform as expected, and games failed to work outright. Huawei’s official storefront is frankly no substitute for the Google Play Store, as it’s severely limited in scope.

Huawei’s own apps included here can be quite useful and perform well. GoPaint and Petal Clip are very well designed creative apps, with the former letting the M-Pencil 3 shine. However, others have their issues (outrightly failing to work in the case of the Music app).

Gestures both on the touchscreen and on the trackpad are responsive and allow for useful functionality. Typing with the Glide Keyboard is fine, although some software issues hamper the experience. Air Gestures, however, failed to work consistently enough to be useful at all. The M-Pencil 3 stylus offers the most enjoyable way to interact with the tablet: it provides smooth, seamless strokes and although there’s a slight dragging sensation, it isn’t enough to detract from its natural feel.

Battery life on the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition is impressive, lasting several days from general and varied use. Super charging is also available, getting you back up and running relatively quickly: it took me about two hours to get from 5% to full capacity.

Huawei devices are always tricky to recommend. Due to the unique restrictions placed upon the Chinese brand, the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition doesn’t function like your typical Android tablet, with various app restrictions being enforced. However, if you can get past that, or you only want to spill your creative expressions onto a glorious display, then this might be for you. However, at this price, it’s hard to recommend it wholeheartedly given its various foibles.

Close-up of power button on Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition

(Image credit: Future)

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: price and availability

  • £799 (about $1,069 / AU$1,553)
  • PaperMatte edition is gold only
  • Same price as the latest iPad Air

The MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition costs £799 (about $1,069 / AU$1,553) and only comes in gold. There’s also a non-PaperMatte edition in black, with a lower capacity (256GB rather than 512GB), for £699. Both versions include the Glide Keyboard. Huawei is currently offering UK customers a promotion of £100 off, as well as a free inclusion of the M-Pencil 3, on its own storefront.

Compared to the best tablets around, the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition sits somewhere in the middle in terms of price. iPad Pro models can certainly be more expensive, but they do pack in far greater power. And the latest iPad Air 13-inch starts at the same price as the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, although that model will only get you 128GB of storage, and all only have 8GB of RAM.

In the wider realm of Android tablets, again the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition occupies the center ground. Samsung Galaxy tabs can exceed the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition in price, but there are also budget offerings, such as the OnePlus Pad Go, although this model isn’t compatible with a stylus, nor is there an official keyboard case for it.

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: specs

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition and Glide Keyboard on desk

(Image credit: Future)

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: display

  • Vivid and clear
  • No glare
  • Slightly grainy texture

The 12.2-inch OLED PaperMatte display is very clear, making it easy to read text and view colorful imagery. However, there is a slight graininess to the finish, which becomes more apparent the closer you are. There’s also a slightly softer focus compared to other tablet displays, meaning it isn’t as pinpoint sharp.

Personally, though, I found it to be vibrant enough to view HD and 2K content without issue, thanks in part to its 2800 x 1840 resolution. Reading text is very easy on the eye, thanks to the PaperMatte technology and its high contrast, lack of harsh backlighting (despite the 2,000 nits maximum brightness) and slight softness to the rendering. The matte finish also means glare isn’t a problem for the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition; no matter where I tried it, it would always present a visible image.

The bezels are also very thin, with the display making full use of its allotted real estate. There’s also a distinct lack of smudging, as fingerprints leave next to no trace, as they can on other tablet displays.

The screen is silky smooth to the touch, with finger swipes being effortless to perform. The same is true when using Huawei’s M-Pencil 3: scribbling and drawing with it is a joy, although there is the slightest hint of scratchiness at times but not enough to ruin the experience. Overall, strokes are fluid and precise – thanks in part to the 144Hz refresh rate – and register exactly where you want them to.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Side view of Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition and Glide Keyboard

(Image credit: Future)

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: design

  • Unique gold finish
  • Thin but relatively heavy
  • Awkward Glide Keyboard folding mechanism

The MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition sports a minimal design, fairly typical of most tablets. Its gold finish has a scratch-mark pattern that may divide opinion, but I don’t think it’s too garish. Overall, the fit and finish is excellent, and I spotted no flaws in the construction, while the buttons feel premium and operate with precision and ease.

In the hand, you do feel the weight of the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, but it’s still just about within reasonable bounds; you shouldn’t have a problem carrying it for long stretches. However, the edges are quite sharp, making it uncomfortable to hold, so this is a tablet better used on a desktop.

The profile of the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition is very thin, which adds to its portability credentials. The same is true even with the Glide Keyboard attached, which is equally as slender. That slenderness, however, comes at the detriment to the camera, as the lenses protrude slightly beyond the bounds of the Glide’s case, offering them no protection against slams or drops.

Perhaps the biggest weakness of the Glide Keyboard, though, is its folding mechanism. There’s a slot to accommodate and charge the M-Pencil 3 that features a double-hinge array, so when folded flat, the stylus is stowed away safely. However, that hinge is very stiff and needs to be opened up for the tablet to sit upright when in use. This makes for awkward opening and closing and, even after a week with it, I still couldn’t operate it smoothly.

The Glide Keyboard magnet that holds the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition upright offers two viewing angles. While it’s strong, a word to the wise: when laying down, make sure your knees aren’t too high if you plan on resting the tablet on them, otherwise the weight of the tablet will force it shut.

Although the Glide Keyboard is well made for the most part, the material around the keyboard itself didn’t feel premium, and even appeared to be losing adhesion, as air pockets were visible beneath it in places, which doesn’t bode well for its durability. The trackpad, though, is smooth and durable, and just the right size to be practical without eating into the keyboard real estate.

The M-Pencil 3 is also well designed, taking cues from the Apple Pencil with its all-white finish and indentation on one side. As well as being stored in its aforementioned slot in the Glide Keyboard, it also clips magnetically to the top of the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, although it won’t charge in this position. This is far from convenient, as retrieving the M-Pencil 3 from the charging slot is awkward: you can either fish around the back of the tablet while it’s standing upright, or prise up the bottom from its magnetic hold to retrieve it. These are both less than elegant solutions.

  • Design score: 3 / 5

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: software

  • Creative native apps
  • Some glitches
  • Support for popular apps problematic

The selection of pre-installed software on the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition verges on excessive, but the hit to performance and storage capacity is thankfully negligible, and isn’t as bad as the bloatware present on other Android tablets.

Huawei’s own suite of apps on the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition is, unsurprisingly, catered to the artistically minded, geared towards getting the most out of the M-Pencil 3. GoPaint is one of the standouts, despite being hidden away in a folder on the second page of the home screen. Anyone who’s dabbled with Procreate will be in familiar territory here, as it offers a near-identical interface and feature-set.

There are also two notes-based apps: Notes and Notepad. These allow for more drawing and scribbling, and come with some useful templates, including even music staves. However, if you’re looking to type your notes, then neither of these apps are fit for purpose, with a measly text box tool being your option. Considering the abundance of third-party note taking apps out there, though, this isn’t much of a problem.

There’s also Petal Clip, a surprisingly in-depth photo and video editing app. This allows you to create animations from images and from videos, with various adjustments, filters and animations to play around with. There are also templates for creating short clips, mainly themed around romance for some reason, but are effective nonetheless for effortlessly livening up content.

Disappointingly the browser app is pretty basic, even lacking common keyboard shortcuts many will be accustomed to. Still, sites do load promptly and general speed isn’t far behind more popular variants. Huawei’s other first-party apps fared less well during my time with the tablet, with glitches occurring frequently. The Music app, for instance, refused to play any music and kept crashing every time I tried to do so.

The real drawback of Huawei devices, though, is the lack of native compatibility with Google and many other apps, due to western sanctions on the Chinese brand. Huawei does have its own AppGallery storefront, but the lineup is sparse, and the Google apps it offers are not the true apps; instead, they run on a platform that essentially loads their mobile site counterparts.

There are various repositories available from which you can install Google and other apps absent from Huawei’s ecosystem, but I had limited success with these, as many refused to install or run, or instead ran but stopped working shortly afterwards.

GBox proved to be the best solution to circumvent these restrictions. This is an environment that claims to get Google apps working on Huawei devices. Once I downloaded the app from the GBox website, I was able to install and use the Google Play Store, along with all the Android apps you know and love.

However, even here, apps downloaded via this method aren’t flawless. In Google Docs, for instance, I was unable to scroll pages, with the typical two-fingered drags resulting in highlighting text instead. Spellcheck as you type also appeared to be missing, and there were times when single taps of the space bar failed to actually create a space. These drawbacks really hamper productivity.

More generally, some apps refused to appear on the home screen once downloaded from the Google Play Store. Also, various games I installed from the Play Store failed to work, either instructing me to download them from the device’s official app store (where they weren’t available), or that a store key was missing.

Also, Google Chrome isn’t available from GBox either. You can download it via the Google Play Store, but after installing, it again requests installing from the AppGallery – and, again, Chrome isn’t on there.

Another issue is that split-screen functionality isn’t available between two apps downloaded from GBox (or the Google Play Store via GBox). You can split a screen between a GBox app and a non-Gbox app, but it's a serious setback to those who want to focus on productivity that two GBox apps can’t be stacked side-by-side.

What does work better, though, is floating windows. I found that any app could be turned into a floating window, allowing you to put it in the corner and keep it on top while other apps are open, or minimize it to a small tab at the side of the screen, ready to be expanded again. Floating windows also offer a workaround for apps that only support portrait mode, as it allows you to view them the right way up in landscape – you won’t be able to make them fullscreen, but you can still resize them to a large degree.

  • Software score: 2.5 / 5

Close-up of Glide Keyboard attached to Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition

(Image credit: Future)

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: performance

  • Great for creativity
  • So-so productivity credentials
  • Gestures are a mixed bag

In terms of speed, the Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition is plenty powerful enough to handle light productivity, entertainment and creativity tasks. The Kirin T91 Octa-core chip and 12GB of RAM make for seamless performance for the most part, with only the occasional slowdown. Google Docs and Sheets were swift when creating and editing in these apps, while streaming video on Twitch, Youtube and Netflix was also a close to flawless experience.

The sound quality was also a pleasant surprise. As with most tablets, it won’t blow you away, but audio on the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition was more impactful than I was expecting, creating an admirable sense of space. It also rendered all frequencies clearly while keeping distortion at bay.

When I did manage to install games that actually worked, they performed well too. PUBG Mobile ran smoothly, albeit at a low frame rate and with compromised graphics, but it was still perfectly playable. There was no discernible lag or stuttering, and the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition didn’t heat up in the process either.

Typing is mostly a pleasant experience on the Glide Keyboard, thanks to the wide keys and damped feel. On screen, however, there are few issues. The cursor doesn't move forward when you press space, although a space is registered once you continue typing, which can be a little disconcerting. There were also occasions where the predictive dialog box obscured the screen. And despite what I did to change the keyboard layout, the @ symbol was nearly always mapped to the quote marks key, rather than the 2 key.

The usual trackpad gestures are present. You can swipe with two and three fingers to perform various actions, from navigating menus and pages to switching apps and returning to the home screen. You can also zoom by performing a pinching movement. However, I was disappointed at being unable to drag items around by merely tapping the trackpad; instead, you have to press down the trackpad first before you can drag, which is far less practical when moving items large distances across the screen.

Some mouse gestures also fail to emulate their touchscreen counterparts with the same effectiveness. For instance, opening the multitask view by swiping inwards from the right on the trackpad did several times result in me going back on the web page I had open at the same time, which is more than inconvenient.

As for those touchscreen gestures, they work more seamlessly. They are responsive and smooth, and there are some unique gestures available too. Along with the usual two and three finger actions, there are also knuckle taps, a handy addition that allow you to take screenshots or perform other actions which are configurable in the settings. Again, these work accurately and seamlessly.

The same can’t be said about Air Gestures, however, which are meant to recognize the opening and closing of your hand in front of the camera to perform certain actions. Most of the time, though, I failed to get these to work, no matter where I positioned my hand.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Back of Glide Keyboard attached to Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition

(Image credit: Future)

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition review: battery

  • Several days of use
  • Quick charging
  • ePaper tablets have it beat, though

The Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition features a 5,000 mAh battery, which is impressively long lasting. During my tests, it went for several days while performing typical user tasks. In comparison, the latest iPad Air lasted eleven and a half hours according to our tests, although that figure halved when dealing with more intense tasks. Charging the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition is a quick process too, thanks to its super charging feature. Charging from 5% to 100% took about two hours.

If you really want something that will last, the reMarkable Paper Pro can go for two whole weeks between charges. That is an ePaper tablet, though, explicitly designed for reading and note-taking, and not much else.

  • Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition?

Buy it if…

You want to draw
The optional M-Pencil 3 is very responsive and smooth, making it a joy to get creative with the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition.

You want a clear display
The PaperMatte display is vivid and clear, making it easy to read text and watch video content.

Don’t buy it if…

You want good app availability
Google and many other apps don’t work natively on the Huawei devices, and the workarounds are far from perfect.

You want powerhouse performance
Although it's perfectly capable of servicing your everyday needs, those after more productivity pedigree may want to look elsewhere.

Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition: Also consider

Apple iPad Air 13-inch (2024)
For the same price as the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, you could get the entry-level model of the latest 13-inch iPad Air. You’ll only get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but in our Apple iPad Air 13-inch (2024) review, we noted its incredible performance across all areas, including creative and artistic workloads. Plus, you also get access to Apple’s excellent app selection and ecosystem. If you already have an iPhone, an iPad certainly makes more sense for cross-platform functionality.

OnePlus Pad Go
If you’re after a budget-friendly tablet and don’t intend on using a stylus, the OnePlus Pad Go is a worthy choice. Performance is very good at this price, and it doesn't suffer from the same Google app compatibility issue as Huawei products. The display is super sharp for viewing content with ease, but, as we noted in our OnePlus Pad Go review, it can be quite reflective, making darker images hard to see. There’s no official keyboard case available for it either.

How I tested the Huawei MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition

  • Tested for one week
  • Tried preinstalled and third-party apps
  • Performed various tasks

I tested the MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition for one week. During that time, I performed various tasks, including general browsing, light productivity, and gaming. I used it with and without the Glide Keyboard.

I made sure to try out as many of its features as I could, from the preinstalled apps to its overall functionality. I tried where I could use third-party apps, although this proved difficult at times due to the restrictions in place over Google apps on Huawei devices.

One aspect I was unable to test was its screen mirroring and projection capabilities, since these are only compatible with certain Huawei and Honor devices running HarmonyOS, EMUI 10 or Magic UI 3 or later.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: a rapid but somewhat unrefined gaming tablet
6:00 pm | October 31, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Tablets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: Two-minute review

Not content with all but cornering the market in affordable gaming phones, Nubia has now turned its attention to addressing an even more niche market: that of the gaming tablet.

Following the limited launch of the Red Magic Tablet in 2023, the Red Magic Nova Tablet stands as Nubia’s first globally available gaming tablet, and is positioned as a full-sized tablet with top-level gaming performance at a mid-market price.

The Nova largely delivers on that promise, offering a level of gaming performance that punches well above its weight. This machine flies through high-end games on top settings, and although its 10.9-inch 144Hz IPS LCD isn’t the best screen on the market, it is able to keep up with the tablet’s monstrous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version processor. That’s good news for any games that can hit 120fps or higher.

There is the slight sense that Nubia hasn’t quite thought this whole gaming tablet thing through, though. For example, you have to suspect that committed gamers will be pairing up a Bluetooth controller, so a kickstand or a bundled-in case with a stand would have been useful.

Elsewhere, while performance is extremely impressive, our gaming benchmarks suggest that the Nova Tablet isn’t quite as stable across extended intensive sessions as you might hope. It’s nothing to worry about with today’s most advanced games, though, where everything flies.

Meanwhile, Nubia’s custom UI continues to need work, though Game Space remains a solid way to tweak and optimize your gaming experience.

All in all, the Red Magic Nova Tablet comes across as an extremely capable, keenly priced tablet that perhaps hasn’t yet reached its final form. Those looking for the best tablet performance for less than $500/ £500 should definitely consider it, and we’re excited to see how Nubia’s Red Magic sub-brand refines and develops its gaming tablet vision in future products.

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: price and availability

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • From $499/ £439
  • Open availability from October 16, 2024

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet went on sale on October 16, 2024, though at the time of writing, stock has run out due to high demand, and the device is listed as being available to pre-order on Red Magic's official website. Red Magic has, however, told TechRadar that stock will be replenished in November.

Nubia’s Red Magic sub-brand has always supplied outstanding value for money, and that continues to be the case with its first global gaming tablet. Pricing starts from just $499/£439 for the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

There’s also a second, more premium model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage available for $649 / £559.

You won’t find another Android-based tablet with this level of performance for such a low price. The OnePlus Pad 2 gets closest, offering the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a similarly swift 144Hz display at a price of £499.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE gets closer to the Red Magic on price, starting from £449. However, it doesn’t even approach the Nova Tablet on raw performance.

It’s possible to buy a tablet that outstrips the Red Magic Nova Tablet for raw performance, but you’ll need to switch over to team Apple to do so. Even then, the mighty M2-powered iPad Air, which starts from $599 / £599, sports a puny 60Hz display, and lacks the Red Magic’s meaty cooling system for sustained gaming.

  • Value score: 5/5

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: specs

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: design

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The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
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The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
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The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • Standard tablet shape and size with mostly metal body
  • Signature semi-transparent window and RGB
  • No 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Would benefit from a bundled case or an integrated kickstand

Nubia’s Red Magic gaming phones are pretty chunky and angular, but the Nova’s design is more in line with what you’d expect from a regular tablet. It’s got that familiar flat-edged form factor, with an all-metal body and tightly rounded corners.

At 7.3mm, this isn’t the thinnest tablet on the market, but nor is it distractingly thick. By the same token, a weight of 530g is only a little heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE – though Nubia’s use of the word ‘dainty’ on its website is a bit of a stretch.

It’s only when you turn the Nova Tablet over and look at the back that it makes its gaming aspirations known. Nubia has applied its familiar semi-transparent finish to the thin band running between the camera module and the opposite edge of the tablet.

Those aren’t actual components you can see through the transparent material, just a fancy bit of circuitry accented by a gold color. You also get a little diagram sketching out the internal heat pipe, with the words ‘Cooling System’ helpfully printed on it. Nubia has also advertised the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chip in a similar manner.

One genuine component on display is the cooling fan, which can be seen alongside the rear camera. This lights up in full RGB when in use, as do the words ‘Red Magic’ in the opposite corner. It’s not exactly subtle by normal standards, but relative to the wider gamer aesthetic, it’s all quite low-key.

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The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
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The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)

The tablet feels nice to handle, with a power key partly recessed on the left edge. This doubles as a fingerprint sensor, and it performs quickly and reliably. As always, it’s never quite as intuitive an experience as the same system on a smartphone, but there is also a basic facial recognition system in place.

I’m a little puzzled by the omission of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the Red Magic. Given the size and thickness of the tablet and its gaming focus, providing the means for latency-free personal audio would seem like an obvious step.

Indeed, it feels as if Nubia hasn’t quite hit upon the final form of the gaming tablet just yet. It makes sense that the Nova lacks the capacitive air trigger buttons of, say, the Red Magic 9S Pro, as gamers are going to be pairing it up with a Bluetooth controller rather than holding it like a phone (though the idea of some rear-mounted capacitive controls is an intriguing one).

With this in mind, I’d argue that having a case with a decent kickstand would be more than a nice extra here, entering into ‘must-have’ territory. The company assures me that an optional cover should be available for the Nova Tablet’s global launch (alongside a stylus), but I wonder if such a thing should come as standard, even if that meant a slightly higher asking price. This feels like the kind of tablet that would really benefit from one. There’s even a case to be made for the device itself having a built-in kickstand, rather like the Nintendo Switch.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: display

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • 10.9-inch IPS LCD with 2.8K resolution
  • Rapid 144Hz refresh rate
  • 550 nits peak brightness

The Red Magic Nova Tablet employs a 10.9-inch display, which doesn’t feel as large as it once did. Not with the likes of the OnePlus Pad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus bursting past the 12-inch mark.

It’s nice and sharp at 1800 x 2880 (Nubia calls this resolution ‘2.8K’), but the stand-out spec is a 144Hz refresh rate. The OnePlus Pad 2 also hits this mark, but it’s not what you’d call a typical refresh rate for a tablet. True, most mobile games won’t even hit the heady heights of 120Hz, but it’s nice to see a little headroom here nonetheless.

This refresh rate is paired with an 840Hz touch sampling rate, which means that it’s nice and responsive for those speedy multiplayer action games, should you not be using a paired Bluetooth controller.

Image quality is solid rather than spectacular. What with this being an IPS LCD, it lacks the pop and punch of an OLED, but that’s still not the kind of component you’ll typically find in a mid-priced tablet.

I would have liked the Nova to get a little brighter, though. Nubia cites a top brightness of 550 nits, which is fine. In practical terms, I frequently found myself cranking it up to the top brightness even when viewing the tablet indoors. This yielded a comfortable viewing experience, but a little more would have been welcome to help overcome those instances of glare or reflectiveness.

The screen is flanked by four symmetrically arranged speakers, with assistance from DTS-X Ultra Sound for a so-called “3D audio experience”. The resulting output is clear and loud, though we’re not talking about anything approaching iPad quality here which, given that price tag, is wholly understandable.

  • Display score: 3.5/5

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: performance

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • Slightly faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ‘Leading Version’ chip
  • 12GB or 16GB RAM of LPDDR5X RAM
  • 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage

Nubia has used the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chip here that powers its latest gaming smartphone, the Red Magic 9S Pro. This is a slightly overclocked version of the chip that runs most of the best Android phones in 2024. In other words, it’s one of the very best mobile chips on the market. In benchmarking terms, it’ll top or at least match anything running on Android, and you’ll need to invest in an Apple M2-powered iPad Air or an M4-powered iPad Pro to flat-out beat it.

General performance is unimpeachable, especially with either 12 or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM backing it up. I’m testing the top spec, and I couldn’t make it sweat at all in general usage.

Of course, it’s not in regular scenarios that this tablet needs to be judged. This is a machine that’s built for gaming performance, and there isn’t much to worry about on that front either.

It’ll run both Genshin Impact and Wreckfest on maxed-out graphical settings with more or less perfect fluidity. That’s to be expected, because both of those games are a few years old now.

This speaks to a wider issue with dedicated mobile gaming devices. Mobile games themselves haven’t really pushed any technical boundaries for quite some time – at least not on Android – while mobile processors continue to get more and more powerful. The end result is that even a half-decent mid-range smartphone can play these more visually opulent games pretty well.

Where these gaming devices can set themselves apart is with sustained performance. Those top-notch off-the-shelf chips, when paired with bespoke cooling systems, can run faster for longer. To that end, Nubia has equipped the Red Magic Nova Tablet with a 20,000 RPM cooling fan.

Interestingly, you don’t get the accompanying open vent of the Red Magic smartphone series. This device instead uses the extra internal volume to create an extended but closed loop for cooling. Allied to that is a nine-layer cooling system, together with a 103mm-long 3D heat pipe.

It all sounds very impressive, but I was a little concerned about the performance stability of the Red Magic Nova Tablet. I ran a couple of 3D Mark Stress Tests, which simulate extended gaming performance through 20 consecutive minute-long graphical tests, with the tablet set to maximum gaming performance via the Game Space UI.

The results were mixed. The high-end Solar Bay Stress Test, in particular, ranged from 72% (fairly stable) to 26.5% (downright unstable), indicating that at least some degree of throttling is taking place over time. Switching between Rising and Balanced performance modes didn’t seem to make any difference here, either.

Even that top mark of 72% is far from blistering. It’s about what I got with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus – a capable performer for sure, but also not a gaming specialist with a particularly extensive cooling system. True, the Red Magic scored higher marks in general, but it was no more consistent with it. I should also note that the tablet would occasionally run uncomfortably hot by the end of these tests.

Interestingly, I found similarly less-than-stellar results in these tests on the Red Magic 9S Pro smartphone. No other tablet or phone series has such a meaty cooling system, so could this indicate some inherent thermal limitations with the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version?

We should always bring it back to the games regardless, and in real-world use, I didn’t run into any throttling issues when gaming for extended spells. After an hour of Wreckfest running on maximum graphical settings, I didn’t notice any big drop in frame rate.

Nubia has included a single 50MP camera on the rear of the phone. Suffice it to say, if no tablet is particularly great for taking pictures, then a mid-priced gaming tablet definitely shouldn’t be relied upon. It’s an appropriately bare-bones offering with no OIS, though it does at least support 4K video at 30fps.

The 20MP selfie camera is similarly limited, though at least Nubia hasn’t resorted to using a terrible under-display example, like with its smartphones. It’ll do fine for video calls.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: software

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • Red Magic OS 9.5 on Android 14
  • Ugly but functional UI
  • Game Space UI lets you fine-tune your gaming setup

Software has always been a bit of a weakness with Red Magic devices, and that hasn’t changed with the transition to a larger tablet form factor. You’re getting the same Red Magic OS 9.5 that ran on the Red Magic 9S Pro smartphone, layered over the same Android 14 OS.

It’s not an attractive UI, despite Nubia having corrected a lot of its worst aspects such as clumsy screen-filling widgets and poorly translated text. It still feels a little unfinished, as evidenced by the odd syntax-mangling Game Space notification.

I’d rather not have to deal with Nubia’s custom feed to the left of the main home screen, which pulls in randomly chosen news stories, as well as the kind of game recommendations no self-respecting gamer would entertain.

On a similar point, there are two folders dedicated to Hot Apps and Hot Games on the home screen. Needless to say, none of the applications contained within look remotely ‘hot’.

With all that said, Red Magic OS 9.5 is perfectly smooth and functional. It runs at a consistently speedy lick, and doesn’t flood the home screen with third-party apps. Yes, there’s an extraneous web browser, and yes, Booking.com sneaks its way in again. But both are at least stashed away in the app tray.

There’s no physical switch to activate Nubia’s Game Space app here, unlike with the brand’s gaming phones. It’s still there, though, running along in the background while playing games, as well as being accessible from the drop-down notification menu.

You can use this app to tweak fan, CPU, and GPU settings, and to set up screen recording. You can also tweak screen sensitivity settings here, as well as play around with screen ratios, among other things. It’s a powerful tool for gamers looking to set their favored game up just so.

Ultimately, Red Magic OS 9.5 is a perfectly functional UI that’s easy enough to work with, if tough to truly love.

  • Software score: 3.5/5

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: battery life

The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet positioned on a table

(Image credit: Future)
  • 10,100mAh battery
  • 10 hours of light gaming is possible
  • 80W charging gets it from 0 to 100% in an hour

Nubia has equipped the Red Magic Nova Tablet with a monstrous 10,100mAh battery. That’s bigger even than that of the OnePlus Pad 2, which is a bigger device.

The official estimate for battery life here is up to 10 hours of uninterrupted gaming on a single charge. However, this would presumably be with the display refresh rate set to 60Hz, the brightness kept relatively low, and a fairly undemanding game being played. I suspect that this isn’t a particularly representative scenario for your average committed gamer.

For my own usage, with the brightness and refresh rate cranked up to maximum, I couldn’t get anywhere near that figure, regardless of the game. After 30 minutes of Warzone Mobile, the battery life had dropped by 17%, which maps out to around three hours of gaming.

Even with lighter fare, I couldn’t get close to that stated figure. After 30 minutes of Slay the Spire, that percentage had dropped by 12%, suggesting it would have lasted four hours.

In more normal usage, with a little light gaming, some web browsing, and light app usage, you could very well get through a full working day on a single charge.

With such a large cell, there’s always the worry about charging times. Nubia has mitigated this with 80W charging support, and it even includes the brick in the box.

I couldn’t quite match Nubia’s estimate of a full charge in 55 minutes, but it still only took a smidgen over an hour in my testing. A quick 15-minute splash got it to 36%.

  • Battery score: 4/5

Should I buy the Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet?

Buy it if...

You want the fastest tablet possible for less than $500/£500
In terms of performance bang for your buck, the Red Magic Nova Tablet beats all comers.

You’re a committed mobile gamer
The Nova Tablet is set up for gaming, with top-level performance and a suite of game-enhancing tools.

You dig the gamer aesthetic
Nubia hasn’t gone too hard on the gamer aesthetic, but you still get a ‘cool’ semi-transparent motif on the back with some RGB lighting.

Don't buy it if...

You’re a fan of clean UIs
Nubia’s custom software is a little on the ugly side, straying too far from stock Android.

You want the ultimate gaming tablet experience, money no object
It might be fast and gaming-focused, but an iPad Pro remains a better gaming tablet overall.

You want a genuinely mobile gaming device
The Red Magic Nova Tablet isn’t too big or heavy, but it’s still not ideal for gaming on the move.

Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet: also consider

OnePlus Pad 2
The OnePlus Pad 2 is perhaps the most direct competitor here, with its £549/£499 pricing, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power, and larger 12.1-inch 144Hz display.

iPad Air (2024)
The latest 11-inch iPad Air is more expensive than the Nova Tablet at $599 / £599, and its 60Hz display isn’t massively gamer-friendly, but it’s more powerful and has access to a bigger library of high-end games.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is similarly priced and a classier all-round operator, but it lacks the Nova Tablet’s gaming chops thanks to inferior power and a 90Hz display.

How I tested the Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet

  • Review test period = 1 week
  • Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
  • Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Nubia 80W power adapter

First reviewed: October 2024

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: a versatile alternative to the reMarkable 2
7:49 am |

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

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 Monochrome: one-minute review

Onyx has been aggressively pushing out new ereaders and e-paper writing tablets for a while now – the brand released the unique and compact Onyx Boox Palma and the Boox Note Air 3 series in quick succession, then followed it up with a new series called Go. This includes the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 ereader and the Boox Go 10.3 writing tablet that launched together, and a smaller Go 6 ereader that came later. It’s nice to have choices but, at the speed that it’s churning out new models, is Onyx making great products to keep up with the competition?

With the Boox Go 10.3, the Chinese brand has done better than what it did with the Go Color 7, which had too many software flaws when I tested it. The Go 10.3, on the other hand, is a far better device that looks remarkably like the reMarkable 2.

As the name suggests, it’s a 10.3-inch dedicated e-paper writing tablet and, like its Scandinavian counterpart, writes like a dream. Stylus input is fantastic with no lag whatsoever. With different pen and brush choices, plus different nib thicknesses, it will easily work as a digital sketch pad too.

While the reMarkable 2 was designed to remove distractions from the creative process, the Go 10.3 isn’t so discerning – you get full access to the Google Play Store on account of it running on a trimmed-down version of Android 12, plus there are a lot more features in the note-taking application than on a reMarkable. It’s important to note that not all third-party apps will allow stylus input, so you’ll need to decide which ones will be the most useful to you.

It can also double up as an ereader thanks to the baked-in library app (NeoReader), something the reMarkable doesn’t quite master. However, lacking a screen light – just like the reMarkable – you’re not going to be able to use it for nighttime reading.

What I find most impressive here is that Onyx has trimmed its user interface down to make it a lot – and I do mean A LOT – more streamlined than on its previous e-ink tablets, but it still requires a slight learning curve. If you’re willing to put that time in, it could well be the better e-paper writing tablet for you, especially since the price difference between it and the reMarkable 2 isn’t all that different.

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-ink writing tablet and its stylus on a wicker stool

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: price & availability

  • List price: $379.99 / €419.99 (about £355) / AU$699
  • Ships with a stylus and magnetic sleep case from the Boox Shop
  • Available to buy directly from the Boox Shop or third-party retailers

Launched in June 2024, the Boox Go 10.3 e-paper tablet carries a list price of $379.99 / €419.99 (about £355) / AU$699. When purchased directly from the Boox Shop, this price includes the stylus and a beige magnetic sleep case, but the latter may not be available as part of the bundle in some markets when bought from third-party resellers.

Given the reMarkable 2 has a similar price tag, now available for $379 / £389 / AU$639 bundled with the base Marker – which is a small drop since the reMarkable Paper Pro was launched – the Boox is quite well priced. In fact, it’s cheaper than the company’s own Onyx Boox Note Air 3, which retails for $479 / €549.99 (around £445) / AU$749 at full price.

However, without a screen light, it’s a little hard to recommend over other writing e-paper tablets like the Kobo Elipsa 2E ($399 / £350 / AU$629) and the Amazon Kindle Scribe (starting price of $339 / £339 / AU$549). If you want something far more portable than the 10-inch tablets, the Kobo Libra Colour will set you back $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 plus an additional $69.99 / £69.95 / AU$119.95 for the Kobo Stylus 2 purchased separately – that's good bang for buck considering you get a good color display and the full suite of Kobo writing features.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

A drawing of a turtle on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: specs

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Design & display

  • Beautiful, slimline design in white and grey
  • 10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen with no frontlighting
  • Built-in speakers and mic

The Boox Go 10.3 takes a lot of its design cues from the reMarkable 2 but there are some differences that make the Onyx tablet smaller, lighter and potentially more durable. For starters, the Go 10.3 has a textured rear panel that feels very much like faux leather but is plastic. It offers a lot more grip than the glass on reMarkable 2, and makes the Boox lighter in comparison. This also means that the Go 10.3 doesn’t need the little nubs that the reMarkable uses as feet to protect its rear panel.

The aluminum edges of the Go 10.3 are rounded, leading to slim bezels that sit flush with the glass screen. The lower bezel, which is broader on both the Boox and the reMarkable, is comparatively smaller on the Go 10.3, making it the slightly shorter tablet and potentially shaves off a tiny weight too. The flip side to that is the Go 10.3 is more prone to accidental screen touches as compared to the reMarkable 2. Personally, I prefer the bezels on the reMarkable 2, with the metallic finish and white borders – epitomizing Scandinavian minimalism – compared to the light grey on the Boox.

Keeping the rest of the design looking sleek, the Go 10.3’s power button, placed on the top right edge (compared to the top left on the reMarkable), sticks out only marginally, so you can find it by feel. The bottom edge houses the USB-C port in the middle, with speaker and mic grills on either side of it.

The Boox branding on the corner of the white bezel of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 tablet

The Boox Go 10.3 lying atop the reMarkable 2 (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The Go 10.3 is now arguably the thinnest writing tablet in this class – its thickness is only just enough to enclose the aforementioned USB-C port – measuring just 4.6mm. That’s just a millimeter less than the reMarkable 2 which, until now, has held the title of the thinnest e-paper writing tablet. The Go 10.3 tips the scales at a mere 375g, which is lighter than the reMarkable 2 (403.5g) and the 2022 Amazon Kindle Scribe (433g). Despite that, it doesn’t feel fragile in the hand.

As the name suggests, the Boox boasts a 10.3-inch display, which uses the E Ink Carta 1200 screen technology. That’s now a generation behind with the Carta 1300 already in use in the Kobo Clara BW and Amazon adopting it in its 2024 range of Kindles. Where the Go 10.3 one-ups the reMarkable 2 is in screen resolution and overall contrast – you get a 300ppi display here (compared to 226ppi), while a side-by-side comparison shows that the blacks are blacker on the Boox. This makes text appear sharper on the Go 10.3 as compared to its competition, although the contrast on the Kobo Elipsa 2E (which also has a 227ppi screen resolution) is much better than the Go 10.3, which makes the latter a superior ereader.

That said, the reMarkable’s screen has a better anti-glare coating than the Boox – during my testing I frequently had issues with overhead lights creating bright spots on the Go 10.3, which made reading at certain angles quite difficult.

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The USB-C port and speaker grille on the lower edge of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The power button on the top of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Thanks to the glass layer on the screen, writing on the Go 10.3 is a pleasure. I’d say it comes close to the reMarkable 2 and the Kindle Scribe – which are my favourite e-paper tablets to write on – with the Boox coming in a very close third. It ships with a stylus, which is a basic pen that doesn’t have the eraser functionality – for such a premium tablet, I think that’s a glaring omission.

If you’re buying the tablet directly from Onyx, you’ll also get a magnetic sleepcover for the Go 10.3. It’s a lovely-looking beige faux-leather folio, with a fold on the rear panel to convert it into a stand. However, the flap that keeps the folio closed is a separate piece that attaches magnetically and is easily dislodged when taking the tablet in and out of the bag. In fact, if you fold the cover back completely, the flap magnetically sticks to the front panel and comes away with it when you close the folio. It’s a small thing but I found it so annoying that I stopped using it after a couple of days into my testing.

Unfortunately you’re likely to lose the stylus without the folio case. While the right edge of the Go 10.3 is magnetic to secure the stylus, it’s too darn weak to be of any use. The curved edge doesn’t help either, reducing the amount of surface area the pen gets to secure itself to.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 placed beside the reMarkable 2

The Boox Go 10.3 beside the reMarkable 2 – the former is slightly shorter and thinner (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Software & user interface

As mentioned earlier in this review, the Boox Go 10.3 runs a custom, trimmed-down version of Android 12 that focuses purely on reading and writing. Importantly, Onyx has also used this focus to streamline the user interface on the Go 10.3, which makes it a much easier Boox tablet to use than any I’ve tested before.

I suspect it’s this better UX that has eliminated a lot of the software issues I had with the Onyx Boox Go Color 7, or the company put all its efforts into the bigger flagship tablet and didn’t test out the smaller ereader enough before release. Whatever the reason, it means the Go 10.3 is a superior writing tablet that can give the reMarkable 2 a run for its money.

So while you won’t get the smartphone experience here, you will be able to download third-party apps from the Google Play Store, which makes the Go 10.3 a more versatile writing tablet than anything from the competition.

Android OS and apps

  • Customized Android UX
  • The most streamlined UX of any previous Boox writing tablet
  • Not all third-party apps are usable

All current Boox devices run on a customized version of Android – Android 12 in this case – which is how you’re able to get access to the Google Play Store. Despite the OS being a little out of date compared to what you’d get on the latest Android phone, it’s not an issue for an e-paper tablet.

The Boox already has full support for Evernote and OneNote, as well as easy syncing to cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, but you can also download and use other apps that you prefer. One thing to keep in mind is that not all of them will offer stylus input if the developer hasn’t allowed for it on the Android version of that particular app, or there could be input delays when rendering the writing on screen, which happened to me when trying Evernote.

Another thing to keep in mind when using an e-paper tablet like the Go 10.3 is that not all apps are optimized for this kind of display. Practically every app on the Play Store will have been developed for use on an LCD or OLED display – so a smartphone or a multimedia tablet – and E Ink’s screen tech doesn’t respond as well. Firstly, the screen refresh rate isn’t fast enough for most non-productivity applications, so while you can watch videos on YouTube in black and white, it’s not the best experience. You can play some mobile games (again, in black and white), but your graphics won’t be as clean as on your phone or regular tablet, and that’s despite the Go 10.3 using a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor paired with an Adreno 610 GPU.

The native library application on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What I really like about the Go 10.3 over other similar Onyx Boox note-taking tablets is the overall user interface – it’s a lot cleaner and streamlined here, and isn’t plagued with the same software glitches I found when I tested the Boox Go Color 7. The only problem is that the default Fonts folder in the Settings isn’t connected to the Storage tab where it needs to live – so anyone sideloading fonts will need to create a new Fonts folder under Storage to make them work on NeoReader (the native library app).

The main applications are arranged to the left, making navigation simple, and an easy swipe up from the bottom bezel exits the app you're on. The system settings are also more streamlined, but there are still plenty of customization options within the System Display tab and Gestures. The latter is similar to what you’d find on other Android devices which, I personally think, is a bit of an overkill for the Go 10.3 but I’m sure other users would appreciate the various options.

As with other Boox devices, there’s also a NaviBall, which is optional to use. Tap on this circular icon and it will open a selection of up to nine configurable buttons to trigger up to 30 different functions.

The Apps tab on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You also have the Control Center on the Go 10.3 which is an easy way to access specific features like the AI assistant, Boox cloud storage, Kids Mode, Split Screen and, importantly, the E Ink Center. The last option is the most useful in my opinion as this is where you can control a lot of the system settings for the device, especially adjusting the refresh rate from a choice of four speed settings. Better yet, you can set individual apps at different refresh rates to suit.

The one feature on any Boox device that’s been the least useful is the built-in bookstore. You’ll typically find titles that are already in the public domain, but considering you can always use the Kindle or Kobo app on the Go 10.3, you can ignore the Store tab entirely. You can also use the native browser to make purchases online.

One thing to note here: like the Boox Go Color 7, the Go 10.3 doesn't register on a Mac device's Finder application, which makes it hard to transfer files via a cable. It does, however, register on a Windows machine, but I found that existing files cannot be found via the usual pathways. The best way to use this Boox tablet is via cloud sync.

• Software score: 4 / 5

The white stylus that ships with the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Writing & productivity

  • Native note-taking app is great but might be overkill for some users
  • Broad support for note apps and cloud services
  • Excellent stylus input

When it comes to writing, the Go 10.3 has excellent stylus input – there was never any lag during my testing. That said, I did have the input fail a few times on the native Notes app (where a line appeared on screen the moment the stylus touches it), and a full restart of the tablet was needed to fixed the problem. I’ve encountered this issue on the Kobo Elipsa 2E as well, but the latter allows for just that page to be refreshed, which solves the problem quicker than on the Boox.

Despite being a grayscale device, there is support for a handful of colors on the Go 10.3. You’ll see the options when you choose a pen or brush type in the Notes app and, when exported – as a PDF or PNG file – you’ll see those colors displayed on your computer.

There are five pen types to choose from, each with up to five thickness (width) levels.

There’s a heck of a lot of other functionalities within the Notes app itself, so you really don’t need a third-party application for writing or drawing, unless you’re syncing them to a specific cloud account.

You can add shapes and layers for, say, flowcharts and you can insert links to notes as well. The AI icon helps convert handwritten notes to text and, for the most part, the conversion is correct unless your handwriting is literally chicken scratches. Similar to the reMarkable 2, the Go 10.3 is excellent for annotating PDF files – you can fill forms and sign on the device, then export to your computer or a cloud service of your choice. There’s also image-to-text support (OCR) available if you need it, which will make pretty much anything within the powerful Notes app searchable.

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A note with handwriting recognition enabled on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The stylus and its cover for the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 stylus on a drawing

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Each document can have up to 500 pages, but I found that the bigger the notebook gets, the slower it is to reopen the next time you want to access it on the Go 10.3. This happened with a 7-page document, and the largest I had during my testing was 10 pages, so I’m not entirely sure how well a 100-page document will perform, let alone 500 pages. The aforementioned 10-page document even crashed once during my testing period.

The one thing I wish the native Notes app had was an easier way to delete individual pages within a document. This functionality exists, but is hidden away: you need to tap on the page number displayed on the top right corner, which opens the individual pages on a side panel. There, you need to spot the three dots for each page and then select ‘delete’. It’s a lot easier to do this on other writing tablets like the reMarkable 2, the Kobo Elipsa 2E and the Kindle Scribe.

Another missing feature for multi-page documents is tap-to-turn – you have to use the arrow icons on the top right corner to navigate page by page, or open the side panel to reveal all the pages.

If you’re a digital artist, the Go 10.3 will make an ideal sketchpad. There’s 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels that can capture nuances of the stylus quite well, with brush strokes looking quite detailed on the E Ink display. That said, there’s no tilt support on the Go 10.3, which you will get on the reMarkable 2.

• Writing and productivity score: 4.5 / 5

Reading

  • Native library app is full featured
  • Default Fonts folder is not linked for use
  • Lacks a screen light for nighttime reading

Like the native Notes application, the baked-in NeoReader is also full-featured and has been built for e-paper screens. Text is sharp and very readable on the grayscale display and the customizable Floating Toolbar is handy for quick access to shortcuts. However, comparing the 300ppi display on the Go 10.3 with the 227ppi Kobo Elipsa 2E shows a marked difference in contrast – the lower resolution screen has darker text, which makes it stand out more without the frontlight on.

A comparison of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 display (left) with the Kobo Elipsa 2E (right) showing the same page of an ebook

The Boox Go 10.3 (left) is fine to read on but lacks contrast when compared directly to the Kobo Elipsa 2E (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

On the Go 10.3, however, the lack of a light – which it borrows from the reMarkable 2 – makes it hard to use as an ereader for nighttime reading. So if you want your e-ink tablet to double as both an ereader and a note-taker, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

And while there’s wide font support, the NeoReader only has a single (unnamed) serif option available for use without dedicated weights or stylization (like bold and italics). While you can sideload a plethora of fonts, they don’t get saved within the default Fonts folder – instead, you need to create a new one within Storage for the additional fonts to be enabled within the library app.

If you happen to already have a Kindle or Kobo account, I personally recommend them over NeoReader, although the customizations here will be limited to what the two platforms allow on their Android apps. The page setup, though, is cleaner and makes reading a nicer experience. And, as I’ve previously mentioned, the built-in bookstore isn’t worth checking out at all.

• Reading score: 3.5 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Performance

  • Minimal ghosting compared to other Boox tablets
  • Responsive screen
  • Decent battery life, but significant drain in sleep mode

The combination of the mid-range Snapdragon 680 CPU and the Adreno 610 GPU is plenty to keep the Go 10.3 ticking along real nicely. During my testing, I noticed no issues with core tasks like writing and reading.

It’s arguably one of the best writing experiences I’ve had on an e-ink tablet, with absolutely no stylus input lag, although I found some multi-page handwritten documents can take a little longer than expected to open. One of my documents, which was 10 pages, even crashed, although I think I’ll put this down as a one-off as it happened just once. That said, launching Android apps is quite fast for a device like this and can match some budget phones or traditional tablets.

Individual apps can have their own refresh rates set, which is excellent, although even at the fastest speed, some apps might stutter. This includes the browser which, when scrolling through rapidly, will have a few hiccups. That’s natural, though, as it’s just how e-ink screens are.

One improvement I’ve noticed on the Go 10.3 compared to other Boox tablets is the lack of ghosting. During my testing, I experienced only the mildest when I was using the browser, but had no issues when using the Notes app to write or draw. I did have the occasional overlay when using the NeoReader but, again, it was significantly less than other Boox devices.

The Google Play Store on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Without a screen light, the 3,700mAh battery can go quite the distance – depending on how much you use the Go 10.3, it can last 2-3 weeks on a single charge. However, there is a significant drain when the tablet is in sleep mode. I found it can drop anywhere from 2% to 10%, depending on how long it stays inactive. Onyx gets around this issue by allowing you to let the device power down completely after a day or two of inactivity (you can select this in the Settings pane), but even then I found a little battery drain. While this issue might be fixable via a future firmware update, it can mean that a full charge could last no more than a week.

Moreover, if you use the built-in speakers for listening to audiobooks or music, you might end up draining the battery a little faster than when using it for just writing and reading. And while sound quality isn't the best for music, it's perfectly adequate for audiobook narrations and can get quite loud within a small room. I personally prefer using one of the best wireless headphones for listening on any e-ink tablet.

Topping up the battery isn’t too bad – I found the Go 10.3 went from 20% to full in approximately two hours. This is when plugged into a 65W wall charger and using a high quality USB-C to C cable (not the provided one) – it will be slower to juice up if you plug the device into a PC, laptop or a docking station, or if you use a USB-A to C cable.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

The settings option on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper tablet?

Buy it if...

You want the lightest, thinnest e-paper writing tablet

Thinner and lighter than even the reMarkable 2, the Boox Go 10.3 is arguably the best-looking 10-inch e-paper writing tablet I've tested. It's just a shame that the stylus doesn't secure well to the side or the top of the device.

You want access to Android apps on your e-ink tablet

There are plenty of 10-inch e-paper writing tablets to choose from these days, but the ability to use third-party Android apps might just prove to be advantageous to some users.

You want to do more than just read and write on the e-ink tablet

It might not support stylus tilt functionality, but the Boox Go 10.3 is still wonderful to draw on. And writing is just as great, if not better, with no input lag to complain about. Better yet, it's got built-in speakers, so you can listen to music or audiobooks (even stream via the Android app of your choice).

Don't buy it if...

You want your writing tablet to double as your ereader as well

While you can read on the Boox Go 10.3 just fine, the lack of a frontlight means it's not much use in the dark, when many an avid reader would love to wind down with a good book.

You need more than 64GB of storage

For an expensive tablet, it's a shame that the Boox Go 10.3 has no expandable storage – especially since there are other Boox devices that come with a microSD tray that can support up to an additional 1TB of data.

You'd prefer a more budget-friendly option

Most 10-inch e-ink note-taking tablets are expensive, but if you don't mind opting for a smaller device, like the Kobo Libra Colour or the Kobo Sage, you can save a lot of money despite having to purchase the stylus separately.

Also consider

reMarkable 2

It might be getting a little long in the tooth (having released in 2020), but this Scandinavian writing tablet nails productivity perfectly. No distractions, minimalistic user interface and a remarkable (pun intended) writing experience. If you have some extra cash, the keyboard folio can be real handy.
Read our in-depth reMarkable 2 review for more details

Amazon Kindle Scribe

While there's a new (2024) edition of the Scribe available now, the original Amazon writing tablet is a little cheaper and a very good alternative if you want a 10-inch e-ink note-taker. It's the only such device to support Microsoft Word documents natively and it's screen is arguably one of the most well-optimized displays I've tested.
Read our full Amazon Kindle Scribe review to learn more

Kobo Elipsa 2E

It's not the smoothest screen to write on, but the note-taking features in Kobo's Advanced Notebooks is par excellence. Handwriting recognition is also one of the best I've tested and, to me, this is arguably the best alternative to opt for if you want both an ereader and a writing tablet in one.
Read our full Kobo Elipsa 2E review for more information

If you prefer something smaller and cheaper, you can opt for the Kobo Libra Colour – you'll get a 7-inch color display and the full Kobo writing suite, but you will need to purchase the stylus separately.
Check out our in-depth Kobo Libra Colour review to learn more

How I tested the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

  • Used the device for approximately two months
  • It became my main writing device during that time
  • Did some reading and listened to some audio files as well

A notebook cover labeled Cocktails on the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 writing tablet

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The first thing I did when I took the Go 10.3 out of its box was to sign into my Onyx account to sync existing notes across from previous Boox tablets I've used. I then signed into my Google account to transfer some ebooks to the tablet and access the Play Store.

Previous experience with Boox devices had already taught me to avoid the built-in bookstore, so I promptly downloaded both the Kindle and Kobo Android apps to access the libraries I've built up on those two platforms. I also downloaded a couple of benchmarking applications to determine what CPU was being used (Onyx doesn't make it very clear on its site) and check the battery stats.

The Go 10.3 then became my daily note-taker – I used it for a lot of work-related notes, including jotting down points for this review – and, even though I'm no artist, I did try drawing some simple sketches. All my notes are synced to my Google Drive account for access on a laptop or PC, and I also exported a couple of documents to cloud storage as PDFs for printing.

Given this is a writing tablet first and foremost, I tested the native Notes app thoroughly, but also tried out Evernote briefly.

Read more about how we test

[First published October 2024]

Apple iPad mini A17 Pro (2024): a premium mini tablet experience that still captivates
4:03 pm | October 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPad iPad Mini Tablets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): one-minute review

The variety in iPad sizes is impressive. You can get everything from a 13-inch giant iPad Pro down to an 8.3-inch iPad mini. Most people probably live in the middle with the popular 10.9-inch iPad Air or the new 11-inch Air, but that little one with the 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display has its adherents.

It's an almost pocket-friendly device that's popular with pilots, artists, ardent notetakers, social media scrollers, students, and readers. It's the color reading screen for those who don't want to read comics on a black-and-white Kindle (though that new Colorsoft does change things, am I right?). It's sometimes the second multipurpose slab in your arsenal, small and light enough to join you on vacation, and it's sometimes the perfect back-porch streaming companion.

The iPad mini is also a product that's been on the bubble. Many worried that Apple might simply cancel it. It was among the last two iPad holdouts to not get an M-class Apple silicon chip, and also the last mobile device to still include the 'mini' name (RIP iPhone mini) – the only other Apple product with that designation is the Mac mini.

Instead of killing it, Apple has essentially done a brain transplant, upgrading the previous model's A15 Bionic mobile CPU to the much more powerful A17 Pro. The choice is surprising, because Apple seems almost anxious to stuff its latest Apple silicon into every new device (see the M4-running iPad Pro); but this time Apple tapped the brakes a bit. There's nothing wrong with the A17 Pro, which is the same chip you'll find in last year's iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. It's Apple Intelligence-capable, and has more than enough power for a screen of almost any size.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If I have a frustration with the latest iPad, alternatively known as the iPad mini 7th Generation or iPad Mini A17 Pro, it's that it's virtually identical in every respect to the three-year-old iPad mini 6th generation. Apple didn't bother to upgrade the design, the screen, the cameras, or the speakers. The only hardware change that expresses itself on the outside of the tablet is one you can only see if you have an Apple Pencil.

The new iPad mini supports just two styluses: the Apple Pencil USB-C and the new Apple Pencil Pro. I wouldn't expect it to support the original Apple Pencil, but I am a little surprised that there's no support for the Apple Pencil 2. You can't even properly seat that Pencil on the charging base that sits on one long edge of the iPad, because Apple has reengineered the hardware underneath.

It's a small thing, really, and you will appreciate all the cool stuff you can do with a Pencil Pro, like squeeze it or use gestures to change tools and Scribble. And with 18.1 and Apple Intelligence, you can even Scribble to Siri.

What might matter most to iPad mini fans, though, is its ability to support Apple Intelligence. Only the A17 Pro and above (along with all M-class Apple chips) supports it, but you need to be running iPadOS 18.1. If you buy this new iPad, it will likely arrive with iPadOS 18 and, like my test unit, not yet support Apple Intelligence. That speaks to the general frustration many of us have when it comes to Apple's own brand of AI. It's dribbling out slowly, and still lacks core features like Siri with app access, user activity knowledge, contextual awareness, and ChatGPT access.

Some of these features may arrive by the end of October; others might not arrive until 2025. It's a mystery to me why Apple is moving so slowly in this regard. Eventually, I got a developer beta of iPadOS 18.1 onto the iPad mini, and it performs just as well as I hoped, enabling you, among other things, to quickly summarize notes or change the tone of an email with Writing Tools, have your Notifications summarized, and even get a priority look into your inbox. Hand-writing queries to Siri is pretty much tailor-made for the iPad, and you can be more precise when cleaning up photos.

Even without Apple Intelligence, the iPad mini is an excellent tablet. It's also a premium device, and priced like one, starting at $499 / £499 / AU$799 for 128GB of storage. At 9.7 inches, that iPad was larger and heavier (it weighed a pound and a half). The nice thing about the modern iPad mini is that the screen isn't much smaller than the one on the OG iPad, but it's a much higher resolution, and the device is so much smaller and lighter.

Few tablets are as versatile and powerful as the iPad mini. I used it for all kinds of work, creative, and entertainment activities and was never disappointed. It remains one of my favorite drawing devices.

If you own an iPad mini 6th generation, hold onto it and upgrade to iPadOS 18. Even without Apple intelligence, you'll be happy. If you've never owned an iPad and think the new iPad Air 11-inch and 10.9-inch iPad 10th gen are too large, and a 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max is too small, perhaps the iPad mini is the sweet spot you've been looking for. Plus, it supports a stylus, and even though the iPhone screens are getting mighty big, that's one thing they still don't offer.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) review: price and availability

  • Pricey for its size
  • Fresh new colors

Apple unveiled the iPad mini A 17 Pro on October 15, 2025. It starts at $499 / £499 / AU$799 for 128GB of storage – that's the same price as the 2021 iPad mini in the US, but a £20 increase in the UK and AU$50 more if you’re in Australia. It costs $150 / £170 / AU$200 more than a 10th Gen iPad, which only has an A14 Bionic, and $100 / £100 / AU$200 less than the base iPad Air. There are cheaper mini-tablet options on the market, like the 8-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which starts at $99.99 / £99.99 (it's not currently available in Australia), although you're only getting 32GB of storage, a pair of not-so-great 2MP cameras, and a Hexa-core CPU. Apple is essentially asking you to pay a premium price for a well-equipped product to perform premium and professional tasks. The new iPad mini is available in four colors: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight (somewhere between silver and rose gold).

  • Value score: 4 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: specs

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: display

  • Still a brilliant and colorful screen
  • 500 nits max

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

When Apple first introduced the iPad mini 6th generation in 2021, it was a big deal not only because of the wholesale redesign that brought the mini more in line with the iPad Air 4th Gen, which was released a year earlier, but also because was fitting a relatively large screen into a much smaller body.

The new mini also came with new display technologies, introducing the 326ppi Liquid Retina Display and LED backlighting to the mini line.

It's an excellent and responsive touchscreen that offers a wide color gamut, and, of course, Apple Pencil support. It has an antireflective coating, and is somewhat resistant to fingerprints. I'm not thrilled that the peak brightness is stuck at 500 nits when Apple's other mobile devices are pumping out, under certain conditions 2,000 nits. Still, this is a three-year-old technology, so I should not expect 2024 display updates.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

My experience with the iPad Mini A 17 Pro was, in many ways, no different than with the 6th Gen model, and this is a good thing. As before, everything looks fantastic on the 8.3-inch display; games, photos, movies, apps, and web browsing are all great (I especially enjoyed perusing photos of baby animals on National Geographic – it tells me we're all hardwired to love baby animals, and I totally believe it).

The iPad mini truly shines, though, when you add an Apple Pencil. The mini now only supports the Pencil Pro and Pencil USB-C, and only the former can magnetically charge on the edge of the iPad Mini. The pens are optional extras though, so you'll pay an additional $129 for the Pro or $79 for the USB-C model – I think they're a worthwhile investment.

Apple Pencil Accessory

As an amateur artist, few things make me happier than drawing on an iPad, usually in Procreate. I alternate between drawing on a large 13-inch iPad Pro and the pint-sized mini, and even though the screen on the latter is comparatively small, I never find it constraining.

I can understand how some might think the 8.3-inch screen is too small a canvas or not large enough to multitask, but I'd have to disagree. I spent hours drawing the puppy you can see below in Procreate, and I did most of it on a split screen. I dragged the Safari browser window with my reference images up to the left and gave two-thirds of the screen to Procreate. It's enough space, I promise you.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

One of the reasons why sketching on the iPad mini works is the feel of drawing with an Apple Pencil on the screen. Even though the screen is perfectly smooth, the Pencil tip provides just enough friction to make it feel like I'm drawing on something other than glass. In some apps, I can hover my pencil over the screen and see the cursor or drawing dot move with the Pencil. I can also squeeze it to change tools.

The Pencil is not just for drawing. For those who don't want to type, you can scribble words in various fields and, depending on the quality of your writing, the iPad will convert them to text. In Notes, I used the new Math Notes to write equations and had the iPad solve them for me in something that looked like my own handwriting. I wrote '200+36=' and the iPad quickly returned '236'. When I added a line under my original equation and the number 2 under that, Math Notes automatically knew to divide by two and updated my sum to '118'. Impressive – and fun.

With Apple Intelligence you'll be able to double tap near the bottom of the screen to open the Siri Text window, but instead of typing you'll write in your query with the Apple Pencil.

  • Display score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: design

  • This looks familiar
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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I've spent quite a bit of time examining the new iPad mini 7th gen from every angle, and there's virtually no difference between it and the previous model. I'm fine with that – this is a good and solid design. The 100% recycled aluminum chassis is thin, 6.5mm, and light, just 293 grams. To put that in perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro Max weighs 227 grams, so Apple's smallest iPad is just 66g heavier. I have big hands, and I can comfortably hold the 7.69in x 5.3-inch tablet in one hand; I usually have the Apple Pencil in the other.

The bezel around the screen is perhaps a bit thick by modern iPad standards, and I'm surprised that the FaceTime camera still lives on the narrow side of the display (Apple moved it for the iPad Pro). This means that if you want to make eye contact during a call you need to look at the left side of the iPad mini.

On one short edge is the very effective Touch ID (also power and sleep) button that I use not only to unlock the device but to sign into myriad accounts. Opposite it are the two volume buttons, and in between are a pair of speaker grilles; the other half of the stereo speaker system is on the other side of the iPad, which also houses the USB-C port.

The iPad mini offers no water resistance and doesn't have a dust rating. If you plan to take it to the beach, buy a case. There are still four colors to come from, but joining Starlight and Space Gray are new Purple and Blue shades. At first, I was very drawn to the Blue, a sort of light anodized take on the color that can change depending on how the light hits it, but Apple's latest take on Purple is surprisingly airy in lower light and can really pop when under direct light. These two new shades and Starlight – perfectly match the new AirPods Max.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: cameras

  • Decent 12MP cameras
  • Centerstage
  • No telephoto

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The iPad mini is just small enough that I could imagine people carrying it and taking pictures wherever they go. With a single 12MP wide-angle camera on the back, it will get the job done, and the photos it produces are rich in detail and color. However, they don't hold up to close scrutiny as well as photos from the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 48MP main camera.

The front camera takes nice selfies, but not portrait-mode shots. It's far more useful as a FaceTime camera and, when I used Centerstage, the ultrawide camera auto-cropped the frame to follow me around. It's a nice feature, especially if you like to walk and talk while conducting Facetime calls.

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples Selfie on FaceTime Camera

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • Camera score: 3.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: software

  • Control Center customization
  • Home screen and widgets are more customizable
  • Calculator
  • New Photos app
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The iPad mini A17 Pro ships with iPadOS 18, which brings with it many of the same features you'll find on iOS 18, including a customizable Control Center, the Photos app redesign, the new Passwords app, updated Messages, and the aforementioned Math Notes (one of my favorites).

Apple Intelligence is coming, too, bringing writing tools to help you craft better prose in almost any situation, Siri with a completely new look, and, eventually, better insights into how you use your iPad.

Aside from what's coming with Apple Intelligence, none of these changes will radically alter your iPad experience, though I do think most of them will make it better. I'm still on the fence about the Photos app, which is so different that I can't seem to find anything. At least it now includes natural language search queries that should make finding photos across vast libraries far easier.

In my brief time with Apple Intelligence on the iPad mini, courtesy of a developer beta of iPadOS 18.1, I was mostly impressed. Similar to the Apple Intelligence experience on the iPad Air, iPad Pro, Mac, or iPhone, it's currently a well-rounded set of firsts.

You can summarize notifications automatically, which makes it easier to triage them after your device has been in sleep mode overnight, or while you have 'Do Not Disturb' engaged during a long meeting. I especially like how it summarizes Slack and Group messages, generally providing a good gist and summary. The same goes for Mail in Apple's own app or third-party ones in Gmail.

The Apple Pencil Pro (or the Pencil USB-C) really shines when it comes taking notes, and while it's not an Apple Intelligence feature, Smart Script is still really impressive in use, as it cleans up your handwriting in a way that matches your style. I also still desperately wish I had Math Notes when I was growing up.

Maybe the most purpose-built part of Apple Intelligence for the iPad is Scribble to Siri, though, and it's handy for those times when you're taking notes or just using the Apple Pencil. You can double-tap on the bottom of the screen and start writing in the Siri box that appears to get answers – it could be a question about your calendar, the weather, a sports score, or even a smart home command.

Of course, there are still many Apple Intelligence features we're still waiting for, from the completely redesigned Siri with personal context and the ability to work within apps deeply, to Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration. When those do arrive, the iPad mini will be able to handle them all, and will be the cheapest way to get any of these or future Apple Intelligence features.

  • Software score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: performance

  • A17 Pro is a generation back
  • Still has ample power
  • Double the RAM
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While I'm surprised the iPad mini 7th generation is not running on top-of-M-class Apple silicon (not even a now last-gen M3), the A17 Pro is no slouch. Plus, it's the first A-class chip that could support Apple Intelligence.

Adding a Pro-level chip to the mini is almost a recognition of the iPad's mini place in the creative and professional world. Pilots run apps like ForeFlight on it to plan trips. It's a complex and rich app that's not for the faint of heart (me) or a lightweight CPU. The iPad is also a popular drawing and image editing platform, and running pro-level image editing app Adobe Lightroom on it is no problem.

Apple iPad mini A17 Pro benchmark

(Image credit: Future)

Similarly, I edited four streams of 4K videos at once in Adobe Premiere Rush. And when it came time to unwind, I played Asphalt Legends Unite, Madden NFL 25 Mobile, and Fallout Shelter.

The performance boost you'll see in the new iPad mini is borne out in its Geekbench 6 numbers. The CPU scores are all measurably higher.

It's not just the CPU that's powering all this performance – Apple has doubled the RAM from 4GB to 8GB. Most people believe this has to do with Apple Intelligence support, which appears to require at least that much RAM to perform Apple Intelligence's generative AI tasks locally (some tasks will still have to be done in Apple's encrypted Private Cloud Compute).

  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: battery

  • A long work or play day

Apple rates the iPad Mini 7th Gen at about 10 hours of battery, and in my anecdotal tests that's about right. It's not great battery life, and I wonder if we might have gotten more had Apple made the switch from the A17 Pro to a more efficient M2.

In our Future Labs tests, the new iPad mini managed around 10 hours and 36 minutes.

There's no wireless charging, which is a shame since this iPad seems like the perfect size to rest on a Qi MagSafe charger. At least the iPad ships with a woven USB-C cable and a nice 20W adapter.

  • Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024)?

Buy it if…

You want the most affordable Apple Intelligence Experience
The iPad mini might be expensive for its size, but it's also a rare sub-$500 Apple Intelligence experience.

You want a powerful iPad that doesn't weigh you down
This 8.3-inch device is light, thin, and very powerful.

Don’t buy it if…

You're on a tight tablet budget
This is a lot of money for the smallest iPad, especially when you can get an 8-inch Amazon Fire HD tablet for $100 / £100.

You'll never buy an Apple Pencil
The iPad mini is wonderful, but it truly flourishes with an Apple Pencil Pro. If you'll never invest in one, perhaps look at a different tablet.

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): Also consider

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus

With storage expandable up to 1TB and a cheaper price than the Pad Go (if you go for Wi-Fi only version), the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus is a similarly capable media playback device. The display isn't as sharp, with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, but it does feature Samsung's useful split-screen multitasking abilities.

Amazon Fire Max 11

Another budget 11-inch tablet, the Fire Max 11 has the same 2.2GHz Octo-Core chip as the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus. The display has a resolution of 1200 x 2000, and it has an expandable storage capacity up to 1TB. Like the Pad Go, it also features Dolby Atmos capability. It is more expensive, though, and Google Play isn't supported. You'll also have to pay slightly more if you want the ad-free version.

How I tested the iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024)

  • Drew
  • Watched TV
  • Played Games
  • Browsed the web
  • Edited movies
  • Edited photos

I used the Apple iPad mini A17 Pro as I would any other iPad, for every activity I do throughout the day, including Slack, email, conducting video meetings, drawing, editing, videos, and photos, playing games, and watching the Mets lose through the my favorite streaming platform.

I also spent several hours with the iPadOS 18.1 developer beta installed on the iPad mini seventh-generation, testing the currently available Apple Intelligence features, to get a sense of how they perform here.

Read more about how we test.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024): Super fast and bigger, but refreshingly familiar
6:18 pm | October 16, 2024

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

The Kindle e-reader was the original ‘Amazon device,’ and the heart of its e-reading lineup has long been the Paperwhite. So much so that Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices, described it as the “most loved Kindle” and the one that, as he admitted, owners with the current or previous-gen models are hesitant to upgrade.

That reluctance notwithstanding, Amazon has set out to make the best Paperwhite yet, with the all-new Kindle Paperwhite and more premium Kindle Paperwhite Signature. There are a lot of similarities between the two – both are thinner, lighter, and faster than the previous Paperwhite, with a better, larger 7-inch display that’s designed to be easily readable in any conditions.

It’s still only black-and-white, though – you’ll need to opt for the new Kindle Colorsoft if you want a color display for comics and the like – and is only for reading – get a Kindle Scribe, or maybe a Remarkable, if you want to write.

Panos Panay, head of Amazon Devices, holding the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The new Paperwhite's colors are fantastic, and Raspberry is certainly my favorite. While I haven’t read a book on it yet, I got to spend some time with the Signature Edition at Amazon’s hands-on launch event. So, let’s talk through the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.

Pricing and Availability

If you’re a Kindle lover, here’s some good news – the new Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are shipping now. The Kindle Paperwhite costs $159.99 / £159.99 (we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in a matte, soft-touch Raspberry, Jade (a green), or Black.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition costs a bit more at $199.99 / £199.99 (again, we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in metallic variants of those same three colors – aptly named Metallic Raspberry, Metallic Jade, and Metallic Black, which have some extra sparkle thanks to aluminum flakes being sprinkled in. That extra spend also doubles the storage to 32GB, and adds wireless charging capabilities and an auto-adjusting light sensor.

Both are shipping now, and Amazon has also debuted a bunch of new cases, including color-matched ones.

Kindle Paperwhite (2024): One Minute Review

The rear of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

As soon as I lifted up the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – technically now the 12th generation – it was clear that Amazon has focused on refining an already successful model. It’s the most popular e-reader in the Kindle lineup, and the one we’ve recommended for most people, at least with the last generation.

It’s still very comfortable to hold with just a hand, and while the back is more reflective on the Signature Edition, it’s still easy to get a grip. Amazon says the Paperwhite weighs in at just 211 grams, which is a good bit under half a pound at just 0.47lbs or 7.5oz. I found it easy to navigate the interface with just one hand, though I think most folks will use both. You’ll still turn pages, scroll through your library, and adjust settings like font size, brightness, or warmth, by touching the screen.

The thinness here shouldn’t be underestimated either – it’s super portable, and at just 7.8-millimeters thick, which is a small but considerable decrease from the 8.1mm of the previous Paperwhite. Just take a look at the photos; it’s thin, and it has a good center of gravity for easily holding it. It’s also still waterproof, so you can safely read in the bathtub or by the pool, and with an anti-reflective coating over the display, it’s easy to see the screen even in bright sunlight.

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

The display here is a bit bigger than on the last-gen Paperwhite, and feels more front and center thanks to thinner bezels all around. It measures 7 inches diagonally, up from 6.8 inches on the previous version, and has 300 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution. Amazon says it also boasts a higher contrast rate, making it easier to read displayed text in any lighting.

I found that the text looked plenty inky, and it was easy to make out what was on the page… err, screen. The same goes for scrolling through Manga or a Comic on the Paperwhite; this is still very much a screen that’s easy on the eyes, and it’s even easier if you have the Signature Edition, thanks to its light sensor, it will automatically adjust the brightness and temperature throughout the day for better clarity.

What might be most impressive, though, is the speed, and how close to instant the new Paperwhite feels. Thanks to a new custom processor under the hood and a new Oxide back panel, the Paperwhite can refresh and update the E Ink display in record time. It’s 25% faster – at least what Amazon promises for both models – and it really shows when scrolling through a library or zooming through pages.

The Kindle Paperwhite simply flies. Unless you’re a speed reader, being able to quickly flip pages may not help, but it should make the Kindle Paperwhite feel more like a real book, or faster, since it can update what’s being displayed even quicker. This could make a really big impact, especially if you’re upgrading from an older model.

The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) in Raspberry.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

You’ll also have plenty of room to store your books and other documents, with 32GB of storage on the Paperwhite Signature Edition or 16GB on the standard model. Remember, you can offload books to the cloud as well, should you run out of space.

The only physical button for the Kindle Paperwhite still lives on the bottom, slightly off-center to the right, next to the USB-C port. You’ll use this to jump into the Kindle’s interface from the lock screen’s E Ink lock screen or to put the Paperwhite to sleep. The USB-C port may not see much action either, as Amazon promises up to 12 weeks of use on a full charge, and judging by my experience with previous models, it may last even longer, depending on use. This is also an improvement of the previous generation, which topped out at 10 weeks. You can also charge your Kindle wirelessly if you get the Signature Edition, which is convenient as you can simply lay it on a charging pad to ensure it’s always topped off.

All-in-all, with a larger display to let you see more of whatever you might be reading (it’s likely a reread of Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen for me, or diving into The World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian), an even lighter design that does indeed suggest ‘paper’, faster performance, and even better battery life, there’s a lot to like here.

And at $159.99 / £159.99, or $199.99 / £159.99 with the bells and whistles of the Signature Edition, it’s a bit more than the previous generation, which was $149.99 for the standard and $189.99 for the Signature Edition. We’ll need to spend a bit more time with it, and do some serious reading, but from our early impressions, fans of previous Paperwhites will be happy with the latest one, and those looking for a Kindle that can go anywhere will be equally pleased.

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