Boox has a confusion wide variety of devices to choose from, but the latest ones make a good case as powerful, solid alternatives to the Kindle and Kobo. The delightfully small Poke 5, the even smaller Palma, the mid-range Page and the larger, full-color Tab Mini C are all worth considering if you’re looking to upgrade.
Boox, a sub-brand of Chinese company Onyx, makes dozens of readers and can be hard to keep up with. But I like to check in every now and then and see what they have to offer, especially since they like to experiment a bit every now and then.
Generally speaking, I’d say the main strengths of these devices are build quality and customizability. Their weak points are busy interfaces and a limited selection of applications. But if you’re comfortable bringing your own books and tweaking the settings, it’s nice to have a wide range of sizes and styles to choose from.
Not that these Boox devices are particularly strong in the design department: no, they’re pretty featureless, which I appreciate. Device makers can get cute when what they make is used lightly and occasionally for a minute or two or for a purpose that rewards creativity. Check out Playdate!
But e-readers, in my opinion, should go away. The only thing I want to see is words on a page and if I like a page number or some other metadata. While I appreciate a bit of flair here and there, like Kobo’s smart and bright flip cases, I loathe unusual shapes or button placements on a device that might as well be held and looked at for hours.
That’s why I’m so pleased with the Poke 5, which is slightly smaller than the previous pint-sized champ, the Poke 3 — but no thinner.
Size: Small
The Poke 5 ($170) it’s about as close to a platonic e-reader ideal as I’ve found: flat screen, fairly large bezels, a quiet logo at the bottom, and just one button — power. Although a small six-inch reader, it does not have a second-rate screen. It is a 300 PPI (1072×1448) screen with an adjustable color front light. The build is solid and no-nonsense, and while it doesn’t nod to be “premium,” there are no unsightly cracks or loose bits.
No page turn buttons (which some prefer) and less screen real estate for me are easily offset by the portability of this thing. It fits in almost every pocket, including the front pocket of my jeans (although it looks a little odd), and takes up almost no space in any bag. Since I like to take my readers everywhere, this is a huge plus over other little readers.
Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch
There’s a low-profile case with a magnetic snap and closure that turns the device on and off automatically — it’s a quality item, but I’ve been spoiled by Kobo’s folding stand cases.
Boox devices are easy to load books and custom fonts into, and once you turn off a lot of the basics (a default navigation ball, a lot of status stuff on the reading screen, etc.) it’s a very simple, elegant reading experience. Text is crisp and well-spaced, I encountered few typos or layout errors, and it’s very responsive to page turns and menu taps. You can also tell it to go into high-speed mode in case you’re reading a document you’d rather scroll through or a web page.
Officially available apps in the US are, unfortunately, quite limited. No Overdrive support, no US bookstores, just a few Google apps for productivity (Gmail, Keep, Translate). So this is very much a BYO books situation, unless you want to get fancy and load up on a new launcher. You must create an Onyx account if you want to sync reading status, push articles to the device, etc. (this applies to all these devices).
Fortunately, you’re also free to load apps and purchases through the browser if you wish. Not wanting to trouble my review unit with this process, I didn’t try it, but forums and tutorials abound if you want to try it. Coupled with the microSD slot and basic Android features — Bluetooth, music player, etc., they minimize the need to operate two devices at once if, say, you want to listen to Schubert while you read.
Size: Extra small
I used to think that e-readers couldn’t get much smaller, but I finally reached my limit with the Palma ($280)a phone-sized reader that takes things a little too far in that direction.
Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch
The Palma has a six-inch, 300 DPI screen like the rest, though it looks and feels (and is) smaller due to its phone-like aspect ratio. It runs a modified version of Android with minimal apps installed, but has the ability to download more in a less roundabout way. The reader app, however, is the same and supports just as many formats, fonts, and customizations.
You’ll need them, because it can be hard to find the right settings on that narrow screen! Now, for some, this might not be that difficult because they are already used to reading books on their phone. For these people, this could be a breakthrough. The front-illuminated adjustable color display is just as good as the best readers on the market, it’s just shaped differently. The “volume” button on the right side can even be set to page turns, which makes one-handed reading very easy.
There’s also 128GB of built-in storage and a microSD slot, so if you want to load up audiobooks or even a few hundred albums, you’re more than welcome (although the default music app is pretty minimal). The mono speaker isn’t great and there’s no headphone jack, so stick to Bluetooth.
To me, it’s a little distracting to have that aspect ratio instead of the more paperback dimensions of the others. It’s hard for me to imagine reading a book when there are only eight words per line at most. However, the screen resolution makes smaller font settings work perfectly on Palma. I was trying to imagine how it would be a bit wider, with thinner bezels… and I realized I was imagining the Poke 5.
Interestingly, there’s a camera on the back, but no camera app — just a document scanner. I kind of liked the idea of a monochrome camera, although of course the quality will be abysmal on screen. And even though this is a limited, customized version of Android, it got me thinking about what a reading-focused phone with an e-paper display would actually look like. It’s not that, to be clear, but it looks like a better version than anything we’ve seen yet.
That said, at a price tag of $280 it’s hard to justify this over another smaller option like the Poke 5 or an entry-level Kobo model like the Clara 2E.
Size: Medium
From left, Palma, Poke 5 and Page. Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch
The situation for the middle class Page Reader ($250) it’s pretty much the same as its smaller sibling, the Poke 5, but Page opts for the asymmetrical look pioneered by Amazon’s Oasis (if I remember correctly). This popular form factor has seen many iterations, and while I’m partial to Kobo’s latest due to its ergonomic curve and highly practical case, this slightly more austere rectangular style also has its charms.
The Page retains the simplicity of the Poke 5, although it has a seven-inch screen (1264×1680, also 300 DPI). It’s a flat rectangle with a flat screen and a handle with page turn buttons on one side and power buttons on the bottom (or top if you’re left-handed). One small complaint I had about it is that the buttons are joined rather than separate, and the far end of the long buttons don’t press, meaning you have to press a bit towards the center. It’s not a big deal, but it’s an odd choice and kind of the opposite of the Kobo Libra 2, which pushes on the edge of the button but not on the inside. Maybe there’s some kind of internal UI debate going on here that I’m not a part of, but there it is.
The buttons and slightly larger screen would only make it my choice for travel if I could get a case for it. If Boox can do that, he will truly be a threat. At $250, however, it’s still hard to justify over the competing Libra 2, which you can get with a flip cover for a little less than that.
Size: Large (plus color)
Image Credits: Boox
Boox also sent the Tab Mini C, which is the latest in their line of color e-readers, as well as a larger and more capable pen tablet and related productivity tools. While this side of things has improved over the past few years, I just don’t see the utility in this class of device. Color is fine, but muted, making content like comics feel less compelling. I’m using their shot because mine was bad.
The refresh rate isn’t fast enough for watching movies or TV, and while the stylus and sketch are extremely responsive, the small size limits its usefulness for taking notes or annotating documents. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the device, it’s that I can’t pinpoint who it’s aimed at given its competition.
I’m looking forward to a passive display with the kind of color we see on LCDs, but I’m worried after all these years that it just might not be possible. Certainly, this little tablet is much, much better than the ones I saw a few years ago, and definitely more responsive. But if you can get something dedicated to monochrome documents and notes, like a Kobo Elipsa or reMarkable, or a primary color content like the iPad, it seems like this class of device just doesn’t have a place in the lineup.
