Onyx Boox Go 10.3 evaluate: A note-taking companion

I like utilizing e-ink tablets as a distraction-free strategy to jot down notes, annotate PDFs, and particularly learn e-books. I’ve tried an honest number of e-ink tablets over the previous few years, and I take advantage of a number of in my every day life as e-readers. Many e-ink tablets and e-readers have considerably locked down techniques, all within the identify of offering a ‘distraction free’ expertise, however this additionally means restricted file codecs and app compatibility. That is the place the Boox Go 10.3 is available in, an e-ink tablet that runs on Android 12.

Boox despatched me the Go 10.3 for evaluate, and I’ve spent the previous two weeks utilizing it to learn e-books, PDFs, in addition to note-take, and I’ve come away with some notes on the Go 10.3’s efficiency. It is a productiveness pill that contains a minimalist design and an all-around nice 300 ppi show. Personally, I feel the Boox Go 10.3 is among the finest e-ink tablets in the marketplace for note-taking and e-reading.

Beneficial

Boox Go 10.3

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is an excellent productivity-focused e-paper pill that handles a number of file codecs with ease. It comes bundled with the Boox Pen Plus stylus, and might run apps from the Google Play Retailer because of Android 12 help.

Value, specs, and availability

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 was launched in the summertime of 2024 and is presently out there from Onyx and Amazon for $380. It comes with 4GB of onboard RAM and 64GB of flash storage, and solely is available in a monochromatic silver shade scheme. The Go 10.3 is powered by Android 12, so along with the built-in note-taking app, you possibly can obtain any note-taking app of your alternative from the Google Play Retailer. A purchase order of the Boox Go 10.3 does embody Onyx’s stylus, which is critical for the expertise, so I used to be glad to see it included alongside a magnetic cowl case and the USB Sort-C charging cable.

I beloved the sensation of holding the Boox Go 10.3 whereas studying and annotating PDFs and e-books. It is extremely skinny, measuring simply 4.6mm in thickness, it weighs 375g, which I discovered so as to add a little bit of weight to the system, but additionally made it really feel safer. It feels very premium, and the Boox eco-leather backing of the Go 10.3 provides some further grip and a cushty stage of texture to the design. The ten.3-inch show on the Go 10.3 is excellent, that includes a 2480×1860 decision coupled with 300 ppi that ensures that textual content on-screen at all times seems sharp and readable.

What I like in regards to the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

Whether or not I used to be studying an e-book or engaged on a PDF, the standard of e-ink distinction was spectacular with detailed traces and nice fill sections, particularly in photos. I attempted a wide range of completely different file codecs utilizing the built-in Boox NeoReader utility, and all the things appeared nice, from PDF recordsdata to .CBZ comedian strips. I discovered the built-in reader to be nice for all kinds of recordsdata — plus, you possibly can doodle or annotate pages with ease — and the built-in notes app has all the things I want. You may, in fact, obtain any most popular note-taking or e-reading app by way of the Google Play Retailer, however needless to say not all note-taking apps are optimized for e-writers, even when they do help tablets.

Whereas utilizing the Boox Go 10.3, I discovered loads of similarities with the ReMarkable 2 e-writer, which additionally gives an important studying and writing expertise, however is almost 4 years outdated at this level. The Go 10.3 undoubtedly felt like a worthy refresh and enchancment upon ReMarkable’s e-ink pill, and I’ve almost converted to the Go 10.3 now as my every day driver for note-taking and drafting. I additionally actually recognize that you may entry all the Boox ecosystem with the Go 10.3 all without cost. In contrast to the ReMarkable 2, there is no subscription required to make use of any of the options of the built-in Boox apps. Aspect-loading recordsdata by way of BooxDrop is completely free and easy, so you possibly can switch recordsdata backwards and forwards very simply.

The writing expertise is completely improbable. Identical because the show, Boox acquired the capacitive contact display completely appropriate. It options the usual 4,096 layers of stress sensitivity that you will discover on some other high-quality e-writer, and I discovered it to be extremely responsive in my testing. Cursive handwriting is responsive, feeling and looking nice, and brush strokes really feel extremely pure. Among the many native Boox apps, there’s the built-in RSS reader, PushRead, together with the Boox NeoBrowser, which is an effective way to entry the web from the pill. As I discussed earlier, the built-in Notes app has all the things you want from sketch types, to-do lists, to every day planning and calendar capabilities.

Boox made customizing the Go 10.3 to tailor your personal wants straightforward, with accessible settings and pre-optimized refresh charges for the e-ink show which can be geared in the direction of several types of content material. Boox has gone by way of the hassle to optimize lots of the hottest Android apps for the Go 10.3, and whereas Android 12 might really feel a bit dated, it capabilities completely nicely on the e-writer. Boox has constructed their very own personalized model of Android 12 for the Boox Go collection tablets, and I discovered no points or frustrations with the OS in my time with each the Go 10.3 and the Boox Go Color 7 that I additionally reviewed. Android 12 has been streamlined on the Boox Go 10.3, and you will find all the things you want proper while you begin up the system for the primary time.

The Boox Go 10.3 contains a 3,700 mAh battery, however with no front-lighting, you possibly can stand up to per week’s value of cost with the Go 10.3. There’s a built-in microphone and audio system, and for those who use the audio system often you may drain the battery sooner. The microphone offered surprisingly clear audio seize, however the audio system weren’t my favourite. Fortunately, there may be Bluetooth help on the Go 10.3, so you possibly can pair your favourite wi-fi headphones with none fuss.

What I did not like in regards to the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

No expandable storage and a weak pen

The Boox Go 10.3 solely comes with 64GB of inner storage, and in contrast to different Boox e-readers and writers, there is no expandable microSD card slot. It’s kind of shocking that an e-ink pill geared toward productiveness would not embody an SD card reader, and whereas BooxDrop is a straightforward strategy to ship recordsdata backwards and forwards, it could be good to have expandable system storage. I additionally did not love the included stylus that Onyx ships with the Boox Go 10.3 — it is not a deal-breaker, however I did not discover it to be probably the most snug stylus once I in contrast it with the ReMarkable 2’s.

With all Boox gadgets, you get entry to the Boox Retailer app, which is a little bit of a misnomer, as you possibly can’t truly buy something from it. The Boox Retailer gives you with free entry to public area titles, so it is an effective way to learn outdated classics, however it’s not an actual retailer. Once more, with Android 12 help, it is not an excessive amount of a difficulty as you possibly can obtain any e-book retailer of your alternative, however it’s one thing to maintain notice of when utilizing the Go 10.3.

Do you have to purchase the Onyx Boox Go 10.3?

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is an excellent e-ink productiveness pill, and it is perhaps the primary e-writer that I’ve examined that has satisfied me to modify over from the ReMarkable 2. I actually recognize the extra performance that comes with having Android 12 on the Go 10.3, and its general design is nice, with probably the greatest e-ink shows I’ve examined. The note-taking expertise is great, and whereas I did not love the included stylus, you possibly can convey your personal pen and nibs over to the Go 10.3, and there are a number of e-writer display protectors in the marketplace that can add an much more detailed paper really feel to the show.

At $380, there is no denying the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a premium e-ink pill, however it’s additionally in-line with — and cheaper — than lots of the e-ink tablets in the marketplace. I imagine that the development of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 and spectacular show justifies the fee, and that is my new favourite productivity-focused pill. If you’re available in the market for a productiveness e-ink pill that is nice for note-taking and studying paperwork, I heartily suggest the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

Beneficial

Boox Go 10.3

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is an excellent productivity-focused e-paper pill that handles a number of file codecs with ease. It comes bundled with the Boox Pen Plus stylus, and might run apps from the Google Play Retailer because of Android 12 help.

Associated

Do you care about color e-readers?

Kobo has launched two shade e-readers, together with the Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color, including a touch of vibrancy to the usually grayscale world of digital guide readers. The hues are muted, however they nonetheless look nice, permitting you so as to add colourful notes, doodles, and revel in guide covers in all their coloured glory. Nonetheless, this makes the gadgets dearer, and loads of e-reader customers may not care about shade of their books and notes. Amazon nonetheless hasn’t launched its tackle a shade e-reader, although the tech big is rumored to be engaged on a number of gadgets. With all of this in thoughts, do you care about shade e-readers? Or is it an addition you would like you did not must pay for?