The Boox Go 7 Monochrome let me see life in black and white

Right here within the US, the e-reader is sort of synonymous with Amazon’s Kindle. Once I first obtained into e-reading a number of years in the past, I did not even take into account that there have been e-readers past the Kindle, as everybody I knew personally with a studying system had one in all Amazon’s ubiquitous little tablets.

I used to be hesitant to step out of Amazon’s ecosystem, however the Boox Go 7 Monochrome challenged me to strive one thing new with the promise of an e-reader that would do more than just open books. Powered by Android, this little beast can obtain any app, making it doable not solely to learn and take notes, but additionally to browse the net, play video games, hearken to music, and do just about the whole lot that you’d do on a typical pill, simply in black and white with an E-ink display.

The liberty this gave me at first was a little bit overwhelming, however as soon as I obtained into the groove with this system, I used to be pleasantly shocked by all it may do.

See Our Course of

How we test and review products at Pocket-lint

We do not do arm-chair analysis. We purchase and check our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have truly reviewed.

Value, availability, and specs

Extra horsepower than your common e-reader

The Boox Go 7 has a shiny, stunning 300 ppi (pixels per inch) e-ink show that renders textual content sharply and cleanly on the system’s petite 7-inch show. And due to the system’s onboard octa-core processor with 4 GB reminiscence, looking the web or utilizing apps like Spotify is a breeze. With default sleep and energy settings, the system’s battery is pretty spectacular; I charged the system to 100% as quickly as I obtained it and after two weeks of heavy utilization I am nonetheless working off that preliminary cost, although I might want to plug in quickly.

The system is on the smaller aspect, measuring 6.1 x 5.4 x 0.25-inches (56 x 137 x 6.4mm) and weighing 6.8oz (195g), making it solely simply barely greater and heavier than a typical Kindle. It has a big bezel on the precise aspect with two buttons that can be utilized for web page turning when you’re studying, adjusting the quantity whereas listening to music, and even scrolling a social media feed. Although the built-in audio system do not precisely ship the best high quality sound, they work effectively for listening to music or podcasts when you’re studying, and if you happen to want one thing a little bit extra high-quality, the system does have Bluetooth help, so you possibly can simply join your wi-fi earbuds.

Associated

3 ways this Android E Ink tablet outshines my Kobo

For those who’re into customizing your units, you will discover quite a bit to love about Boox’s Go Shade 7.

What I preferred in regards to the Boox Go 7 Monochrome

A flexible little system

For those who’ve at all times wished that your e-reader may do some extra than simply learn books, that is hands-down the system for you. The Boox Go 7 Monochrome can principally do the whole lot your customary Android pill can do, simply with an E-ink black and white show. Once I first began testing the system, I used to be actually a little bit overwhelmed by the probabilities. In any case, I used to be principally planning on utilizing the system to learn. What else would I even do with an E Ink pill?

Nonetheless, I shortly answered my very own query after downloading the varied library and studying apps I’ve entry to, shortly making myself a little bit studying oasis on this system that did not require me to obtain and sync books by way of my cellphone or use third-party instruments to get the content material I wished. I may merely obtain the app I wanted, and regardless of whether or not I wished to learn one thing on Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, or seize one thing immediately from an internet site like AO3, I may simply faucet the app I wanted and instantly begin studying. I had change into so used to going by means of additional steps to entry content material on a Kindle that I forgot such simplicity was even a chance.

I additionally discovered myself actually loving the Boox Go 7 Monochrome’s onboard notes app, which makes use of the Boox-branded InkSense Stylus to permit customers to attract and take notes on the fly, with little to no lag or ghosting from the E Ink show. Throughout my time with the Boox Go 7 Monochrome, I used to be deep in Blue Prince, a rogue-like online game that requires gamers to take notes to unravel puzzles. I had a blast utilizing the varied templates within the app to attract diagrams, write down essential clues, and I discovered the interface to be very responsive, permitting me so as to add textual content the place I wanted to, circle essential information, and mark issues like codes, puzzle solves, and merchandise mixtures with particular icons so I may refer again to them later with ease.

One other side of the Boox Go 7 Monochrome that got here in useful whereas I used to be taking part in Blue Prince was the onboard browser. I like to unravel puzzle video games alone, however with Blue Prince’s twisty timeline and big lore infodumps, I used to be getting actually confused as to how a few of the story components within the recreation match collectively. Luckily, GameRant has an important explainer that I used to be in a position to simply boot up as soon as I reached the sport’s preliminary ending. I used to be very skeptical that the onboard browser can be all that helpful, however I discovered scrolling by means of textual content to be surprisingly easy, with most websites loading shortly with minimal ghosting because of the automated optimization settings within the onboard browser.

Associated

3 new Boox Palma 2 features you won’t find in the original

Is the Palma 2 a worthwhile improve over the Boox Palma? Not likely.

What I did not like in regards to the Boox Go 7 Monochrome

A steep studying curve

As soon as I obtained a deal with on all I may do with the Boox Go 7 Monochrome, I wished to try to use the pill to its fullest extent, taking notes, taking part in video games, looking the Web, making to-do lists, I wished to do all of it on my useful new system. Nonetheless, I shortly bumped into an issue: settings.

Although every of the Boox Go 7 Monochrome’s onboard apps are completely calibrated to work with the system, third-party apps suffered from large points proper off the bat, and I had to enter every app’s settings and calibrate the E Ink so it had applicable refresh charges and minimal ghosting. I truly spent over an hour making an attempt to calibrate the Libby app, which has a page-turn animation that actually harm to take a look at with the default settings. Like with so many tech points, I discovered myself reaching out on Reddit to others experiencing these issues to try to get recommendation on the way to make the app usable, which does not really feel nice whenever you’re used to an e-reader simply working proper out of the field.

And sadly, this situation repeated itself with virtually each different third-party app I attempted to make use of on the system. Button performance additionally needs to be manually set, so even if you happen to’re in an app for studying, the Boox Go 7 Monochrome will not robotically know that, and you will have to set web page flip performance each time, for each app, which is an even bigger ache than I anticipated.

Although that is most likely the alternative of a foul factor for many who crave management over their units and revel in tinkering with settings, I have to admit I had a tough time optimizing my system for what I wished it to do, which led to some critical frustration on my half.

Associated

Did a book suddenly disappear from your Kindle? How to fix it fast

For those who abruptly cannot entry a e-book on Kindle, worry not. The repair is tremendous simple.

Do you have to purchase the Boox Go 7 Monochrome

For those who crave management, personalization, and selection, that is your e-reader

I actually loved utilizing the Boox Go 7 Monochrome, and one thing so simple as having the ability to hearken to music whereas I learn a e-book or write a to-do listing actually helped open my eyes to the potential of E Ink tablets. It additionally helped me understand how closed off the Kindle sequence of e-readers is, and what I had been lacking by staying in Amazon’s ecosystem for therefore lengthy.

I would not say that the Boox Go 7 Monochrome affords readers an ideal expertise, as coping with a few of the extra technical elements of the system left me pissed off, and I believe I am not alone in that. Nonetheless, if you happen to do not thoughts placing some work in to not solely studying the way to use the system but additionally the way to optimize it on your personal wants, this can be a nice little pill that provides shocking versatility for the value. It could not substitute your iPad, however your Kindle might have simply been placed on discover.

Decision

300ppi monochrome

Storage

64GB

Model

Boox

Display screen Measurement

7-inch

The Boox Go 7 Monochrome is an Android-powered E-ink pill that’s appropriate not just for studying, however for drawing, Web looking, listening to music and extra.

Associated

There’s only one Kindle actually worth buying right now

With three core studying fashions, you is likely to be questioning which Kindle is price your cash. I am right here to reply that query.