Onyx Boox Go 10.3 overview: A note-taking companion

I really like utilizing e-ink tablets as a distraction-free option 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 programs, all within the title 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 overview, 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 believe 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 may run apps from the Google Play Retailer due to Android 12 assist.

Value, specs, and availability

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 was launched in the summertime of 2024 and is at present 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 colour scheme. The Go 10.3 is powered by Android 12, so along with the built-in note-taking app, you may obtain any note-taking app of your selection from the Google Play Retailer. A purchase order of the Boox Go 10.3 does embrace Onyx’s stylus, which is important for the expertise, so I used to be completely satisfied to see it included alongside a magnetic cowl case and the USB Kind-C charging cable.

I cherished 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 gadget, but additionally made it really feel safer. It feels very premium, and the Boox eco-leather backing of the Go 10.3 provides some extra grip and a snug degree 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 all the time seems sharp and readable.

What I like concerning 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 quite a lot of completely different file codecs utilizing the built-in Boox NeoReader utility, and every thing seemed nice, from PDF recordsdata to .CBZ comedian strips. I discovered the built-in reader to be nice for all kinds of recordsdata — plus, you may doodle or annotate pages with ease — and the built-in notes app has every thing I would like. You possibly can, in fact, obtain any most popular note-taking or e-reading app through the Google Play Retailer, however understand that not all note-taking apps are optimized for e-writers, even when they do assist tablets.

Whereas utilizing the Boox Go 10.3, I discovered loads of similarities with the ReMarkable 2 e-writer, which additionally supplies a fantastic studying and writing expertise, however is sort of 4 years outdated at this level. The Go 10.3 positively felt like a worthy refresh and enchancment upon ReMarkable’s e-ink pill, and I’ve practically converted to the Go 10.3 now as my every day driver for note-taking and drafting. I additionally actually respect which you can entry all the Boox ecosystem with the Go 10.3 all totally free. Not like the ReMarkable 2, there is not any subscription required to make use of any of the options of the built-in Boox apps. Aspect-loading recordsdata through BooxDrop is completely free and easy, so you may switch recordsdata backwards and forwards very simply.

The writing expertise is completely unbelievable. Identical because the show, Boox acquired the capacitive contact display screen completely appropriate. It options the usual 4,096 layers of strain sensitivity that you’re going to 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 a good way to entry the web from the pill. As I discussed earlier, the built-in Notes app has every thing you want from sketch varieties, to-do lists, to every day planning and calendar features.

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 might be geared in direction of several types of content material. Boox has gone via 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 features completely effectively on the e-writer. Boox has constructed their very own custom-made model of Android 12 for the Boox Go sequence 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 every thing you want proper once you begin up the gadget for the primary time.

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

What I did not like concerning 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 not any expandable microSD card slot. It’s kind of stunning that an e-ink pill geared toward productiveness would not embrace an SD card reader, and whereas BooxDrop is a straightforward option to ship recordsdata backwards and forwards, it could be good to have expandable gadget 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 essentially the most snug stylus after 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 may’t truly buy something from it. The Boox Retailer supplies you with free entry to public area titles, so it is a good way to learn outdated classics, nevertheless it’s not an actual retailer. Once more, with Android 12 assist, it is not an excessive amount of a difficulty as you may obtain any e-book retailer of your selection, however it’s one thing to maintain notice of when utilizing the Go 10.3.

Must you purchase the Onyx Boox Go 10.3?

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

At $380, there is not any denying the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a premium e-ink pill, nevertheless 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 price, and that is my new favourite productivity-focused pill. In case you are out there 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 may run apps from the Google Play Retailer due to Android 12 assist.

Associated

Do you care about color e-readers?

Kobo has launched two colour e-readers, together with the Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color, including a splash of vibrancy to the sometimes 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 costlier, and loads of e-reader customers may not care about colour of their books and notes. Amazon nonetheless hasn’t launched its tackle a colour e-reader, although the tech large is rumored to be engaged on a number of gadgets. With all of this in thoughts, do you care about colour e-readers? Or is it an addition you want you did not must pay for?