This Boox e-reader is a follow-up to its uniquely lovely Palma

Key Takeaways

• Boox introduces three new E Ink units to develop its product lineup: Palma 2, Observe Air4 C, and Observe Max.
• Palma 2 upgrades embody Android 13, a greater processor, and a fingerprint sensor, with the beginning value of $280.
• Boox competes with Kindle and Kobo with reasonably priced costs, various units, and steady innovation, however what units its units aside is the actual fact they run Android.

Onyx Boox has been quietly promoting E Ink units since 2011, slowly constructing a fame and carving out its market share. What units Boox other than the Kindles, Kobos, and Nooks of the world is its Android working system, that means when you have it in your shiny new pill, you may set up it in your Boox. The opposite factor that units Boox other than the larger gadget makers is the range of its product lineup. Proper now, it has eight E Ink units you should purchase, and as revealed in at the moment’s announcement video, Boox is including three extra to its roster.

What does Boox have in retailer for us?

Palma 2

The largest shock by far is a brand new Palma mannequin. The Palma 2 retains the identical form and measurement that made the primary one a sleeper hit final 12 months. There aren’t a variety of upgrades to this new mannequin. The largest variations are an replace to Android 13 (the final one was Android 11), a barely upgraded processor, and the addition of a finger-print sensor for added privateness. Aside from these upgrades, it is the similar Palma from final 12 months on the similar value of $280.

Nonetheless, we have now to say that the Palma all however invented a brand new class of E Ink gadget. Comparable units have been obtainable for a couple of years abroad, however Boox is the one which introduced the shape issue to the US with a cultured interface and an English-language UI. Just one different firm is working on this area, that means there’s a lot of room for Boox to develop.

Observe Air4 C

Subsequent is a brand new addition to Boox’s Observe line. The Observe Air4 C follows on the heels of final 12 months’s Observe Air3 C and is one other incremental improve. One of many new options for this mannequin is an improved Kaleido 3 show which permits for a brighter background and higher coloration distinction. It additionally bumps the RAM up from 4GB to 6GB, that means will probably be a greater multitasker, which is tremendous essential for Android units. It seems prefer it has the identical 10.3-inch display as properly, which suggests it’s primarily a coloration Kindle Scribe that may value $500.

2024 has been an enormous 12 months for coloration e-readers. Earlier within the 12 months Kobo launched its first coloration e-readers (the Libra Color and the Clara Color) and later this month Kindle will launch its first, however Boox has launched not less than one coloration gadget yearly since 2020. And, with this launch, Boox can have 4 so that you can select from. If the Air4 C can ship on its promise of an upgraded Kaleido 3 show, the Kindle Colorsoft can have some stiff competitors.

Observe Max

Then there’s the Observe Max, an A4 pill with a Carta 1300 display that measures an enormous 13.3 inches from nook to nook. Regardless of its measurement, the Max is slightly below 5mm thick. Inside that slim shell is an octa-core 2.8GHz processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (similar specs because the Tab Extremely C Professional launched in November 2023). The Max is slated to value $650 and shall be obtainable to order later this 12 months.

Boox is without doubt one of the few e-reader firms exploring the liminal area between tablets and laptops. With its 13.3-inch display and the pictured folio keyboard, the Observe Max is actually an E Ink Chromebook. And as of proper now, no different OEM sells a 13.3-inch gadget (Boox additionally sells the 13.3-inch Tab X, however the Max is $200 cheaper).

Why Boox would be the subsequent huge E Ink OEM

Boox’s largest function is its Android OS, which helps you to purchase and browse books from each book retailer besides Apple Books. There are different Android e-readers, however nobody has made it work in addition to Boox. Additional, it has a broad lineup of units that may go well with virtually each conceivable want, from 6 inches all the best way as much as 13 inches.

Previously, Boox has struggled to compete with Kindle and Kobo (that are backed by book gross sales), however its costs have come down considerably prior to now 12 months, in some circumstances undercutting its competitors. The Go 10.3, for instance, prices $380 in comparison with $400 for the Kobo Elipsa 2E and $420 for the high-end Kindle Scribe, each of which have inferior specs.

Given all of this, this could possibly be the 12 months that Boox breaks by way of to the mainstream. It’s not simply in regards to the variety of units. It’s not nearly aggressive costs. And it’s not nearly well-liked area of interest merchandise (though all of these issues assist). It’s additionally in regards to the capability to observe by way of and hold delivering new and thrilling merchandise 12 months after 12 months. Boox retains doing it, and I feel that locations it in the identical tier as Kindle and Kobo.