Tag Archives: e-ink display

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C Review: Delightful Heavyweight

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Currently the best of class colored E Ink display

  • Google Play Store pre-installed

  • Elegant, minimalist design

  • Decent performance and battery life

CONS:


  • Too heavy for holding with one hand for a long time

  • Expensive

  • Optional keyboard cover is a dirt magnet

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

A handsome device with a gorgeous eye-friendly screen, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C pushes the envelope of what E Ink devices are capable of, making it worth its price and weight.

E Ink devices have long grown past the simplistic and often unattractive slabs of plastic they can shove inside purses and bags, though there are definitely still plenty of those around. Even Amazon has added the ability for readers to also be curators and creators, adding the all-powerful pen to at least one of its Kindles. Other manufacturers, however, have really pushed the envelope of what these eye-friendly gadgets are capable of, blurring the boundary between simple eBook readers and multi-functional tablets. Onyx is one of the most prolific brands in this space, and its recent Boox Tab Ultra, which we reviewed last year, redefines this device category. Now it has taken that to the next level by adding a splash of pastel colors to the Boox Tab Ultra C, and we take it for a spin to see how much farther it has gone to break free of stereotypes and expectations.

Designer: Onyx

Aesthetics

From the very first moment you take it out of its box, you immediately sense that the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C is nothing like a typical eBook reader. There’s that heft you wouldn’t have expected from this class of device, especially since many of its kind are uninspiring pieces of plastic. More importantly, however, its visual design will strike you as something more refined and stylish, something you won’t be ashamed to bring out in a board meeting. Even compared to colorful tablets like the iPad Pro, the Boox Tab Ultra C can stand proud with its minimalist yet elegant design.

The E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that sets this device apart from both eReaders and regular tablets sits flush with the bezel, allowing the protective glass to be one continuous and flat surface that leaves no obstruction for your finger or your pen. In line with modern mobile design trends, the sides are completely flat, with only the corners curving where the edges meet. The back is equally flat, save for a rare 16MP “document scanner” camera sticking out in a corner.

Camera Output

Branding is minimal and unobtrusive, with only the “BOOX” name on the “spine” and the back of the device. There is an unusual strip of matte plastic with decals on that same side, giving the tablet a bit of personality while also providing a better grip. Otherwise, most of the Boox Tab Ultra C’s body is made from sturdy and aesthetic aluminum, another point of departure from regular eReaders.

Onyx ships the device with a Pen 2 Pro that matches its color and build quality. This aluminum stylus magnetically latches onto one edge of the Boox Tab Ultra C, so you won’t have to fumble with a separate holder or sheath. The barrel is mostly round, save for the flat edge that sticks to the tablet and also prevents the pen from rolling off a flat table. The ridged cap of the pen is, unfortunately, only for show. It functions as an eraser in the built-in Notes app, but you can’t twist or turn this part, despite what its design suggests.

Onyx sells an optional magnetic keyboard case that really drives home the fact that the Boox Tab Ultra C leans more toward the tablet side of the fence. The keyboard connects to the tablet via Pogo pins, so you won’t have to worry about flaky Bluetooth or dead batteries. The cover is supposedly made with artificial leather, but it feels more like rubbery silicone than any premium material. It doesn’t attract fingerprints as advertised, but it’s a dirt and dust magnet instead, making that “feature” moot.

Ergonomics

The first thing you’ll notice when you lift the Boox Tab Ultra C from its box is that it is substantially heavy. At 480g (1.06 lbs), it is probably one of if not the heaviest E Ink reading devices you can get your hands on, at least within the same 10-inch size category. Part of that is due to the use of more durable but also heavier aluminum, and part of it is simply due to the amount of hardware inside. More on that in a bit.

What this means, however, is that the Boox Tab Ultra C is uncomfortable to hold unsupported with one hand for a long period of time. Some might even already feel some strain for just a few minutes, let alone half an hour of continuous reading. Admittedly, leisurely reading books isn’t the core purpose of this device anyway. Instead, it’s a device that brings together the power and flexibility of an Android tablet with the comfort and longevity of an E Ink screen, making it more of a productivity tool than a mere eBook reader. It is, in a way, closer to an iPad Pro or a Galaxy Tab S8 in function and closer in weight class as well.

The Pen 2 Pro that Onyx ships in the box is light and well-balanced, making it a great tool for writing and sketching. The flat edge of the barrel is a natural resting spot for the fingers, adding to the pen’s grip. There are no buttons to be wary of, though that also means there is no additional functionality available. The top of the pen only works as an eraser, at least in apps that can recognize it as such.

The Boox Magnetic Keyboard Cover adds protection to the tablet, but at 408g (0.9 lbs), it also doubles the tablet’s overall weight. It’s definitely something you’ll want to take off if you’re not using the keyboard or carrying the Boox Tab Ultra C around. Thankfully, the magnets align the tablet and the cover perfectly, so you won’t lose too much time putting it on again. Like almost all keyboard covers of its kind, there’s only one viewing angle, which isn’t exactly the best ergonomic position. For typing on the go and away from your desk, it’s practically the only feasible position anyway.

Performance

It may have an E Ink screen on top, but the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C is an Android tablet at its very heart. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 with 4GB of RAM and a generous 128GB of expandable internal storage, it is the equivalent of a mid-range Android tablet, at least from two or so years ago. It’s no racehorse, of course, but it’s definitely the most powerful chipset to grace an E Ink device. This is especially important since the Boox Tab Ultra C comes with Google Play Store pre-installed, which means you have access to all the Android apps you can ever want.

Thanks to this potent combination, the Boox Tab Ultra C is possibly the most capable E Ink tablet in the market to date. Onyx’s custom UI is snappy and responsive, and apps launch quickly and perform quite decently. Those coming from regular tablets might point out the small pauses when using apps, but this is more due to the ePaper panel refreshing its contents rather than sluggishness on the tablet’s part. Those used to regular eReaders will definitely come off impressed by the device’s smooth performance.

The tablet comes with a 6,300 mAh battery, which is definitely plenty for an E Ink device. That said, the tablet’s actual uptime is going to be shorter than your typical eReader if you tend to use more apps outside of basic reading and note-taking. With access to so many apps, you might be tempted to run wild, especially since the device is more than capable of supporting those. The stereo speakers are plenty loud, for example, and the Ultrafast refresh mode even makes YouTube usable. You can even play some games if you’re up to some grainy graphics and plenty of ghosting.

The Boox Tab Ultra C’s killer feature is, of course, its 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 E Ink screen, the current king when it comes to colored ePaper displays in the consumer market. When displaying Black and White content, the screen boasts a high 300dpi pixel density. With color, the density dips to 150dpi, which is actually still higher than previous colored E Ink technologies. What this means is that content will always be sharp and crisp, whether colored or grayscale. Of course, not all content is the same, so Onyx provides controls that let you mix settings to your tastes. With warm and cool brightness settings, you can also tweak the display to your comfort, ensuring that you don’t lose the eye-friendly benefits of E Ink even with all the color and power the device offers.

Sustainability

Onyx deserves props for choosing aluminum over plastic for the Boox Tab Ultra C’s body, even if its other models haven’t made the switch yet. Its packaging is also simple and compact, though it still has the customary plastic wrappings and sections. Onyx doesn’t ship a charger with the device, though it comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer purposes. Unfortunately, this is the bare minimum effort that consumer electronics companies are supposed to make, and we’re hoping that Onyx will differentiate itself further with a stronger sustainability commitment soon.

The slight upside is that Onyx’s devices are made to last, both in hardware and especially in software. People don’t switch eBook readers as often as, say, phones and tablets, and the Boox Tab Ultra C is no different. This particular tablet has just enough power to carry it for years, which is also how long Onyx usually pushes out software updates. For its purpose and design, you won’t be going after the most resource-intensive apps anyway, so you’re unlikely to chase after new specs and features for a long while.

Value

As powerful and as impressive as the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C is, it’s probably not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, just as not everyone might be in the market for a regular tablet. Even those who have been dreaming of reading colorful comics and magazines ever since the earliest days of eBook readers might be on the fence about whether to grab this particular device or not.

While its A5-sized screen is great for reading magazines, PDFs, comics, and documents, it isn’t the most convenient thing to read on, especially if you consider its heft. The biggest deal breaker, however, is the $600 price tag attached to the device, making it one of the most expensive eReaders out there. And that’s not yet considering the $110 magnetic keyboard cover that turns the device into a convenient and eye-friendly productivity tool.

That’s not to say that there’s no market for the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C because it happens to be one of the company’s recent successes. You just have to approach it with the right frame of mind, not as a large colored eReader but as an Android tablet with a colored E Ink display. From that perspective, the device is actually on par with mid-range devices, at least those that truly offer notable functionality wrapped in a decent design. In that regard, the Boox Tab Ultra C checks all the right boxes, delivering unmatched value for its price.

Verdict

We have all become dependent on device screens, whether it’s the computer we use for work, the phone we use to connect with people, or the TVs we use to chill. As vibrant and as beautiful as those screens may be, they have an adverse effect on our health, especially our eyes. E Ink devices like eBook readers have long been hailed as the solution to that, but those have only benefited avid readers, at least until now.

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C brings that same eye-saving technology to an Android tablet that will satisfy your reading craving and then some. Although its weight is no small matter, and its price is a bit on the expensive side, it easily pays for itself with all the things you can do on it that go beyond just consuming content. Whether you’re a huge comics buff, a budding artist, a novelist, or even a programmer, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C has got you covered, and your eyes will definitely thank you for it.

The post Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C Review: Delightful Heavyweight first appeared on Yanko Design.

Onyx BOOX Tab X E-Ink Tablet Review: Bigger isn’t Always Better

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Crisp and large screen is great for A4 and PDF documents

  • Impressive note-taking experience with tilt-sensitivity

  • Google Play Store comes pre-installed

CONS:


  • Large size makes it less portable

  • Black and White screen only

  • Very expensive

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Large and powerful, the Onyx BOOX Tab X shatters the stereotype of what an e-Reader should be but also raises questions of whether its market niche justifies its high price.

E-Ink readers like the Amazon Kindle started out as trivial devices to take the place of hundreds of paper books. There earliest ones didn’t even have great screens because they only needed to display text, thanks to the rarity of images in these documents. The market focused on simplicity, portability, and dirt-cheap prices, almost selling the devices at a loss and focusing on e-book sales or subscriptions instead. That market, however, has changed significantly in the past years, and e-Paper devices have become more diverse and more powerful, giving birth to devices that are less e-Readers and more tablets with E-Ink screens. The new Onyx BOOX Tab X is one of the largest and perhaps most powerful of this new generation, and we take it for a test drive to see if it’s a device that makes sense in the first place.

Designer: Onyx

Aesthetics

The earliest e-Book readers were uninspiring plastic devices that could almost fit inside a handbag, at least for bigger bag sizes. More recent models have stepped up their design game but have still stuck to the very basics. Some have played around with different materials or colors, while others have even dabbled in mixing up some elements a bit. At the end of the day, though, these modern e-Readers and E-Ink tablets still retain their predominantly minimalist look that probably won’t win any design awards yet.

The BOOX Tab X is no different, and it even supersizes all those aesthetic traits. It does use a magnesium alloy chassis that makes it lightweight yet durable while also giving it a more premium feel compared to plastic enclosures. There are barely any markings on the front and back of the device, save for the lone BOOX label on the “chin” of the tablet. The device definitely doesn’t look cheap, but it’s not something visually memorable either. It gets the job done and makes the unnecessary parts disappear into the background.

The device ships with Onyx’s latest stylus, which looks just as minimalist as the tablet. The shaft has a subtle hexagonal shape that prevents it from just rolling off flat surfaces and also provides a more ergonomic grip. The eraser at the top looks like a knob but has no other function than being an eraser. While the pen’s weight feels solid and comfortable, its build doesn’t exactly inspire that much confidence in quality and durability.

Ergonomics

There are e-Readers today that would be considered very large compared to regular Kindles and Nooks, but the Onyx BOOX Tab X definitely takes the cake as one of the extremely few giants standing at 13.3 inches. That immediately translates to a larger screen for reading books or writing notes, of course, but that doesn’t come without a price. That price comes not just in terms of financial cost but also in user comfort.

Although definitely lighter than an equivalent 13.3-inch Android tablet or iPad Pro, the BOOX Tab X is still a heavyweight compared to regular e-Book readers. It isn’t something that you’ll be holding up a lot to read documents, whether for work or for leisure, without supporting it with something like a stand or even your legs. It’s definitely doable for short periods of time, but any prolonged use could lead to strain or even injury. Of course, as a tablet, the BOOX Tab X is designed for a rather narrow range of use cases, most of which involve using it on a desk or table.

E-Ink panels have been the screens of choice for e-Book readers because they put less strain on the eyes compared to typical LCD and OLED displays. That remains true for the BOOX Tab X, which even increases the comfort level by letting the user choose how bright, warm, or cold they want the screen to be. LED lighting embedded in a gel layer that’s actually part of the display assembly makes sure that the lighting is diffused evenly across the screen, giving it a more comfortable glow. Your hands might get tired easily from holding up this large tablet, but your eyes will definitely continue enjoying the content on its screen.

Performance

The Onyx BOOX Tab X is really a large tablet first and an e-Reader second, and its specs make that fact clear. The device is powered by a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm processor, similar to what you’d find in Android tablets, and has 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage. That’s definitely more than your average Kindle, but all of that power is actually just sufficient for all the apps that it can run.

Like many of Onyx’s devices these days, this tablet runs on Android, specifically an older Android 11 version. It does come, however, with Google Play Store already ready for use rather than bending over backward to install Google apps. This means that you’ll have access to almost all the Android apps you’re familiar with, including some games, and you’re limit is really just the screen at this point.

Of course, that screen is a gem among E-Ink’s panels, with a large 13.3-inch size and a high resolution of 2200×1650 for a sharp 207dpi pixel density. That means that not only text but also images come out crisp and clear, making it a joy to use regardless of the content on-screen. Although there are color E-Ink panels already available, the BOOX Tab X is more traditional in using a black-and-white screen only. There are four different refresh speeds for the screen, from the slowest one with the best quality to an ultra-fast mode with the poorest quality. The latter makes watching videos and playing games possible on the device, though it won’t exactly be an enjoyable activity.

The BOOX Tab X is more than just an e-Reader, though. With the included Pen 2 Pro stylus and the built-in note-taking app, you can easily jot down notes or even draw a few sketches or diagrams with ease. With a nearly limitless pool of Android apps, you can also browse the Web, tap out emails, or type documents using a Bluetooth keyboard, turning the device into a more general-purpose productivity tablet than just a giant e-Reader.

Sustainability

This large Onyx tablet makes use of a metal chassis, which is a marked improvement in both quality and sustainability compared to plastic devices. Other than that, however, there isn’t much going for the BOOX Tab X in terms of sustainability or even repairability. Packaging is still on the more traditional combination of cardboard and plastic, though Onyx definitely deserves kudos for an aesthetic design in that aspect.

Onyx is no longer a fledgling company, and it puts out new devices almost every quarter. This means that their overall carbon footprint is also rising every year, and sustainability can no longer be something it can put off for much longer. Hopefully, the company has become more aware of this growing trend in the industry and will have a clearer program for reducing its carbon emissions in the very near future.

Value

There is no denying that the Onyx BOOX Tab X is a powerful device that takes e-Readers and tablets to a whole new ballpark. The large screen makes reading all kinds of documents more comfortable, while the powerful specs and access to Google Play Store transform it into a multi-purpose portable computer. Whether it is going over work reports, reading magazines, taking lecture notes, or even playing games, the device is more than capable of handling whatever you throw at it that doesn’t require more than a few shades of gray.

The question, however, is whether there’s a place for such a device in the market. While everyone will probably appreciate a larger screen, that size also makes it a bit more tedious and inconvenient to carry around. Then there’s the steep $880 price tag attached to it that will most likely make anyone do a double-take. There might be a very niche use case for such a large e-Reader, but it’s still hard to justify the expense when the $600 BOOX Tab Ultra is almost just as powerful, comes with a more manageable 10.3-inch screen, and even has a camera on its back.

Verdict

There is really no turning back to the e-Readers of old. Even Amazon has started adopting more modern technologies, such as a stylus on the Kindle Scribe. While there will always be a market for smaller, simpler, and cheaper e-Book readers, the growing trend points to devices that are growing not only in power but also in size.

The Onyx BOOX Tab X perhaps represents the extreme of that trend, with a spacious 13.3-inch E-Ink Mobius Carta screen, powerful hardware, and Google Play compatibility right out of the box. To say that it’s a large Android tablet with an E-Ink screen wouldn’t be far off the mark, which, unfortunately, also makes the device a bit less appealing. There will probably be very few people who would absolutely need an E-Ink screen as large as these, and even fewer that could afford its cost. For those that do have a use for it and can afford it, the BOOX Tab X is definitely at the top of its class, but most people might find themselves gravitating toward smaller and more accessible models instead.

The post Onyx BOOX Tab X E-Ink Tablet Review: Bigger isn’t Always Better first appeared on Yanko Design.

E-Ink wall display and desk dial offer a fusion of digital and analog productivity

Posted on by

Smartphones and computers have created ways for us to become more efficient at the things we do, and paper has probably never before been more popular, perhaps as a reaction to the former. Despite these developments, keeping on top of our tasks has never been more complicated, torn between these two conflicting and contradictory worlds. The physicality of pen and paper has a certain appeal and “stickiness” but lacks reliability and flexibility. Apps, on the other hand, offer plenty of customization and speed at the sacrifice of a more personal and tactile experience. There are many attempts to bring these two worlds together, and this device concept tries to add a bit of that direct physical engagement while still keeping your to-do list completely in the digital realm.

Designer: Chester Chen

To-do apps are a dime a dozen these days, and they exist on phones, computers, and everything in between. This allows people to make rapid changes that sync between devices, increasing their efficiency and productivity. Tapping or clicking on checkboxes, however, doesn’t exactly have the same satisfying feedback as checking it off from a list, and you might find yourself driving on autopilot, mindlessly tapping things even unintentionally. Fusion is a combination of hardware and software that tries to bring that active participation to your electronic to-do list without going back into pen-and-paper territory.

The concept is divided into two parts, with the first being the simpler and more straightforward half. This is an E-Ink display the size of a large, wide phone that displays your task list. This can be magnetically attached to a wall mount so that you can have an eye-level view of what’s on your plate. The e-Paper technology means that the screen won’t consume much power even while it’s on, making it more power-efficient and environment-friendly.

1

1

Such a device isn’t that uncommon these days, but what really sets Fusion apart is the dial that comes with it. The tall dome-shaped device gives users a physical method of scrolling through the list, making the action more memorable and special. To mark a task as done, you press the top like a big button, and you get rewarded with a colorful light effect that changes the color, pattern, and intensity every time you “check off” an item. Not only does this visual cue serve as a reward, it also becomes a motivation to see what combination you will get next time.

Admittedly, such a system can be easily implemented using apps or computer software, but the addition of a physical, analog component creates a different and improved experience over simply clicking on virtual boxes. It gives our minds a physical action to associate with the behavior, making it more memorable and even a bit addictive. It’s a simple and almost trivial change that produces a significant impact, just like what good designs are supposed to do.

The post E-Ink wall display and desk dial offer a fusion of digital and analog productivity first appeared on Yanko Design.

Onyx BOOX Tab X is an Android tablet with a giant E Ink screen

Posted on by

Despite the ubiquity of phones and tablets, eBook readers are still going strong. In fact, they’re experiencing a renaissance thanks to the arrival of colored E Ink readers and Amazon’s long-overdue adoption of styluses for its Kindle. Brands like Onyx are pushing the boundaries of what E Ink devices can do, like putting out readers that are actually Android devices inside. It seems that the company isn’t done challenging the status quo just yet and has just launched its latest premium E Ink device, which happens to also be a large Android tablet that can actually stand toe to toe with other Android tablets. Except, of course, it has a more energy-efficient monochrome display.

Designer: ONYX

If you’re shocked by the large 13.3-inch E Ink screen of the new Onyx BOOX Tab X, then you haven’t been paying attention to this fast-growing market. This tablet actually replaces the BOOX Max Lumi 2 as the company’s high-end offering, both of which come with this gigantic E Ink display. The device runs on an octa-core processor, has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, speakers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a gyrosensor, and a large 6,300mAh battery, which is pretty much standard for tablets these days. Of course, it’s designed primarily as an eBook reader and note-taking device, and its functionality and design revolve around these.

Most eBook readers of the past don’t have their own light, but that has started to change. But while some of Onyx’s devices have adopted front lighting, the BOOX Tab X is backlit, meaning that the light is directed towards you rather than across the surface of the screen. You can still adjust the coldness and warmness of those lights to your comfort, so it might not be that big of a deal in the long run.

And unlike typical eBook readers, this extra-large tablet runs Android 11 rather than some custom operating system. Even better, it actually supports Google Play Store, so you won’t be lacking in apps. You can definitely watch videos or even play games to some extent, but that’s more of a side effect rather than a selling feature. Onyx does modify the interface heavily to reflect the core experience they’re aiming for, and it’s a pretty streamlined and efficient UI at that.

While the Onyx BOOX Tab X is big on size and features, it’s also big on the price, starting at $879.99. Fortunately, that price does include the stylus that lets you write or even draw on the screen. Depending on where you buy it from, the package will also include a trifold case to protect and prop up the device. While the sheer size of the BOOX Tab X is pretty astounding, it is probably questionable whether it will be something that even E Ink fans will gravitate toward. Fortunately, Onyx also has the 10.3-inch BOOX Tab Ultra that we reviewed recently, which is a pretty good compromise between size, price, and usability.

The post Onyx BOOX Tab X is an Android tablet with a giant E Ink screen first appeared on Yanko Design.

Lenovo’s latest ‘ThinkBook Plus Twist’ takes the dual-screen laptop format and gives it 180° dynamism

Posted on by

Remember the ThinkPad Twist from 2012? It’s back in a bigger, badder, and better avatar.

Lenovo announced yet another addition to its ThinkBook Plus series that builds on the innovative line by introducing the ThinkBook Plus Twist, a dual-display hybrid laptop designed for SMB users. The ThinkBook Plus Twist comes with a traditional OLED display and a not-so-traditional color e-ink display on its back. The displays are connected to the base of the laptop by a 180° swivel hinge that lets you flip things over based on your need. The e-ink display also comes with tablet functionality and a stylus input, making it perhaps the most bizarrely beautiful versatile laptop from Lenovo in a decade!

Designer: Lenovo

Before we talk about the laptop’s specs, it’s important to realize who this laptop was designed for, and what it hopes to achieve. The laptop is a culmination of a lot of work on Lenovo’s part, following user feedback from prior ThinkBook Plus models. The e-ink display in the Plus Gen 2 was a great idea, and was therefore revived with the Twist, albeit with its own twist. The new e-ink display now measures 12 inches and comes with a 12Hz refresh rate and touch-glass. Right behind it sits a slightly larger 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED with touch capabilities too, although both displays have their own sets of merits. The OLED display serves as your primary monitor, allowing you to work, watch content, and browse the web. The e-ink display on the back, however, is for more relaxed viewing. It offers much less glare than the backlit OLED, giving you a comfortable experience that’s perfect for reading and even editing, thanks to stylus compatibility. The e-ink display also has a whopping 18-month battery life, so content displayed on it can be left intact for literal years.

What really unlocks the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist’s true potential is its ‘twist’ – the innovative hinge that connects the body and display units. The hinge lets you open and close your laptop, as well as swivel the screens up to 180°. This format lets you use both the OLED and e-ink display with the Plus Twist’s built-in keyboard or as a tablet when the laptop’s shut with the display of your choice facing outwards. Lenovo mentions that power users can toggle the e-ink display in either “typewriter” laptop mode or “e-paper” tablet mode
allowing them to easily draft, edit and proofread documents via the keyboard or the pen.

To finally address the ThinkBook Plus Twist’s specs, the laptop has Intel’s 13th Gen Core processors on the inside. You’ve got up to 16Gb of DDR5X RAM, and up to 1Tb of SSD storage on the device. The laptop sports 2 Thunderbolt USB-C ports along with a 3.5mm jack, and has Wi-Fi6 and Bluetooth 5.1 built-in along with fingerprint-unlock. There’s a 56Wh battery on the inside, although Lenovo hasn’t mentioned how much use time it gives the ThinkBook Twist Plus. You can rest assured knowing that the e-ink display has virtually negligible energy consumption, and will run for weeks and months even when your laptop battery’s on low power, giving you the ability to be productive even when the going gets tough. That’s the gist of the Twist! The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist will start at $1649 and is expected to be available starting June 2023.

The post Lenovo’s latest ‘ThinkBook Plus Twist’ takes the dual-screen laptop format and gives it 180° dynamism first appeared on Yanko Design.

Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 Review: Simple Does It

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Dedicated buttons for page turning

  • Very usable for left-handed readers

  • Runs Android 11 with Google Play Store support

  • Affordable price tag

CONS:


  • No stylus support

  • No dust and water resistance rating

  • Not ideal for newspapers and magazines

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 offers a powerful, no-nonsense eReading experience wrapped in an elegant and ergonomic package with an accessible price tag.

Our smartphones are veritable gateways to wonderful new worlds, and tablets are their larger cousins that can expand your view, literally. The powerful features they provide and the colorful screens they offer rich experiences that fit perfectly with modern lifestyles. They come with a steep price, however, both literally and figuratively, especially when it comes to comfort and eye health. When you’re reading a lot of things, like books or even websites, a smartphone or even a tablet might actually be the worst device for you. Fortunately, eBook readers have been around for quite a while now, offering a much-needed reprieve and a better experience that now come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 is one of the latest to join that growing army, and we give it a thorough test to see if going back to basics spells its victory or its doom.

Designer: Onyx

Aesthetics

Ever since the first generations of eReaders came about via Amazon’s Kindle brand, expectations of these devices in terms of aesthetics have been pretty low. They’re generally small slabs of black plastic that are handy, portable, and utterly uninspiring, designed to let you enjoy content without distractions or getting in the way. While the objective might have been good, it makes the presumption that book lovers don’t actually pay attention to the appearances of their reading materials, which is quite the opposite when you consider how much attention they pay to book covers.

Fortunately, the Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 has learned from the lessons of the past and arrives as quite a fine-looking piece of hardware. Yes, it’s still made of plastic, which has both advantages and disadvantages, and it’s a smudgy piece of plastic at that. You might find yourself obsessively wiping its back very often just to maintain its pristine appearance. It doesn’t have anything in the way of decorative elements, and the only parts that literally stick out are the power button and page turn buttons. It clearly embraces minimalism’s best aspects.

It also applies a design language that’s now common to phones and tablets, meaning it is largely flat on all sides, save for round corners. The edges are plain and clean, broken only by holes for the speakers, the microphones, the microSD card slot, and the USB-C port. The back is also completely flat, unlike the tendency of most eReaders to bulge a bit. Fortunately, it doesn’t affect comfort and usability at all.

The BOOX Leaf 2 comes in two colors that differ in minor yet significant ways. The black review unit that we have has the E INK screen completely flush with the frame, protected by a layer of glass. This makes it trivial to wipe off dirt or anything else that accidentally drops on the display. The white variant, on the other hand, has the E INK panel completely exposed but sunken into the body of the device. Its advantage is that there is no glare or reflection from a glass layer that could get in the way of your reading.

Ergonomics

Despite their basic and almost crude looks, eReaders have always been designed to be easy to carry and hold in one hand to make reading for hours on end a comfortable experience. That has remained true save for larger devices, and the BOOX Leaf 2 is gladly no different. With only a 15g difference in weight (the black model is heavier because of the glass), both variants are light and small enough to carry in a large pocket. Given how some of Onyx’s devices have been growing in size lately, it’s definitely a nice break and a return to roots.

What makes the BOOX Leaf 2 even more ergonomic is that one of the edges extends a bit, forming an area that your hand can conveniently hold without accidentally touching the screen. Even better, there is a rocker button that you can press to turn pages, saving you from having to lift your other hand to touch or swipe at the screen. Admittedly, the lack of demarcation between the two halves of that button could be a bit disorienting but it is definitely not a deal-breaker.

Even better, the device has a G-sensor that can detect the orientation of the device and adjust its contents accordingly. What this means is that you can comfortably use the BOOX Leaf 2 whether you’re right-handed or left-handed since you can rotate the device to where you’re most comfortable rather than letting its form dictate the way you use it. This is one of the major flaws of eReaders with “spines” like this, so it’s great that Onyx has finally resolved it.

Like all E INK displays, the BOOX Leaf 2’s screen doesn’t emit light on its own, but it does include front lighting to let you read in the dark. These lights don’t shine in your direction, saving your eyes from strain. There are two lights, cold and warm, that you can adjust independently to mix to your tastes. Contrast can also be adjusted on a per-app basis, so you can have different settings for different reading apps, depending on what you’re comfortable with. All in all, the BOOX Leaf 2 lets you decide how you want to use it rather than dictating its terms.

Performance

Today’s eReaders are a far cry from yesteryears models when it comes to hardware and power. Although not in the realm of phones and tablets, the BOOX Leaf 2’s quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of expandable memory are plenty for something that is designed for just reading. Then again, the device is definitely more than your average reading device.

It runs Android 11, which means you can install a wide variety of apps on it, even those that might not make sense on an eBook reader. It also supports running Google Play Store, and although it needs some extra steps to enable, you won’t have to go out of your way to get it up and running. These two facts alone open a whole world of content and uses for the device, including watching videos or playing mobile games. For reading, it also means you’re not locked into a single content provider and still have access to Amazon, Kobo, and other libraries of your choosing.

The BOOX Leaf 2 bears a 7-inch E INK Carta 1200 display with a resolution of 1680×1264, giving it a rather high pixel density of 300PPI. That means that content will always be crisp and clear, at least as far as grayscale content goes. It is definitely a pleasure to read eBooks and manga on the device, though the size makes it less ideal for certain types of content. You will find yourself pinching to zoom a lot on newspapers and magazines, which could be inconvenient but definitely not unusable.

Like almost all of Onyx’s devices, the BOOX Leaf 2 offers four display modes that speed up the refresh rate at the expense of resolution and quality. For the majority of reading content, you’ll want to be on Normal mode for the best quality with a bit of ghosting. But if you ever feel the need to watch black-and-white videos or play games, the fastest “X” speed will make do. The device does have two speakers and two mics for multimedia, but these are more for recording voice notes or playing podcasts than for a multimedia experience.

What the device doesn’t have is a Wacom digitizer layer, which means it doesn’t support the use of a stylus for taking handwritten notes or sketching. That feature has always been an extra for eReaders, though it has now become more common that even Amazon added it in the Kindle Scribe. It doesn’t take away anything from the BOOX Leaf 2, though, and its simplicity might actually appeal to more readers, especially those with more limited budgets.

Sustainability

Because of its plastic construction, the Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 suffers from the same sins as almost all eBook readers when it comes to environmental impact. There are some eReaders, including a few from Onyx, that do use metal, but these do come at the cost of adding some heft to the device. Given its objective to be a basic eReader, Onyx had to prioritize portability and price above other aspects, and we can’t really fault it for that.

What makes the overall longevity of the device a bit more worrisome, however, is its lack of any sort of dust or water resistance guarantee. Given how delightful it is to use, owners might be tempted to bring it anywhere and everywhere, forgetting that it might not be able to withstand accidents. That, in turn, would mean having to either repair or replace damaged parts, which adds to the BOOX Leaf 2’s negative impact on the environment in the long run.

Value

Onyx is one of the most prolific eReader manufacturers these days, aiming at almost every market segment and price tier. Its most recent slate of devices has focused a lot on powers and features, even going as far as introducing a true Android tablet with an E INK display and user experience. Given that trend, some of the brand’s fans may have feared that Onyx has forgotten its roots and snubbed those with simpler needs. The BOOX Leaf 2 is clear evidence that it isn’t so.

At $199.99, the BOOX Leaf 2 is clearly targeted at entry-level users, those who just need a no-frills eBook reader with none of the extra bells and whistles. At the same time, however, the device isn’t really lacking in any feature, especially when it comes to support for apps and almost all kinds of digital content imaginable. As far as a comfortable and pleasant reading experience is concerned, the BOOX Leaf 2 comes close to perfect, and that price tag easily pays for itself over time if you’re any type of bookworm.

Verdict

It might come as a surprise, but people do plenty of reading on their phones compared to watching videos or playing games. That includes reading from the Web or social media, activities that would eventually tire eyes out, if not damage them in the long run. E INK displays are designed exactly to make reading comfortable and enjoyable, and the Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 delivers that kind of experience in an ergonomic and flexible package. Sure, we wished the device had a more sustainable form and that the company would take bolder steps in that direction, but other than that, there are very few flaws to note on this device. Plain yet elegant, simple yet powerful, the BOOX Leaf 2 offers a well-rounded eReading device with a price tag that many will be able to reach.

The post Onyx BOOX Leaf 2 Review: Simple Does It first appeared on Yanko Design.

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra Review: Not Your Average Android Tablet

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Eye-friendly E INK screen

  • Sleek and stylish design

  • Full access to Google Play Store

  • Support for stylus and keyboard input

CONS:


  • Heavier than typical e-readers

  • Old Android version


RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Bringing together the best of both worlds, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra delivers an eye-friendly e-book reader when you want it and a flexible Android tablet when you need it.

Our modern lives seem to be surrounded by screens, be it on the phones glued to faces, the computers we use at work, or the TVs we chill at night with. While vibrant and colorful, these screens have also proven to be harmful to our health, especially to our eyes, when overused. That might be unavoidable if you read a lot of digital content, but e-paper technologies like E INK have long offered a better alternative. There are plenty of e-readers these days, especially with Amazon and Kobo finally upgrading their devices with more features. Truth be told, however, these industry giants are quite behind the times, especially with the likes of Onyx, which has been pushing the boundaries of the e-reader market for years now. So while Amazon and Kobo play catch up, Onyx is venturing into new territory with the Boox Tab Ultra, and we take this rather novel tablet for a spin to verify that this is not your grandparents’ e-reader.

Designer: Onyx

Aesthetics

Forget what you know about even the most advanced e-book readers, even the ones running Android, because the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra is clearly a cut above the rest. Technically, it is more an Android tablet than an e-reader running Android, a distinction that makes more sense as we go through its various aspects. That said, even among Android tablets, it is quite special, and not just because of its E INK display.

The Boox Tab Ultra easily sets itself apart from other e-readers with its handsome design. Instead of rather cheap-looking slabs of plastic, Onyx applied a touch of aluminum to improve the tablet’s durability since it would see use outside of just reading books and PDFs. The form of the Boox Tab Ultra is boxier with sharp corners and flat edges, not that different from modern iPads. There is also a sizable camera bump on its back, though it is rightfully labeled as a “Smart Scanner” than a typical photography tool.

Contrary to standard tablet designs these days, there are large bezels surrounding the Boox Tab Ultra’s screen. Of course, that is typical for e-readers, so that wouldn’t surprise any Onyx customer. It also doesn’t detract from the device’s appearance since it is tastefully done. There is an extended part on the left side of the device that resembles the spine or margin of a book. In addition to providing a place for branding, it also offers a more convenient place to hold the device without your hand getting in the way. The back of this area has a peculiar strip of repeating icons that adds a bit of visual flair but is pretty much unnecessary.

The edges of the Boox Tab Ultra are also pretty bare. The only things that will catch your attention are the holes for the speakers, the USB-C port, a tray for a microSD card, and a row of pogo pin connectors. This last bit is critical for enabling the optional keyboard cover that truly transforms the E INK tablet from a content consumption device into a productivity tool.

Ergonomics

The biggest draw of an e-reader is its screen, and it is the defining feature that Onyx brings to the tablet world with the Boox Tab Ultra. Unlike a regular LCD or OLED display, E INK doesn’t emit light of its own and is gentler on the eyes. This is what makes these devices ideal for long periods of reading, even at night when blue light could have adverse effects on your sleeping patterns. E-paper displays also tend to be very energy-efficient, so they don’t require that much power to use.

Of course, such a display wouldn’t normally be usable if there is no light around, which is one of the biggest limitations of the early generations of e-readers. To solve this problem, modern e-readers have added some lights to the display. Rather than backlights directed towards the reader, however, the Boox Tab Ultra uses front lights that illuminate just the screen. There are also two kinds of lights available, white and warm, and you can mix the brightness of these lights to your taste and comfort.

The Amazon Kindle and early e-book readers created the expectation that these devices should be small and lightweight pieces of plastic that could even fit in some larger handbags. While there will always be a market for basic e-readers, some want a little bit more from their devices. The Boox Tab Ultra is definitely not your typical e-reader, even in size. The 10.3-inch E INK display, in addition to the bezels, make it already significantly larger than its peers, but that’s only half of it. It also has a 6,300 mAh battery, a giant by e-reader standards, that also gives it a substantial heft.

While it’s still lighter than a typical tablet of that size at around 480g, it’s bound to cause a bit of strain on your wrist or arm if you’ll be holding it up for a long period of time. The “spine” on the left side and its textured back do offer a better grip, but some might still find it uncomfortable to use for hours on end. Then again, that might also be a good time to take a break anyway.

Performance

At its core, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra is an Android tablet that just happens to have an E INK screen similar to e-readers. It’s more akin to a mid-tier tablet with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage that you can expand up to 2TB more with a microSD card. At the same time, however, these specs also put it above almost every e-reader in the market, and its power definitely shows in its performance.

The Boox Tab Ultra runs smoothly and is very responsive. Even its E INK display at standard “HD” speed is quite fast, even if touch screen accuracy isn’t perfect. Of course, it’s not going to be as fast as even the slowest LCD panel, but it’s actually good enough for some games and videos, depending on your tolerance levels. You will still see clear signs of screen refreshing, especially when switching pages or zooming in and out, but those are on par with any e-paper display. There are different speed modes you can choose from, depending on what you need, but do know that faster refresh speeds come at the price of quality. Even at Ultrafast, however, the Boox Tab Ultra’s 1872×1404 E INK Carta panel produces crisp and clear text, and its 10.3-inch A5 screen size makes it perfect for documents and even manga.

Onyx ships this E INK tablet with a free Boox Pen 2 Pro stylus, which adds a whole new level of functionality to the device. In addition to annotating PDFs, this pen lets you jot down notes or even make some art. Of course, you won’t be able to see any colors, but they’re there and will be completely visible when you transfer the image or note to a computer or phone. Onyx also sells a keyboard cover accessory specifically designed to connect to the Boox Tab Ultra’s pogo pins. This means that the keyboard doesn’t require charging and has a more stable connection than, say, a Bluetooth keyboard. This cements the device’s nature as a tablet more than an e-reader because of its flexibility in typing documents and emails. Of course, you can also do that with Onyx’s more recent e-readers, but the Boox Tab Ultra makes it a lot easier with its large screen and keyboard accessory.

The tablet also has dual speakers, more for listening to audiobooks than music, as well as dual microphones that can help you record notes. There is no headphone jack, sadly, but you can connect wireless earbuds and speakers via Bluetooth. The Boox Tab Ultra surprisingly has a 16MP camera on its back which required putting a very noticeable but stylish bump there. You can use it to take photos, of course, but its main purpose is really to be a portable document scanner. The built-in camera app actually has an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) feature that lets you convert text in the image into text you can copy and edit, though your results will vary depending on the clarity of the photo and supported languages.

Orchestrating all of these features is Android 11 with a special “Boox OS” that gives the mobile platform a very unique user interface that’s more familiar to e-reader owners. Despite that, the Boox Tab Ultra actually comes with Google Play Store pre-installed, which is no trivial matter. This means that you can practically install any Android app or game, even ones that might not make sense on an E INK device. You have the entire library of Google Play content at your disposal, just like a regular Android tablet.

Sustainability

While the majority of e-readers today still bear their predecessors’ plastic DNA, a few have ventured outside the norm to use more premium materials. Fortunately, that means there is less use of plastic here, even if it isn’t completely free of them. The Boox Tab Ultra is no different and uses a moderate amount of aluminum for its case, which does contribute a bit to its heavier weight. Unfortunately, it is also no different when it comes to other materials, and Onyx as a company hasn’t made big announcements regarding sustainability, at least not yet.

It’s the same story for the tablet’s packaging, which is at least minimal and compact. Onyx doesn’t ship a charger with the device, but it does come with the appropriate USB-C charging cable. Instead, the Boox Tab Ultra comes with that free Boox Pen 2 Pro stylus and some extra nibs. The pen itself is made from aluminum, giving it both some necessary weight as well as a bit of longevity.

Value

For many people interested in one of Onyx’s newest devices, the price tag will be one of the most important deciding factors. At $599.99, the Boox Tab Ultra is definitely one of its most expensive products, and that doesn’t even come with accessories other than the stylus. Even among tablets with the same specs, that’s quite a steep price, especially if you consider that an E INK screen should be cheaper than an LCD panel, even if it includes touch support and a Wacom digitizer.

You can’t simply judge a product by its price, though, especially for a category-defining product such as this. Compared to other e-readers, the Boox Tab Ultra is definitely the cream of the crop, especially when it comes to performance and capabilities. It is admittedly heavier than some might be comfortable with, but that comes with the territory of having a large screen and a large battery. It is also quite the novel tablet, which is able to do anything a regular Android tablet can, with the exception of displaying any sort of color.

The problem, however, is whether the Boox Tab Ultra addresses a need that others in either category of devices can’t. It might not be the most comfortable e-reader, given its size and heft, and Onyx itself has plenty of competitive models to choose from. It might not even be the best Android tablet given its mid-range specs, and the fact that it can only display shades of gray make it impractical for enjoying videos and games. If, however, you have been dreaming of a battery-saving Android tablet that’s easy on the eyes, this device might be perfect for you.

Verdict

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra is a wonderful device that pushes the boundaries of what an e-reader could potentially do. Its fast and responsive display, powerful and flexible software, and keyboard cover accessory add to the already convincing features of an E INK device that won’t strain your eyes while you enjoy that novel or pour over work documents for hours. It is a jack of all trades that has few flaws aside from its noticeably heavier body. Those who love reading but also need the apps only available on Android devices with Google Play will definitely feel at home with this spin on the typical tablet.

At the same time, however, it serves a very niche market with a price that might seem too high even for e-book lovers. It is an Android tablet, first and foremost, but the appeal of an E INK screen on such a type of device is still alien to all but seasoned e-reader users. At the same time, however, we are seeing a growing interest in standalone E INK monitors or even laptops with secondary E INK screens. It might only be a matter of time before something like the Boox Tab Ultra becomes a more common sight, but until then, it’s definitely in a league of its own, even if it’s the only one playing that game for now.

The post Onyx Boox Tab Ultra Review: Not Your Average Android Tablet first appeared on Yanko Design.

Philips 2-in-1 monitor adds an adjustable E-Ink display for your reading comfort

Posted on by

We live in a world populated by screens, from the computers we use at work to the phones we glue our faces to all day. If display manufacturers and tech companies are to be believed, things will only get better or worse in the future, depending on whose side you’re on. Displays, particularly touch-enabled screens, will litter our surroundings unless the metaverse becomes so prevalent that we’ll be seeing windows and popups everywhere through our AR glasses. Despite our dependence on display technologies, the screens that we rely on so much day in and day out can be harmful to our eyes in the long run. While we wait for the perfectly harmless screen technology, we can only try to minimize the damaging effects of these screens with other technologies, like this unconventional two-in-one monitor that attaches an eye-friendlier E-Ink screen on the side.

Designer: Philips

E-paper display or EPD technology, especially the kind sold by the E-Ink brand, has long been hailed for its less harmful effects on the eyes. That is why this kind of screen has been used on ebook readers that will often be used for hours on end. The technology does have critical drawbacks that make it unsuitable for “normal” uses, like displaying rich colors like photos, fast-changing content like videos, and more. That, of course, hasn’t stopped people from spending hours on end in front of computer monitors and phones, especially when their work depends on these displays.

E-Ink monitors do exist, but they can’t really be used for all kinds of content, as mentioned earlier. Rather than having to make people choose, Philips got the idea to provide both kinds of displays on the same monitor. Or, to be more precise, it has put two kinds of monitors side-by-side in one. The Philips 24B1D5600 has a 23.3-inch 2560×1440 LCD monitor that you can use for regular stuff, and attached to its right side is a 13.3-inch E INK Carta HD display. This design is based on an award-winning iF Design Award 2021 entry and is now making its way to the market to appeal to people who need to stare at screens for long stretches of time each day.

While an E-Ink display is great for reading ebooks, its purpose here isn’t exactly for leisure, though it can certainly be used that way, too. The idea is that you can put longer pieces of text on this slow-changing screen that you need to read, like documents or articles, while constantly changing content like videos, real-time graphs, and the like will occupy the main LCD screen. That way, you will be giving your eyes a bit of a break whenever you need to view more static content while still having access to YouTube or more productive sites.

The attached E-Ink display can apparently be tilted 45 degrees towards the viewer, which is a more ergonomic angle considering how far to the right it is. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear whether it can be removed and placed on the opposite side, which may be more comfortable for some people. The E-Ink display and the LCD screen are powered separately with separate cables, but you seldom need to charge the E-Ink side anyway.

The post Philips 2-in-1 monitor adds an adjustable E-Ink display for your reading comfort first appeared on Yanko Design.

Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus Review: e-Readers have grown up

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Stylish, business-minded design

  • Runs Android 11 with Google Play Store

  • Responsive and accurate stylus with paper-like screen

  • Crisp and clear display for text and images

CONS:


  • A bit heavy to hold for long periods of time

  • No buttons for page-turning

  • Localization in some languages is incomplete

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The handsome Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus takes e-Readers from consumption to creation, giving book lovers the power to take what they read and put them into action.

E-Book readers, or e-Readers for short, have endeared themselves to book lovers for their simplicity and, to be honest, their dirt-cheap prices. Devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble NOOK allowed them to take hundreds if not thousands of books, magazines, and work documents in a device that might even be lighter than some smartphones. But just as the audience that flocked to these pocket libraries has grown up, so have the devices themselves evolved through the years. Sure, Kindles have mostly remained unchanged through the years, and some might even see them as being stuck in the past. Other e-Readers, however, have changed drastically, for better or for worse, and have become something almost unrecognizable to long-time users of e-Book readers. The new Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus is one such creature, and we give it a closer look to see how much e-Readers have grown by now.

Designer: Onyx Boox

Aesthetics

Traditional e-Readers were designed to put the focus on text and get out of the way, pretty much like a normal paper book. Given the cost of E Ink displays back then and the product’s target price, a lot of compromises were made on the device’s design, both in terms of appearance and material. To put it bluntly, the earliest versions of e-Book readers were unappealing slabs of plastic meant to be cheap and functional but nothing more. While some might scoff at any attempt to make e-Readers pretty and premium, the mediocre form of the device only reinforces the perception that it is so far removed from an actual book. It doesn’t capture the joy of holding and seeing a well-made book, especially those with some gimmicks on materials and textures.

Fortunately, the new breed of e-Readers has started paying attention to good product design lessons, and the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus is one of the shining examples of this new trend. For one, its body is made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy that gives it both durability as well as a degree of class. It also has an asymmetrical design with an extended band of metal to the left, looking like the margin of a notebook. The device’s straight edges and sharp corners give it an air of professionalism in contrast to the sometimes toy-like appearance of run-of-the-mill e-Readers.

There are a few other details that strengthen the visual and tactile association with books and notebooks. While the edges are all black, thin strips of color make it resemble the spine of a book. The official case that ships with the device has a felt surface almost similar in texture to some hardbound books or notebook covers. All in all, the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus tries its best to actually look and feel like the next evolution of books rather than just a device for displaying text and whatnot.

Ergonomics

The Boox Note Air 2 Plus is admittedly larger than your typical Kindle or NOOK, with a 10.3-inch e-paper display and a 229.4×195.4×5.8 mm (9.03×7.69×0.23 in) frame. It also has a metal body that is naturally heavier than those traditional e-Readers at around 445g (0.98lbs). The design does distribute the weight evenly across the device, but there’s no going around the fact that it is going to tire your arm if you hold it up long enough. That might not make it a suitable bedtime companion, though its size would also let you stand it on your chest for support.

Given the wider left edge, the Boox Note Air 2 Plus is biased towards being held with the left hand and using the right hand to swipe on the screen to turn pages. That might be uncomfortable for those used to holding devices with their right hand instead. Additionally, there are no hardware buttons to help with page-turning, so faster readers might find their arms or wrists getting tired easily.

The device ships with a stylus that magnetically latches onto its side to make sure it doesn’t get lost easily. The pen’s barrel has flat edges that not only prevent it from rolling off tables but also provide a more ergonomic grip. Given the size of that barrel and the length of the pen, the Onyx Pen Plus is very comfortable to hold and use, even for long stretches of time. The e-Reader’s paper-like screen texture makes it feel like you’re writing with a real pen on paper or at least a close approximation of the experience. It might surprise some to hear that the authenticity of that experience can be a major deciding factor for many people trying to cross the bridge from analog notebooks to digital ones.

Performance

The Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus’ specs, which include an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, might sound overkill for an e-Book reader, but that’s also where this new generation of devices break away from the fold. Rather than being simple e-Readers, they are pretty much full-blown tablets with E Ink displays and custom user experiences. This one, in fact, runs Android 11 and even comes with Google Play Store right out of the box. That means that the device has plenty of power to run many of the familiar apps you’d have on your phone or tablet if you’re fine with using them on a black and white screen.

That screen is, of course, a 10.3-inch 1872×1404 E Ink Carta that has a rather high 227 dpi, at least for an e-paper display. Text comes out clean and crisp, and images from magazines and comics or manga are also clear. Page-turning is fast under default settings, about half a second to redraw a manga page, but you can kick the refresh rate up a few notches by sacrificing image quality. You can even watch videos in a pinch, but don’t expect an enjoyable experience, of course. The device has speakers on its bottom edge to enable listening to audiobooks, but you might want to use your favorite Bluetooth speakers or headphones for better-quality audio.

The Boox Note Air 2 Plus goes beyond just reading books or even typing out notes on books. Where it really shines is in how it is pretty much an all-in-one learning and productivity device that barely crosses the line over into tablet territory. You can open almost any digital book format and install almost any Android app you want, but the display and hardware limitations will pretty much make sure you won’t go overboard and install distracting social media or games. You might, instead, focus on apps you can use to boost your productivity, both at home and at work.

Onyx’s Pen really shines in this regard, especially when used with the built-in app. Designers might miss the colors, but those who often scribble notes or rough sketches with pencils and paper will feel at home. The note app supports multiple layers and a variety of brushes that goes perfectly with the pen’s 4096 degrees of pressure sensitivity, so all that you’re really missing is the color palette. And if Onyx’s note app isn’t to your taste, you can also install your favorite Android note-taking app. And since it’s running Android 11, you can also turn the device on its side and split the screen between two apps to maximize your productivity.

Sustainability

The one area where all generations of e-Book readers haven’t yet grown out of is their impact on the environment. Most e-Readers still use environment-unfriendly materials like plastic, but some, like the Boox Note Air 2 Plus, have fortunately started incorporating more metal into their products. That said, these devices are all built to be as tightly closed as possible, making repairs and replacements difficult and costly, especially since service centers for these devices are far and few in between.

Very few e-Reader manufacturers have made any strong statement or commitment towards sustainability, such as in the materials they use, how they source those materials, and how they plan on making sure their devices are disposed of responsibly. Given how affordable many of these devices are, they almost seem like disposable electronics. The one thing going in favor of e-Readers, in general, is that they are more resilient and more long-lasting than more expensive tablets, so they are thrown away less often. They also consume significantly less power, decreasing their overall carbon footprint.

Value

Why would you spend $500 for an e-Book reader when you can get a Kindle for a fifth of that price? If reading plain text from Amazon’s library is all you ever want to do, then there is really no reason for you to break the bank. What the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus offers, however, is the capability to do more, a lot more, without drowning you in the complexities and distractions that come with a smartphone or tablet. It is still an e-Reader at heart, but it also supports the activities and tasks related to reading, such as learning and taking action.

The Boox Note Air 2 Plus is technically an Android tablet, but one whose design and user experience have been distilled for a very specific purpose. It is a digital library and notebook in one, and it excels in both areas with very few problems. It might not be the most affordable e-Reader, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an e-Reader and digital notebook in a single device that performs as well as this. Especially one that can actually play games and videos in black and white if you ever want to go down that rabbit hole.

Verdict

Considering the very first commercial e-Reader, E Ink’s own Rocket Book, launched more than two decades ago, it is almost surprising how the device has practically remained unchanged to this day. It may be in Amazon’s and B&N’s best interests to keep devices cheap and basic in order to sell more e-Books, but the stagnation of the market and the device category doesn’t benefit anyone in the long run. Fortunately, companies like Onyx Boox are pushing the boundaries of e-Readers with much success, and the Boox Note Air 2 Plus is one shining example of that thrust.

Going beyond just consuming content, the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus opens the doors to taking action on what you read, whether it involves annotating a work document, sketching a design for a new product, or scribbling ideas for your next novel. Using the Pen for that purpose is enjoyable thanks to the responsive stylus and the textured screen that feels almost like the real deal. The Note Air 2 Plus supports these use cases and then some, thanks to its decent hardware and support for Android and Google Play. And it looks good while doing it, too, throwing e-Reader design conventions outside the window. It does require you to make a bit of an investment, but it’s one that will last you quite a long, long time.

Hiromu Nakamura contributed to this review.

The post Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus Review: e-Readers have grown up first appeared on Yanko Design.

Huawei MatePad Paper wants to replace your paper notebook

Posted on by

E-book readers are still in demand although not as popular when the idea first came out. Color tablets have overtaken the category but there are still groups of digital nomads that prefer the simplicity of a digital tablet with only an e-ink display and limited features.

We have featured a few here but the more memorable ones were those from Kobo and the Kindle line from Amazon. The Kobo Forma wanted to steal the e-reader spotlight from Kindle. Amazon’s Kindle Oasis E-Reader was once named as the perfect pool companion. Over at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2022), the former Chinese tech giant Huawei revealed the MatePad Paper and there are a number of things to love about the device.

Designer: Huawei

Huawei MatePad Paper

The MatePad Paper isn’t a colored tablet. It’s an e-ink display that measures 10.3-inches and is compatible with a Huawei M-Pencil. It allows cross-device transfer so you can easily enjoy a bigger preview of whatever is on your smartphone. It’s mainly an e-ink tablet that allows an almost paper-like experience whether writing or ready.

The HUAWEI MatePad Paper can help take hold of your ideas as it offers enhanced multitasking capabilities. Efficient note-taking is a promise while letting you start seamless collaborations. When you’re in the mood to take notes while reading, you can choose the highlights and important details so you don’t forget and come back to the ideas you learned.

The large FullView display offers eye comfort even with the large size. Jotting down notes on the e-paper seems more natural as made possible by the texturized surface of the MatePad Paper. Writing is better with its 26 ms low latency and six levels of Pressure Sensitivity with the 2nd-gen HUAWEI M-Pencil.

The e-ink tablet features multiple screens for different tasks. You can swipe down from the upper right part of the display. Split-screen can be activated by a stylus. For the obsessive-compulsive (OC) person, you can better organize your templates and notes with the device. The more organized the notes are, the better.

Huawei MatePad Paper Key Pricing

The Huawei e-ink device can also be the perfect digital assistant. It can do an audio recording of your meeting so you don’t miss anything. You can listen to the recorded content to review your minutes or any notes you have. Write on the e-ink display as if you’re writing on paper. And then, later on, those electronically handwritten notes will be converted into text. Don’t worry about privacy, your notes are encrypted. Confidential notes can also be locked by simply pressing the Fingerprint Power Button.

Huawei MatePad Paper Availability

Huawei MatePad Paper MWC 2022

For smoother and more efficient viewing, you can transfer content from your phone to the Huawei MatePad Paper. This allows better productivity as you can view more on a larger screen. You can also do the same—transfer files from the MateBook. You are free to share files between the MateBook and the MatePad Paper.

For the bookworms, you will love this MatePad Paper as it can hold your favorite books from your favorite authors. High-quality reading content is a promise but you can also check other e-book sources or libraries. If you want to give your eyes a break, you can just switch to audiobooks. The dual speakers are powerful enough to deliver optimized vocal clarity.

Huawei MatePad Paper Where to Buy

Huawei MatePad Paper Device

The HUAWEI MatePad Paper can also do language translation. Any content in another language can be translated so you can understand what the author or source is saying. You will not run out of things to do on the e-ink tablet. It’s powerful because of the specs: 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage, Wi-Fi 6+, 3635mAh battery with 22.5W fast charging, and a fingerprint power button. In standby mode, the device can last for up to 28 days but in standard e-ink display usage, you may enjoy up to six days and that’s only on a 1.5hour charge.

The device runs on Huawei’s very own HarmonyOS 2. There are already apps available as Huawei continues to expand the third-party ecosystem. This means you can do more with the device apart from using it as an e-book reader or a digital notebook. It can very well replace your paper notebook. Normally, we’d push for you to just get a new colored tablet but the Huawei MatePad Paper also makes sense if you really just want to get things done. It eliminates distraction because you will only be focused on reading, writing, or recording.

Huawei MatePad Paper Key Markets

The size may be bigger than the usual compact tablets that are popular in the market but the Huawei MatePad Paper can be your secondary display or electronic paper. It really is an e-notebook as you can do a lot on the screen. Typing may be limited but writing on the display can translate your penmanship into text.

It’s like writing on paper with low latency. You have to try it yourself so you’ll understand what premium writing experience means. The design is no non-sense. It boasts a sleek and slim form with small bezels that you can bring anywhere with you. When it comes to UI, the HarmonyOS 2 Service Widgets are easy to understand and use. Expect a quick preview of important items like calendars, emails, or schedules.

Everything about the Huawei MatePad Paper allows you to work faster and be more efficient. When you just want to free your mind from work, you can switch to the e-book form and enjoy reading comfortably. Turn the pages of that new book from your favorite author. Your eyes won’t be harmed because there is a built-in adjustable reading lamp. Even when it’s dark, you can enjoy comfortable reading with any of the 32 levels of backlighting settings available on the grayscale screen with a reflective and anti-glare display that can also play videos.

Huawei MatePad Paper Announcement

The post Huawei MatePad Paper wants to replace your paper notebook first appeared on Yanko Design.