The Onyx Boox Go 6 Did Not Free Me From the Kindle Retailer’s Grip

I actually, actually, wished to love the Boox Go 6 e-reader. Most reviewers have been enthusiastic in regards to the Boox Palma, the e-ink substitute for smartphone doomscrolling, for its easy-to-read show and handiness. I assumed that this small tablet-like studying gadget would have the identical impact. Sadly, the Boox Go 6 e-ink reader did not convert me to a full-time person.

The Boox Go 6’s e-ink display isn’t an issue for me—I just like the 6-inch show, which options an adjustable backlight and brightness. Textual content and particulars on the display seem sharp and crisp even with the backlight turned off. However the show’s sluggish refresh charge powered by a middling processor made my studying expertise slower than a standard, tangible e book. It made me wait, and I hate ready. It doesn’t matter what I wished to learn, I needed to look forward to the display to catch as much as my fingerpress earlier than the e-reader would load the specified content material. It did this for ebooks I saved domestically, books I’d borrowed from Libby, and some different apps I attempted out over the joy of getting practically unfettered entry to the Google Play Retailer. One of many promoting factors of the Go 6 is that it runs Android, making it simpler to load third-party apps and shops. However interacting with the Boox Go 6 could be so irritating; it nearly doesn’t make the open nature of its software program alluring, in spite of everything.

Open Studying

The 2021-era Kindle Paperwhite, the opposite e-reader in my stead, additionally has a cushty show and slim profile. I hoped to swap it out for the Onyx Boox Go 6, which doesn’t restrict me to the Kindle library and its companions. I had way back discovered find out how to add DRM-free comics and graphic novels to a Kindle via Calibre, a Home windows app, however I’m nonetheless lacking a few third-party libraries I’d wish to have readily available, like Google Play Books, which I’ve been utilizing for a very long time on Android, and this one app I began utilizing to seize Romanian ebooks. The Play Retailer additionally lets me learn my newspapers via their cellular apps: the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Instances.

The Go 6’s Android software program gives built-in entry to the Google Play Retailer with out requiring a third-party resolution. Establishing a Google account on the gadget is simple, after which you may entry the Google Play Retailer and obtain apps. But it surely’s not a copy-and-paste Android expertise. The model of Android 11 that runs on the Go 6 shouldn’t be the person interface you’re used to on a smartphone. As an example, there are two further buttons within the navigation bar for refreshing the web page and accessing the settings—you’ll be utilizing that refresh button fairly a bit, relying on the content material you’re perusing. The notifications panel drops for those who drag down from the higher left facet of the display. The fast settings can be found on the higher proper facet. It’s fluid for those who’ve used Android on a pill, although it’s usually felt sluggish on the Go 6.

Whereas I bought the San Francisco Chronicle loaded to learn on the Onyx Boox Go 6, I haven’t been capable of sync up the New York Instances—arguably the subscription the place I’m making an attempt to get my bang for the buck. There appears to be an authentication difficulty I haven’t been capable of troubleshoot but. (The browser instances out when I attempt to log in.) On the very least, what I’ve managed to expertise studying the Chronicle app has been comparatively pain-free, save for the instances the Go 6 would crash on me mid-scroll. It helps that cellular information apps of this kind are fairly rudimentary. It’s simply black textual content on a white background. Relatedly, the Go 6 has extra problem scrolling for those who go into darkish mode. I attempted perusing Reddit via the Chrome browser on the Go 6 that approach, however the display couldn’t sustain with every web page leap.

The one saving grace of the Go 6’s frequent sluggishness is that the e-reader doesn’t “catch up” on notifications for the Android apps you may have put in. When the e-reader is off and turned on once more, you’re not instantly bombarded by ineffective notifications for stuff from days or even weeks in the past. You do get push notifications from information apps that assist it, nevertheless it’s tempered. I observed it pushes solely the newest alert because the display has been on. 

Loading books on the Boox Go 6 in any other case is quick, although not as easy as dragging and dropping information from level A to level B utilizing a pc. As an alternative, the Go 6 makes use of BooxDrop, which creates slightly WiFi direct/FTP scenario the place you may drag and drop information via the browser. I loaded PDFs of classic magazines from the late ’90s and DRM-free comics I bought from SilverSprocket.  I additionally loaded up conventional CBR and EPUB information I’ve collected through the years. The Go 6 comes with a default 32GB of onboard storage. There’s a microSD slot if you wish to add extra, which I discovered is the simplest methodology for onboarding an enormous library of ebooks you may have already got saved up.

What’s Inside

The Go 6 is a lighter gadget than the Kindle Paperwhite by practically two ounces. Its 6-inch E Ink HD Carta 1300 show has a 1,448 by 1,072 decision. There are bezels on the gadget, which is okay as a result of I wish to have a little bit of chassis to carry onto when mendacity on my again. Boox additionally despatched over the magnetic cowl case to guard it. I like how svelte the entire bundle is, and I cherished the feel and appear of the gadget alongside my different on a regular basis carry.

The Go 6 has a 2GHz octa-core processor powering it up, plus 2GB of RAM, which is why it’s not quick. It’s a slower expertise than any early-generation Android gadget you’d use, although issues run extra easily for those who’re not leaping round between screens and apps. I discovered it greatest to navigate to the app or title I wished to make use of after which maintain it there. Anytime I attempted to multitask, I’d get slightly flustered, remembering the entire level of this gadget is to decelerate. I needed to constantly remind myself that there was a 14GB distinction in reminiscence between this cute little e-reader and my Pixel 9 Professional smartphone and that I wanted to behave the half. 

Ought to You Purchase the Boox Go 6?

You will see that the Onyx Boox Go 6 at Goal and Wal-Mart for $150, about as a lot as the newest Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon. The Go 6 is a good various to a locked-in Kindle Paperwhite for a similar value. However simply because it runs Android doesn’t imply it runs Android apps. The apps present further entry outdoors an ecosystem of e-books over an in any other case plain e-reader. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t counsel this gadget for somebody new to e-books or digital studying. 

If you’re in search of a platform-agnostic, non-OLED resolution to studying at evening, the Go 6 isn’t a foul alternative. Simply mood your expectations. Keep in mind that the e-ink display shouldn’t be the identical as a smartphone. However the payoff is an unbelievable battery life for an e-reader—as much as 5 days consecutive days of studying off the charger in my testing—and the power to load up a digital library of books, comics, and magazines onto one devoted gadget. On the very least, the Boox Go 6 reminds you to maneuver slower than the tempo of every part else as of late, even if you’re ready some time for the web page to load.