Boox Go Color 7 review: specs, performance, price

Boox Go Shade 7 evaluation

Boox makes some implausible e-readers, and at this level, AppleInsider has checked out fairly just a few of them. So once they reached out to tell us about their new seven-inch e-reader, I felt compelled to test it out.

The Boox Go Shade 7 does not change a lot below the hood from different Boox units. What it does supply, nonetheless, is similar high quality studying expertise in a dimension that feels such as you’re studying your favourite paperback novel.

The Boox Go Shade 7 has a 7-inch Kaleido 3 Carta 1200 glass display screen. It helps as much as 4,096 colours and has a decision of 1680×1264, virtually a 4:3 ratio. When displaying black e-ink, it is a crisp 300 pixels per inch, whereas colours are proven at 150ppi.

It weighs in at a scant 195g or simply below 7 ounces. This pocket-sized reader is 6.1 inches tall, 5.4 inches large, and a fourth inch thick.

The CPU is a 2.4 GHz octa-core, with 4 gigs of RAM and 64GB of storage. After all, like the entire different Boox units I’ve examined out, you possibly can develop it with a microSD card — which is nice when you’ve acquired an enormous library of eBooks you wish to carry on it.

Boox Go Shade 7: Increase the cupboard space through the use of a microSD card

The Go Shade 7 options Wi-Fi that helps 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, permitting you to obtain new books, browse the online, and sync your studying progress. Moreover, it has Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for wi-fi headphones, audio system, or keyboards.

The two,300mAh Li-ion Polymer battery is first rate for a tool this dimension, and I discovered that I acquired a number of days of use out of it earlier than I wanted to recharge it. The Go Shade 7 recharges by way of USB-C, which is extraordinarily handy as you in all probability have already got a few USB-C cables round your home. I at all times choose it when I haven’t got to lug a proprietary charger from room to room.

Boox Go Shade 7: Able to charging by way of USB-C

One factor I by no means understood about these units is that they supply a speaker. This appears wildly pointless for an e-reader, particularly one that features Bluetooth 5.0. I feel the speaker sounds fairly dangerous, however I can also’t think about a state of affairs the place I would want to make use of the speaker.

It additionally supplies a microphone, do you have to want one. Once more, I am not likely certain who that is geared in direction of.

The Go Shade 7 comes with Android 12 and helps third-party apps by way of the Google Play retailer.

Because it’s primarily designed for use as an e-reader, it is designed to deal with all kinds of textual content, ebooks, and doc information, together with:

• PDF
• CAJ
• DJVu
• CBR
• CBZ
• EPUB
• AZW3
• MOBI
• TXT
• DOC
• DOCX
• FB2
• CHM
• RTF
• HTML
• ZIP
• PRC
• PPT
• PPTX
• EPUB3

It additionally helps picture codecs comparable to PNG, JPG, BPM, and TIFF, in addition to audio codecs like WAV and MP3.

I’ve talked lots about Boox units, and each time I attempt one out, one of many first issues I do is discuss concerning the dimension. Some Boox units are too large and clunky for informal studying, whereas others are only a hair on the small dimension.

My private desire was the Boox Tab Mini C, an e-ink pill that kind of match the identical kind issue because the iPad mini, making it excellent for on-the-go studying.

However, as is usually the case, the king has been dethroned. Now, I feel the Boox Go Shade 7 is the best dimension for an e-ink reader. It is sufficiently small to stash in your purse, messenger bag, or backpack however nonetheless large enough to really feel such as you’re studying a e book.

Boox Go Shade 7: A magnetic cowl helps maintain the display screen scratch free

And, with most issues, dimension is a private desire. I discover that for me the Go Shade 7 might be the closest to my best dimension for an e-ink gadget. After all, it’s because I take advantage of it primarily for studying

If you’d like one thing you could take notes on or choose an even bigger gadget basically, I actually loved my time with the Boox Word Air3.

In the event you plan on connecting it to a Bluetooth keyboard and utilizing it to reply all of your emails, it is going to in all probability be much less best. I personal an iMac, a MacBook Air, and an iPad, so I’ve sufficient units for answering emails.

Once more, like each different Boox gadget I’ve gotten into my fingers, the Go Shade 7 is strong. The setup course of is straightforward — save for typing in your Apple-generated robust password when connecting to the Google Play retailer.

Positive, you possibly can’t actually play video games on it — it isn’t designed for that. However, chances are high, when you’re the kind of individual on the lookout for an e-ink gadget, you are in all probability not involved about gaming on it.

With regards to truly utilizing it, it really works the identical as just about each different Boox gadget we have checked out on AppleInsider. It is not as quick as an iPad or an iPhone, but it surely is not attempting to be. And it is definitely not what I would name “sluggish,” both.

Boox Go Shade 7: The display screen temperature is adjustable for simpler studying in dim lighting

I do not love the Android working system, however let’s face it — Apple does not have an e-ink gadget. And when you’re impartial or optimistic on Android, this would possibly not matter to you anyway.

Its tiny dimension and minimal weight truthfully had been the largest promoting factors for me. I really like that I can simply let it chill on my nightstand, and it is at all times there, encouraging me to learn one other chapter within the e book I maintain that means to complete.

It was additionally nice to toss in my bag and take it to the park for out of doors studying. Once more, for me, the portability is the largest promoting level.

I’ll be aware, although, that I would not take this gadget into the bathtub with you or take it to the seaside. The producer does not disclose the IP ranking, however I would be keen to guess that it isn’t terribly mud proof or all that water-proof.

One of many different issues that stunned me concerning the Boox Go Shade 7 was the tiny little touches that made the expertise that significantly better.

The Go Shade 7 has an additional large bezel on one aspect. I personally suppose that is genius.

I hate holding edge-to-edge units whereas I learn on them. There’s one thing about awkwardly fussing round the place to comfortably put my fingers that I do not love.

My iPad Air has just about existed in laptop computer mode with the Magic Keyboard since I acquired it for that actual motive.

This tiny little lip on the aspect is ideal, and it truthfully mimics the margins of a paperback in a manner that reaches into my mind and says, “Hey, put your hand right here.”

Boox Go Shade 7: The e-ink show is readable in brilliant, direct daylight

And, on the tiny little lip on the aspect, there is a button. This lengthy button might be programmed to do a number of issues, however my favourite function is utilizing it to show the pages of my ebooks while not having to bodily swipe with my free hand.

Once more, it is a small contact, but it surely means I can learn with one hand and take notes with the opposite. It additionally prevents me from smudging up the display screen, although admittedly, that is not the largest deal on an e-ink show.

In the event you’re an avid reader, that is the best advice I could make. It splits the distinction between the iPad mini-sized Boox Tab Mini C and the smartphone-sized Boox Palma.

I nonetheless love the Palma and the Tab Mini C, however as somebody who reads round 20 books a 12 months, the Go Shade 7 provides me that paperback novel really feel in a tool a fourth of an inch thick.

In the event you’re somebody who’s on the lookout for a tool that splits the distinction between an e-ink reader and a pill, we might in all probability nudge you in direction of the Boox Word Air 3 or the Boox Tab Mini C. Each are nice, and it simply relies on what dimension you’d choose.

In the event you’re on the lookout for one thing that strains up extra with a standard pill, you will in all probability wish to attempt the iPad — however you already knew that.

• Sufficiently big to learn on, sufficiently small to take wherever
• Appropriate with Android apps
• Pleasurable e-ink display screen
• Lengthy battery life
• Reasonably priced for an Android e-ink reader

• Audio system and microphone are low high quality
• Not as quick as iPad

The Boox Go Shade 7 is offered instantly from the Boox store for $249.99 — making it the most affordable reader Boox at present presents. It is usually out there on Amazon for $249.99.