The heart of the brand
If Onyx was a car manufacturer, they would probably be like Ford, that has everything from mild mannered hatchback to a growling V8 Mustang.
They have an extremely diverse range of models to choose from – whilst brands like reMarkable and Supernote are aimed at specific markets. In fact, Boox not only have different models, they have several ranges with various models within that range.
In spite of their wide range of devices (or is it as a result of?), they also release new models at a prolific rate. Some models get upgraded versions within a year. Whilst the rate of change is to be commended, it is at great odds with Supernote and reMarkable, which prefers the sustainability play in stead of driving consumerism.
They do not claim to be only focused on note-taking – in stead, they aim to be productivity devices. They make us of Android, but in stead of limiting your options, they will give you access to the entire Play Store. Of course, not all apps work well with e-ink – but they leave that decision up to the consumer.
Despite the impressive regularity of change, the devices in the Onyx range have a really good build quality. They clearly realise that sub-par quality will get them to the bottom of the market very soon.
The software is very good, but as a result of the variety of apps, the experience is not as smooth as some of the competitors and the learning curve is a bit higher.
Note: die go was eerste sonder frontlight en \’n game changer vir Onyx
The Series
| Series | Description |
| Go | The Go series are lightweight, minimalist models. Despite this, expect a full Android capability. |
| Note | These devices target productivity. They have BSR (Boox Super Refresh) technology – which creates a much smoother e-ink experience with no ghosting, but at the cost of battery life. |
| Tab | The aim of the Tab series is to be a fully fledged Android tablet, with a very high productivity index and multimedia capabilities. |
The Onyx Go 10.3
There is actually only a single Go e-ink tablet – the other two are reading devices only.
If the aim of e-ink tablets is to mimic paper, then the Onyx Go 10.3 is arguably the closest at the time of writing (3 Nov 2024).
The tablet is:
- One of the thinnest and lightest tablets at 4.6mm and 375 g (ousted only marginally by Viwoods AI-paper).
- The e-ink is so close to the surface it tricks your mind into believing that you are actually writing on the tablet (there is no frontlight – this is the sacrifice for getting closer to the surface).
- The writing feeling is really good. Some of the more premium tablets may claim a better writing feel, but this is subjective.
- The contrast provided by the e-ink Carta 1200 screen is fantastic.
- The tablet is seen to be very competitively priced.
Many of the e-ink tablet reviewers reckon that the Go 10.3 is the best tablet to get at the time of writing. As with all things in life, it depends. But, if you are looking for something that is fairly minimalist, close to paper but does not skimp on productivity tools, then it may very well be the tablet for you.
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