The challenge in the eBook Reader segment, to read digital books, is increasingly on and today and Boox Go 7 Jan II Try to fight the domain that was once exclusive to Amazon with the Kindle brand. Today the options are many, and with this proposal the company looks to those looking for A compact reader with black and white e-ink screen (but there is identical color) from 7 “.
His strengths? Has Android 13 on board, so as to be similar to a tablet that can also download additional applications, and has a nib (you pay separately) that allows you to take notesthus becoming an excellent ally for both the study and for work. We tried it right in a job, to read also press releases in PDF and to write text notes. Here’s how it went …
Design and screen: small outside, big inside
Boox focused on a design ultra (only 6.4 mm thick) and on a weight of 195 grams. Despite the compact dimensions, the 700 7 “paper display is clear and well legible even with small fonts. The resolution is of 1680 × 1264 pixels with 300 ppimore than adequate for reading on the move, and there is the adjustable backlight that gives way only to some halo on the edges. In this he betrays an invoice that is not exactly premium, but remains usable and never annoying.
The magnetic custody is done well, but you have to take your hand to remember the right orientation to align the magnets: it is not intuitive from this point of view. If you buy the nib, you can insert it in the housing already included in the case.
Those who read keeping the device with one hand will then find the asymmetrical design that proposes the keys to turn the page in the right point to make them ergonomically easy.
Android makes the difference? Perhaps…
Boox Go 7 Jan II uses the Google operating system, Android, with access to the Play Store. This means that Other applications can be installednot only those already known to those who read digital books (Kindle, Kobo, Readera, Pocket), but also others for productivity. With Onenote and Google Drive, for example, we have access to all our PDFs and electronic documents that can be consulted by downloading them from the cloud (as long as they are connected), with an unbeatable practicality to recover any document at any time.
The flexibility is enormous, but some apps are not designed for e-INK display and can be slow and not very manageable. On the one hand you can adjust the screen updating frequency, on the other there are limits that are not only noticed with the most dynamic apps. If we consider only reading, the experience of use is good.
The other limit of the presence of Android concerns the ignition time: Google’s operating system is heavier, and for this you need almost a minute From the pressure of the button to the beginning of the reading, while dedicated ebook readers allow almost instantaneous access.
Being similar to a complete tablet, and thanks to a equipment that includes WiFi and Bluetooth 5.1, the advantage is that Accessories such as headphones or keyboard can be connectedlistening to music or audio-books or writing text with a portable keyboard. However, do not expect the standard version of Android, because here is a customization (Boox OS) which serves to collect the features of the system making them more accessible with a view to use the device as an ebook reader.
Reading and pdf: excellent for the text, discreet for the study
For the reading of novels, articles or text filesGo 7 Jan II is among the best in its category. The pages are always well renderedclear and with a contrast that makes them usable in all circumstances. There is also the possibility of highlighting texts and choosing, as we have seen above, your favorite reading app via the Play Store.
With the pdf the behavior is discreetbut not perfect: the 7 “display is at the limit to view A4 documents, and despite the fluidity higher than other ereaders, it may be necessary to use the zoom. For this, in the range, There is a 10 “boox Gox that is recommended for those who make intense use of PDF not optimized or that combine graphs, images and text In non -“pure” formats.
Finally, the support to the formats is enormous: range from classics Epub/Epub3 to PDFs passing through text documents, Power Poit presentations, compressed files (zip), HTML and even CBZ if you love digital comics and comics, and this through the default app. Then installing other applications, the range of options and formats becomes practically infinite, as well as digital books stores: Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books and so on.
Notes, notes and style: it works, but does not completely convince
Boox has inserted support for writing with Wacom’s nib which must be purchased separately. The writing is not very fluid, especially if you are used to using the nib on devices such as Apple’s iPad or a Samsung smartphone (Note, Galaxy, Fold and so on …).
The result? It is useful for making quick annotations or underlining documents, but it is not a substitute for a digital notes such as the most focused products on guaranteeing a writing experience similar to that on paper.
Autonomy and performance: excellent battery
The 2,300 mAh battery guarantees about a week of mixed use, lowering slightly if you use third-party apps or active Wi-Fi. The octa-core processor and the 4 GB of RAM allow a good fluidity in the general use and do not impact too much on the duration which, thanks also to a good optimization of the stand-by mode, allows you to always find the charge even after weeks of non-use.
Price and conclusions
The boox Go 7 Jan II is not for everyone and is aimed at a specific audience. Those who just want to read ebooks, could find a classic eBook Reader easier, cheaper. Boox is instead a perfect choice for those who want a 360 degree product that guarantees the possibility of Use third -party applicationsin addition to allowing you to take some note with the nib.
MicroSD, microfotno and speaker are no small additions, which make it a white canvas for those who are a little more skilled and want to create a personalized e-book reader for more advanced functions than those of closed systems.
Finally, the confirmation of the Security updates for 3 years: We are not at the level of the top of the range smartphones, but it is already a good result for the category.
The price is of 249.99 €figure that It includes the free cover but not the niband there are also 10 GB of free cloud storage.