Onyx International has launched a new series of lightweight E Ink devices as part of its Boox line, starting with an ultra-thin monochrome 10.3-inch ePaper notepad that saves paper (and your eyes) plus a color e-reader.
Even with the appearance of tablets a few years back, I much preferred using a pen and paper notepad setup to make notes at press conferences, jot down ideas while out and about or even add items to a shopping list. Scribbling things down and reading back seemed to help me remember stuff.
But then E Ink ePaper notebooks put my old school approach to bed, offering a similar paper-like experience but without all of the resource/waste issues associated with the real thing. I still misplace the stylus as much as I did my pens though.
The Go 10.3 is the latest such device from Onyx Boox, and offers a similar experience to the reMarkable 2 we reviewed a few years back. Where that e-note launched with a thickness of 4.7 mm (0.185 in) and tipped the scales at just over 400 g (14.2 oz), Boox has put its latest contender on a strict diet and managed to shave off a whole millimeter – essentially by removing the front light layer from the display sandwich.
On the plus side, if your home office or study hall lets in plenty of natural light the display will be kinder to your eyes than the LEDs glowing at the edges of many recent E Ink screens. But this does mean that you'll need to seek out external light sources for after-dark productivity.
The Go 10.3 also weighs in notably lighter than the reMarkable 2 at 375 g (13.2 oz). The E Ink at the heart of the display technology is Carta 1200, which offers 2,480 x 1,860 resolution (300 ppi) and boasts a 20% faster response time compared to its predecessors as well as a 15% improvement in contrast. It also comes with technology that negates the need for a full-page refresh to update images.
The e-note ships with a stylus that can be attached to an edge magnetically to keep it handy, though the display is also receptive to touch by human digits. It runs Android 12, features 2.4-GHz octa-core brains supported by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, and has Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi as well as USB-C cooked in.
The Book Go 10.3 is available now for US$379.99, and can be optioned with a magnetic folio case that doubles as a stand.
The second member of the new portable E Ink family is the Go Color 7 e-reader, which as the name suggests is built around Kaleido 3 color ePaper technology and sports a 7-inch display. Other than the lack of stylus, its a similar story on the specs front – though this model does come with LED front light technology that offers warm or cold temperature adjustment. This one weish 195 g (6.9 oz) and is priced at $249.99.
Product pages: Go 10.3, Go Color 7
