Logosians I need your help - Opinions on Onyx Boox Eink readers

Logosians I need your help.

For many years I have been using iPads to read books in my Logos library. The iOS app works well and so there is no real fault.

However, I would like to go to Eink for reading to have an alternative experience over blue screens.

Also for sessions where I am primarily reading, making some occasional highlights and notes, I would like something light weight as well. I love my 10” iPad Pro, but it’s weight is a trade off in extended reading sessions!

I would love to hear first hand experience and recommendations on Onyx Boox eink readers. What do you like or don’t like. Which model do you think is optimum in terms of size and performance?

Last, are there any competitors that I should consider?

Opinions and suggestions deeply appreciated! I do not have a large budget to buy several makes and models to pursue this objective

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Comments

John Goodman

I have the onyx boox poke 2, I'm happy with it. I probably reach for my ipad more though.

Nord Zootman

I have the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 plus (long name!). I have enjoyed it greatly. I wanted a good device for writing and an E-ink reader and it does both well. If I were not using it to write I would probably enjoy a slightly smaller device - I used to use an ipad mini and like that size. I certainly wouldn't want to hold and read anything larger. It has a good ebook reader in it, but also runs the Kindle app and Logos well. It is definitely slower than an Ipad but is fine for reading and highlighting. I find myself reading and highlighting on my Boox and then using the highlight notes in my study and sermon organization on my computer (either desktop at my study or laptop at home).

Kevin A. Purcell

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1257935#Comment_1257935

Just sold an OB Note Air 2 on eBay. it's pretty good, but not as smooth as the iPad or the Remarkable. Remarkable won't run Logos so it's not a good option for Logos users which is why I got rid of it. It is however, the VERY BEST screen and inking experience bar none.

If you have an iPad I'd recommend sticking with it. The Logos runs ok on the Boox but not as well as the iPadOS version on iPad.

Jim

I have been using Logos on Boox eink for the last 3 years or so. I love them, and much prefer to read on eink than oled screens. I have a Max Lumi 1, and a Nova Air 2. Reading on the Max Lumi is nice when I'm reading at my desk, or want to read in two column format, or want to split the screen for commentaries etc. The larger format is a very comfortable reading experience. I think there is something to seeing two columns of text that somehow add to comprehension and spacial understanding (maybe). However, the Nova Air probably gets used 90% of the time. There are a couple reasons: 1 its just easier to carry around and keep on hand, 2 easy to hold in one hand, and 3 the screen refreshes faster with fewer artifacts. Also, I often use the Nova as a companion to my paper bible. Its about the size of a moleskine, so perfect size for a journal, or use as commentary side by side.

Of all the considerations, I think screen refresh speed is maybe the most important. All the screen transition animations in logos really degrade the experience when it's slowed down by the eink screen, particularly on the older Max lumi device. If you have a couple dozen resources open the transitions can get painfully slow. The nova is better, but I still wish it was faster.

Weight can be solved: I have a variety of tablet stands one for the desk, a floor stander for reading from an armchair or couch, and one for the bed. So, I basically don't have to hold the weight of the device for long reading sessions. Highly recommend looking into that if you don't have one already.

Since screen refresh is perhaps the main consideration when it comes to eink devices, I would recommend looking at the newer Tab Ultra, Tab X, and the latest Tab Ultra C (Color kaleido 3) models, with the dedicated GPU. A Nova sized device with GPU would be perfect to me, maybe they will come out with that in the coming year.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to receiving the Tab Ultra C myself next week, to give it a try. I'm thinking in addition to the GPU, it will be nice to not always be confused as to which color I'm highlighting with on the b/w screen. Will let you know how it goes!

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258049#Comment_1258049

This is all very helpful advice. I will likely try one of the models. My thinking is if I just want to read a book and do occasional highlights, I will use my Eink reader If I am trying to do an element of study with multiple books, searches, etc I will use my iPad and most likely go to the desktop anyhow.

I do use Kindle software to read library books. I could buy a Kindle, but rather be boxed in on that, I would rather have Logos books on the same platform.

Anyhow, I welcome continued input and thoughts. Much appreciated.

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258049#Comment_1258049

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to receiving the Tab Ultra C myself next week, to give it a try. I'm thinking in addition to the GPU, it will be nice to not always be confused as to which color I'm highlighting with on the b/w screen. Will let you know how it goes!

I look forward to your review!

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258183#Comment_1258183

I think the model that most interests me for my use case of just sitting down to read a book for an extended session is the Leaf2. I like the idea of the ergonomics of the physical buttons And it’s small size.

https://shop.boox.com/products/leaf2

I am interested in any first hand experiences with this if anyone has anything to offer. Here is one review from the Verge.

https://www.theverge.com/23462322/onyx-boox-leaf-2-ebook-reader-review-android

Luuk Dondorp

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258182#Comment_1258182

I am using an Onyx Boox Poke 2 for almost two/three years now. Solely for reading. Logos - Kindle - Online Library - Kobo etc. Not being boxed with one vendor is great. Plus the perfect readability outside (in the sun, on the beach) or at nighttime with the backlight. Long lasting battery. Very convenient.

Will absolutely buy another when it's not working or not being updated anymore. It still is.

Jim

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258185#Comment_1258185

I think the model that most interests me for my use case of just sitting down to read a book for an extended session is the Leaf2. I like the idea of the ergonomics of the physical buttons And it’s small size.

Unfortunately, the page buttons won't work, since Logos does not support page turn by volume buttons. It would be amazing if they added that - Boox also has a Bluetooth page turner, so you could flip pages remotely when using the device in a stand. I use that when I read from kindle or libby and it's very convenient. There's a feature request here which includes an ask for page button support:

https://feedback.faithlife.com/boards/logos-mobile-app/posts/new-feature-e-reader-e-ink-support

Check out the Nova Air 2 too, it's only a little bit bigger but still comfortable to handhold. I think it's a great form factor for extended reading - it's exactly the size of a Cambridge Clarion bible. Prefer the size over my Kindle Oasis, which is basically the same as a Leaf 2. Someday, if Logos ever gets around to supporting page buttons, Boox makes a magnetic case for the Nova Air 2 which adds on the physical page buttons if you want that. As a bonus, you can write on the Nova, which you can't do on the leaf 2, making it more useful overall.

Hope that helps.

Donovan R. Palmer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258328#Comment_1258328

Unfortunately, the page buttons won't work, since Logos does not support page turn by volume buttons. It would be amazing if they added that - Boox also has a Bluetooth page turner, so you could flip pages remotely when using the device in a stand. I use that when I read from kindle or libby and it's very convenient. There's a feature request here which includes an ask for page button support:

https://feedback.faithlife.com/boards/logos-mobile-app/posts/new-feature-e-reader-e-ink-support

Check out the Nova Air 2 too, it's only a little bit bigger but still comfortable to handhold. I think it's a great form factor for extended reading - it's exactly the size of a Cambridge Clarion bible. Prefer the size over my Kindle Oasis, which is basically the same as a Leaf 2. Someday, if Logos ever gets around to supporting page buttons, Boox makes a magnetic case for the Nova Air 2 which adds on the physical page buttons if you want that. As a bonus, you can write on the Nova, which you can't do on the leaf 2, making it more useful overall.

Hope that helps.

This was an extremely helpful post, particularly the intel about the buttons. Thank you.

Because the reading experience is paramount to using an ebook, I am a bit surprised that features like page buttons are not supported. In fact, trolling these forums for posts on eink readers going back over 10 years, it would seem that Logos focusing on this and even having more materials on their website aimed at users looking for the best tablet options would be a real value add. It is not straight forward to figure out which tablets are possibly most suitable and why.

I will check out the the Nova Air 2 as well. Many thanks again!

BJ Dupps

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258049#Comment_1258049

I've been enjoying Verbum (Logos) on a Boox Tab Ultra since it was released in November. The hardware acceleration moves the experience much closer to the iPad experience but with an e-ink interface. In case you find it helpful, I posted a brief video clip (https://youtu.be/JJtrICjURTA) to show how things look and move as you browse a document, take a note, etc. I particularly like entering notes with the pen in the native Boox keyboard handwriting capture window. It feels like taking a paper note but is converted to text and saved like any other Verbum note.

Jim, I'm eager to hear your Tab Ultra C experience! Mine arrives today and Verbum will be the first app I try--I suspect the color will enhance the highlighting experience in particular, but also the book covers in the library, etc.

Jim

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1258342#Comment_1258342

BJ, how do you like your Tab Ultra C? I've been using the Tab Ultra C about a week now. Here are my impressions:

Overall, I like it a lot. As expected, having colors to differentiate highlight colors is very nice. Also nice to see the red letter text for Christ's words, and colorized book covers. The text clarity looks surprisingly better than my other devices. Even though both the Nova Air 2 and Tab Ultra C have 300dpi screens, the Tab Ultra C looks slightly sharper, even though it has the color filter "grill" over it. You can only see the color filter if you look really close; I don't notice it at normal viewing distances. I think the backlight color temperature creates a slightly better contrast, causing the text to pop just a bit more to my eyes.

The form factor is actually better than I was expecting. It's relatively easy to hold in two hands, but even one hand is doable. Works quite well in landscape mode, similar to the way I use my max lumi. The Max Lumi feels a little unwieldy in comparison.

Speed: I did some speed comparisons between the devices. While the Tab Ultra C does feel a tiny bit snappier in the "ultra fast" mode compared to "A2" on the Nova Air2 and Max Lumi, I was surprised that the GPU doesn't make as much of a difference as I thought it would. The youtube reviews all make it out to seem like it's night and day, but I'd say it's marginal. Page flips are a tad more responsive, you maybe get a few extra animation frames to make it feel smoother, but the time switching between resources, opening passage/exegetical guide, searches etc, are really pretty comparable. I think it's actually just the way Logos is implemented. I did some experiments like opening 20 tabs on each device, and have them race from one end to the other using the "go back to bible" button. The Nova Air2 actually consistently wins, so that was interesting. The Max Lumi is slightly slower than both. In day to day use though, I don't think it's that dramatic. I will say that ghosting performance is the best out of the three devices, but only a little better than the Nova.

One area the Tab Ultra C does significantly outperform the Nova Air 2 and the Max Lumi is in scroll-view mode. Any scrolling motion feels about 50% faster on the Tab Ultra C. The device is a little too wide for my tastes to read in single-column, so not much of an advantage to me.

Notes: Typing notes feels a little more responsive on the Tab Ultra C. The optional keyboard case is ok for typing, a little too small for my hands. I prefer a full size bluetooth keyboard. Writing performance is ok. I feel like the screen is slightly thicker than the b/w devices due to the color filter, so it feels like your pen is floating above the text a little more. Its more comfortable to write on the nova.

Ergonomics: One thing I don't like about the tab ultra c is the sharp edges compared to the other devices. Doesn't feel as comfortable to hold. Not terrible, but the rounded devices are better. The camera bump is annoying. Not only does it make the device rock when sitting on a table, but the camera bump itself is sharp and it has left some scratches on my desk so I have to put something underneath it. The camera is a big thumbs down.

Screen contrast: I took the device on a camping trip over the weekend and I noticed the backlight doesn't really add anything outdoors. So, comparing a b/w screen to the color screen, the b/w has better contrast outdoors. Indoors, you can get the backlight to compensate for the darker screen. The darker screen isn't a huge deal to me.

Battery Life: Battery life is not good on the tab ultra C. It's worse than the nova air 2, which is already short relative to other eink devices. At least the nova air 2 charges really fast, so you plug it in for <1 hour to top it up and it's good to go again. The tab ultra C takes longer to charge because it has a bigger battery. I'm probably still in "new gadget" mode so it's draining faster than it normally would, but I'm seeing it go from 100 to about 30% in a single day of use right now. Nova Air2 lasts me about 4-5 days of normal use, the max lumi can last for a couple weeks.

Conclusion: Overall, I think it's a great device for Logos, and don't think you'd go wrong with it. The screen looks sharp, and the addition of color is very nice. If you're thinking about upgrading primarily to get a faster device than other recent Boox devices, I'd say save your money -- Logos in particular is not dramatically faster IMO. If you want to save a bit of money, I still think the Nova Air2 is a great choice - you still get a crisp 300dpi screen, better portability, faster battery charging, and it's more ergonomic to hold.

Mark Nolette

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1259475#Comment_1259475

I've had EInk devices for years. My current one is a Boox Leaf 2. The 7 inch screen hits my sweet spot. Logos/Verbum runs well on the Leaf 2. I also have an iPad mini. Reading is juuust a bit better on the Leaf, though the iPad, for reading purposes, is as good as it gets for tablets.

It is possible to get the page turn buttons to work for Logos/Verbum, but this involves rooting your device and then installing a button mapper app. Rooting Boox devices these days is not for the faint of heart! However, if you succeed, the button mapper app allows you to simulate a tap on the screen by pressing a button, thus turning the page. That being said, it would be so much better if Faithlife enabled the page turn feature in the Android app!

Gary McLean

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1259475#Comment_1259475

Thanks for your reivew. I am trying to decide between the Note Air3 C and Ultra Tab C Pro. Hearing your feedback is appreciated.

Gideon

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1278798#Comment_1278798

I have had the Bigme Inknote Color+ Lite for about a week now, and so far Logos has worked well on it. My only gripe is that highlighting doesn't show up well on it. Depending on what color scheme you set the app to and what color highlights you are using, sometimes the highlights are hardly noticeable at all. Even for those that are noticeable, I can hardly tell what colors they are.

Jim

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1278798#Comment_1278798

Good choices! I think if I were choosing now, I would go with the Note Air3 C. It's supposed to be a little bit faster than the Tab Ultra C, which I find to be sufficient. The key deciding factor for me would be the rounded corners of the Note Air. The TUC is great, love the screen and colors, but the sharp edges are just uncomfortable. I still often go back to the Nova Air 2 just because it's more ergonomic to hold. I thought they keyboard case might be useful, but I never use mine - I'd skip it. Anyway, let us know what you decide!

Paul Gesting

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1278798#Comment_1278798

I agree with Jim below. The Tab Ultra C Pro is not worth the price over the Note Air 3 C. Go with the Air 3C.

Mark McDonald

I have a Boox Note Air 3 (not C), and I'm very happy with it so far. I just upgraded from a Note 3. For color I'd stick with an iPad. The Boox android interface does take some getting used to, but it is much easier on my eyes for reading than the iPad. It will also run most Android apps; e.g. Kindle.

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