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

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).

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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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