Onyx Boox has just announced a large-screen e-notebook with a giant 13.3-inch color e-paper display. Its solid hardware specs should make it a viable and responsive book reader and also a device where you can view and edit PDF files, freehand draw, and access millions of apps on Google Play. It is not yet available for purchase, but it is rumoured to cost around $760 when it launches in a month or so on the BOOX website.
The Tab Ultra XC features a 13.3-inch Kaleido 3 color e-paper display. It has a black and white resolution of 3200 x 2400 with 300 PPI, which is excellent for a large screen. I don’t think we have ever had this size reach 300 PPI for the resolution, so it should make PDF files and book fonts look razor sharp. The resolution for the color screen is 1600 x 1200 with 150 PPI.
This is one of the few 13.3-inch laptops on the market with a front-lit display and a color temperature system. A series of white and amber LED lights allows you to mix them to get a screen brightness that suits the environment, whether day or night.
Underneath the hood is a 2.8 GHz Octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. There is no SD card to enhance the storage further. It has dual stereo speakers for audiobooks, music, or podcasts. Bluetooth 5.0 is available for those who prefer wireless earbuds, headphones, or an external keyboard. WIFI is available and has a USB-C port for transferring data and charging. A respectable 5,500mAh Li-ion Polymer battery powers it. The dimensions are 287.5 x 243 x 5.3 mm (11.3″ x 9.6″ x 0.21″), and it weighs 625 g (22 oz).
Tab Ultra XC 2025 edition runs Google Android 13 and has full access to Play Services and the Google Play Store. This is likely where most users will download their apps and keep them updated. The stock Neoreader app is installed and supports PDF, CAJ, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOC, DOCX, FB2, CHM, RTF, HTML, ZIP, PRC, PPT, and PPTX.
This is not only a book reader, but also an e-notebook. You can use the Boox app to freehand draw, take notes, annotate, and view/edit PDF files in full and vibrant color. This device does not have a WACOM screen, but uses EMR. This makes it compatible with the new BOOX InkSpire stylus.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.