The BOOX Go Color 7 Gen 2 is a dedicated e-book reader and a lightweight digital note-taking device. It utilizes the latest generation E Ink Kaleido 3-color e-paper. The overall design is similar to that of the Amazon Kindle Oasis, featuring the same physical page-turn buttons. Google Android 13 is the operating system, and has full access to the Google Play Store. This e-reader is pretty good in terms of reading PDF files, graphic novels, comics, and digital magazines.
Hardware
The Go 7 Color Gen 2 features a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3-color e-paper display. The black and white resolution panel is 1680 x 1264 with 300 PPI and features an E Ink Carta 1200 panel. The color resolution is 632 x 840 with 150 PPI. When reading color content, there are 4096 total colors available. Although this is not as good as E INK Gallery 3, which offers 50,000 colors, it’s sufficient for most readers.
The device’s body is white, and the screen is flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of glass. The body is made of plastic on the front and back plates. It has white and amber LED lights that read in the dark. The front-lit display and color temperature system can be combined to provide an exceptional reading experience. A G-sensor will automatically switch the orientation from portrait to landscape mode.
Underneath the hood is an Octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. If this is not enough space to house your audiobooks, e-books, comics, or PDF files, an SD card can provide an additional 1 TB of storage. There is a single speaker, so if you want to listen to music or audiobooks, you’ll want to take advantage of wireless earbuds or headphones, thanks to the Bluetooth 5.1 support. Surf the web or download apps via WIFI. A USB-C port is available to transfer content to the Go 7 Color Gen 2, and it’s also used to charge the device. It is powered by a 2,300 mAh battery.
One of the standout features is the page-turn buttons. The buttons and their positioning are similar to those on the Onyx Boox Page or the Amazon Kindle Oasis. They are soft and tactile, and the button presses are satisfying. The buttons are positioned on the right side of the screen. If you are left-handed, the e-reader supports auto-rotation.
It is worth noting that this generation of BOOX devices does not feature a WACOM screen. Instead, they are using EMR, and this device is compatible with the new BOOX InkSense stylus. The device does not come with a free stylus, but it is available for purchase as an optional accessory.
Software
The Go 7 Color Gen 2 runs on Google Android 13, but it is not a stock version of Android, as it utilizes Boox OS. This is a heavily skinned version that the company has developed, featuring a series of bright and bubbly icons and a user interface that makes it easy to click on when using the touchscreen display. One of the ways Onyx differentiates itself from the Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, or the Barnes & Noble Nook is the inclusion of Google Play. Onyx is one of the few brands worldwide to have Play on most of their ebook readers and e-notebooks. Many people will only buy an e-reader with Play since it opens up a world of customization.
The Main UI is at the bottom of the screen. It includes shortcuts to your Library, Bookstore, Apps Storage, and Settings. Your library only comprises books you have sideloaded on the stock Neoreader book reader. If you primarily use apps, such as Kindle or Kobo, the books in those apps will not appear in your main library. The bookstore is Onyx-branded and only comprises royalty-free content, which is the type of stuff you would find on Project Gutenberg. Apps are where pre-installed apps are located, such as Boox Cloud, Google Drive, and many others. Any apps you download from Google Play will also be here. Storage will show a file directory of all your data; inserting an SD card will display its contents. Settings are where you will see all your WIFI/Bluetooth and many other options, such as the number of page turns before a full page refresh is done. You will also conduct firmware updates here. Onyx tends to push out updates a few times a year.
One of the best options is the Control Centre, which you can access from an icon or by tapping on the display’s top middle. This is where you can pair Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to listen to audiobooks, music, podcasts, or other audio content. You can access your WIFI network with a login and password. There are also features such as an AI assistant, Boox cloud storage, Kids Mode, Split Screen, E-INK Centre, Screenshot, and full-page refresh. AI Assistant is like a ChatGPT-style chatbot, where you can ask questions and get answers.
Part of the control centre is an option called E INK Centre, which is beneficial. This is where you can control global settings to get the most out of your Go 7 Color. You can make all icons and text darker or lighter, depending on your preference. Want to increase the performance of your device? This is where you can set the different speed modes.
- HD Mode is designed for deep reading. Like reading printed books, you can enjoy incredibly sharp text with the least ghosting.
- Under Balanced Mode, BOOX coordinated demands for clear display and intermittent interaction. Quick screen response is assured when you are skimming books or images.
- Fast Mode aims to provide a smooth browsing experience for websites or activities that involve extensive scrolling. Subtle ghosting may occur, but responsiveness is enhanced.
- Ultrafast mode provides the most rapid response to dynamic content. Although some details may be lost, it allows you to watch videos and seamlessly use different apps.
Kids Mode is interesting; Onyx is the only brand that offers this feature, aside from Amazon. To use Kids mode, you must register or log in to your Onyx Account, and then you can tweak some settings. You can only allow them to access things you want, such as the reading app, or on an app-by-app basis. Kids’ profiles can be named after your child. When they log in, they won’t see any books an adult might be reading, or you can load in kid-friendly titles. If you are an Amazon user, you can grant them access to your Kindle app. There is also a time option that parents can establish, such as how long they want them to use the Go 10 every day, and a countdown timer will appear at the top.
Reading
The Boox Go 7 Color Gen 2 makes a perfect e-reader for reading books, comics, manga, PDF files, and other digital content. This is because of the colour screen and the 7-inch display. Most digital content occupies the entire screen, with minimal negative space. Flipping pages is ultra-fast and even faster if you engage in any speed modes from the E INK Control Centre. The page-turn buttons make the entire reading experience very intuitive. The image quality is very pronounced due to the 300 PPI screen and Carta 1200 controller.
The e-reading experience starts with the stock app Neoreader, where you can side-load all your content with many options for font sizes, font type, alignment, line spacing, and margins. It supports PDF, CAJ, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOC, DOCX, FB2, CHM, RTF, HTML, ZIP, PRC, PPT, and PPTX. I appreciate that it supports CBZ, which is ideal for sideloading Manga files, as this is the most popular online format. However, Amazon delivers manga in AZW3 format and via EPUB for Kobo and Google. You don’t need to worry about forms if you install apps such as VIZ or manga apps. It is also important to note that Google Play Books is installed by default, so you are not stuck using Neoreader by default.
The Go 7 Color Gen 2 shines when accessing Google Play and downloading your favourite apps. This provides you with tremendous flexibility and freedom to use the reading or news apps you typically use on your smartphone or tablet. I know many people always install Libby to read eBooks or listen to audiobooks borrowed from the public library. The Kindle reading app is the most popular since it was initially developed for smartphones and tablets. The page turn animation always looks nice and pretty, but it struggles on E INK devices due to the refresh issue. This is why Onyx made enhancements to the app at a system level to eliminate animated page turns, making it seamless and robust when you turn a page. Over the years, they have optimized many other apps but tend to focus on the writing experience on their extensive line of e-notes. The company has also made enhancements to several productivity apps.
The Onyx Boox features a built-in bookstore. However, it primarily sells royalty-free books, which contain duplicate content that can be found by simply browsing the internet or accessing sites like Project Gutenberg. This bookstore is designed to encourage people to read immediately, but it does not feature any bestsellers or paid-for books. You must download dedicated apps to pay for books or use Google Play Books.
Kindle
Writing
This device is not geared towards writing, but does have a system that allows you to draw freehand, take notes, and edit PDF files. Traditionally, BOOX has always used a WACOM screen, so it was compatible with many different styluses. Now, BOOX went in the same direction as Rakuten Kobo and used an EMR display to get users to buy their proprietary stylus. The BOOX for the Go 7 Color Gen 2 has compatibility with the new BOOX InkSense, designed for effortless writing and precise idea capture. It features smooth, accurate lines and boasts Type-C charging, along with a 65mAh Li-polymer battery for long-lasting power. Its lightweight, ergonomic design ensures comfortable note-taking and annotation anytime. The side button can be mapped to perform different functions, such as acting as an eraser or highlighter. They are using POM tips for the writing experience, which has 4,096 Pressure Levels of Sensitivity, so the harder you press, the thicker the lines will become.
The stylus is not yet available; it was scheduled for release in May and remains out of stock at the time of publication. When it is available, it will retail for $49.99. You can visit the dedicated product page to learn more.
Wrap Up
The BOOX Go Color 7 won’t win any awards for its industrial design and overall form factor. A well-designed e-reader is essential, since you will be holding it in your hands for a long reading session. However, the page-turn buttons are the same as those on the Kindle Oasis, but they do not have the same asymmetrical design on the back.
This e-reader is well-suited for its primary purpose: reading digital content, whether it’s a traditional black-and-white e-book or something that excels in color, such as comics, graphic novels, and, to a degree, magazines.
I would recommend this for people who want a color e-reader and don’t have one, and want to stick with the BOOX hardware. If you have the first-generation Go Color 7, this does not provide a perfect upgrade path, since the software and hardware are relatively the same. However, this new one has Android 13, while the previous generation has 12. If you are on the fence between this and the Kindle Colorsoft, the Colorsoft has a better screen, which is more vibrant and colors pop more, whereas the BOOX, side by side, looks darker.
- Does not support EMR stylus, Support Active Stylus InkSense, but the sytlus is not included in the box.
- Screen: 7" Kaleido 3 (4096 colors) Carta1200 glass screen with flat cover-lens. Resolution: 1680 x 1264 (B/W 300 ppi, Color 150 ppi)
- CPU: Octa-core RAM: 4GB ROM: 64GB Connectivity: Wi-Fi + BT 5.1
Onyx BOOX Go Color 7 Gen 2
$279.99Pros
- Android 13 and Google Play
- Good hardware and resolution
- Color e-paper screen
- Audio and microphones
- Sd Card
Cons
- Expensive
- Hard to find
- BOOX stylus is sold out everywhere
- Made of cheap plastic
- Many Android apps not optimized for E INK
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.