The Onyx Boox MAX 3 is available now on the Good e-Reader Store for $859 and this is the best 13.3 inch digital note taking device currently on the market. The big selling points are the octa-core Qualcomm processor, quick charge system, 5G internet access and Android 9.0
The MAX 3 features a 13.3 inch flexible E Ink Carta display panel with a resolution of 2260 x 1650 at 207 PPI. It has a WACOM digitizer layer for stylus support, for up to 4,096 degrees of pressure sensitivity and palm rejection technology. It does not have a backlight system, but no 13.3 inch device has ever had one. This is because the screen is so large, it would not support it. The only way a device of this size could have a backlight is if the LED lights were not only on the bottom, like most e-readers, but would have to be on all four sides, and this has never been done before.
Underneath the hood is a Qualcomm 2 GHZ octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.1. There is an HDMI port so you can connect the MAX3 up to your laptop or PC and have it act as a secondary monitor. There are 4 different types of refresh mode when attached to your PC, so you can browse the web, look at pictures, troll Reddit or program. It also has USB-C port and has support for OTG out of the box, so you can attach a keyboard, mouse, a foot pedal for musicians or other devices, with no drivers needed. It is powered by a gigantic 4,300 mAh battery, which is good for a few weeks, it also has support for Quick Charge 3, so you can charge it up to full in under two hours. Dimensions are 309.8*227.8*6.8mm and weighs around 490g.
You can listen to audiobooks, music or podcasts via the 2 stereo speakers on the back of the device. It also has dual microphones, so you can engage in voice chat using Skype or Whatsapp.
The MAX 3 is the first E Ink product on the market that ships with Android 9.0 right out of the box. This is utterly amazing in a few different ways. It addresses most of the well known security vulnerabilities, most other e-readers on the market use Android 4.04 to Android 6.0, for the most part. Since the MAX has access to the Play Store, you can virtually use any app that is compatible with an E Ink screen. This includes Overdrive, Libby, Hoopla, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Google Keep, OneNote, Outlook and all the e-reading, manga, magazine and newspaper apps. The world is your oyster with Android 9.
There are basically two digital note taking devices on the market that have 13.3 inch screens. The Sony Digital Paper and MAX line. Sony only edits PDF files and has note taking functionality. Onyx has the same support, but can also edit popular ebook formats and since it is running Android, has tremendous support to be a true multi-purpose digital note taker. It also ships with a new kind of stylus, that looks more stylish than previous gen models.
Speaking of note taking, the MAX 3 not only has a ton of options to draw and write, but it also has support for handwriting to text and voice to text, this is primarily what it has dual mics. The note taking experience is similar to the MAX 2 PRO, you can check out our comprehensive hands on review for more details.
You can purchase the Onyx Boox MAX 3 from the Good e-Reader Store, for around $859 USD. Onyx has just ramped up production and said it would be available to us in the second week of September.
Hardware
- 13.3″Â E ink flexible screen with flat cover-lens
- 2200×1650 Carta (207dpi)
- 16 gray scale
- Capacitive touch+Electromagnetic pen touch（WACOM）
- Qualcomn Octa-core 2.0GHz
- 4GB LPDDR3 memory
- 64GB EMMC storage
- Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz)+ BT 4.1
Software
- Regal refresh
- Android  9.0
- Documents Format: PDF, EPUB, TXT, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, DOC, MOBI, CHM…
- Image Format: PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP
- Audio Format: WAV, MP3
- APP Store: BOOX store
- Support DRM
Others
- Buttons: power, back button with fingerprint recognition
- Monitor Interface: Micro H**I
- Expansion Interface: Type-C (support OTG)
- Speaker: Dual Speakers
- Mic: Dual Microphones
- Earphone Jack: Type-C earphone jack
- Battery Capacity: 4300mAh
- Battery Life: Up to 4 weeks (standby mode)
- Dimension: 309.8*227.8*6.8mm
- Weight: ≤490g
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.
