On the subject of selecting an e-reader, for many customers it comes all the way down to which machine has quick access to the books they really wish to learn, and the reply is often both the Amazon Kindle or the Rakuten Kobo. There’s now a 3rd possibility, the Boox Leaf 2 from Onyx, that lets customers purchase books from the competitors’s e-book shops, with out having to accept both firm’s locked-down units.

Until you’re as obsessive about E Ink units as I’m, or stay outdoors the US, Onyx won’t be an organization you’ve heard of earlier than. And that’s a disgrace, as a result of for the previous few years it’s been placing collectively an in depth lineup of e-reader and e-note units that basically do put the established manufacturers to disgrace in the case of efficiency and performance. Not like the Kindle or the Kobo, which every run proprietary working methods, the Onyx Boox Leaf 2 runs Android 11 beneath a customized front-end, and contains full entry to the Google Play Retailer—together with not simply e book apps, but in addition video games and different instruments as effectively.

Is it the right e-reader for everybody? No, because it undoubtedly skews in direction of the customizability-loving Android energy consumer. However in case you’re keen to take a position a while to get it working precisely the way you need, it’s an e-reader that anybody who’s left paper books behind needs to be severely contemplating.

Stable {Hardware} That Doesn’t Dare to Be Totally different

By now, in case you’ve seen one e-reader, you’ve kind of seen all of them. Like smartphones, there’s not loads of variation between E Ink units today, other than their display screen dimension and the place different options like buttons and charging ports are situated.

If the Boox branding within the higher nook doesn’t catch their eye, most individuals can be onerous pressed to distinguish the Leaf 2 from the Kindle Oasis or Kobo Libra e-readers, which all function an uneven bezel design, making the units simpler to carry in a single hand.

The Boox Leaf 2 is among the first Onyx units in a couple of years to function devoted web page flip buttons in-built, however I’m not totally thrilled with their execution. I like that the ahead and again buttons on the aspect of the Kindle Oasis and Kobo Libra have an area between them, making them simpler to differentiate with out having to look. On the Leaf 2, they sit proper subsequent to one another with barely a discernible hole between them.

One other factor I’m lacking on the Boox Leaf 2 is the raised lip that the Kindle Oasis and Kobo Libra have on the broader aspect of the bezel, making them simpler to grip one-handed. That doesn’t imply the Leaf 2 is tough to carry, because it’s really shocking mild and durable, but it surely’s simply one other instance of how an absence of polish and design acuity is stopping Onyx’s units from turning into as widespread as they should be. However yr after yr, they’re getting higher and higher.

On the highest fringe of the Leaf 2, you’ll discover a mixture energy/sleep button for briefly shutting down the e-reader or powering it off fully, whereas alongside the sting closest to the web page flip buttons are audio system, a USB-C charging port, a microphone, and a slot for a microSD reminiscence card, permitting you to complement the built-in 32GB of storage.

General, I’d describe the Leaf 2’s {hardware} as minimal and modern, however its clean again panel is a fingerprint magnet and is in determined want of some texturing to make the machine simpler to grip. That being mentioned, I extremely suggest e-readers with asymmetrical bezel designs like this, as I discover them a lot simpler to carry with out fingers blocking or unintentionally tapping the touchscreen, and I’d nonetheless select the Leaf 2 over the extra primary Kindle and Kobo units that lack devoted web page flip buttons.

Onyx really sells two variations of the Boox Leaf 2, in black or white, but it surely’s not only a colour distinction that units the 2 choices aside. Each fashions are almost similar in the case of their {hardware}, every coming with the seven-inch, 300PPI, E Ink Carta 1200 display screen we’ve already seen in different units. However whereas the black model, which I examined, has a layer of protecting glass over the E Ink panel, ensuing within the show sitting flush with the remainder of the entrance of the e-reader, the white model skips the glass panel, with an uncovered E Ink panel sitting barely decrease than the encompassing bezel.

The black model affords the advantage of further sturdiness, significantly if the Leaf 2 goes to be bouncing round unprotected in a bag or backpack, however the further layer of glass does contribute to display screen glare when the machine is utilized in direct daylight or beneath a lamp, and a slight softening of what’s seen on-screen. It’s not an evening and day distinction, however compared intently, textual content and particulars on the white model of the Leaf 2 will seem barely crisper. Each variations are priced precisely the identical, and Onyx leaves it as much as every consumer to resolve what is going to work finest for his or her wants. That’s kind of the theme of the Leaf 2—excessive customizability—which is each a plus and a minus for this machine.

Android: The Onyx Leaf 2’s Not-So-Secret Weapon

Whereas the Amazon Kindles and Rakuten Kobos each run a proprietary working system (a model of Linux under-the-hood on the Kobo), the Boox Leaf 2 runs Android 11, with a customized front-end developed by Onyx.

Should you’re accustomed to Android, and like it over extra restricted working methods like Apple’s iOS, you’ll most likely discover the Leaf 2 a well-known and welcome expertise, full with a Management Middle that’s accessible always by swiping down from the highest of the display screen, and a navigation bar accessible by swiping up from the underside. Functionally, utilizing the Leaf 2 feels extra like utilizing an Android pill than an e-reader, however visually it appears extra like a Kobo or a Kindle due to Onyx’s front-end, which is sadly missing loads of polish.

I’ve mentioned it earlier than with Onyx’s units, however the customized consumer interface can really feel a bit complicated, clunky, and is much from fairly. You’ll simply discover your manner across the machine after spending a while with it, but it surely’s removed from intuitive, and that could possibly be an enormous flip off for customers already accustomed to, and who’re followers of, Amazon’s e-readers. Benefiting from Onyx’s e-reader strategy takes some dedication and perseverance.

Should you prefer to customise the feel and appear of your units, the Leaf 2 is, certainly, the e-reader for you. Customers can choose to make it really feel extra like an Android pill, with menus that pop on-screen from all instructions, or swap to a extra streamlined interface the place swipe gestures on particular elements of the display screen make modifications, like adjusting display screen lighting or quantity, with none on-screen controls showing. Onyx additionally affords a singular function on all of its E Ink units: a tiny on-screen dot that may be positioned wherever and offers fast entry to a small menu of shortcuts that customers can configure nevertheless they need. I really hate it, and instantly turned it off, however I can perceive the potential usefulness it affords.

Aspect-loaded content material, together with e book information, textual content docs, or PDFs, are accessed by means of the default Boox Neo Reader app, which itself affords an virtually exhausting stage of customization in the case of how content material is displayed and the looks of textual content. It’s definitely a welcome function for energy customers, and there are alternatives I’ve typically wished had been accessible on Kindles and Kobos, however on the similar time I can simply see my mother and father getting overwhelmed by the numerous menus filled with sliders and toggles that the Leaf 2 presents a consumer. To broaden its enchantment, I feel that Onyx ought to take into account including a ‘dumbed down’ possibility that streamlines the UI for novice customers and retains extra superior and typically intimidating configurability fully hidden.

You’ll additionally wish to needless to say the Leaf 2 is a $200 machine working a Qualcomm 2.0G Quad-core processor from 2012, not a $1,000+ smartphone with the most recent and best Qualcomm has to supply. That, coupled with the restrictions of E Ink display screen know-how, implies that paperwork like magazines or comedian books, which frequently require loads of zooming or panning to learn, is not going to make for a delightful studying expertise on this machine. And powering Android 11 on a decade previous processor means the Leaf 2 isn’t the snappiest machine you’ve ever poked. It’s nonetheless an e-reader optimized for textual content, at the beginning.

Supply Your Studying Materials From In every single place

If there’s one cause to decide on the Boox Leaf 2 over a Kindle or a Kobo, it’s that not solely are you not tied right into a single content material eco-system, you even have quick access to all of them.

Should you’ve been utilizing a Kindle for years and have purchased a whole bunch of titles from Amazon’s e book retailer, you’ll be able to simply set up the Android Kindle app on the Leaf 2 and nonetheless have entry to all of that content material.

The identical goes for the Kobo, or for individuals who for some cause had been devoted customers of the Barnes & Noble Nook. Choose to not pay for ebooks however don’t wish to enterprise into the darker corners of the web? You may set up Libby and borrow digital titles out of your native library. The Leaf 2 does audiobooks too, with built-in audio system and Bluetooth for connecting to wi-fi headphones. You may even subscribe to all the above companies and supply your content material from as many sources as you need, all on one machine that features the easy-on-the-eyes advantages of E Ink display screen know-how.

It doesn’t cease at books, although. With full entry to the Google Play Retailer, you’ll be able to set up Spotify and use the Leaf 2 to stream music, and even see what watching YouTube movies on a tool with an E Ink display screen is like.

Spoiler alert: Even with a number of choices for altering how the Leaf 2’s E Ink display screen behaves, together with a mode that prioritizes refresh velocity over picture high quality, watching movies on an E Ink machine remains to be an disagreeable expertise.

An Various Value Contemplating

There are as many causes to change to the Onyx Boox Leaf 2 as there are to stay along with your tried-and-true Kindle or Kobo. Its consumer interface can really feel a bit messy and clunky, and as a lot as I hate to say it, I wouldn’t belief my mother and father to determine it out on their very own with out many panicked cellphone calls to me. Onyx additionally doesn’t have as massive a worldwide presence as Amazon or Rakuten do, which might make getting help for a defective machine a making an attempt expertise.

That being mentioned, for these devoted to the duty, the customizability of the Boox Leaf 2 means you’ll be able to finally get the e-reader functioning precisely how you want, whereas the flexibleness of having the ability to bounce from e book retailer to e book retailer everytime you need, on a single e-reader, is a compelling function you’ll by no means see from the competitors.