# Onyx Boox e-reader

48 Hacker News commenters recommended Onyx Boox e-reader and 26 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People like its near-paper e-ink screen, pen support, and full Android that runs any app. Critics most often cite weak vendor support and GPL source-release concerns.

## Why people recommend it

- Full Android, runs any app (9 comments): "Boox devices do not serve any kinds of ads, are fully Android, you can customize your starting screen however you like" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47845966)) "I've been super happy with my boox. Full android, so you can install the Kindle app if needed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49924614)) "they're really just android tablets with a special build of android for eink devices" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48256121))
- Paper-like e-ink reading experience (6 comments): "I absolutely love it. E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47577669)) "E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47577701)) "I absolutely love using my Boox with it, honestly my dream reading setup." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49001309))
- Good stylus for notes (4 comments): "I absolutely love it. E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47577669)) "E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47577701)) "It's great for reading and taking notes and it fits nicely in my laptop bag on top of my laptop." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46285526))
- No ads and user control (4 comments): "Boox devices do not serve any kinds of ads, are fully Android, you can customize your starting screen however you like" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47845966)) "The reading device, software, and books shouldn't be locked down or remotely controlled." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48428157)) "My Boox does none of this. I just put the epub file in the device and read it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47735816))

## What people warn about

- Ghosting, low contrast, low resolution (4 comments): "the resolution was not good enough read journals/PDFs/stuff like the guardian weekly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47299362)) "there's a lot of ghosting (like the game boy) but it works fine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171572)) "It doesn't reflect enough light, and so I felt like I needed to use the backlight on it most of the time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50111518))
- Weak vendor support and reliability (2 comments): "Physical device reliability and support through the vendor have been more recent frustrations." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48885121)) "The firm's support is decidedly sub-par, however, should you encounter issues." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49320651))
- GPL source release concerns (4 comments): "They're notorious, unapologetic GPL violators with a poor track record when it comes to privacy and general integrity" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47582312)) "Their devices run modified GPL software and they have (AFAIK) refused to release their modifications." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48663868)) "Boox does not release the sources for the GPL software they redistribute" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47840990))
- Battery life weaker than Kindles (2 comments): "Mine is not comparable with the Early Kindles but it comes close to the Oasis with the tiny Battery." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46223334)) "the battery life and performance seem a lot weaker than the early-generation do-one-thing Kindles" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46221359))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Kobo e-reader](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-e-reader.md): 154 recommend
- [Kobo Clara](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-clara-bw.md): 38 recommend
- [Kindle Paperwhite](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kindle-paperwhite.md): 34 recommend
- [Kobo Libra Color](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-libra-colour.md): 26 recommend
- [Kindle Oasis](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kindle-oasis.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Onyx+Boox+e-reader&tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Onyx Boox e-reader", https://hackerapproved.com/p/boox-e-reader/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).