Onyx Boox e-reader

What hackers pick instead

• Kobo e-readerAn open, hackable e-reader that needs no account, sideloads EPUBs via USB or Calibre and borrows library books free, though some report sluggish firmware and flaky non-Kobo EPUB handling.154recommend
• Kobo ClaraRecommended for its readable screen, small size, long battery life, and open software that runs KOReader well. Critics say page turns are slow and it has no page-turn buttons.38recommend
• Kindle PaperwhiteOwners praise long battery life, durability and easy reading; the most common caveat is Amazon's lock-down of books and software.34recommend
• Kobo Libra ColorPeople recommend it for its reading experience, physical buttons and open software access. The most common caveat is a dark colour screen that needs the front light.26recommend
• Kindle OasisFans praise its physical page-turn buttons, ergonomic shape and build, and say no newer Kindle matches it. Common caveats: aging software and no physical buttons on newer models.23recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 95 comments. Each links to the original.

1. 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.

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Take Better Notes, by Hand”

2. Boox devices do not serve any kinds of ads, are fully Android, you can customize your starting screen however you like

   Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”

3. Mine is not comparable with the Early Kindles but it comes close to the Oasis with the tiny Battery.

   Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “The New Kindle Scribes Are Great, but Not Great Enough”

4. E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me.

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Take Better Notes, by Hand”

5. the battery life and performance seem a lot weaker than the early-generation do-one-thing Kindles

   Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “The New Kindle Scribes Are Great, but Not Great Enough”

6. It's great for reading and taking notes and it fits nicely in my laptop bag on top of my laptop.

   Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders”

7. Physical device reliability and support through the vendor have been more recent frustrations.

   Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “How to Read More Books”

8. I've been super happy with my boox. Full android, so you can install the Kindle app if needed.

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Amazon introduces a redesigned Kindle family”

9. The reading device, software, and books shouldn't be locked down or remotely controlled.

   Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “The New Bibliomaniacs”

10. they're really just android tablets with a special build of android for eink devices

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Kindle loyalists scramble as Amazon turns page on old e-readers”

11. the resolution was not good enough read journals/PDFs/stuff like the guardian weekly

    Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “FrameBook”

12. The firm's support is decidedly sub-par, however, should you encounter issues.

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “I turned my RSS feeds into an e-ink newspaper to stop reading on my phone”

13. My Boox does none of this. I just put the epub file in the device and read it.

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions”

14. Nook and Boox devices run Android - I've run Ankidroid on both those devices.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Kobo can run apps now”

15. I run any kind of android app on my boox, firefox, wikipedia, claude etc...

    Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”

16. I really like my Boox e-reader because I can install any android app on it

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers”

17. I absolutely love using my Boox with it, honestly my dream reading setup.

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers”

18. I use a Boox device. As long as I can back it up in any format I'm happy

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Amazon is discontinuing Kindle for PC on June 30th”

19. I use a Boox E-Ink device for the same purpose. I absolutely love it.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s”

20. It's a pretty much stock Android, you have adb, a choice of readers

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Ask HN: What E-Reader to Buy?”

21. there's a lot of ghosting (like the game boy) but it works fine

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “FFmpeg 9.0”

22. I love that it's just an android tablet with an e-ink screen.

    Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Your ePub Is Fine. Kobo Disagrees. Blame Adobe”

23. The refresh rate was quick, and he could draw using a stylus.

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “Writerdeck.org”

24. It's insane how much better a reading experience this is

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks”

25. I absolutely love it. I've had it for almost four years.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “E Ink Kaleido 4”

26. Since Boox runs android, you can also run a shell on it

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux”

27. I personally prefer the bw device.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Kobo can run apps now”

28. They're notorious, unapologetic GPL violators with a poor track record when it comes to privacy and general integrity

    Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “Take Better Notes, by Hand”

29. It doesn't reflect enough light, and so I felt like I needed to use the backlight on it most of the time.

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “E Ink Kaleido 4”

30. Their devices run modified GPL software and they have (AFAIK) refused to release their modifications.

    Criticizes · Jun 2026 · in “The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader”

31. The colour version does not show text more blurry, rather, the contrast is significantly lower.

    Criticizes · Aug 2026 · in “Kobo can run apps now”

32. Boox does not release the sources for the GPL software they redistribute

    Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”

33. they've never released the linux kernel source for any of their devices

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “More Tailscale tricks for your jailbroken Kindle”

34. The big difference with the Boox device is real-time updates, which make the smart home status information much more useful.

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard”

35. some of the flagship Boox devices, I'm very excited for where alternative display technology is going

    Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Modos Color Monitor Pushes E-Paper Displays Further”

36. I love the device, but unfortunately, I trust it about as far as I trust the Chinese government

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “More Tailscale tricks for your jailbroken Kindle”

37. I would probably just go for an Android eink tablet like the ones made by Bigme and Onyx Boox.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “In Praise of APL (1977)”

38. Supernote and Onyx Boox both do meaningful upgrades with useful new features on their devices.

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “ReMarkable firing up to 40% of their workforce”

39. if the exact same tablet was like 9 inch and half the weight, it would be the perfect device

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “E Ink Kaleido 4”

40. The Boox premium is plug and play compatibility, high fidelity/refresh rate and support.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard”