Boox Go 7
Hacker ApprovedRanked 14 of 29 e-readers by recommenders
Recommended as a less locked-in Kindle alternative with Android, color screen and page-turn buttons. Common caveat: slow performance.
Recommended as a less locked-in Kindle alternative with Android, color screen and page-turn buttons. Common caveat: slow performance.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 79%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Runs full Android with Play Store
“The key selling points of this model are the physical page-turn buttons and Google Android 13”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “running Android and color screen look like a more-than worthwhile tradeoff to my tastes”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” “Crisp screen, great battery life, full android with play store underneath.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” - Comment from 16 May 2026 in “A Tiny E Reader”
Physical page-turn buttons
“I ordered a Boox 7 because it should have a lot more raw power (CPU, ram). Plus it has physical buttons.”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader” “The key selling points of this model are the physical page-turn buttons and Google Android 13”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “Both have the Oasis form factor with two physical buttons.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Rakuten Kobo returns to U.S. retail as sales double” Color screen and crisp display
“I got a Boox Go Color 7 as a less locked in alternative to my Kindle a while back, and overall I've really enjoyed it.”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders” “running Android and color screen look like a more-than worthwhile tradeoff to my tastes”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” “Crisp screen, great battery life, full android with play store underneath.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” Syncs and works with other apps
“my Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi. I use BookFusion to sync with my iPhone. They all work great.”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “KOReader” “I installed a new dictionary to it fairly easily”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “A Tiny E Reader”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow, sluggish performance
“the device is so slow and clanky that I've only turned it on maybe a dozen times”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “71% Desk Workers Say Screen-Related Visual Discomfort Is Reducing Productivity” “it's slower than a turtle. Returning after 5 days.”
Comment from 16 Oct 2026 in “E Ink Kaleido 4” Battery life criticized as weak
“Battery life is comparable to the Oasis, Buttons are OK. The Oasis is much better made.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “The New Kindle Scribes Are Great, but Not Great Enough” “the battery life is not good for an ereader”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader”
Other e-readers people recommend
The four most recommended other e-readers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Kindle | 222 | 255 | 47% | 12 | 12 yrs37 owners | — |
| Xteink X4 | 178 | 47 | 79% | 10 | 2 mo31 owners | Approved |
| Kobo e-reader | 154 | 53 | 74% | 12 | 7 yrs14 owners | Approved |
| reMarkable 2 | 93 | 45 | 67% | 12 | 5 yrs13 owners | Approved |
| Boox Go 7This page | 15 | 4 | 79% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
19 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's slower than a turtle. Returning after 5 days.”
“I ordered a Boox 7 because it should have a lot more raw power (CPU, ram). Plus it has physical buttons.”
“Both have the Oasis form factor with two physical buttons.”
“the Color screen background is very dark and they're basically unusable (for me)”
“The key selling points of this model are the physical page-turn buttons and Google Android 13”
“Together they work pretty well”
“my Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi. I use BookFusion to sync with my iPhone. They all work great.”
“the battery life is not good for an ereader”
“I installed a new dictionary to it fairly easily”
“They run android at least.”
“Crisp screen, great battery life, full android with play store underneath.”
“running Android and color screen look like a more-than worthwhile tradeoff to my tastes”
“if I had a bigger budget, the Boox Go 7 (2nd gen) looks like the way to go”
“now read them using a Boox Go 7 - between that and Standard Ebooks I'm probably set for life”
“the device is so slow and clanky that I've only turned it on maybe a dozen times”
“Boox is full of bloatware”
“I got a Boox Go Color 7 as a less locked in alternative to my Kindle a while back, and overall I've really enjoyed it.”
“it's very nice hardware and the software doesn't get in the way”
“Battery life is comparable to the Oasis, Buttons are OK. The Oasis is much better made.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.