Boox puts stylus support on its new Android tablets with a paper-like screen

Over the past couple of years, Boox has emerged as one of the most ambitious brands in a segment where Amazon’s Kindles have been the go-to choice. The brand makes monochrome and color E Ink devices in a variety of form factors, from the phone-like Palma and compact tablets to ambient-lit slates and monitors.

The latest from Boox are the Go 7 and the second-gen Go Color 7 tablets. Their biggest draw is stylus support, allowing them to double as a digital diary built atop Android. Complementing the pen support is the fantastic Notes app, which offers a ton of features such as pre-made and custom templates, brush variations, handwriting recognition, and more. 

What’s on offer?

Boox hasn’t changed the fundamental design compared to the original Color Go 7, but this time around, it is offering a new variant with a black-and-white panel, as well. It’s a charmingly small tablet that’s only 6.4mm across, weighs under 200 grams, and features physical page turn buttons to go with the square-ish 7-inch panel.

Another underrated perk is the dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion on the Go 7 and the second-gen Go Color 7 e-readers. The front light is adjustable on both models, but users can switch it off entirely and rely on ambient light to view content. 

For your visual pleasure, the two slates offer a fairly sharp panel with a 300 PPI pixel density. On the next-gen Color Go 7, you get an E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that can produce 4,096 colors, while the base Go 7 relies on an E Ink Carta 1300 panel. 

The latter is monochrome, but thanks to the front light array, you can set it to produce content against a warm backlight for a more comfortable reading experience. The panel offers a paper-like viewing experience, similar to the Boox Palma and the sunlit Onyx Boox Go 10.3 tablet. 

You should pay attention

Boox offers the widest set of display customization options I’ve ever seen on an e-reader, ranging from refresh rate and granular color controls to layout formatting and a rewarding in-built OCR system. The software offers a deep level of customization and quick controls, but the best part is that it runs the full Android experience with Google Play Store support. 

I extensively used the first-gen Boox Go Color 7 as a companion device, pushing it as a secondary panel for keeping an eye on workplace chats, listening to podcasts, reading books, and hoarding an unhealthy catalog of comics. Ever since I got my hands on it, I’ve never gone back to the Kindle or any reMarkable slate.

The baseline Go 7 comes in white and black colors, rocking a water-repellent build and a beautiful textured finish on the rear cover. The Color Go 7, on the other hand, will only be sold in a single trim with a navy blue-inspired color profile on its polycarbonate shell.

Boox says the Go 7 tablet is now up for grabs, priced at $219.99 for the sole 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model. The Color Go 7, on the other hand, will hit the shelves “soon” without a price tag attached to it, as of now.