Onyx has announced the upcoming release of a new 7-inch ebook reader called the Onyx Boox Leaf.
It’s kind of like a less expensive version of the Nova Air without stylus support and it has a smaller 7-inch screen instead of a 7.8-inch screen.
They’re marketing it as a lightweight highly-portable ereader. It weighs about 170 grams, which is pretty low for a 7-inch device, and it’s only about 6mm thick.
Onyx is big on magnetic accessories lately and the Leaf is no exception. They’re selling a lightweight magnetic case to go along with it that adds page turn buttons like the magnetic case for the Nova Air.
Onyx also claims the Leaf has a special coating on the body that resists scratches and fingerprints, and the casing is designed to make it less likely to bend to help keep the screen from cracking.
In addition to ebooks, the Leaf also supports audio for music, audiobooks, and text-to-speech. It has a built-in speaker and you can connect Bluetooth speakers or headphones.
One peculiar detail about the Leaf is the fact that it runs Android 10. The new Note models and Max Lumi2 that Onyx just released last month all run Android 11. So why is the Nova Air and new Leaf both still running an older version of Android? Not that it really matters from a functional standpoint but it’s kind of odd, especially since Onyx rarely updates the Android version that their devices come with initially.
The new Onyx Boox Leaf is currently available to pre-order from Onyx’s website for $279. It’s expected to start shipping sometime around December 7th.
Onyx Boox Leaf Specs
- 7-inch HD E Ink Carta Screen with cover-lens
- Resolution: 1680×1264 (300 dpi)
- Frontlight with CTM (Warm and Cold)
- Capacitive touch
- Octa-core processor
- 2G LPDDR4X RAM
- 32GB storage
- Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB Type-C
- Speaker, mic
- Rotation sensor
- Android 10.0
- Formats: PDF, PPT, EPUB, TXT, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, DOC, MOBI, CHM, WAV, MP3…
- 2000mAh Polymer Li-on Battery
- Dimensions: 165.6×130.8×5.95 mm
- Weight: 170 grams
- Price: $279
Maybe it’s just me, but the price tag does seem quite steep, considering the Poke3 with very similar internals and specs is $190. Would understand more if it was IPX rated and they were offering free accessories, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
With no stylus and a bigger screen and better battery life I think the likebook P78 is a better buy and it has a lower price tag.
I own the likebook p78 and it is more focused on ereading than Onyx. Onyx tries to be just a tad bit too much like a tablet compared to Likebook which is daft on e-ink technology IMO.
I also, find the portability angle of this Onyx dubious as it is based mostly on how light and thin it is. The P78 is significantly heavier with a 7.8 inch screen but no matter how light this Onyx model is I find anything above 6 inch is not that portable using the clothing pocket test. I own a libra h20 which is about 7 inches and it is less portable than my previous 6 inch reaings. Yeah, it is light and thin but that is not going to expand the pocket of my jeans or internal jacket pockets to more easily fit a 7 inch screen compared to 6 inch.
Agreed on size. While this doesn’t seem to have as wide a bezel as the Libra, it’s still going to be bulky with a case/pouch. It’s why I recommended the Poke3 since it’s still available over the Leaf for basically almost the exact same internals at a more portable size.
I haven’t personally taken a look at any of the Boyue devices. How do you find them more focused on reading? Is it just the stylus support (as Kobos are also moving in that direction) or is it something else like the native reader or UI etc? I’ve always been curious about the Boyues.
Onyx definitely pushes the boundaries of e-readers. Besides a sleek design they also integrate text to speech. Wonder how well it works.
I also own a Likebook P78 and I’m pretty dissatisfied. How are they “focused on ereading”? The included software is horrible… I use KO reader which is *almost* usable on the P78. The reason I bought the device was Android, but it barely has the speed to run Android apps like the Kindle app.
When I walk to another part of the house and happen to pick up my Kindle Paperwhite 3, it opens instantly and is laser focused on reading. Now THAT’s an ereader! But I want Android so I can read in other ecosystems easily (OliveTree, Nook).
P78 is not my final solution. Still looking.
That’s a slick looking device!
Onyx seems to like the looks of Remarkable 2 (at least from the front these two devices look the same).
This is because the manufacturers must adhere to the connections provided by the screen manufacturer. And if these are on the long side, then this side has to be wider
I’m not sure; there are many e-readers with one side wider, and none of them looks anything like Remarkable 2. This one, however, looks identical (including the colors), the only difference is the Boox logo (and the size).
All 7 inch devices are wider on the long side, also all 8 inch devices.
There are 2 different screens of the 10.3 inch screens, the ones based on glass have the connection on the long side and are wider there – those with Mobius display have the connection on the short side and are wider there.