Onyx has announced the release of the Boox Go 6 Gen II for the international market, a 6″ black and white ereader that runs Android. It’s mostly the same as the first gen version, except this new model adds stylus support and it has more RAM, and it comes in different colors.
That sounds like a pretty standard Onyx move, change a couple of details and call it “Gen II”, but this new model seems to be generating more outrage than usual.
Everywhere I look people are complaining about the Android version being too old, how Onyx downgraded the screen, how it only has 3GB of RAM, how it doesn’t support Wacom styli, the price is too high, etc, etc.
To be fair, most of the complaints seem valid. The Go 6 Gen II runs Android 11 from 2020. Most of Onyx’s newer models run Android 15. I’ve been saying for years the Android version on Boox devices makes very little difference since the software is so heavily customized, but Onyx has to know that older versions of Android aren’t going to be a popular choice (maybe it’s intentional so people will pay more for a different model with a newer version).
I’m not sure if the screen complaints are valid, though. It has a 6″ 300 ppi screen with a flush front layer, and that’s all Onyx says on the matter. They don’t actually specify which E Ink panel it’s using anywhere, so I guess that’s leading people to assume it uses an older Carta 1200 screen instead of Carta 1300. Even if that’s the case, I don’t see that as an automatic downgrade. When I compared the two screen types on the Kobo Clara models, the Carta 1200 screen had better contrast.
One thing that is a clear upgrade is the addition of stylus support. It supports Onyx’s InkSense Plus stylus, not Wacom, but people seem to be coming around to Onyx’s styli being pretty good now, at least on some models. Of course the Go 6 doesn’t come with a stylus so that has to be purchased separately.
For specs, the Go 6 Gen II has a 2.0GHz octa-core CPU with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. There’s also a microSD card slot for expansion. It has a frontlight with adjustable color temperature, along with a USB-C port and a microphone. It supports dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, and it has a 1500mAh battery.
I noticed a few funny things on Onyx’s product page that I can’t help but point out. “Days of use on a single charge” is one of them, and don’t forget to “carry the calm” when you hit the road. “Suitcase-inspired look” is another oddity. Then there’s stuff like this: “Available in four serene colors, Go 6 (Gen II) brings a whisper of calm and offers a tranquil space for your thoughts amidst a hectic world.” And it’s like they went out of their way to use words like “rekindle” and “nook” to troll their competition; I’m surprised they didn’t show the Kobo app in the screenshot of installed Android apps.
The Go 6 Gen II is available in four colors: plum, stone, shell, and custard. It’s hard to tell from the names, but the colors are all pretty bland, unfortunately. The black color (plum) is the only one with a black front bezel; all the other colors have a white bezel instead of matching the back.
The Boox Go 6 Gen II is available to pre-order from Onyx’s website, and it’s expected to start shipping next week. The price is $199 when ordered from their US warehouse, and it includes a magnetic case. It’s $189 when ordered from Onyx’s Hong Kong warehouse. There’s also a bundle that includes an InkSense Plus stylus for $232.99 (US).
I’m interested to see if Onyx will sell this from their Amazon store. Ever since they launched it, they’ve refused to sell their 6″ ereaders there, other than the Palma. They recently started selling the Go 7 BW from their Amazon store, so maybe the Go 6 will finally show up there as well.
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