Onyx recently released a new Android-powered ereader with a 7″ color E Ink screen called the Boox Go Color 7.
It’s another Kindle Oasis clone that adds color to the mix, but it’s a lot more advanced than a Kindle, and since it runs Android you can install the Kindle app on it to get a color Kindle of sorts.
Like I always say with Android ereaders, Android apps aren’t designed to run on E Ink screens so the experience of using apps is never as smooth and optimized as using an actual dedicated ereader like a Kindle, but the Kindle app works well enough to be usable.
Below is a video showing the Kindle app in action on the Boox Go Color 7 so you can see for yourself if the compromises are worth it or not.
To get the page buttons to work, you have to setup the Kindle app to use volume buttons to turn pages from the Aa menu under More. Then under the optimize settings for the app you have to set the page buttons to Volume (long-press the app icon or swipe up from the bottom left corner with the app open).
There are a bunch of different settings to configure using Onyx’s Optimize feature to help get the app to run smoother. I find the Regal refresh setting works best to minimize ghosting, but it causes more screen flashing. Unfortunately the bold option no longer seems to work; I used to use that on my old Boox Note and it worked great, but it doesn’t do anything on the Go Color.
The new Assistive Reader feature works with the Kindle app as well on the Boox. It uses text-to-speech to read the book aloud, and you can also set it to highlight the words as it reads aloud.
Overall the app works pretty well on the Boox Go Color 7, and the color screen is nice for comics and covers, but the reading experience and general navigation is still better on an actual Kindle. How long is it going to take Amazon to release a color Kindle?
Thank you so much for doing this deep dive into how the Kindle app works on android reader, This is what I would do for a number of reference books I read on Kindle and highlight/annotate.
In the end, would you enjoy just reading with the Kindle app on this or is lack of bolding of fonts/contrast a drain of enjoyment of reading on it compared to Amazon Kindle devices?
If it was my only option I could probably get used to it, but since I have a bunch of Kindles laying around I’d rather just use one of them.
I have both Kindle Oasis 3 (+ Paperwhite 4) and Onyx Boox Page (which is basically this without color). I find Kindle app on Onyx superior to actual Kindle in pretty much every way except for a limited number of different fonts. Collections look better on Onyx, font is not as bold as on Oasis (I hate bold fonts), it supports assistive reader, immersive reading, Audible books (through speaker)… Plus the screen is much nicer. If you want to read Kindle books, Onyx is the way to go, not actual Kindle in my opinion.