Boox Leaf 2: In-Depth Review of the 7" Android 11 eReader That Challenges the Competition
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
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00:00 - Intro
01:46 - Specifications
04:33 - Design and Build Quality
09:04 - General Capabilities
12:56 - Reader Capabilities
19:22 - Battery
22:14 - Image Quality
25:44 - Kobo App vs Kobo Device
28:01 - Kindle app vs Kindle Device
29:37 - Frontlight
33:05 - Conclusion: Cons
35:59 - Conclusion: Pros
38:39 - Conclusion: Summary
#mydeepguide #boox #leaf2
Boox has released the second iteration of their 7" e-ink Android 11-powered eReader, the Leaf 2. It addresses a lot of the design issues that Leaf 1 had and delivers a serious challenge to the established rulers of this market area. Can it deliver? Let's check it out :)
OFFICIAL PRODUCT WEBSITE: shop.boox.com/products/leaf2
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Correction. It is possible to turn pages via the buttons in 3rd party apps that support using volume buttons as turn pages buttons. Kindle app supports that and the setting can be found in the "More" section. In the Kobo app you can do the same in the Advanced Settings.
More details can be found here:
help.boox.com/hc/en-us/articles/8569506159124-Troubleshooting
Would it flip page on chrome? Like I read I lot of article online.. and I use spacebar to flip the page.
On Kindle you have to open a book first, then click on the top of the page to open the upper bar and click the "Aa" button, and then click on "MORE". If you scroll down a bit, you will see the option "Turn Pages with Volume Controls." I searched for half an hour to find the right "more" section. Because Kindle has more than just one.
I bought the white version to replace my series 3 Kindle Keyboard after many years. I was so used to the large page turn button that these slim buttons are taking a while for me to like them - however, I'm getting there. It's not the closeness that concerns me, it's that they are so narrow and I have to use my thumbnail instead of the pad of my thumb. One of the things I really like about the Leaf2 is that it's so much lighter than my old Kindle. Second thing is the way it turns the text to whatever orientation I'm holding it.
You make sure we know you don't like the cover but you don't say why. A lot of 'I don't like the cover, I just don't like the cover' but nothing about what is wrong with it. I got the cover and am having no problem with it at all. The cover folds over and supports the device so I can have it open on a benchtop hands free.
Great review and you are just delightful to watch. Thank you! :)
Got this a week or so ago. It's absolutely perfect for my use. Physical turn buttons, the familiarity and content of Google play and the ability to source books both in print and spoken format. Yes, it isn't as user friendly out of the box as my Kindle, but, like iPhone, Kindle is a walled garden device. Now I have my cake and can eat it, with no walls in sight. I'm incredibly happy with this gadget.
Great review. Thanks for talking about the battery life, it seems like a lot of e-reader reviews don't mention it at all.
This is my ideal reading device. It has the carta 1200 screen, has decent glowlight, decent speed, has access to all the stores.
Little bit more expensive (?) than the kindle, but I think it is worth it for the flexibility.
The battery life is kind of an issue, but I mostly use it at home, so not a biggie. But I hope they fix it in the future with an update.
I use all the major stores. I use kindle store for more mainstream titles. I got an audible subscription, so I usually get the narration if its available. I'm not a native speaker, so it is comfortable to have someone narrating for you. Strangely, kindle device doesnt have this capability, to read the narration with the ebook. It only exists in the android kindle app.
The Kobo store I use mostly for content that is in my native language (Turkish). They are very good with non-english content.
I use play books for my own epubs. It is convenient to upload there and access it on the Leaf.
My main epub library lives on my synology server. I access it through leaf via an app called calibre sync (they are calibre libs). It is the most scalable, I can put an infinite number of books there, but it is the most cumbersome to maintain.
Tavsiye eder misiniz? Poke 3 ile bunun arasında kaldım. Mate paper da var bende ama büyük olduğundan taşınabilir değil.
I must say. I love these reviews of e-ink devices. Thanks My Deep Guide.
I love the reviews, but I'm also getting more and more confused. Just when I was about to buy Paperwhite, I heard about Libra 2. Then I heard about Pocketbook Era, then after that Boox Leaf 2 ... like It just gets confusing and now I don't know anymore what to get T_T
Fantastic review, thank you! (And Adorable Cat!)
Now i know what I'm buying myself for a Christmas present this year 😄
Just curious - did u manage to try out the browsing experience on the Leaf 2? (whether on neobrowser or some other browser e.g Crome, Firefox) How was it, do webpages/text render well on the 7 inch e-ink screen or are they usually too small?
Because I read a lot of news/articles online, I was wondering how well it would work to replace my phone for daily surfing/news reading...anything to help save my eyes😄
👍👍- gracias monsieur Voya. Another great review.
Thank you, Voja, great review as always! I had nova air c, it is a great device with color and writing capabilities. However, for casual reading, I was kind of struggling with accidentally swiping pages, as the margins are quite slim, so you have to pay a lot of attention to how you hold the device. You can disable the screen touch and use the buttons on the cover, but I hated that cover, buttons didn't work on kindle and when you suddenly need a function like light adjustment or dictionary, you have to enable the screen touch again. So started looking for some light and portable e-reader with some more obvious 'holding space', preferably with buttons. I considered Kobo libra2. However, here are the reasons that pushed me more towards leaf 2: 1) Possibility to use whatever file formats I wish; 2) possibility to synchronize the library through all Boox devices; 3) I don't think you mentioned this in the review (or I missed it) - in contrast with Kobo or Kindle, Boox has text-to-speech function. I prefer reading books, not listening, but I like to listen while doing some household work or driving. With TTS there is no need to buy an audiobook in addition.
I wouldn't recommend Leaf as a dedicated reader for scientific papers in pdf format. It is ok if you just read them in a way you read a book or browse, but not if you need to work with it, going back and forth through pages. It is possible on occasions, but too much struggle for regular use, then bigger screen is preferable, and of course Max Lumy 2 is hard to beat.
Thanks for this independent review!
Thanks for another great thorough review Voja! You brought up one or KY biggest pet peeves with the buttons on Boox devices; that we are unable to make them work more universally on several apps. I have sent in personal feedback about this as they now have the Leaf, Nova Air, Nova Air C, Leaf 2, etc. all incorporating buttons.
I think it would be quite easy as they currently allow you to go to the navigational ball and there is a feature that puts to Digital buttons on the screen that can tap up or down for you on a scrolling document or website. I would think they could make it so we could program the buttons to either tap up or down on a screen or to set the buttons to tap left or right. Then the buttons could work on Scribd, Kobo, Libby, Perlego, or virtually any app, website or document you may be viewing.
I have found a work around with the Kindle app for my Leaf though 😁. You open up a Kindle book, hit settings ot the "Aa" symbol, then hit "more" then scroll down and turn on a setting that allows you to use your phone's volume buttons as page turning buttons; this option will also make your Boox buttons work on the Kindle App. I don't know Kobo as well, so I'm unsure if they have this feature on their app, but I know that Scribd, Libby, Perlego and virtually any other reading app out there does not have that feature. The solution as you mention would be for Boox to come up with something on their end 😁
Thank you, you have actually unraveled Boox buttons functionality on the Kindle app! It works!
@@crazydiamond8397 I'm glad it was helpful! 😁
Muchas gracias, por la reseña 😊
Thank you for the great review! I just wanted to say that I thought your old guy moment was hilarious. Thanks for the laugh!
The ice-skating elephant screensaver is sooooo cute 😍
Zdravo Vojo. Pre svega, hvala ti na odličnom pregledu za ovaj e-reader. Izvini ako ti pravim problem što ti pišem na Srpskom. Razmišljao sam da kupim e-reader ovaj mi je zapao za oko jer ima android a ja imam pretplatu za bookmate. Da li ću biti miran par godina sa ovim čitačem?
Interesting conclusion vis a vis the Poke. I had hoped that the page turning buttons would be better, I would like that on the Poke, but clearly not so. And the Poke fits in my shirt pocket too.
i think its really important when you're talking about putting the devices under the same lighting conditions (at 22:34) that you avoid as much glare as possible. it's really intense on the outer two devices and washes them out considerably, making the entire comparison section kind of a wash.
Thanks a lot! You did a great job. I choose the lovely Leaf 2
Would you recommend it over oasis 3 and pw5 if money is no issue? Is the warm light comfortable also on leaf2? Thanks so much for your great review
Thanks for another great review, Voja! I 1000% agree about the cover. I'm now on the hunt for something better...
Leaf 2 is on my shortlist for next e-reader, but I really want a cover when the device is in my pocket or backpack. I also used the cover on my last (now broken) e-reader to limit the light shed on my spouse when reading in bed.
I haven't found any 3party covers, but I guess they will start popping up.
Is the bundle cover so flimsy that it hardly protects the device if it is an backpack?
@@bjornfjallstrom2825 it's probably fine in a backpack. The cover would protect the screen from scratches but I think it would be useless if you dropped it. I find that it's not comfortable to hold so I actually take the Leaf 2 out of the cover when I'm using it and pop it back in when I'm putting it in a bag. It'll do until I find a replacement
I've been attempting to acquire these; tab ultra too, but it's sold out. I have no clue how often they're going to restock or if there is any plans to.
Great review of and recommendation for the Leaf - completely undermined for me by the Poke love in the last 30s -- hehe, kidding but not. Came for the Leaf but left with the Poke 3 (after watching your review of it) - thanks!
What about a compare to the kindle oasis? Which I thought it was more closest than paperwhite. As far as looks go.
How is the neoreaders highlights exportign? Does it give you a .txt file? I don't like kindles and kobos limitation about that.
Has anyone found any better cases for this? Or really just a sleeve for protection when in a bag.
How does the screen compare with the Note Air 2? Besides the size of course. But contrast/quality wise.
Has there been any updates to adjust the battery consumption issue?
Did you test the Neoreader app on the Leaf? During the front light tests (around 30:38) you can see *awful* justification issues. But I'm quite interested in the library management. How does it handle navigating around many hundreds of books - does it list books by series, by tags, by authors? Can you replace the library manager like you can replace the reader app?
Im using Calibre companion
@@wernerarts unfortunately the author of CC has posted to the mobileread forums that he has abandoned the software and is trying to sell it.
@@chrisridd9423 Yes - I bought it app 2014 and it works. I prefer version 5.4.3.3 with more than 16.000 books
I like play book read aloud function, having anyone test the text to speech ? Thank for this review. Very keen to get this.
You can activate the buttons on kindle app
Have you had a chance to look at the white version? I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the differences.
The screen is pretty glossy. I wasn’t expecting that and was a little bit disappointed. I was hoping for a libra-like indented screen which is matte. It’s also not as well sealed as the flush screen devices (when I took it out of the case I accidentally undid some of the device clips that hold it together with just the tiniest bit of pressure).
I agree with some of your cons. The buttons aren't perfect. There should be a gap and they should also be rounded off, heck I'd prefer if they were soft rubber buttons instead of plastic. The cover/case is extremely bad, especially for the money... I totally regret buying this and have replaced it with a sleeve I bought from Etsy.
Performance wise it's okay, I do not use anything from Google on the device so I don't know how much of an impact that has on performance, but a sideloaded Tachiyomi runs great on it. Opening a manga can take 3-5 seconds which is slow, but once it's loaded it's quick and snappy and jumping to the next volume/chapter is as fast as a regular page turn (so there's no 3-5 second wait there), so the reading experience itself is fantastic.
I was actually expecting it to be much worse, this is my first e-ink device and when I saw 2GB RAM and a quad core I was expecting this to be super slow, but I'd argue that it's fine for the most part. The only time where I notice that it is a slow device is when I download manga (via Tachiyomi) from my Komga server running on my NAS. Downloading a volume (300-500MB) that takes 5-10 seconds on my Pixel 7 Pro takes like 3-5 minutes on the Leaf 2... this could be because of the SD card, though (512GB Samsung EVO).
Overall I am really happy with it and the Leaf 2 has opened my eyes to e-ink devices for reading. Now I am hoping that Boox adds an SD slot to their next Boox Note Air, I want a 10" device with SD slot.
Hello, there! About a 10" device with SD slot, the new Tab Ultra has one, and it supports up to 2 TB microSD cards
Hi! You are saying that Carta 1200 is there but Carta HD is not the same as Carta 1200 or am I missing something?
Was looking for info on audio capabilities. Also, how big a microSD card the device would take. Disappointed.
Is the back of leaf 2 supposed to be flat? Mine is slightly rounded. Is it okay?
Thanks for another informative review. Interesting that you don't like the cover. That's probably the dealbreaker for me between buying a used/second-hand Leaf 2 and a brand new Page. The magnetic cover on the Page is really nice, imo.
Indie the cat stole the show!
Another day another question. Awaiting for my Tab Ultra to arrive, which will mainly be used for productivity. I've taken a liking for the BOOX product. My wife and I are avid readers so I ordered the Leaf 2 for her (her first e-reader). I was going to get it for myself but black is not available. The question is, would the Nova Air 2 be an option for me. Wanted to avoid distractions but I'm visualizing using this as an e - reader and if I remember about something I had done on the Ultra I can access it from the Nova. Good idea? Only issue I actually have is no expandable memory.
Sorry for all this blah blah blah and thanks!!
Give Nova Air 2 to your wife! So she can have a beautiful e-reader as well as note-taking device. And you have Tab Ultra and a dedicated e-reader Leaf 2.
Great review however it would be fair to mention that the Leaf 2 is not waterproof because of the slot for SD card! This might be a big plus for some users with a huge library bigger then 20GB which is the real useable space in Leaf 2.
Well, both facts are mentioned, both that it has an SD card slot and that it's not waterproof, so that people can have all the info, and then make a decision on what is a bigger priority for them :)
Where do you got the info that it is because of the SD card slot? If it can be confirmed that its solely because of the SD card you can just put some tape or peelable glue, or similar, on it and you have a waterproof device.
Thanks for your reviews. I already bought a note air , helped by your review of it. Great device for my work. I would like to buy a smaller one to get more comfortable reading in "relax" mode. I am using a lot the split view function to read books with simultaneous translation....does anyone knows if this leaf 2 have the split view function?
yo, it doesn't have split view
@@ryukluvsapple thanks !! Too bad ,the leaf 2 was perfect for me ...
I'm a little bit confused as I also received an answer from Books support today saying "The Leaf 2 has a split-screen function and it is able to open PDFs in split view like the other BOOX models"...Could you confirm based on your firmware version?
@@carineetsylvain it has split view but only for pdfs i think
Dear sir, thanks for your review, it was quite comprehensive as far as I can tell. However, I found it quite difficult to focus with songs in the background. Can I suggest you to not using music on your future guides? Thanks!
iIm surprised that the black version has a better image quality than the libra 2, given than flush screens are usually blurrier. Is the flush screen made out of glass or plastic?
Glass
I was waiting for this review so much! So excited that comment even before watching :)
Can you use dark mode in the Kindle and Kobo apps and how does it look?
Yes you can, check out my Boox Page Unboxing and First Impressions video
Carta HD is not carta 1200, is it?
Why is my leaf 2 with wifi on, front light totally off and reading with normal mode or A2 mode and using volume buttons only last for 3-4 hours. Is it normal? This is my very first ereader. Please help me answer it, do I need to returned it?
That is not normal, but what you can try to test things out is to see how your performance is when you turn wifi off. Some wifi routers have unstable connections, or weak signals, which can trigger a device to scan for better connections very often, and that can consume a lot of battery. Also, it could be a background process, or an app that is responsible for draining the battery. Are you reading in the native reader app or in a different one?
@@MyDeepGuideI’m using neo browser and read an articles there. I had ask onyx boox team about nova air c about the battery life and they said that it can last for almost 10 hours with wifi on and sometimes watching a youtube video. And so because of that I think my leaf 2 will 11-12 like that or maybe better or a little bit worse because the screen more small or the processor and ram more downgrade than nova air c. But to think it was much more worse that I had expected it to be. Is this still normal? because after charger it for 3 times and now it can only last for 3 hours.
@MyDeepGuide you really should have had cropped the pdf of the kobo libra 2 in the image quality test to the exact same size as on the leaf 2. On the leaf 2 its perfectly cropped and on the libra 2 the image is not cropped so the text is even smaller and not really comparable as it sometimes makes a big difference even like 5%...
I am showing how the same exact document can be viewed on different devices, not the same font size, because this is how you can use the PDFs on these different platforms and how users will end up seeing the same document on different platforms.
@@MyDeepGuide thanks a lot for your quick reply, very nice of you that you actually read comments! I do not talk about the font size, i was talking about the file being cropped on the leaf 2 and not being cropped on the kobo. so for example at @24:02 you see that there is no border with the leaf 2 on the left and on the top - and smaller borders on the bottom. so bassically the two devices have the same resolution while the file on the leaf 2 is using 100% of the screen size and the file on the kobo device is only using around 95% of the possible screen size, so the result is that the text will not be as crisp as if it would use the same 100% screen size as the leaf 2 is doing.
Yes, I understand what you mean. What I mean is that I am demonstrating which platform offers what type of flexibility in reading experience, therefore demonstrating a real-world use case comparison, not a technical comparison.
Are you able to export highlights on leaf 2
Yes, you can do it on any of the Boox devices that uses Neo Reader, as it is the functionality of the Neo Reader, rather than the device.
I think I can see some dead pixels on the Leaf 2 screen.
Hei! What phone is that? 😀 Seems there's no punch hole camera (which is very rare, I have a Xiaomi Poco f2 pro which also has a clean screen)
Nope, no punch hole, no notch :D It's my favorite phone ever, 3.5 year old, faithful OnePlus 7 Pro :) Best phone I ever had
I couldn't take my eyes off the phone as well :)
It’s too bad that the logos in the upper left corner. I find logos to be incredibly distracting when I’m reading. :/
Defintly what is that cover ? İf i bought it from aliexpress would definitly blame ali for that :/
It's a complete miss. Literally there isn't a single thing that I think is good on it. Ok, the cover raw material is nice, to be fair. The design and functionality, nope, a miss.
@@MyDeepGuide yea I am glad it was a free inclusion and not a paid add on.
does this work with a bluetooth keyboard?
Yes.
The entire transaction with Boox was very suspicious. Communication emails were incomplete. Receipt did not even describe the product and items bought. The receipt only shows price paid and buyer shipping address. The item came from Canada, but return address is in China. On top of the return shipping cost Boox charges 30% restocking fee. They say refund will take many weeks. I do not recommend this product.
Several failure connector. Is too tight, broken eventually
Does scribd work on it?
I don't know as I don't use it.
I watched one Chinese review of the Leaf 2 and the reviewer pointed out that the processor on the new Leaf 2 is a third slower than in the original Leaf.
The first Leaf used Octa-Core CPU which was Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 and the new Leaf 2 is using just a Quad-Core CPU, perhaps Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM2290, which seems to be the same as in the entry level Poke 4 lite.
This is the review in question:
ua-cam.com/video/u55iynaxrjI/v-deo.html
It's kinda disappointing to have brand new device from Boox but at the same time it is 33% slower than the previous device which came out year earlier.
I totally agree, and I definitely got the impression that it is a slower device, overall. Everything takes time. I wouldn't mind the bump down in specs, if the price also went down, but it didn't...
@@MyDeepGuide The price did go down though? Wasn't the original Leaf $250?
i don´t like Kindle app. It´s very slow.
35 seconds from switch on to reading , so slow , kindle is just so much quicker