The Boox Go 10.3 Part IV: The Final Review
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- This is it! The final entry in my Go10.3 series, concluding with the final review. Enjoy!
0:00 Intro/The Story So Far
1:51 Primary Pros
5:17 Primary Cons
9:26 Secondary Pros
14:20 Secondary Cons
19:47 Comparison to Remarkable
24:46 Comparison to Supernote
30:10 Place in the Boox 10” Lineup
31:32 Final Question/Who Is This For?
For prior videos in the series:
I Unboxing & First Impressions
• The Boox Go 10.3 Part ...
II Visual Tour (in two parts)
• The Boox Go 10.3 Part ...
• The Boox Go 10.3 Part ...
III Battery Life & More
• The Boox Go 10.3 Part ... - Наука та технологія
Thanks for all the work on this. By far the most thorough review of the device. I’m going to take the plunge on the Boox Go 10.3 but I feel much more informed. Great job!
You answered all my damn questions. I watched 15 videos but yours was just what i needed! you earned yourself a subscribert sir!
Wow, great review and great addition to the 10.3 inch device choices we have. Very much looking forward to what Boox brings to the 7.8" revisions that are no doubt just around the corner. Till then I'm still holding out with my little nova air c which still gets daily carry with me useage. Keep up the good work on this channel!
Everyone should follow your example on these reviews significantly on the Go 10.3 which was very anticipated device. Not every tablet will be good for everyone, but your reviews give those who are thinking about going to an e-ink tablet, the tools to make that decision much more easily. I was ready to purchase this device, but I will wait to see what other manufactures have to offer. Thank you once again. Kudos from NYC.🗽
Thank you. My goal is to give people information. Whether they buy a device or not isn't really a goal of mine. But if someone does buy a device based on my videos, I want to make sure they have the whole picture and know what they are getting.
Very nice series of videos Jeffrey! 10/10
Great review! I really appreciate your incredible work for all the 4 videos! Thank a lot! My Go 10.3 will arrive in two days!
Enjoy!
ty for the in-depth vid. very informative, and my 10.3 comes soon. also, as someone buying their first e-ink device, i couldn't agree more with your suggestion at the end of the video in regards to the market. i think boox is especially guilty of that with their confusing ever-expanding lineup of devices
Thank you for this series and your helpful advice in the comment session in previous videos. I ordered this yesterday for my daughter who is embarking on her College studies in August and she prefers to write handwritten notes as it is easier for her to remember when doing that instead of writing notes with a keyboard. I was considering waiting for the new Supernote and I also considered the Remarkable as her primary use will be writing notes in class.
Main reason going for this is of course the design and the writing seems to be top of the class on this device, but the fact that it is a full Android device will allow her to download and use apps she might need later on. I don't know yet what tools her school will use for documentation/ homework assignments etc, but with this device I know she will be able to use it for other things aswell, anything from a simple calculator, calendar, to do lists to MS Office or cloud services. In short it seems this device gets you everything on Google Play and you don't actually have to pay more for it as this is priced very similar to other E-ink devices that doesn't have that.
Finally, if she hates it I know her dad will gladly take this off her hands and use for work 😂
Edit: I saw in another review that the ridges on the back serves a good purpose, one reason is that it makes the device less slippery on a flat surface and also the ridge seems to protect the metal frame when you put the device down and moves it around as it creates a small gap between the surface and the metal frame
Edit 2: the cons about the UI could be fixed in upcoming software upgrades, right?
Great review Jeff! 👍 I agree about the learning curve, so many features, but still I can not put a link in a note to a local folder, files work but I have a lot of documentes that belongs to one notebook. I hope they add this simple feature. Better yet if I could put the note in a folder together with all pdf documents and .note files opens the Notes app.
Thank you for the videos. I have been holding out for the supernote A5X2. This device has caused me significant pause. I think I am staying the course with waiting for the supernote, but they sure are testing the patience of prospective customers.
I’m waiting for the supernote as well after almost buying the boox. I think it will be worth the wait 😁
I suspect the price difference may/will not be justified by the features difference.
Once you become familiar with the Boox note system, it’s very flexible.
I really wanted an A5X2 but folded and got a Go 10.3 and love it. Love the pen feel, love the contrast, love the range of apps, love the battery life etc etc. I suspect I will be asked to pay twice as much for the supernote when it comes out.
@davidr1431 Yes. The price of the Go is incredible value. Glad to hear you are happy with the Go. I am worried the price of the supernote is going to be hard to swallow.
I don't think that boox devices are any more complicated than anything else. If you want to use it simply, you can just open the notes app and write. If you want to read, you can open the reader app and read. You CAN do more but aren't required to do so. I think a remarkable person could pick up the. Go and do what they did with the remarkable with relative ease. You don't have to download a ton of apps or any apps if you so choose. I turn off all notifications and turn on do not disturb mode. No social media on my device. Only reading and writing.
Thanks a lot for all the work you've done with this and uploading it on here, I truly enjoyed the whole series.
I feel the only thing preventing me from getting the Go 10.3 is just the lack of BSR. And believe it or not... the main thing preventing me from getting one of the Tab series is the fact that they come with the LEDs.
I can't help but wonder if a BSR Go is in the future. I myself would take the trade off of less ghosting for lower battery performance.
@@jeffreymoss Indeed, I would very much be in the same boat. I actually prefer, and even want, to be forced to use devices in good lighting conditions, even outdoors. I feel it's not a bad thing to reintroduce healthy restrictions on technology.
Great series mate. I think the reason for the delete option being slightly hidden is 'by design' to prevent an accidental deletions. It doesn't bother me, but perhaps it would be good to have an option to move it around for those that will be using it a lot.
I just got remarkable 2 and returned it. Bought boox note air 3 c and absolutely loving it !! The bottom line with remarkable is that I felt that I was carrying a $500 notebook ! The price of remarkable is not justifiable at all !! But maybe it will be the apple of e ink devices. As it currently stands unless you are an artist or a writer and have lot of distractions and money then buy it thanks for the great review as always !!
Excellent Review Jeffrey, I do agree with your comments. Having both the Remarkable 2 and the BOOX Note Air 3c I am not pulled away from the Remarkable at all and feel BOOX have missed a big opportunity to simplify the Note taking UI and then draw some Remarkable users over to BOOX.
Thank you for making this series. So many reviews don’t go into the depth I really want before I commit to a big tech expense and this series is great! I think I would challenge one of your secondary cons: I wanted a B&W e-ink reader, so the fact it’s a B&W screen isn’t a con for me, and I assume I’m not the only one. it’s a big plus! I specifically didn’t want colour (it’s not necessary for my use case, I don’t want the associated cost, and I’m switching to an e-ink device because of eye issues, as I suspect is the case for many users in this market). In the Boox line-up already it’s getting harder to avoid colour and I don’t want a line-up in a few years where you can only buy colour e-ink devices. To me that would indicate a failing of the e-ink market. The Air 3 might be an option but it’s not actually in stock at present and wasn’t last time I checked either (for my country), so I’ve taken the plunge with the Go and will see how I get on!
I think that's a fair point. I think my thought process was that some people prefer color and others prefer B&W, so that's why I put that in there. But looking back on that, I probably could have not mentioned that at all and have been fine.
Such a great series, thanks.
I've been watching this space since last November when I saw someone using a Boox at a conference, but I have not yet purchased an e-ink not device (however I've used a Kindle for reading for years now). I love the simplicity of the Remarkable and I love the design and device ethics of Supernote, but neither of those are open enough for me to do what I want to do.
I've got three devices I use frequently: my MacBook, a 2019 iPad Mini, and my Kindle Voyage. My iPad Mini is used to read non-Amazon books and I also use it for my speaking notes when teaching and preaching (which I do a lot). But other than those two things, I don't need my iPad Mini and I do get tired of all the screens, (and don't love how I grab it to watch an easy UA-cam video or something).
Basically I'm looking to _replace_ my iPad Mini-I don't want to add another device to my life. Because I do all my word processing in Google Docs and I read using other non-Amazon services, I've wanted an Android-enabled e-ink tablet so that I can access my notes for teaching and download my other reading apps. I love the idea of taking notes by hand-and eagerly want to try it-but I've not historically not been a huge note-taking-by-hand person. (However, often the reason I don't journal consistently is because I don't want to carry another book around with me, and I often get irritated with either the pen or the small page or whatever.) I also like the idea of connecting to a bluetooth keyboard and doing some writing outside in the sun.
This release of the Go 10.3 is the first time where I've thought maybe this particular device could meet most of my needs (without being too much for me like some Boox's more intense note/laptop devices). Again, I'd love the Supernote (and would love to support companies like that), but because its focus is handwritten notes, it's just not for me. But the question remains: Is _this_ the device for me? Should I give up my iPad Mini for this (which arguably has a more travel-friendly footprint in terms of packing both that and my laptop, and is a little lighters as well)? Will I be too bothered by the lack of a front light? Will I be too bothered by all the functionality and the learning curve (which is a concern of mine)? Is the bag ghosting going to be a real bother? So many questions.
Thanks again for these detailed reviews.
One of the reasons I do this channel is because it is hard for a potential purchaser to know what to buy. It's a marketplace where going to a local store and seeing a device on display is neigh impossible. So I'm hoping to help people by providing detailed views of these devices which is the next best thing to going to the store to test them. Plus, I really love Eink as a tech, so it has become a passion of mine. But even though I do these videos, and there are a lot of other great sources out there as well, it remains a hard place for a first-time buyer. My only recommendation: buy from Amazon or some other store with a really good return policy. I think your use case may align with an eink notetaker quite well, and here's the good news: most of the devices out there are actually pretty good. So the challenge is just finding the best fit, but you can miss that mark and still end up in a good place. Good luck!
I just got my remarkable 2 stolen but am lowkey happy for the opportunity to try out another device. the rm2 was driving me crazy. Yes, the base experience is incredible, but that's where it ends. Contrast lacks, sync is very wobbly, wifi UI is terrible and limited (cant connect to eduroam at Uni for example), and oh my god NO geometrical shape support except for straight lines. Anti-aliasing is also abysmal upon exporting a notebook. I need to be able to make shapes in the way Boox supports them. yes, it may phone home and there may be a slight hit in build quality, but at the end of the day it is the features I use it for: PDFs, notes, and drawing. I'll likely go with the Go 10.3 next time.
exactly, it is basically the choice between functions and elegance, and the same reason supernote/remarkable fail at reading app...but in the near future, it is possible for boox to come up with a device more elegant, than supernote/remarkable to catch up with fucntions
I’ve just paused reading on my Go 10.3 to watch this review. I love the device. What the heck am I supposed to do when Boox releases the Note Air 3 plus with 300ppi?
Buy an attached lamp for your Boox GO 10.3 )))
Do you think boox Go look darker if compare with traditional black and white eink tablet?
Not necessarily. They did go with bolder icons which makes them look darker. But text isn't any darker than a comparable device, such as the Kindle Scribe.
Beautiful series, thank you. In Boox Go 10.3, is it fast to search for words in handwritten notes, like in Supernote?
Supernote does a better job in terms of speed of search. Boox can really bog down, especially as the number of workbooks/pages increase.
Does Boox have a reputation for updating their product lines with features and bug fixes for a significant amount of time? Is the Note Air BW still getting these updates? Will it also see the UI changes brought in from the Go series?
Kind of. You certainly will get updates in the first year, and probably in the second year as well. Beyond that, updates become more infrequent. I think the UI look of the Go will appear on other recent devices based on recent Reddit posts.
Will there most likely be third-party cases for this thing? Is there a market for that with Boox's devices?
There might, but third-party cases are a bit rare given how niche these devices are. But some do pop up. If you go to Reddit and the subreddit Onyx_Boox, there are folks there who will sometimes post about these cases. I recently saw an example of the Note Air 3C.
Is it useful for book reading please suggest less eye strain device
Sure, it should work fine for that, no problem. If you are reading in a place where there is good lighting, it will work great. If you don't have great lighting, I'd recommend a device with front lighting, such as the Note Air 3 or Note Air 3C.
I've been wondering about market consolidation, too. In North America, Boox, Kindle, reMarkable and Supernote seem to have a lock on the 10" market. Still, that doesn't rule out mergers, and it's a big world out there. Perhaps Bigme, Mobi, Pocketbook, etc., are more competitive in their home markets. I don't think Kobo and Lenovo can be counted out either- their initial 10" offerings weren't well-received, but this isn't their primary business. Will they keep trying, stage a strategic retreat, or ???
Love your reviews. Can't wait for the Supernote 4X2, but would prefer an Onyx Boox 13.3" device, but have decided not to buy a Boox device until they create models to abide by the European Court decision that all mobile devices sold in Europe should have replaceable batteries at least and I would hope screens if that is what is most likely to get spoiled on Boox devices. So I guess I will be waiting a long time. For example, would anyone buy a car which has to be replaced as soon as the battery fails? I was shown in a google search that Lithium batteries only last about 500 charges approximately. So user replaceable parts is a big deal to be able to use these devices for as long as possible. Having the benefit of BSR on a Boox tablet would not be such a problem if the battery can be replaced when worn out. I thought I read somewhere that Boox is working on a 13.3" device, but even though that is the size I want, I would not buy from Boox until they can incorporate the replaceable components and so it likely means I'll be waiting for the A4X2 from Supernote, even though it does not do as much of what I would like, at least it has all the great software features like the star system and table of contents.
Always buy from Amazon, the return process is a no brainier
@@rush48192 I would generally agree, and have done this way for previous boox device purchases. On the Go 10.3 I bought from boox. My dread of dead pixels was lower in a non-front lit device. And I wanted the cover and free nibs.
While I agree the one with Amazon does not come with a cover. And there no 3rd party cases for it yet.
@@davidr1431 Is returning to Boox complicated? I'm interested in the extra nibs and free case I can get from Boox, but not sold that I'll actually keep this thing.
On the topic of market disaggregation, I think it’s to do with these companies being smaller and so not having the means or frankly the demand to churn out one device for years at a time and incrementally change the specs like we see in the traditional tablet market (with the exception of Amazon of course) which would naturally converge specs, designs etc. It seems to be happening somewhat with the UI but the actual hardware is taking a long time. It’s like
they have to make a conscious effort to stand out and be different from either their competitors or their own previous product because companies like Boox need people to buy every product they make a lot more than Amazon do. Amazon can easily afford to see diminishing returns on 3 or 4 kindle lines with barely a difference between them beyond size.
negative things for me:
- reflective glossy screen
- lack of microsd slot
- standard cover
- gives me the tendency that the device may bend
- lack of lighting
If boox makes a device without those negative things although it might be heavier, I'd pay 400 bucks.
Knowing Boox, a device like that is probably just around the corner!
i'm waiting for the colour eink technology to mature. i just wanna read papers with plots with colours and highlight papers in colours.
I think that's a totally reasonable position to take. For me, I guess the main question is how long will it take to arrive to a next gen color solution? On one hand, it took over a decade to get to where we are now with Kaledio 3, and Gallery 3 was a miserable failure. But on the other hand, that does not mean that we are that far off for the next color solution, and Eink is certainly focused on this area in terms of R&D. To put another way, if an improved color solution comes around in a year, Kaleido 3 will be quickly forgotten, but if it takes 5 years to arrive, then K3 will be the dominant color tech for a while.
How closely would you say the writing experience compares to writing on paper with a pencil?
I think of a pencil and paper being a bit scratchier. But with the Go it's close, helped by the fact that the pencil is pressure sensitive.
@@jeffreymoss thx man
But you don't have to learn everything boox offers, you can just be as simple as a remarkable is, I don't find it anymore as a learning curve then supernote
Yeah, I agree with that. You don't have to engage the complexity to use the reader or notetaker. But I don't everyone thinks that way, and how the UI is presented can make a big difference for some. ReMarkable's success is in part for that very factor.
It may depend on where you're coming from. I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, and finding Android (and Boox's implementation of it) heavy going at the moment. Even setting up my Onyx account felt a bit clumsy. Still, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I like that it's customizable enough that you can hide a lot of stuff once you have more experience.
@@steverolfecaboox uses a heavily customised version of Android. Basic Android is no more difficult to use than ios in my opinion
At 32:56, it was mentioned: "The go doesn't really replace anything, it just adds to that level of complexity". I disagree with this point, just because how many "Pros" you have mentioned on your own previously.
For example, I own Note Air 3 B&W (have been using for some time already), and now waiting for the Go 10.3 to arrive, and, the primary use cases (reasons to buy) for me were:
* 300 PPI screen, which looks almost like a paper on the regular sun light
* For heavy note taking, studying some topics, writing on PDF A4 files.
* Very quickly exporting the PDF files without using any kind of Service, do it using just Home WiFi connection, from your PC to the Boox.
* Drawing schemas/topologies, while sharing the screen to the PC, for the conferencing purposes (Boox has built-in feature, working just from the browser, OOTB)
* And the device should be very light and "low" (close to the table, on which I write)
I'm ok with no light, less space.. I don't read in the dark anyways. Same with a real book
Don't like the stylus, the pro version has a much better feel and a stronger magnet
If you like the remarkable 2 design then the boox go is better, even the white back ground is much better then supernote, unfortunately for me this device gives time for remarkable 3 and supernote a5x2 to refine everything before they release
Tbh. Both remarkable and boox have great hardware and writing / drawing feeling. But when it comes to the UI/UX experience BOTH are so bad. And some updates of remarkable even now seems to go in the wrong directions.
Like it took them 4 years to add 20% of the UI changed and feature request i submitted after their release.
Like I don’t get why the pencil tool still TODAY only supports black and not white. Tech wise it should be one day to add.
Especially for artist. You have plenty of tools for inking and sketching. And for shading down darker the pencil works AMAZING. but to then work up lighter shading and hilight you really don’t have a tool. Yes you can painstakingly use the ballpoint pen with white color.
But imagine just being able to use the pencil with white to shade up lighter.
With just that ONE feature that should be a super quick fix it would improve the sketching / drawing experience 36645% but noooo
And it took 4 years to add the standard two finger tap to undo.
It’s like they are totally disconnected with the scene of note taking and sketching in the normal LCD world.
End of rant :)
I give that rant 4 stars!
I don't find this review objective enough for this new device, Onyx Boox Go 10.3. Especially, for the part of "Too Complex Reading App UI", 8:41. You said "it's really bad". This is very subjective, and most important does not match with many other reviewers, for example, here ua-cam.com/video/3tsDWEmgIKI/v-deo.html
I personally own Note Air 3, and I find the PDF viewer (NeoViewer) very well configurable, you can change the size of the "general settings" to make it super small, it won't affect reading experience, at all. I don't find it "bad", at all.
The by far most important con is missed by the reviewers and is the missing and then easy battery replacement by the user, missing availability of batteries, their missing price and the missing statement for how long they will be available. Therefore, the expected average price per year is too large to be justified instead of proofreading on printouts. --robert jasiek
Good call out. Devices like this will likely shift to a removable battery soon, given pending EU regulations. Supernote has already made that move with the Nomad. Surely, we'll start to see those types of designs in a year or so as the rules kick in by 2027.
I would never go for a Boox, unless they overhaul their UI. A reading app shouldn't be complicated. A note-taking app shouldn't be complicated, neither. Both should be intuitive.
On their website they brag about the lacking of front lighting: "For-the-first-time / No Front Light / made for sunlight". Guys, are you kidding or making fun of us????
I found that cheeky when I saw that.
@@jeffreymoss absolutely. We are lucky that they didn't also claim "with internal speakers - have party with friends!" :D
If I work for Boox, I will make their reader and note taking software easier to use by limit some unnecessary customer options. Boox is more like windows mobile platform back to those days, it can do everthing but the system is too heavy.
don't give customer the numbers about the space they want between sentences, give them near, middle, far as simple options. Help your customers make the decision , reduce the learning curve. I have to say my ultra c is the most functional eink device but everytime I pick up my supernote or remarkable if I want to quickly write something.
They need make their design simpler, no matter system and looking.