Pros & Cons
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- Color E Ink display
- Excellent note-taking software
- Access to third-party apps
- Dedicated page-turning buttons
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- Outdated OS
- Not waterproof
- Stylus lags slightly
Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) Specs
| Book Formats | All (through apps) |
| Dimensions | 6.1 by 5.4 by 0.25 inches |
| Screen Size | 7 |
| Storage Capacity | 64 |
| Weight | 6.9 |
The first-generation Onyx Book Go Color 7 impressed us with its color E Ink display, physical page-turn buttons, generous storage, and access to third-party apps via the Google Play Store. The $249.99 Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) builds on that foundation with updated software and stylus support, allowing you to take handwritten notes directly on documents or in digital notebooks. What really sets it apart, though, is seamless access to Amazon’s revamped Kindle app, showcasing its remarkable versatility. It's not without flaws—the stylus could be more responsive, and the operating system would benefit from a newer version of Android—but overall, it delivers everything the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition ($279.99) offers, plus greater storage, broader file compatibility, and extra features for less money. For those reasons, the Go Color 7 (Gen II) earns our Editors' Choice award for color ereaders.
Design: Compact, Comfortable, and Built for One-Handed Reading
The Go Color 7 (Gen II) resembles its predecessor so closely that it's almost impossible to tell them apart, even when held side by side. They each have a 7-inch display and are the exact same size and weight: 6.1 by 5.4 by 0.25 inches (HWD) and 6.9 ounces. Amazon's Kindle Signature Edition (6.9 by 4.9 by 0.3 inches, 7.3 ounces) is taller and heavier, but not as wide as the Gen II. The $159.99 Kobo Clara Colour (6.3 by 4.3 by 0.3 inches, 6.1 ounces) has a 6-inch screen and is lighter, but taller and thicker, than the Gen II.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The Gen II feels thin and light, and I found it easy to hold in one hand. The display is flush to the glass and surrounded by thin, black bezels on three out of the four sides. The bezel on the right extends about an inch and houses two pill-shaped buttons for turning pages. It's a perfect size for comfortably holding the ereader in one hand while still being able to turn the pages. The screen automatically rotates, so lefties and righties (or the ambidextrous) can take advantage of one-handed reading.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The right edge holds a USB-C port, two speaker grilles, and a microSD slot for adding storage. Boox doesn't specify the maximum capacity microSD card the device supports. The power button sits on the bottom right side. The Gen II only comes in black, and its back is covered in a textured plastic that feels like cardboard. It’s not the most elegant or premium ereader I’ve ever seen or held, but I still find it sleek and serviceable. If you order the device through Boox’s website, you’ll receive a gray faux leather folio case included with your purchase. The case magnetically attaches to the back and front of the Gen II and activates sleep/wake functions when the cover is opened and closed. It also includes a loop for attaching the Boox InkSense Plus Stylus ($41.99), which is sold separately.
While many ereaders are fully waterproof, the Gen II is not. It lacks any IP rating for dust or water protection. Both the Colorsoft Signature Edition and the Kobo Clara Colour have an IPX8 rating, which means they can withstand being dunked in fresh water.
Display: A Colorful Screen With Bright Lighting
The Gen II uses the same Kaleido 3 E Ink display as the original Go Color 7. It has a resolution of 1,680 by 1,264 pixels with a density of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for black and white and 150ppi for color. The Kobo Clara Colour also features a Kaleido 3 display, but its 6-inch screen has a resolution of 1,448 by 1,072 pixels, resulting in the same pixel density. This is also true of the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition. Amazon doesn’t specify the exact resolution of its 7-inch display, but it states that it achieves 300ppi for black-and-white text and 150ppi for color.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Like most ereaders, the Gen II is legible in all lighting conditions. It is glare-free when reading in direct sunlight, though I did notice a bit of screen reflection when I repositioned myself into the shade. I was able to counteract this by bumping up the front light brightness. I encountered this issue with the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition as well, but that device has a light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen's brightness depending on your surroundings. When I moved into the shade, the screen on the Signature Edition got brighter without any manual adjustments. The Gen II doesn’t have this feature, nor does the $249.99 regular version of the Kindle Colorsoft, but I didn't find manually adjusting the screen brightness much of a hassle, and sometimes I find the auto adjustments a bit hit-or-miss anyway.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Both Boox and Kindle ereaders share similar front lighting that adjusts for both brightness and warmth. But holding the Colorsoft next to the Go Color 7 (Gen II), it's obvious how much better the latter is. The lighting on the Boox is more evenly distributed across the screen, with no warm spots in the corners.
Software: Endless Customization and Android Flexibility
Amazon and Kobo focus on simplicity with their software, but Boox takes a different approach, the upshot of which is that it lets you tweak and change just about everything. Want to change the home screen bar? There’s a setting for that. What about the full refresh frequency of the display? You can do that too. Ever find yourself wanting to enhance the dark colors in images in a book? Well, now’s your chance. Although this might be overwhelming for some people, it’s sure to be pure paradise for others. I’m part of the latter group and love having complete control over my device and the layout of my books. Fortunately, even though there are plenty of opportunities to tinker, the software is easy to navigate, and if you choose not to fiddle with settings, you'll likely find the defaults perfectly sufficient.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The Gen II runs a modified version of Android 13, an improvement over the original's Android 12. (Boox doesn’t say how many years of software updates the device will receive.) Once you turn on the device, you're greeted by a home row that includes your library, the store, storage, apps, settings, and notes. You can put your own EPUBs, PDFs, and other documents onto the ereader by using the BooxDrop app (available for Android and iOS). With the app open on your ereader, you can head over to push.boox.com on a computer, tablet, or phone that’s connected to the same Wi-Fi. Once you’ve signed in, it's simple to upload files from your computer and have them pushed over to your device. Boox provides 10GB of free cloud storage to facilitate transfers. You can then read and markup the documents in Boox’s NeoReader app.
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(Credit: Sarah Lord)But the real highlight of the Boox experience is the ability to download third-party reading apps, such as Kindle, Kobo, and Libby, from the Google Play Store. This makes it easy to read your books on any platform, no matter where they were purchased (or borrowed from). Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the stylus in these apps, but depending on the app’s settings, you can still use the page-turning buttons.
Recent updates to Amazon’s Kindle app not only let you turn the page with the dedicated buttons, but also give you access to advanced features like word, paragraph, and line spacing. For the first time, it's possible to truly adjust your page exactly how you want it, and this functionality works just as well, if not better, than on any Kindle. I’ve found that my new favorite Kindle reading experience is on the Gen II rather than the Colorsoft. I achieve the desired page layout, with improved overall lighting and the added benefit of page-turning buttons. No Colorsoft can give you all of that.
Stylus: Great Note-Taking Features, Mediocre Pen
The biggest difference between the original Go Color 7 and the Gen II is the addition of stylus support. Unfortunately, the stylus is a separate purchase, and other Boox styluses won’t work on the Gen II. The InkSense Active Stylus is about the same size as a typical pen, but feels lighter. You need to charge it with a USB-C connection, and it doesn’t connect magnetically to the Gen II at all.
Boox has brought almost all of its impressive notebook features from its larger E Ink tablets down to the Gen II. A Notes icon on the right side of the home row gives you access to a plethora of writing features. You can choose from 24 different notebook page templates and 16 different pen/pencil colors. The software can turn your handwritten notes into text, auto-perfect any shapes you draw, and you can scribble over your words to erase what you’ve written. A function button on its side makes the stylus act as an eraser. You can even record audio that attaches to the note page. I’ve long admired Boox’s note-taking functionality and find it almost as good as ReMarkable’s offerings.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The only problem is that the InkSense stylus just isn’t as capable as I want it to be. There’s a tiny bit of lag between putting the pen on the screen and writing. This doesn't render it unusable, but it's frustrating because Boox makes better styluses for its other products. I also dislike that there’s no way to physically connect it to the device. I’ve been putting it into the loop on the case, and it works fine, but the second I take the stylus out to use it, I’m afraid it's going to get lost.
This is really too bad because I think the software proves that the Gen II could actually be an excellent small notebook—just as good, if not better than the ReMarkable Paper Pro Move—if only it had the correct writing implement.
Performance: Fast, Fluid, and Generously Equipped
The original Go Color 7 and the Gen II both have an unspecified octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. If that’s not enough storage capacity for you, you can expand it by adding a microSD card. Amazon is coy about the internals of all its Kindle devices and doesn’t release the name of the processor or the amount of RAM in the Colorsoft Signature Edition. It does come with 32GB of storage, but you can’t add more. The regular Colorsoft is capped at 16GB of storage, as is the Kobo Clara Colour.
The reading experience is peppy. It turns pages quickly, seamlessly jumps back home or to new apps, and is fast enough to keep up with all the third-party reading apps you could want. Like the Colorsoft, the Gen II uses dual-band Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. The Gen II also upgrades to Bluetooth 5.1 connections from Bluetooth 5.0 found on the original Go Color 7. Amazon doesn’t specify the Bluetooth version of the Colorsoft.
The Gen II comes with a 2,300mAh battery, the same as in the original model. It should last you weeks if all you do is read with the frontlight turned down low. But if you’re taking notes, downloading apps, or blasting the front light, you’ll drain the battery much faster. Amazon doesn’t disclose the size of its batteries in the Colorsoft Signature Edition, but they typically last for multiple weeks on a single charge. The Boox has more features than the Colorsoft, so don’t expect it to achieve the exact same battery life. Mine dropped about 30% in a week of fairly rigorous use.