Onyx has announced a new E-Ink Android tablet called the BOOX Tab Ultra, which packs features not common to E-Ink tablets. Onyx has been making E-ink devices for years, and its portfolio isn’t just limited to tablets. Onyx also sells E-ink monitors. It has a portable 13.3-inch model that can be attached to an Android smartphone, iPhone, or a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer to serve as a secondary display. It also sells a 25.3-inch monitor for desktop use.
While E-ink tablets are not new, there is a recent interest in the segment. Earlier this year, Huawei launched the MatePad Paper, an E-ink tablet with stylus support. Recently, Amazon announced the Kindle Scribe as its first e-reader with stylus support, thus breaking the tradition of the Kindle just being a device for reading but also for taking notes.
The BOOX Tab Ultra is described as an “ePaper tablet PC” powered by Android. Like many E-Ink tablets or e-readers, it has one side bezel thicker than the rest, making it easy to hold. In addition, the e-reader has flat sides, rounded corners and an oleophobic coating on the back. Onyx also boasts the device is pretty compact with its 6.7mm thin body, while its weight is about 480 grams. It is available in a colorway called Phantom Black.
The BOOX Tab Ultra Has Optical Character Recognition
The E-Ink display on the BOOX Tab Ultra is a 10.3-inch panel with a resolution of 1872×1404 and front light (warm and cold). Onyx boasts the experience is similar to looking at the actual paper. It also says it has stylus support (up to 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity). To smoothen the refresh experience, the BOOX Ultra Tab boasts four refresh modes. There is an HD mode for reading, a balanced mode for typing, a fast mode for browsing the web and an ultrafast mode when using apps. A Snapdragon processor with eight cores powers the tablet, and it is paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There is a MicroSD card slot for adding more storage and the USB-C port also supports OTG, so users should be able to connect an external storage device.
The highlight of the BOOX Tab Ultra is a 16MP rear-facing camera which is unusual for a device with an e-ink display. However, Onyx’s reason for adding one is pretty compelling. According to the manufacturer, the camera is for scanning documents, but it doesn’t stop at that. It also has OCR (optical character recognition) and can convert scanned documents to text. So, no, this camera is not for taking pictures of people or pets. Onyx has buried a fingerprint scanner under the power button. It has also added dual speakers and dual microphones. The tablet also comes bundled with the BOOX Pen2 Pro stylus for taking notes and signing documents. The stylus has an eraser and magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet when not in use.
An optional accessory for those who pick up the device is a magnetic keyboard case that transforms the BOOX Tab Ultra into a 2-in-1 computer. It connects via pogo pins and has shortcuts for adjusting brightness and volume and refreshing the screen. The tablet runs a custom UI based on Android 11 that brings multiple valuable features such as handwriting conversion, widgets and support for gestures and navigation buttons. Onyx has put a 6300mAh battery inside the device but doesn’t say how long it will last before needing a recharge. Unfortunately, there is no charger in the box. The BOOX Tab Ultra is already available for preorder for $599. It includes several gifts, including five extra pen tips, a magnetic case, a stylus case and a tote bag.
