Request for Onyx Boox Darwin 5 or 6 Review

[Incanus]

Hello:

I'm exploring the many and varied options currently available for Android based e-reader devices.

The Onyx Boox Darwin 5 and Darwin 6 have come to my attention... but so far the only reviews I've seen are YouTube videos in russian: there's an asian web that reviews the darwin 5 in english, but that's it; the rest of the references I've found are in russian.

Can anyone comment on either device as a user?

Awaiting your kind reply,

[INCANUS]

[franzli]

These names for onyx devices are normally only used for the Russian market, they typically map onto one of the names used elsewhere, although I don't know what the Darwin named correspond to. If you tell us about the specs of the devices, we may be able to tell you, or someone here might know.

[Incanus]

Originally Posted by franzli

If you tell us about the specs of the devices, we may be able to tell you, or someone here might know.

Here goes the specs for Darwin 6:

• Display: 6", E Ink Carta Plus, 16 shades of grey, contrast ratio 14:1, 1072 × 1448 pixels, capacitive Multi-touch screen and the SNOW Field function
• Front light: MOON Light+ (blue o warm light, to mix as you please)
• Processor: 4-core, 1,2 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB Internal memory
• Media storage: 8 GB internal + Expansion slot for micro SD/microSDHC cards
• USB interface: USB 2.0
• Supported file formats: TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, FB2.zip, MOBI, CHM, PDB, DOC, DOCX, PRC, EPUB
• Graphic: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
• Others: PDF, DjVu
• Wireless interface: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
• Battery:Li-on 3000 mAh
• Operating system: Android 4.4
• Size: 170 × 117 × 8,7 mm
• Color: Black
• Weight: 182 gr
• Kit includes: Ereader, User manual, Smart cover, USB cable, Power adapter 220 V, Warranty card

The Darwin 5 is exactly like Darwin 6, but the screen is 758 × 1024 dots.

Darwin 5 sells as US$199 plus shipping; Darwin 6 I don't know yet (only seeen it for sale at russian sites).

I don't believe that there are similar "normal boox" devices to compare with these "russian booxes"... but of course I'd gladly accept recommendations from people who know better.

Thanks in advance,

[INCANUS]

[Hrafn]

The Darwin series are the Russo-American version of the C67 series. However the latest C67s are still dual core and the Darwin 5 & 6 are quad core.

This seems to be a trend (also noticeable in the Kepler series) of the Russo-American distributor releasing more advanced versions of existing series than Onyx makes available 'in house.' It's a bit of a pain for buyers outside Russia and North America.

This does however mean that C67 series reviews should be somewhat, if imperfectly, useful.

[Incanus]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

The Darwin series are the Russo-American version of the C67 series. However the latest C67s are still dual core and the Darwin 5 & 6 are quad core.
[...]
This does however mean that C67 series reviews should be somewhat, if imperfectly, useful.

Indeed, I surmised us much.

I'll see if, having that in mind, I can distill something useful from C67 series reviews, CPUs and RAM differences notwithstanding.

Thanks for your guidance and perspective.

[INCANUS]

[franzli]

I don't know if there is a design resemblance between the C67 and the new Poke, but CPU and Android experience might be most comparable between the Darwin and the Poke it seems, as both have the quad core CPU and android 4.4 (I'm talking about the Poke, not the Poke Pro, which is on Android 6).
So if you can find any reviews for that, this could give you a reasonable for the software experience (barring any issues concerning the Russian localisation that the Darwin might have). For the design/handling side of things, the C67 might then indeed be the closest if Poke and C67 have significant differences.

Personally, if I were to look for a 6 inch android e-reader, I'd probably wait for the Poke Pro (or the corresponding Russian version) is available to have at least a slightly more modern OS version.

[Incanus]

Originally Posted by franzli

I don't know if there is a design resemblance between the C67 and the new Poke, but CPU and Android experience might be most comparable between the Darwin and the Poke it seems, as both have the quad core CPU and android 4.4 (I'm talking about the Poke, not the Poke Pro, which is on Android 6).
So if you can find any reviews for that, this could give you a reasonable for the software experience (barring any issues concerning the Russian localisation that the Darwin might have). For the design/handling side of things, the C67 might then indeed be the closest if Poke and C67 have significant differences.

Good to know. My thanks! As for the localisation, I've been making other inquiries and both Darwin 5 and 6 can be localized to a plethora of languages through normal configuration options.

Originally Posted by franzli

Personally, if I were to look for a 6 inch android e-reader, I'd probably wait for the Poke Pro (or the corresponding Russian version) is available to have at least a slightly more modern OS version.

I don't know: Poke Pro has "merely" 16Gb for media storage and I use a uSD 32Gb card for that... which the Poke Pro got no slot to insert and read; it also has 2500mAh battery, but a very good 2Gb RAM.

There doesn't seem to be a "russian" version of 6 inch android 6 e-reader: they also have the Poke Pro for that segment.

[INCANUS]