[Drew22]

Hi dear e-reader fans,

several weeks ago I received one Onyx Boox Max e-reader from the first batch. Now the time has come to write a review for you. Till now I was the happy owner of an Onyx Boox M96 9.7 inch e-reader, against whom I would compare the 13.3 inch Max. Both have been purchased from Booxtor.

The first contact with such a big screen left me speechless. The 13.3“ Max is simply another world of reading, a class of its own. Since I had it on the table, I couldn’t stand anymore to read from the tiny 9.7 incher such is the difference. My readings consist mostly of .pdfs with wildly different quality, writing, page organization, letter size and clarity. With the M96 one went often through the torture of adapting every single document to make it readable: cropping the white margins, zooming, cutting the image in half, changing from landscape mode to portrait and viceversa, etc. With the Max , that tedious and unnerving work is history. You might still customize the view as before, but mostly this is not necessary.

One who has other Onyx devices like M92 or M96 will soon realise the software is basically the same, with only minor changes dictated by the size.

In order to structure my review I will answer those of your questions to which I have something to say:

1. @beachwanderer and tarlcab – The default Scribble app is perfect for note taking. Responsiveness is not an issue anymore. At the university I was able to take notes without having a notebook. If it is practical as a long term notebook replacement, I cannot yet determine. A few more functions would have been welcome.
2. Annotation is easy on .pdf documents, but .docx formats are being opened by another app, i.e. OReader (instead of Onyx Neo Reader for the former), which does not support handwriting. Introducing separate handwritten bookmarks in .pdfs is not yet possible, but will be soon – Booxtor assured me. You can though write separately to bookmarked places with the virtual keyboard, which I find cumbersome. However you can write on the white text edges and underline important ideas in the text with the help of your stylus.
3. Additional apps – I did not try recently to install additional apps because the built-in ones are pretty good, reflecting the years of experience gaining, upgrading and adaptation by the Onyx engineers. The few reading and writing apps I did try one year ago on the M96 were often slower and lagging. If some of you guys would be nice to test them and share with us comparisons with Onyx Neo Reader, OReader and Onyx Scribble, it would be great.
4. Memory card: Officially MAX supports max 32 GB, but as others pointed out here, it’s not true. I used a 64 GB Sandisk Ultra microSDHC, class 10. It works just fine, AFTER you reformat it as FAT32 (They come preformatted as exFAT, which MAX does not recognise.). Nevertheless the FAT32 format does not read documents over 4 GB. Who would read such a big document anyway…
5. Flipping the page takes 1 to 3 seconds. That’s fine with me. To be sincere, one needs a second or two to turn a real page made of paper too.
6. @ oranges Yes, the 13.3 inch screen is really good for all textbooks. The up to 2 seconds turning page is not an issue, at least to me. However, when making lots of written annotations and wishing to exit the document, the e-reader tends to freeze more than a few seconds, and that is unnerving. Booxtor should look into the matter.
7. The device is not looking oversized at all (one gets used very quickly, in a day or two), but holding it in your hands can prove to be tiring. There are methods to avoid that, e.g. read on your desk, put a book or a book-support behind for a better angle.
8. Can one avoid using the pen? Not entirely. You can extensively use the buttons most of the time. However for some commands one still needs the pen.
9. It would be nice for someone to test the Moon+ et co.. For me the provided software from Onyx is very good.
10. @deb2016 there is the Onyx Scribble app for handwriting and note taking, and in a few months we’ll have the ability to add handwritten notes to our bookmarks.
11. As far as I can determine, Scribble doesn’t recognize “levels of pressure” or the pen inclination. One can only change the thickness of the writing. Therefore the device is not suitable for drawings. Maybe Booxtor has another answer. Just write him on his webpage.
12. No, it’s not annoying to do everything with the pen. One just has to get used to it. Some might not like it no matter what, but it shouldn’t be a big thing for the majority of the readers.
13. @ Question Mark – it is always easy to replace a lost stylus because it is exactly the same as the one from M96. You just order one for M96 and that’s it.
14. The capacitive Netronix/GoodEreader device could have been an interesting alternative, if several key specs were not so terrible. It’s hard to imagine how an e-reader can cope with demanding .pdf documents, while only endowed with 512 MB of RAM. Besides, it lacks dedicated software, which is also a drawback. I didn’t like that Michael Kozlowski simply deleted my posts expressing these two issues. He might not have a team of software engineers at this stage to solve the latter, but the RAM problem must urgently be addressed, otherwise there will be a backlash as soon as his first batch hits the market.
15. @ desk7 The side button on the stylus is a quick start function for the handwriting, without going the extra mile of opening the menu and the built-in Scribble. The cap button is for erasing your own markings.
16. @ iacchi It’s a matter of weeks until Onyx will release the 4.4 Android version.
17. @ xtech Ipads/tablets and e-readers are two different worlds. It’s like comparing apples with oranges. If you’ve got eye straining issues, then a 13.3 inch e-reader is highly recommendable. Be aware though, most entertainment apps and games will not be available, even with Android 4.4. Max is for reading, writing, comics – not more, not less.
18. @ desk7 Yes, the annotations are not saved into the .PDF when transferring it to PC. I find it annoying. Booxtor, are you there? Can you or anybody else explain to us how it works?
19. @ Willy Tank Regarding your fourth question, a 9.7” e-reader is far less practical for .pdf reading than a 13.3”. This is my experience after one year with Onyx Boox M96 and extensive readings. The default mode is portrait for both screens.
20. 5. Question – Yes, the changed settings will be saved for every single .pdf separately. There is such a variety of .pdfs that you don’t really need a one setting for all of them.

The good thing is that in the end, everyone has the opportunity to buy the preferred e-reader with the preferred size: there are 5”, 6”, 6.8”, 8”, 9.7”, and now 13.3” e-readers. Isn’t that beautiful? Clearly not everyone would enjoy a 13.3 inch screen, but those who wish for one, should definitely go for Max.

My next post will be about my expectations regarding the next generation of 13.3 inch e-readers.