[downeaster59]

Is the Note for you? Or should you move along and look elsewhere? Here, I share my experiences in the hope that they will help your own decision-making.

Let's begin.

Suppose that you could have only one e-Ink device. Which one should it be? The search can feel as though you were in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The more common six and seven inch display devices are very portable, affordable and excellent for reading eBooks. But they are too small to read pdfs comfortably. Large devices like the Max and Max 2 are great for pdfs and use as a second monitor, but too large and awkward for eBook reading - and are more expensive. Devices from Amazon and Kobo are great for their own content, but do not allow you to add apps of your choice. Too small, too large, or too limited.

What if there were a device that was large enough to read pdfs comfortably, yet light enough for eBook reading, and which allowed you to install the reader apps of your choice? Might such a device feel... just right?

Enter the Onyx Boox Note 10.3.

The Note is, essentially, a smaller version of the Max 2, with basically the same hardware as the Max 2. Its display size places it right in between the 9.7 inch iPad and the 10.5 inch iPad Pro, yet the Note is lighter than either. The Note is large enough to allow you to view pdfs comfortably. Yet, it remains light enough to allow you to read eBooks comfortably as well. Using an app like Splashtop, you can view your desktop/laptop display on the Note and you can interact with it through the Note. The next best thing to an e-Ink desktop/laptop. Since the Note's firmware is based on Android 6.0, you can install your favorite Android reading apps, or other apps that are reading-oriented.

The Note features a quad-core processor and 2 gb of RAM. That won't matter much for eBook reading, but it yields a noticeable performance improvement in some apps I use, such as the Logos Bible Study app. The Note has 32 gb of internal storage, so there is plenty of room for eBooks, pdfs and other files. One can easily transfer books and other files between the Note and a PC/Mac, so the 32 gb is not a big deal. There is no sd card slot, however. That's not an issue for me, but it may be a deal-breaker for some.

The Note offers some capabilities that few e-Ink devices have. It has two speakers. Sound quality is so-so. Because the Note has Bluetooth, Bluetooth headphones are the way to go here. As you'd expect with a name like Note, it has a stylus (WACOM technology) and offers a native Note app for writing. I have not used the Note app very much, but it has worked well for me when I have used it. Be aware that other users have found significant lags using third party writing apps like OneNote. You can also use the stylus to interact with the touchscreen instead of your finger - start apps, turn pages, and the like.

The Note does not have a frontlight. It is not for dark places. In general, where you can read a paper book comfortably, you can read on the Note comfortably.

The Note plays nicely with Calibre and Calibre Companion. AlReader and the latest KOReader betas work very well. The native NeoReader 2.0 app shouldn't be overlooked. It handles ePub, pdf and even azw formats well (provided that they are DRM-free, of course).

Battery life is acceptable, if not outstanding. I am getting about 8-10 hours of battery life per charge thus far. That's without doing any significant tweaking, or turning off WiFi when reading. Turning off WiFi when not needed should extend battery life.

My Note also came with a protective case: black, hard plastic, with a slot to hold the stylus. It will put the Note into sleep mode when you close the cover, and wake the Note when you open it - at least, most of the time.

If you're new to e-Ink, please note the following. Though you can, in principle, install almost any Android app on the Note, not every app will look nice on e-Ink. Some color schemes will not look good at all in grayscale. Some menus and pop-up windows will be totally white or black - in other words, illegible. The Note can run videos, but it's not pretty. What this boils down to is that, despite the improved hardware, the Note can't fully replace, say, a Galaxy Tab S2 or an iPad. However, the Note remains a quantum leap above older e-Ink devices in its capabilities. You can use Word, Outlook, Instapaper, Gmail, Pocket, and similar apps that are text-oriented.

At approximately $550 US, the Note is not cheap. Its price is comparable to an iPad or a Galaxy Tab of similar size. The Note may not have all the capabilities of these other devices, but it has more of them than previous e-Ink devices could offer.

Onyx appears to have made significant improvements in quality control in recent years. The Note seems to be well-made, and I have not yet experienced any significant bugs, glitches or hardware issues. My first Onyx experience was with the T68 when it was first released. Not a pretty story.

One more consideration: is e-Ink easier on your eyes than some form of LED display? If so, seriously consider the Note if you do a lot of eBook/pdf reading. If not, move along and consider an LED device.

I hope that this review will be of help to you. Other Note owners may have differing experiences or perspectives. As always, YMMV. But this has been mine thus far.

I can say that the Note is, easily, the best e-Ink device I have ever used, in terms of my own uses and needs. As long as you understand the strengths and weaknesses of E-Ink, I can recommend the Note without hesitation.

Feel free to ask questions if you wish.