BOOX Tablet Tab Mini C ePaper PC E Ink Tablet 7.8"

I use this more than my iPad mini (6th edition), more than my iPhone 13 Pro, and more than my computer. It’s a wonderful device. Fast, distraction free, amazing. I have word on it, news apps, Libby, kindle, notion, etc.

I had really hoped that this tablet would be a Kindle killer because Amazon is playing games with Kindle access to news sources in a bid to compel a Kindle Unlimited subscription. I had hoped to reward them for that anti-competitive B.S. by switching to a device that could run apps from The Atlantic and Washington Post. But, alas, the background color on this device is so grey that contrast at all comparable with the Kindle Paperwhite can be achieved (even in a well-lit room) only with the backlight on, which kills the battery and, thus, largely defeats the value of e-ink. Also, I found myself hitting the screen refresh way too often even with app optimization. It's a great note-taker but, for the money, it has to also be a decent e-reader.

I bought this for work and it's one of of my favorite tech purchases. I travel for work and use it for both conference room meetings and while walking the floor in warehouse and manufacturing facilities. The size is perfect for taking notes on the go. Android OS provides a familiar experience and I love that I can access Google keep, drive, kindle, and other common apps. Writing feels natural and I LOVE the ability to add color and shapes. No problems after a month. Other reviews scared me into buying the extended warranty, and I'm glad I did because I plan on using this heavily for as long as I can.

Overall, this is exactly what I'd want in an e-ink tablet - something non-stimulating or distracting that I can use for focus time and daily planning sessions. You have to buy it with the realization that this is not a LCD screen, nor is it even a B&W screen. The extra color layer is going to reduce the contrast; that's the unfortunate drawback to the current state of e-ink technology. No color e-ink on the market is going to compare to the quality of a B&W screen. But you get the additional features of color highlighting and a far superior browsing and play store / app experience. Also Onyx chose to include a new and upgraded GPU for the Tab product line which significantly improves screen performance, but at the expense of battery life. So you're going to be charging this a lot more than your Kindle Paperwhite, even with the larger capacity battery.Overall, Onyx hit this out of the park with a powerful, slightly complicated tablet that will do everything you need it to do and more, but in a tasteful, non-distracting kind of way. Compare that to the inherent distractions of an iPad or the Kindle Scribe which only supports Kindle and the most basic of writing tools (even with the latest upgrade), and requires you to be signed into the Amazon Ecosystem. Another perk of the Tab Mini C is that it has a 7.8" screen compared to the Scribe's massive 10.3" screen and is super lightweight, leading to a perfect portable productive experience. You don't realize how great the smaller screen size is until you hold the beefy Scribe and realize you cannot use it without two hands or setting it down on a table.That said, my only real complaint is that the first tablet I received had a cracked screen, possibly related to the outer glass being a new type that's supposed to improve screen quality. That's pretty unacceptable and makes me nervous about the long-term reliability. I'd much prefer the lesser quality of a plastic screen, but the comfort of long-term durability. I returned it and re-purchased with a case and a sleeve and a 4-year squaretrade warranty. Right now, there's nothing on the market that compares to the Tab Mini C, so ultimately you have to make compromises until the competition offers a better product.

I first tried the Ultra C but it's just too heavy for a ebook reader. This is still a bit heavy compared to a kindle but it's good enough. It's a great note taking device if you can get by with smaller pages. While you can install any old Android app, your best bet is to not do that and just do reading and productivity apps. As a specialized device for notes, todo list, news and book reading, this is pretty great. If that's what you're looking for, you'll love it. Most of my books are amazon/kindle and that app works great here. Color photos aren't very great, and videos are worthless, but spot color, the ability to use a red pen for markup, and that sort of thing works fine. Color e-ink is still a compromise but it has come far enough to be useful enough that it's worth it to me. The included pen is surprisingly good but I'm mostly sticking with my trusty Noris digital jumbo which works great on this tablet. Go ahead and get the official case, it is well thought out and it'll keep you from losing the pen.