Boox Max 3 – 13.3 Inch Android eReader.

The Onyx Boox Max 3 e-reader has just been released. Contrary to many Chinese e-readers on Android’s older versions, this one runs on Android 9.0. With its 13.3-inch screen, it promises to be very versatile, especially for those who want to read A4 documents or use it to take notes with the stylus. Do they deliver on their promises? Our opinion on the question…

Hardware: A quality 13.3-inch e-reader

This e-reader is based on a 13.3-inch E-Ink Mobius screen, and a SD625 CPU (which is different from the processors usually used on this type of product!). With its large screen, it allows you to open two pages of a scanned book side by side, or to read A4 documents in real size. Equipped with a stylus,it allows you to take notes, or even draw. You can therefore annotate your documents easily, just as you would with printed sheets of paper.

On the hardware level, with an octa-core processor and enough RAM to run on Android 9 without any problem, this e-reader is clearly more than just an e-reader. With a machine of this type, Android should not be seen as a problem (compared to a lighter homemade system based on a Linux core) but as an opportunity to install applications and use the device as a new kind of laptop, between notebook, book and computer.

Descending from the Onyx Boox Max 2 we can find that this e-reader doesn’t bring many major modifications compared to its predecessor. But that would be wrong: having screen rotation, better stylus, and the possibility to choose its grey levels and to open two documents side by side, the main requests of Max 2 users have been taken into account in this new version of the large screen e-reader.

The choice of a Mobius screen rather than a Carta screen is also interesting: the thin layer on which the color is based is made of plastic rather than glass, which makes the screen lighter in weight and more resistant, as it can be slightly folded. This is not unimportant on this size e-reader, when you consider that screen breakage is the first cause of premature end of an e-reader. Given the cost, both economic and ecological of these devices, as well as a change of screen, this point is to be considered before choosing a device may be a little cheaper, but based on a glass screen, and therefore more fragile and less durable in the long term.

A nice machine, rather intended for academics or PDF addicts

For those who read a lot of PDF documents in A4 format, such as scientific journals or scanned books, this is an ideal e-reader. You can easily find it on Amazon or eBay. It also allows you to consult or answer your emails without being exposed to the blue light. For the price, it might be nice that it had adaptive lighting, while it remains dependent on room lighting or natural light. For a work tool, intended to be used during the day, mainly on a desk or table, this is probably not a problem; for those looking for an e-reader for reading at night, a lighter model with a powerful backlight, such as the recent Kindle Oasis 3 or the Kobo Libra may be a better choice, despite their smaller screen… For those who want quality lighting and want to stay at Boox for the comfort of reading PDFs and taking notes, the 10.3-inch Boox Note Pro, or the Boox Nova Pro, with its 7.8-inch screen are clearly worth considering.