Onyx Boox Tab X review: sometimes size does matter when it comes to ereaders

It’s a niche ereader but the Onyx Boox Tab X could prove useful for some users

Onyx Boox Tab X wallpaper displayed on the tablet with its Pen 2 stylus resting on top
(Image: © TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

TechRadar Verdict

Not many of us would contemplate buying an A4-sized E Ink tablet, but if you’re one of the few, then the Onyx Boox Tab X takes digital reading and note taking to the next level. Its 13.3-inch screen is perfect for editing documents (magazine editors will relate), reading comics and graphic novels, and for working in split screen. The packaged stylus offers a decent writing experience, making the Tab X a very capable productivity tool… if you can afford the hefty price tag.

Pros

  • +

    Sleek tablet with quality build

  • +

    Android 11 offers excellent versatility

  • +

    Great writing experience

Cons

  • -

    Very expensive

  • -

    Stylus doesn’t attach magnetically

  • -

    Not upgradable to Android 12/13

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Onyx Boox Tab X review

The Onyx Boox Tab X is admittedly a very niche product – it’s an A4-sized e-paper writing tablet, which translates to a 13.3-inch screen. So unless you’re a magazine editor or a researcher looking to go completely paperless, there are more portable ereaders and digital note takers out there that would be a lot cheaper too.

But I am a magazine editor, and being able to look at the pages in PDF format on a large screen that fits it all and lets me add my notes in the margins… now that’s really helpful. Granted magazines are all about color and pictures, so despite seeing the images in black and white, I haven’t found that to be an issue as I'm typically concentrating on editing the copy while doing a final read of the pages.

13.3-inch E Ink tablets aren’t new – Onyx Boox already has the Max Lumi 2 in its repertoire, and the Tab X basically picks up where the older model left off. There are some design differences though, with the Max Lumi 2 featuring a fingerprint sensor that the Tab X misses out on. Otherwise they both have similar bodies, sizes and weight.

The Tab X might weigh 560g, but you wouldn’t know that when you pick it up – it’s just so well balanced that it feels surprisingly light, and I had no trouble using it on the train commute into work. It’s also really quite nice to look at too. With a uniform thickness of 6.8mm all round, it’s sleek and the rear plastic panel has a matte finish that makes it look like metal. However, the rear is very prone to fingerprints and smudges that don’t clean off easily.

A hand making annotations on a file on the Onyx Boox Tab X with the Pen 2 stylus

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Also on the rear are dual speaker grills – yes, you can add music files and enjoy some tunes while you work. Or listen to audiobooks that you’ve sideloaded or any other audio file in MP3 or WAV format. What I did not expect is how loud the Tab X can get. Now, sound quality isn’t anything to write home about, with most music sounding a little tinny, but it’s a sight better than what I’ve experienced with the PocketBook Era. You can, of course, pair Bluetooth headphones or speakers too.

The lower (chin) bezel is larger than the others, which does detract a little from the overall look, but I also think it’s necessary to have enough space to hold the tablet comfortably to avoid accidental touch functions from distracting you.

The display, which is an E Ink Mobius Carta screen, has a resolution of 207ppi and supports 16 shades of gray. Despite a lower resolution as compared to other 10.3-inch e-paper writing tablets at 300ppi – like in the Amazon Kindle Scribe and the Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus – everything is rendered quite crisply but, if you’ve used a higher resolution screen before, you might find yourself increasing the boldness of the text to make it look sharper.

On the inside, you get an octa-core 2GHz Qualcomm 662 chipset, accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. That’s pretty impressive for an e-ink tablet and that means it can handle a lot, including playing videos… in black and white of course.

A page from a book displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab X

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Considering it’s running on a version of Android 11, you get full access to the Google Play Store, so you can download the YouTube app if you’re curious about how videos look. Admittedly they’re not smooth, but they are watchable if you don’t mind the monochrome look reminiscent of the moving pictures from the Harry Potter movies. Interestingly, the Tab X actually has five different refresh rates that you can set for individual applications (including for video) and that helps things look as smooth as possible.

And if you’ve got existing Kindle or Kobo accounts, you can always download the reading apps and sign in to get full access to your existing library on either platform.

That said, you don’t really need to download any other app – the default suite that the Tab X comes with is good enough for most users… it was for me at least. All documents and books that I uploaded onto the device (and this included some magazine pages in PDF format for proofing) automatically are opened by the NeoReader app and, I have to admit, the large screen made reading comics and graphic novels a real pleasure. I was easily able to add notes to margins of my PDFs, then export via Dropbox and Boox Drop in the brand’s own smartphone app. The Tab X has its own Notes app, but it will handle any other note-taking application you want to use – just download it from the Play Store.

Writing on the screen, while not exactly paper-like, feels good with just enough friction to give you some control. The smoothest e-paper screen I’ve written on is the Kindle Scribe where it feels like the stylus is just about to slip away.

The Pen 2 stylus packaged with the Tab X is great too – it doesn’t require any charging or batteries to function (it’s passive) and features an eraser on the top end. My one issue here is that the stylus doesn’t attach itself magnetically to the side of the tablet – as it does with other e-ink writing tablets, including Onyx Boox’s own models – making it easy to misplace.

The TechRadar website on the Onyx Boox Tab X's default browser

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

There are some customization options on how you want your Tab X’s home screen to look, although the default choices for the wallpaper and the screensaver are very limited. You can even change up the floating bar that shows up on NeoReader, so you can set whatever function buttons you find the most useful for a library application. Even the Control Center, which is easily accessible by swiping downward from the top right corner, offers plenty of shortcuts for different functions, including taking a screenshot (which you can export in full color by the way) and controlling the volume of the device (there are no physical buttons here).

Screenshots taken on the Onyx Boox Tab X are downloaded in color

Screenshots taken on the Onyx Boox Tab X are downloaded in full color but display on the tablet in monochrome. (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Finally, with a 6,300mAh battery under the hood, I went days before reaching for the charger. I’ve had the Tab X for a month and a half for this review and have only needed to top up once in that time. This is with screen brightness set at 15% (with automatically adjusting hue) and using it to read, write and listen to music at least an hour a day, sometimes more.

My only concern is that you can’t upgrade the operating system to Android 12 or newer, which means there might be security patches missing. This may not be a huge deal breaker if you’re primarily using it to read and jot notes, but it’s definitely worth keeping in mind.

Despite that Onyx Boox has done a good job with the Tab X – if you really need a large-screen writing tablet, it doesn’t get better than this. You’ll just have to keep its stylus safe and stomach the high price tag.

Annotations made in margins of a file on the Onyx Boox Tab X

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab X review: price and availability

  • Announced January 2023
  • Available in the US and Europe, limited availability in Australia
  • Retails for $879.99 / €949.99 / AU$1,449

Onyx Boox announced the Tab X very early in 2023, making it the first E Ink device to arrive this year. It’s available to buy directly from the maker and from very select retailers in the US and Europe for $879.99 / €949.99. If you’re in the UK, Onyx Boox has a warehouse arrangement with its European online storefront to ship into the country without import tariffs and VAT,  but the device will then cost you a little more.

While Onyx Boox doesn’t have an Australian online store, the Tab X can be purchased from Harvey Norman and Elite Electronics for an eye-watering price of AU$1,449.

This price includes the Pen 2 stylus, but not a slipcase (which the Max Lumi 2 did include).

It’s hard to say whether the Tab X is well priced or not as there’s not a lot of competition in the market. In the US, the Max Lumi 2 costs exactly the same ($879.99) but ships with a case in the box.

The default music player app on the Onyx Boox Tab X

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab X review: key specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Display type:E Ink Carta Mobius touchscreen
Display size:13.3 inches
Screen resolution:207ppi (1650 × 2200 pixels)
Frontlight:Moon Light 2
Operating systemAndroid 11
Processor:8-core, 2GHz
RAM:6GB
Storage:128GB
Battery:6,300mAh
Connectivity:Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C
File support:21 formats (including 2 audio)
Dimensions:310 × 228 × 6.8 mm
Weight:560g

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Tab X?

The Boox branding on the chin bezel of the Onyx Boox Tab X

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Buy it if...

You edit or write a lot for work

If you happen to be a student, researcher, editor, journalist, teacher, lawyer or any other profession that requires a lot of note taking, the Onyx Boox Tab X might just prove really useful, particularly since you see it all in A4 size as you would on an actual page itself. And it’s really quite easy to export any of these, with annotations included, to a computer.

You’re an avid reader of comics or research papers

The Onyx Boox Tab X’s large screen is supremely suited to displaying comics and graphics novels in their monochrome glory. And it’s also really handy in studying academic papers as each page is displayed in full, with all diagrams and charts rendered very well indeed.

Don’t buy it if...

You predominantly want to use it as an ereader

If reading is your main objective for a device, you can save a lot of money by opting for a smaller note-taking tablet or ereader. That could be in the form of a 10.3-inch E Ink note taker such as the Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus, Kindle Scribe or Kobo Elipsa 2E, or go even smaller with the 8-inch Kobo Sage. They all have writing capabilities, with the Kobos also offering advanced tools designed specifically for this purpose.

You want a color screen

While there are color E Ink displays, there are none in this size category and, so far, none offer good saturation of color to make them worthwhile. E Ink, the maker of the screens we associate with most ereaders, does have the new Gallery 3 tech that some brands have adopted, but there are no ereaders available yet (at least at the time of writing) with this display technology in any size. You might be better off getting yourself an iPad or a Samsung tablet.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Tab X

I used the Onyx Boox Tab X for about a month and a half for this review as my primary writing tablet, but not my main ereader mostly due to its size. That said, I used it in conjunction with the Amazon Kindle Scribe and the Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus, as well as testing it alongside the Kobo Elipsa 2E that was announced in early April 2023.

I used it to jot work-related notes, including those for this review. It had my to-do list as well.

I used the Boox Drop application to transfer magazine pages that I was in the process of proofing during this testing (in PDF format) via the Boox Drop app, and exported them back to my laptop with all annotations included the same way. I also played some music while working on these.

While I did use the Tab X to read for leisure, it wasn’t for more than a few hours in total across the testing period, only because its large size is a little cumbersome while reclining on a couch or in bed. I also watched a YouTube video for a few minutes to see how it would hold up.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed April 2023]

Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under.