PocketBook's InkPad Eo improves on the build quality of its forebears – it's a shame this E Ink writing tablet is so frustrating to use

PocketBook InkPad Eo review

My first thought as soon as I took the InkPad Eo out of its packaging was, “Ooh, that’s different.” It’s physically unlike any PocketBook device I’ve tried before, with a premium and hefty build that it’s borrowed from Bigme – made possible after the Chinese brand became a co-owner.

This was a good move as the metal-bound chassis feels nice to hold and, despite an 8MP rear camera, there’s no bump, so it lies completely flat on a table. However, the use of metal edges and the camera could be what’s made the InkPad Eo heavier (at 470g) than some of its competition, like the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 (375g), and uncomfortable to hold for long sessions. I've tested other 10-inch E Ink writing tablets and most of them are more comfortable to hold than the InkPad Eo.

Other than its design, there’s just a couple of other positives I appreciate about the PocketBook InkPad Eo. One is the adoption of the global handwriting feature – aka the ability to write on third-party apps – which is not always supported in other epaper note-taking tablets and could well sway some potential buyers. The other is the color palette – while not as well optimized as the Kobo Colour Libra's screen, book covers on the InkPad Eo look lovely in color. However, this has not quite translated to the ink colors when writing or drawing and those look far more washed out.

And that's where my positives for this device stop. While I commend the attempt at giving the Onyx Boox devices competition, the Eo is unable to hold its own in other areas.

For starters, it’s very easy to lose the stylus as it doesn’t secure magnetically to the side of the tablet itself. Moreover, the eraser on the top of the pen doesn’t quite behave as expected – it’s more a selector, and the erasing happens after you’ve selected something in the notes app. It’s not a massive lag, but I much prefer the way the Kindle Scribe’s Premium Pen or the Kobo Stylus 2 behaves – erasing as you move along the writing (or drawing), much like an actual pencil eraser would do. Even the reMarkable’s Marker and the Boox pens erase in real time.

The camera, despite being a nice touch, isn’t worth having at all. It doesn’t actually ‘scan’ a document as your phone might do – instead it takes a photo. And the quality of the image isn’t great either, much like the Onyx Boox Palma 2.

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The one thing you expect to do easily with any ereader is transfer files, but even that basic task was frustrating with the InkPad Eo. While there’s Dropbox support (and I’m not a user of this cloud service), there’s no cable transfer possible from a MacBook (I’m not a Windows user either). All possible solutions recommended by PocketBook that I found online to move ebooks to the library application didn’t work and I had to resort to using a microSD card instead. That worked well, along with allowing me to add custom fonts, and a restart enabled the latter easily enough. Even Boox devices don’t have Apple support, but it’s still a lot easier to transfer files without resorting to using a microSD card, and that's thanks to BooxDrop and Google Drive support.

It’s also not easy to check if a file import (in my case via the microSD card) has been successfully completed on the InkPad Eo. There’s no progress bar and the files don’t uncheck when the import is done. Strangely, there is a greyed-out Import button with a check mark, but it’s barely visible.

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Even ghosting is a massive issue. Nearly every app and every page turn results in a light overlay of the previous screen, which can get distracting after a while because you keep expecting it to happen. And that’s despite PocketBook adopting the multiple refresh rate options that Boox devices also have, and yet the latter does it better. I found that the best refresh rate setting to successfully minimize ghosting on the Inkpad Eo is the Regal option, but the only way to select that is to choose Custom Mode, otherwise it’s greyed out. It’s a simple thing and should be available as one of the default options.

The InkPad Eo is the first epaper writing tablet from PocketBook that I’ve tested, but the user interface was instantly familiar. It’s like a love child of reMarkable and Boox, inheriting more from the latter. And, of course, that means the Eo struggles with similar issues that I’ve previously complained about with Boox. The interface is clunky and not very streamlined, with important submenus tucked away when they should be easier to access.

I’m also not too chuffed about a tablet released in April 2025 running Android 11. That’s outdated now and, even though I don’t expect security to be an issue on a device like an E Ink note-taking tablet, surely it’s time to move on – even Boox has adopted Android 13.

There are a whole lot of other little bugs which can be fixed via a firmware update, but are, at present, rather annoying. For example, tapping on the Home icon doesn’t take you to a home screen at all – it just refreshes the screen you’re already on or takes you to the home page of the app you were using.

Another example is that even though PocketBook has thought about adding a Night and Bedtime frontlight setting, they’re both very bright by default and require manual adjusting anyway. So having those presets was of no use, at least to me who prefers dim screen light when reading at night.

Long story short, PocketBook needs to do better. The InkPad Eo has the makings of a good epaper writing tablet but, as it is now, it’s hard to recommend when there are other brands that do a far superior job at the same or lower price.

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PocketBook InkPad Eo review: specs

PocketBook InkPad Eo review: price & availability

• Announced March 2025
• Available now in North America and Europe from authorized sellers
• List price: $550 / £449 (about AU$850)

The PocketBook InkPad Eo was announced at the end of March 2025 and has been available to buy in select markets from third-party sellers since April. With a price tag of $550 / £449 (about AU$850), it’s an expensive E Ink note-taking tablet, but then so is the Bigme InkNoteX from which it takes its cues, as are other color 10-inch E Ink writing tablets.

For example, the reMarkable Paper Pro will set you back $579 / £559 / AU$929 at the very least. For that kind of money, you’re getting a much better device too – an e-paper screen that displays color better and a very streamlined, minimal user interface. That said, it’s not the best for using as an ereader as well – its sole purpose is to be a writing tablet.

While we haven’t tested the Boox Note Air4 C, we’ve liked the previous generations and, for a color e-note taker of the same size as the InkPad Eo, with the same screen tech and very similar UX, it could be the better buy at $529.99 / AU$874 (ships to the UK via the EU warehouse for about £465).

At the time of writing, the InkPad Eo isn’t being listed at too many US stores, although Amazon has it listed for $579. It seems to be well stocked in the UK, though, although prices vary a little. For example, Amazon UK has it down for £504.26, but Currys lists it for £499. Laptops Direct is the only UK retailer stocking it for £449 at the time of writing.

PocketBook devices aren’t officially available in Australia, but imports are listed on Amazon AU and eBay, but at high markups.

Should I buy the PocketBook InkPad Eo?

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How I tested the PocketBook InkPad Eo

• Used every day for three weeks as ereader and note taker
• Downloaded a few Android apps, including Kindle and Kobo for reading
• Listened to some audiobooks and music files to test speaker quality

I've tested about 30 ereaders in the last eight years, so I've developed a routine when I begin a new review. First, I connect to Wi-Fi to set up the device, then immediately see if I can transfer some ebooks and comic files for testing. And if it's a note-taking tablet like the PocketBook InkPad Eo, I start a new notebook called Scribbles where I test writing, drawing and handwriting recognition.

I did all this for the InkPad Eo, then also signed into the Google Play Store to download some other apps, including some benchmarking ones as I'm always curious to see how the processor performs.

I spent about 30 hours over a period of three weeks reading ebooks, and took all my work-related notes on the InkPad Eo. This gave me plenty of experience with the workings of the tablet. I also tried out the rear camera a few times, plus tested all the refresh rate options and various settings.

Given my experience with different brands of ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, I was able to compare the InkPad Eo as objectively as possible with the competition from Onyx Boox, Kindle, Kobo and reMarkable.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed June 2025]