Onyx Boox

Onyx Boox, styled by the company as BOOX, is a product brand produced by Onyx International Inc., a China-based manufacturer of E Ink reading and writing devices. Its portfolio has developed from conventional electronic readers into a broad family of Android-powered E Ink products, including compact readers, large-screen document devices, pen-enabled note-taking tablets, color E Ink models, and monitors or monitor-like displays. The brand is distinguished by its use of Android on non-monitor devices since 2013. This operating-system choice allows users to install and use applications beyond a single proprietary bookstore, including reading services from multiple vendors and independently supplied ebook files. The brand’s earlier products were primarily dedicated readers with monochrome E Ink panels, front lighting, touch input, expandable storage, and wireless connectivity. Models such as the M92, i62ML, C65, T68, and i86 represented different screen sizes and hardware configurations, while the i63ML Newton became notable in the brand’s product history for offering access to Google Play. Android compatibility also enabled features such as text-to-speech, support for third-party reading applications, and broader document-format flexibility than is typical of closed reading platforms. BOOX subsequently expanded upward into large-format devices. The Max family used displays as large as 13.3 inches and targeted users working with PDFs, sheet music, technical documents, and handwritten notes. Later generations increased resolution, processing capability, storage, connectivity, and operating-system versions. The Nova, Note, and Max lines added or refined Wacom-based pen input, while front-light systems with adjustable warm and cool tones made the devices more suitable for varied lighting conditions. The brand also developed smaller and more mobile products. The Poke family occupies a compact, Kindle Paperwhite-sized category, while later products such as Palma and Page extend the concept of a lightweight Android E Ink device beyond a conventional reader. Color E Ink entered the portfolio with the Poke 2 Color and later appeared in larger note-taking products such as the Tab Ultra C, Tab Mini C, Note Air3 C, and Tab Ultra C Pro. These products position E Ink not only as a low-glare reading surface but also as a platform for annotation, productivity, and multimedia-light Android use. By 2024, the announced or documented range included the Go Color 7, Go 10.3, Note Air4 C, Go 6, Palma 2, and Note Max, alongside continuing families such as Note Air, Tab, Poke, Page, and Palma. The overall positioning is that of an open, flexible E Ink ecosystem rather than a single-purpose ebook storefront. Its principal trade-offs are inherent to E Ink hardware and Android integration: long reading endurance and reduced glare are balanced against slower refresh behavior than conventional LCD or OLED displays, while application compatibility can vary by device and software version. Public reference material also records a GPLv2 source-code compliance dispute concerning Linux-kernel modifications, an issue relevant to the brand’s software governance but not documented here as a criminal or regulatory scandal.

Onyx Boox is the consumer-facing brand of Onyx International Inc., a Chinese manufacturer of E Ink readers, tablets, and monitors. The documented product history begins with dedicated monochrome readers and later develops into a broad Android-based family of reading, writing, and document devices. The brand’s identity has been shaped particularly by its decision to use Android on non-monitor BOOX products from 2013 onward. Instead of limiting customers to a single integrated bookstore, this approach permits the use of ebook files from different sources and, depending on the model and software configuration, third-party Android applications. Early products covered several important segments of the E Ink market. The M92, released in November 2011, used a 9.7-inch Pearl display and electromagnetic pen input for navigation and notes. The i62ML combined a six-inch Pearl HD panel with a front-light system marketed as Moon Light, while the C65 family brought capacitive touch, Android, wireless connectivity, and front-light variants to a smaller reader format. The T68 expanded the screen size to 6.8 inches and included features such as access to Google Play Books and the Amazon Kindle Store, together with text-to-speech capability when paired with a Bluetooth speaker. The i86 addressed users who wanted a larger eight-inch reader without moving to the very large Max format. The i63ML Newton occupies a notable place in the documented history because it was described as the first BOOX reader with access to Google Play. Its six-inch Carta display, front lighting, Android Gingerbread software, internal storage, and wireless capabilities illustrated the brand’s early effort to combine a conventional E Ink reading experience with the flexibility of a general mobile operating system. Other early products, including the E43 smartphone-reader concept and the C67 family, show experimentation with different form factors, Android versions, screen technologies, and regional configurations. BOOX then moved decisively into large-format E Ink computing through the Max line. The original Max used a 13.3-inch E Ink Mobius panel, and later Max Carta, Max 2, Max 2 Pro, and Max 3 versions improved display resolution, storage, memory, ports, and Android versions. These devices were oriented toward large documents, annotation, and handwriting rather than pocket reading. The Max Lumi later added an integrated front light and a faster hardware platform, extending the large-screen concept into a more versatile illuminated writing and reading device. A parallel development was the growth of mid-sized writing tablets. The seven-point-eight-inch Nova, followed by the Nova Pro and Note Pro, introduced or refined pen input through a Wacom digitizer and adjustable warm-and-cool front lighting. BOOX presented the Note Pro and Nova Pro at CES 2019 after collecting customer feedback, and both were released later that year. These products helped establish a distinction between ordinary ebook readers and E Ink tablets designed for handwriting, PDF markup, and productivity. The more recent portfolio broadens the brand across size, color, and use case. The Poke line serves compact reading, with the Poke 2 Color representing BOOX’s first color E Ink reader. The Tab Ultra and Tab X target note taking and productivity at 10.3-inch and 13.3-inch sizes respectively, using custom graphics hardware intended to improve E Ink refresh performance. After the Tab X, the documented range expanded to include the Tab Ultra C, Poke 5, Tab Mini C, Palma, Page, Note Air3 C, Tab Ultra C Pro, and Note Air3. Products documented for 2024 included the Go Color 7, Go 10.3, Note Air4 C, Go 6, Palma 2, and Note Max. The brand’s history therefore reflects the wider evolution of E Ink hardware: from single-purpose monochrome readers to connected Android appliances, then to large-format digital paper, handwriting tablets, color displays, and compact low-glare computing devices. The same openness that differentiates BOOX also creates software-maintenance and licensing responsibilities. Reference material records a 2022 dispute over the release of source code for Linux-kernel modifications under GPLv2. The available material does not establish a legal judgment or regulatory finding, so the matter is treated as a software-compliance controversy rather than a confirmed scandal.

1. 2024New Go, Palma, Note, and color models documented

   Documented 2024 releases included Go Color 7, Go 10.3, Note Air4 C, Go 6, Palma 2, and Note Max.

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2. 2023Tab X and expanded color/product portfolio

   The Tab X and additional products including Tab Ultra C, Poke 5, Tab Mini C, Palma, Page, Note Air3 C, Tab Ultra C Pro, and Note Air3 were documented in the expanding portfolio.

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3. 2022GPLv2 source-code dispute documented

   Reference material records that Onyx International had declined a written request for source code associated with Linux-kernel modifications licensed under GPLv2.

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4. 2020Max Lumi becomes available

   The Max Lumi extended the large-format Max family with an integrated front light and a faster hardware platform.

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5. 2019Nova Pro and Note Pro released

   Following CES 2019 presentations and customer feedback, the Nova Pro and Note Pro entered the market with Wacom pen input and adjustable warm-and-cool front lighting.

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6. 2018Nova introduced

   BOOX introduced the 7.8-inch Nova reader family, with different configurations planned around waterproofing and connector choices.

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7. 2013Android becomes standard on non-monitor BOOX devices

   Reference material identifies 2013 as the point from which non-monitor BOOX devices used Android, enabling broader application and content compatibility.

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8. 2013i63ML Newton documented with Google Play access

   The i63ML Newton was described as the first BOOX reader with access to Google Play.

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9. 2011M92 released

   The 9.7-inch M92 was released with an E Ink Pearl display and electromagnetic touch input supporting navigation and note taking.

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An open Android-based E Ink ecosystem for reading, annotation, document work, and low-glare mobile computing, emphasizing access to multiple reading services and applications rather than dependence on one proprietary bookstore.

• M92Large-format ebook reader2011

  The M92 is a large-format BOOX reader with a 9.7-inch E Ink Pearl display and electromagnetic touch input. Its design supported stylus-based navigation and note taking, placing it between a conventional ebook reader and an early digital-paper tablet. The model was released in November 2011 and illustrates BOOX’s early interest in larger screens for documents and handwriting.

• i63ML NewtonEbook reader

  The i63ML Newton is a six-inch Carta E Ink reader using Android Gingerbread. It included a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of DDR memory, 8 GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi, and a front-light system described as Moonlight. It is especially notable in BOOX’s documented history because it was identified as the first BOOX reader with access to Google Play, reinforcing the brand’s open-platform approach.

• C65Ebook reader

  The C65 family consists of six-inch Android readers with 1024-by-758-pixel E Ink HD displays, capacitive multi-touch, Wi-Fi, microSD expansion, and 4 GB of flash storage. The C65HD Storia and C65ML AfterGlow variants differed in color and front-light implementation. The family represented BOOX’s effort to combine a relatively compact reader body with Android flexibility and illuminated reading.

• T68Ebook reader and tablet

  The T68 is a 6.8-inch Android reader with a 1440-by-1080 E Ink Pearl HD display and a Freescale i.MX6 processor. It provided Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, expandable storage, audio connectivity, and access to services including Google Play Books and the Amazon Kindle Store. Its text-to-speech capability, usable with a Bluetooth speaker, broadened the device beyond silent reading.

• MaxLarge-format E Ink tablet

  The Max family introduced BOOX’s 13.3-inch format for users working with large documents, PDFs, technical material, and handwritten notes. Early versions used E Ink Mobius technology, while Max Carta adopted a flexible E Ink Carta display. Subsequent generations increased screen resolution, memory, storage, connectivity, and Android capability, making the line a central example of BOOX’s move from ebook readers toward digital-paper computing.

• Max LumiLarge-format E Ink tablet2020

  Max Lumi is a 13.3-inch large-format E Ink tablet that evolved from the Max 3. Its principal addition was an integrated front light, allowing the large display to be used in darker environments without external illumination. The model also used a faster hardware platform than its immediate predecessor and was documented as available from the end of September 2020.

• Nova and Nova ProMid-size E Ink reader and writing tablet2018

  The Nova family uses a screen around 7.8 inches and occupies the space between compact readers and larger note-taking tablets. The Nova introduced an edge-to-edge glass design, while the Nova Pro added Wacom digitizer pen input and a front light with warm and cool color settings. These features made the line suitable for reading, annotation, and handwriting while retaining a relatively portable form factor.

• Note ProE Ink writing tablet2019

  The Note Pro is a larger pen-enabled E Ink tablet presented alongside the Nova Pro at CES 2019 and released later that year. It uses a Wacom digitizer for pen input and a front-light system combining warm and cool illumination. The product represents BOOX’s shift toward digital notebooks and PDF annotation, rather than limiting the brand to passive ebook consumption.

• PokeCompact ebook reader

  The Poke family is designed around a compact, approximately six-inch reader format comparable in size to mainstream small ebook readers. Poke devices do not include pen input and therefore focus on portable reading. The range has included both sunken- and flush-screen designs, with the monochrome Poke 3 identified as having a flush screen. The Poke 2 Color was documented as BOOX’s first color E Ink reader.

• Tab UltraE Ink productivity tablet

  The Tab Ultra is a 10.3-inch E Ink note-taking and productivity device. An optional keyboard cover supports longer-form text entry, while a custom graphics processor is intended to improve refresh performance compared with simpler E Ink hardware. The product broadens BOOX’s target audience from readers and annotators to users seeking a low-glare Android productivity surface.

• Tab XLarge-format E Ink productivity tablet2023

  The Tab X is a 13.3-inch note-taking and document-focused device. It supports a separate Bluetooth keyboard and uses custom graphics hardware to improve the responsiveness of an E Ink interface. Its large display is intended for documents, handwriting, and productivity workflows that benefit from more page area than a standard reader or mid-size notebook tablet can provide.

• Go, Palma, Page, and Note Air familiesE Ink readers and tablets

  The later BOOX portfolio includes compact Go and Palma devices, the Page reader, and Note Air writing tablets, including color variants. Documented examples include Go Color 7, Go 10.3, Go 6, Palma, Palma 2, Note Air3, Note Air3 C, Note Air4 C, and Note Max. Together these families extend BOOX across compact reading, color E Ink, handwriting, document work, and Android-based low-glare computing.

• 2022Respond to a GPLv2 source-code requestOther

  A user requested source code associated with Linux-kernel modifications covered by the GNU General Public License version 2.

  What changed. Reference material states that Onyx International declined to release the requested source code as of 2022.

  Aftermath. The matter became a documented software-licensing and compliance controversy. The available reference does not establish a court judgment, regulator action, or financial consequence.

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• 2020Add front lighting to the large-format Max lineProduct launch

  Earlier Max models provided a very large E Ink surface but did not include the integrated front light emphasized in the Max Lumi generation.

  What changed. BOOX released Max Lumi with a 13.3-inch display, integrated front lighting, and a faster hardware platform than the prior Max 3.

  Aftermath. The Max line became more usable across lighting conditions while retaining its large-document and note-taking focus.

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• 2019Launch the Note Pro and Nova ProProduct launch

  Reference material says Onyx collected customer feedback before introducing the two products at CES 2019.

  What changed. BOOX introduced the Note Pro and Nova Pro with Wacom digitizer pen input and front lighting adjustable between warm and cool tones.

  Aftermath. The products strengthened BOOX’s position in pen-enabled reading, handwriting, and document-annotation devices.

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• 2013Adopt Android across non-monitor BOOX devicesStrategy

  The brand operated in a market where many ebook readers were tied closely to a particular bookstore or content ecosystem.

  What changed. From 2013 onward, documented non-monitor BOOX devices used Android, allowing users to access independent ebook files and, depending on the model, applications and services from multiple providers.

  Aftermath. Android became a defining part of BOOX’s differentiation and supported the later expansion from dedicated readers into note-taking and productivity tablets.

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• 2022Onyx International declines to provide requested Linux kernel source code

  Reference material states that, as of 2022, Onyx International Inc. had declined a written request from a user for source code corresponding to Linux-kernel modifications covered by the GNU General Public License version 2.

  RegulationOther
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1. Onyx Boox