Onyx Boox Leaf 2 E-reader reviewed

By Calvin Jones, who is an author and online content specialist based in West Cork Ireland. The new Leaf 2 e-reader from Onyx Boox is a sleek, capable 7” e-ink reading device with physical page-turn buttons and support for a wide variety of ebook formats. It’s also very configurable and flexible thanks to its Android 11 operating system. Onyx Boox Leaf 2 E-reader reviewed Because it runs Android, and supports the Google Play Store (you need to enable it via the settings), you can install any Android reading app on the device (Kindle, Kobo, etc.), giving you seamless access to content across different platforms. It’s also easy to transfer content from multiple sources to the device, either via the free Onyx cloud service, or directly using a USB-C cable, after which they will appear in the native library view, and open in the Onyx Neo Reader app. The Leaf 2 is thin (c. 6mm) and light (c. 180g), and at just 156 x 137 mm it has a very small footprint for a 7” e-reader, making it extremely portable. Under the hood it has a quad-core Qualcomm processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Should you need more there’s an SD Card Slot that can accommodate up to an additional 512GB. Charging, file-transfer and OTG peripherals are catered for with an industry standard USB C port, and there’s WiFi (2.4 & 5GHz) on board, as well as Bluetooth 5 support, speakers and a microphone. Battery life is good — with the 2,000mAh battery operating up to 26 days between charges according to Onyx — although as an android device, that will depend on the apps you install and use, and on how often you have connectivity options like WiFi and Bluetooth enabled. The black plastic body of the Leaf 2 feels solid and well put together, giving the unit a quality feel. The Leaf 2 comes in 2 “flavours” — the black model, which I tested, comes with a flush, glass covered screen, while the white model comes with a slightly recessed, but exposed, e-ink screen without the protective glass layer. That, in theory, should mean less glare and crisper visuals, at the potential expense of robustness (although I have to say I didn’t have any problems with glare or display clarity on the black model I tested). The design itself is typical of contemporary premium e-reading devices. It’s a sleek black rectangle with slightly curved edges and a wider “spine” on one side of the display, which houses one of the stand-out features of the Leaf 2: physical page-turn buttons. The wide spine makes it easy to clutch the reader in one hand without accidentally activating the touch screen, and the built-in G-Sensor means the display rotates automatically to accommodate the device’s orientation. And yes, by default the page turn buttons also switch when you rotate the device — which is great to see. One thing the Leaf 2 lacks is a waterproof rating. which is a shame, as unlike some of the competition, you’ll need to be careful with it on the beach or by the pool, and probably won’t be reading with it in the bath. Reading on the Leaf 2 Whether you’re reading in the native reading app, or one of the many other Android reading apps (As well as the native Neo Reader, I tested the Amazon Kindle app, library lending app BorrowBox, and the Libby ap for magazines), the 300ppi e-ink Carta display of the Leaf 2 delivers crisp, high contrast letters that can rival any e-reader on the market. Image quality in e-magazine and PDF files is also very good (albeit B&W only on the e-ink display). Built-in front-lights that can be independently configured for cool and warm light let you dial in the colour temperature to suit your needs, and make it possible to read easily at night without eye strain. At the opposite end of the lighting spectrum, the anti-glare characteristics of the e-ink display make it perfectly legible, even in direct sunlight. While the default settings offer excellent reading performance out of the box, as with other Boox devices, the Leaf 2 offers an extreme degree of customi...