I would have to say that both the ability to have multiple Ebook apps on one E-reader device and the ability of having up to 512gb micro SDs installed make this a very appealing offer to consider. I personally went for the white with the sunken screen but that's just a personal preference.
Just bought the white leaf 2 because I like the recessed screen. Heading over to your deep dive to learn all about the leaf 2 before mine arrives. Thank you.
I'm happy that Boox is putting the buttons on their devices, that's what I am missing in my Nova 2 a lot. I used to have them in my Kindle keyboard and I've loved them a lot.
Good review and I look forward to seeing more about the Leaf 2. This may replace my Kindle Oasis, the only device I own that does not use USB-C. I love physical page turn buttons. It would be great to read my Kindle and Nook books plus be able to access the public library all from one e-ink device.
This seems a great option to replace my Kindle. I have recently found BorrowBox to borrow ebooks from the library, but this does not work on the Kindle. The fact there is a device that will cover everything is great!
I already ordered mine, black, and I have high expectations! With this form factor, this could be finally a oasis-killer worth its money. Too bad Google Play is not implemented by default, but that has stopped being a serious problem. Next step: note taking on the e-book, keeping this function related to reading.
Interesting device. I am an e-note taker, myself, but this might end up as a Christmas present for a friend that wants to read more. Thank you for the review!
This device looks awesome. Could you please compare the quality of the screen with the libra 2 or a device you have the posibility to do it. It would be really nice to watch it side by side with another ereader screen or at least know your opinion having used both of them. Thanks for your work!😊😊
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you very much, I appreciate a lot all of your in depth reviews overall, they are the best way for me to learn about all the e-ink devices that I like. I will be patientily waiting till is out 😁
@@MyDeepGuide Would also love a comparison to Nova Air to get an idea of what we lose with image/text quality by moving to a note taking device of similar size!
Finally! I've always liked a larger screen for a pure e-reader so when the Leaf came out at 7 inches instead of the usual 6 inch, i seriously considered getting it. But SO many things put me off the Leaf, the indented screen which made it difficult to navigate at the edges, the white color, Android 10, i just could not justify the higher price for the extra 1 inch of screen estate. So i stuck to my beloved boox Note Air (SO much love!), though it's just a bit too heavy to carry around daily for casual reading, or hold for extended reading periods. I like having physical buttons, though I'm not sure the placement will work well with the cover, if i don't want to bend my cover completely back. I also saw some reviews about the buttons being noisy, like having a annoying clicky mouse, do the buttons bother you? Still, not a deal breaker, i can always take it out of the cover to read or just tap on the page, i guess. The design almost reminds me of a smaller version of the Note Air, I'm ready to fall in love! Can already tell I'll probably get this, Eagerly awaiting your in depth review for me to confirm it🤩
Awesome video as always. Looking at getting this for my wife as her first e reader. Stupid question of the day. I ordered the tab ultra for myself to use as a daily planner (personal and work) and possibly as a personal journal also. I'm looking at getting a leaf 2 for myself also just to use it for what it's made for, an e reader because of the smaller size (portability). What do you think? Thanks!
Great video as always 🥰 The device looks great - I'm looking to buy my first e-reader and this one seems to have the ergonomics and general flexibility I'm after - seems like a great starter device. I've been impressed with the pdf capabilities that boox offers and am curious to see how reflow and article mode works on such a device. do you think the leaf2 is a little too small for pdfs?? even with these pdf features? Thanks for a great video and am looking forward to your review!
Have been waiting for you review as I am looking for a replacement on my broken 6" reader. I'm on the fence between sticking to the 6" displays or getting a 7". My biggest concern is if it possible to put in a jacket pocket, preferable with the case as I often use e-ink readers on the subway/bus/train and like to easy get it/put it away. I understand that all jackets and pockets are different and that people think is comfortable in those pockets. But I would very much like to see a few seconds of trying to put smaller devices in a pocket in your in-depth review. Regards and have a nice weekend!
This device is about 13.6 cm wide as far as I hace read in the specs. With a cover (the official one looks that does not add much bulk) it may stay in 14 cm. My current 6" device with its cover is about 13cm wide and it fits quite tightly in some of my pockets. I'm not sure whether an additional centimetre is going to make the fit impossible for me. The good thing though is that this device is both thinner and shorter than my current device...
@@lastblade100 My last 6" is a bit smaller than Leaf2, but I have made cardboard cut outs just to test the sizes of the devices I am interested in to be able to compare a physical thing and not just a spreadsheet. A bit geeky perhaps but I like to do the research before I buy.
A bit of clarification; the device actually only has one speaker. The grille by the charging port is actually a microphone. They have only recently updated their marketing material to remove mentions of dual speakers after I had brought up my issue of only having one working speaker, only to find that it does only have one speaker. A bit of a letdown and honestly felt a bit misled, but I still do like the Leaf 2.
On the Leaf 2, aesthetically speaking, Onyx has improved the mic placement by actually placing it behind the grille this time. On the Leaf 1, after asking Onyx's Reddit support team, I can conclude that the mic has its own single hole, while the right grille serves absolutely zero purpose other than symmetrical aesthetics.
Do the page turning buttons also work in Google play apps like Kobo? As with my other boox with the cover that has the page turning buttons it doesn’t work. 😟
It definitely looks interesting. I'm a long-time Kobo user who side loads from Calibre, and would love to know how the various readers apps on Boox handle sideloading, and also how well they support sideloaded fonts. The last time I tried Kobo on Android I found you had to root the tablet just to install fonts, and as a result the stock Kobo app was unreadable.
And no even a word about the backlight? Onyx e-books very often have problems with irregular backlight because of cheap LEDs and the quality may vary from one instance to another. When I was buing my Kon-Tiki 2 e-reader I had to choose between 3 instances to get more or less regular backlight without noticeble spots.
You should watch the actual in-depth review I made of this device, and not the Unboxing and First Impressions, if you are looking for detailed coverage and testing of a device. In the in-depth review, everything is covered, well, in-depth :)
Hi Voja, I'm about to retire and want an e-reader that I can use in bright Australian sunshine and for travel. I don't want to just read books but also want to be able to read twitter, mastodon, and a few webpages. I'd also like to be able to respond to email if I choose. I'm an Android phone guy already and have a iPad Pro that I use for video watching. Note taking is not a key feature for me. Would you recommend this device for my situation?
There is always a difference in image clarity, screen whiteness is a bit brighter, and the contrast is a bit tighter. So yeah, there is a noticable difference, at least with the devices that have a paperlike surface on top. Smoother ones, not so much.
@@MyDeepGuide we would like to see a comparison between the leaf and any other note taking erader, with text and also images. And I really appreciate your efforts in these deep reviews as they're the best I've seen so far. No one can dive into the details as you're doing!
@@elenacama1419 without the case is pretty light and ergonomics are similar to the paperwhite (the small bazel and be a little tricky to hold but it’s fine). With the case that has the page turn buttons you get a place to rest your thumb and it also becames a little to heavy (fine if you rest in your lap or table like a book). The extra wacom layer on top of the nova air for handwriting makes text a little less sharp than the kindle but still quite good.
I choose Libra 2 for better software updates and pure ebooks reading. It is cheaper also. I only buy Onyx largest 13.3 inch, Max Lumi for reading pdf and comic.
Gotta say that I just didn't Iike the Leaf 2 AT ALL. I much much prefer the Poke 3. The only thing I loved is the navigation buttons. This device (especially with the godawful cover with its sharp edges and jutting out compared to the Poke 3 case). The buttons are nice. But because they are in the center, holding it makes it much more difficult to hold than the Poke 3. The Poke 3 is very comfortable to hold. Fortunately the last firmware allows switching the top button to change to the next page rather than the previous page which was making it even more difficult to hold.
Do you have the version of the Leaf 2 with the flush screen, or the one with the sunken in screen? Because on the one I have here, there are no sharp edges what so ever, all nice and rounded and very comfy to use. EDIT: Ah, I saw now that you are referring to the sharp edges on the cover, not on the device. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for sharing your experience.
@@MyDeepGuide Yes. The sharp edges of the case. I have the black one. I want to point out that I was comparing the Poke 3 to the Leaf 2. If I didn't have the Poke 3, I would have liked the Leaf 2. But holding the Leaf 2 is just so awkward. Ideally the buttons would be on the top and not in the middle. That would have made the holding of the device significantly better. But then you have a problem for the left handed folks who would likely flip the reader. The Nook had it right with buttons on both sides. But then it would be even wider. Making it even more unwieldy. So I don't know what a good design would look like. I just wanted to point out to people who are looking to purchase this, to, if possible try out the Poke 3 somewhere along with the Leaf 2 and decide which one works for them.
Yeah I have the Remarkable 2 and it's the perfect one for taking notes, I actually annotate on the PDF. However, say I'm lying down because of my poor health, the remarkable can get heavy. The Poke 4 is a little too small for studying.
Not really, as it is virtually an identical device with marginal updates that don't really make any real world difference, other than it having an Android 11 and a bit better image clarity at the cost of loosing the papery writing feel.
"NovaAir2 or NovaAirC? Both come with the same hardware and software aside from Nova Air2 comes with a black and white screen whereas Nova Air C comes with a COLOR E Ink display." - Official Boox Twitter. Welp, I guess you can rewatch Voja's Nova Air C review then. PS: Onyx used photos of an early white version of the Nova Air C for their FCC submission (you can check it out if you want). Imagine that prototype model, but with a monochrome E-Ink display. (I seriously hope this was not Onyx's train of thought when they made the Nova Air 2.)
I would have to say that both the ability to have multiple Ebook apps on one E-reader device and the ability of having up to 512gb micro SDs installed make this a very appealing offer to consider. I personally went for the white with the sunken screen but that's just a personal preference.
Excellent timing! I was looking into buying this device so I'm really looking forward to your full review. Thanks :)
Just bought the white leaf 2 because I like the recessed screen. Heading over to your deep dive to learn all about the leaf 2 before mine arrives. Thank you.
I'm happy that Boox is putting the buttons on their devices, that's what I am missing in my Nova 2 a lot. I used to have them in my Kindle keyboard and I've loved them a lot.
Good review and I look forward to seeing more about the Leaf 2. This may replace my Kindle Oasis, the only device I own that does not use USB-C. I love physical page turn buttons. It would be great to read my Kindle and Nook books plus be able to access the public library all from one e-ink device.
This seems a great option to replace my Kindle. I have recently found BorrowBox to borrow ebooks from the library, but this does not work on the Kindle. The fact there is a device that will cover everything is great!
Look forward to the full review. Thank you.
I already ordered mine, black, and I have high expectations! With this form factor, this could be finally a oasis-killer worth its money.
Too bad Google Play is not implemented by default, but that has stopped being a serious problem.
Next step: note taking on the e-book, keeping this function related to reading.
Nice. Can't wait for the full review.
Interesting device. I am an e-note taker, myself, but this might end up as a Christmas present for a friend that wants to read more. Thank you for the review!
Very good and informative review for buyers
This device looks awesome. Could you please compare the quality of the screen with the libra 2 or a device you have the posibility to do it. It would be really nice to watch it side by side with another ereader screen or at least know your opinion having used both of them. Thanks for your work!😊😊
Will compare it to the Libra 2 and Kindle Paperwhite 6.8" :)
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you very much, I appreciate a lot all of your in depth reviews overall, they are the best way for me to learn about all the e-ink devices that I like. I will be patientily waiting till is out 😁
@@MyDeepGuide Would also love a comparison to Nova Air to get an idea of what we lose with image/text quality by moving to a note taking device of similar size!
Enjoying all of your videos. Was wondering about your thoughts between the Leaf 2 Black vs the Leaf 2 White versions. Thanks
Great First Impression! I am really looking forward to getting a leaf 2 since the poke 4 is really not that great!
Finally! I've always liked a larger screen for a pure e-reader so when the Leaf came out at 7 inches instead of the usual 6 inch, i seriously considered getting it.
But SO many things put me off the Leaf, the indented screen which made it difficult to navigate at the edges, the white color, Android 10, i just could not justify the higher price for the extra 1 inch of screen estate.
So i stuck to my beloved boox Note Air (SO much love!), though it's just a bit too heavy to carry around daily for casual reading, or hold for extended reading periods.
I like having physical buttons, though I'm not sure the placement will work well with the cover, if i don't want to bend my cover completely back.
I also saw some reviews about the buttons being noisy, like having a annoying clicky mouse, do the buttons bother you?
Still, not a deal breaker, i can always take it out of the cover to read or just tap on the page, i guess.
The design almost reminds me of a smaller version of the Note Air, I'm ready to fall in love! Can already tell I'll probably get this, Eagerly awaiting your in depth review for me to confirm it🤩
Awesome video as always. Looking at getting this for my wife as her first e reader. Stupid question of the day. I ordered the tab ultra for myself to use as a daily planner (personal and work) and possibly as a personal journal also. I'm looking at getting a leaf 2 for myself also just to use it for what it's made for, an e reader because of the smaller size (portability). What do you think?
Thanks!
Great video as always 🥰 The device looks great - I'm looking to buy my first e-reader and this one seems to have the ergonomics and general flexibility I'm after - seems like a great starter device. I've been impressed with the pdf capabilities that boox offers and am curious to see how reflow and article mode works on such a device. do you think the leaf2 is a little too small for pdfs?? even with these pdf features? Thanks for a great video and am looking forward to your review!
Does the button work on the Kindle app?
Have been waiting for you review as I am looking for a replacement on my broken 6" reader. I'm on the fence between sticking to the 6" displays or getting a 7".
My biggest concern is if it possible to put in a jacket pocket, preferable with the case as I often use e-ink readers on the subway/bus/train and like to easy get it/put it away. I understand that all jackets and pockets are different and that people think is comfortable in those pockets. But I would very much like to see a few seconds of trying to put smaller devices in a pocket in your in-depth review.
Regards and have a nice weekend!
This device is about 13.6 cm wide as far as I hace read in the specs. With a cover (the official one looks that does not add much bulk) it may stay in 14 cm. My current 6" device with its cover is about 13cm wide and it fits quite tightly in some of my pockets. I'm not sure whether an additional centimetre is going to make the fit impossible for me. The good thing though is that this device is both thinner and shorter than my current device...
@@lastblade100 My last 6" is a bit smaller than Leaf2, but I have made cardboard cut outs just to test the sizes of the devices I am interested in to be able to compare a physical thing and not just a spreadsheet. A bit geeky perhaps but I like to do the research before I buy.
@@bjornfjallstrom2825 makes sense 😁
Hi Voja, what do you prefer: Leaf or Leaf 2?
Leaf 2, a lot more.
Have you tested the white version? There seem to be lots of differences between them, and would be nice to see them compared.
Look forward to the full review. Would value comparison between black and white versions
A bit of clarification; the device actually only has one speaker. The grille by the charging port is actually a microphone. They have only recently updated their marketing material to remove mentions of dual speakers after I had brought up my issue of only having one working speaker, only to find that it does only have one speaker. A bit of a letdown and honestly felt a bit misled, but I still do like the Leaf 2.
Thank you for the clarification. Quite a big mislead on the Boox part.
On the Leaf 2, aesthetically speaking, Onyx has improved the mic placement by actually placing it behind the grille this time. On the Leaf 1, after asking Onyx's Reddit support team, I can conclude that the mic has its own single hole, while the right grille serves absolutely zero purpose other than symmetrical aesthetics.
Yes, but the original spec sheet said dual speakers, and that's not ok.
@@MyDeepGuide I agree.
Do the page turning buttons also work in Google play apps like Kobo? As with my other boox with the cover that has the page turning buttons it doesn’t work. 😟
It definitely looks interesting. I'm a long-time Kobo user who side loads from Calibre, and would love to know how the various readers apps on Boox handle sideloading, and also how well they support sideloaded fonts. The last time I tried Kobo on Android I found you had to root the tablet just to install fonts, and as a result the stock Kobo app was unreadable.
And no even a word about the backlight? Onyx e-books very often have problems with irregular backlight because of cheap LEDs and the quality may vary from one instance to another. When I was buing my Kon-Tiki 2 e-reader I had to choose between 3 instances to get more or less regular backlight without noticeble spots.
You should watch the actual in-depth review I made of this device, and not the Unboxing and First Impressions, if you are looking for detailed coverage and testing of a device. In the in-depth review, everything is covered, well, in-depth :)
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you, I'll find your video.
Hi Voja, I'm about to retire and want an e-reader that I can use in bright Australian sunshine and for travel. I don't want to just read books but also want to be able to read twitter, mastodon, and a few webpages. I'd also like to be able to respond to email if I choose.
I'm an Android phone guy already and have a iPad Pro that I use for video watching. Note taking is not a key feature for me. Would you recommend this device for my situation?
Can we install APK directly without any store? I'm a dev. I want to test my apps on this device. So is this the right choice:)
The white version has sunken screen. It will be great if you could compare white and black versions.
Is there glare outdoors in daylight? Is the screen reflective?
If you check my in-depth review of the device, in the "Screen" chapter you will find that information.
All e-readears should have:
1. E-ink technology
2. Android
3. Slots for expansion of memory
When my Kindle Oasis dies, I would certainly consider buying this.
The white version is sold out for EU :(
Do you notice much of a difference between other onyx note taking eraders and the leaf 2? Or it's not that big?
There is always a difference in image clarity, screen whiteness is a bit brighter, and the contrast is a bit tighter. So yeah, there is a noticable difference, at least with the devices that have a paperlike surface on top. Smoother ones, not so much.
@@MyDeepGuide we would like to see a comparison between the leaf and any other note taking erader, with text and also images.
And I really appreciate your efforts in these deep reviews as they're the best I've seen so far. No one can dive into the details as you're doing!
👏👏👏
M~ Thank you~very epic , see you on my side~
Is it true that white version has a sunken and not a flush screen? I feel like sunken ones have better image quality overall 🤔
Yes, the white version has a sunken screen. As for the image quality difference, I can't really say, as I don't have it here to make the comparison.
@@MyDeepGuide Will Boox be sending you a review unit?
@@Denn1sdw I'd love to see you compare the white one too
Will be interesting to see the uniformity of the glow light. The Paperwhite has much better uniform light in comparison to my Nova Air
Just wondering whether you use your Nova Air as an ereader and what the experience is like? Do you find it heavy?
@@elenacama1419 without the case is pretty light and ergonomics are similar to the paperwhite (the small bazel and be a little tricky to hold but it’s fine). With the case that has the page turn buttons you get a place to rest your thumb and it also becames a little to heavy (fine if you rest in your lap or table like a book). The extra wacom layer on top of the nova air for handwriting makes text a little less sharp than the kindle but still quite good.
I do not think that you've mentioned: Leaf 1 CPU is octa core Leaf 2 CPU is quad core and Leaf 2 is 15 grams heavier.
For the algorithm +1
Pdf supported?
Nearly every ebook reader supports them
The first impression I had at the outset of your reader demonstration was that "Lice" is a very unfortunate name for a girl.
This or Kobo Libra 2?
It really depends on the software features the user wants
I am torn between the two, but I just cannot think of any reason why I would need any android apps, so I am going with the cheaper libra 2
@@jesustenes2
Android tablet apps would be useful if you want to use multiple e-book platforms
I choose Libra 2 for better software updates and pure ebooks reading. It is cheaper also. I only buy Onyx largest 13.3 inch, Max Lumi for reading pdf and comic.
Gotta say that I just didn't Iike the Leaf 2 AT ALL. I much much prefer the Poke 3. The only thing I loved is the navigation buttons.
This device (especially with the godawful cover with its sharp edges and jutting out compared to the Poke 3 case). The buttons are nice. But because they are in the center, holding it makes it much more difficult to hold than the Poke 3. The Poke 3 is very comfortable to hold.
Fortunately the last firmware allows switching the top button to change to the next page rather than the previous page which was making it even more difficult to hold.
Do you have the version of the Leaf 2 with the flush screen, or the one with the sunken in screen? Because on the one I have here, there are no sharp edges what so ever, all nice and rounded and very comfy to use.
EDIT: Ah, I saw now that you are referring to the sharp edges on the cover, not on the device. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for sharing your experience.
@@MyDeepGuide
Yes. The sharp edges of the case. I have the black one. I want to point out that I was comparing the Poke 3 to the Leaf 2. If I didn't have the Poke 3, I would have liked the Leaf 2. But holding the Leaf 2 is just so awkward. Ideally the buttons would be on the top and not in the middle. That would have made the holding of the device significantly better. But then you have a problem for the left handed folks who would likely flip the reader. The Nook had it right with buttons on both sides. But then it would be even wider. Making it even more unwieldy. So I don't know what a good design would look like.
I just wanted to point out to people who are looking to purchase this, to, if possible try out the Poke 3 somewhere along with the Leaf 2 and decide which one works for them.
$200 though?
Full Android 11 with Google Play, meaning, Kindle, Kobo, any pdf, comic, audible, Spotify etc for podcasts... So yeah.
@@MyDeepGuide I can see why it's that price, but I just picked up a new paperwhite for $107 and for what it can't do my phone can do, and do better.
Well great then, if that's the combo you were looking for :)
Yeah I have the Remarkable 2 and it's the perfect one for taking notes, I actually annotate on the PDF.
However, say I'm lying down because of my poor health, the remarkable can get heavy. The Poke 4 is a little too small for studying.
We following the white rabbit? 😄
Nice! I was wondering if someone would catch that ;)
@@MyDeepGuide "Alice in Wonderlan, I think?" Yeah yeah. 😆
You have to activate google play
Would help if they were not SOLD OUT. Grrr!
Thanks a lot!
Are you planing to do review of Nova Air 2 and compare with 1st edition?
Not really, as it is virtually an identical device with marginal updates that don't really make any real world difference, other than it having an Android 11 and a bit better image clarity at the cost of loosing the papery writing feel.
"NovaAir2 or NovaAirC? Both come with the same hardware and software aside from Nova Air2 comes with a black and white screen whereas Nova Air C comes with a COLOR E Ink display." - Official Boox Twitter.
Welp, I guess you can rewatch Voja's Nova Air C review then.
PS: Onyx used photos of an early white version of the Nova Air C for their FCC submission (you can check it out if you want). Imagine that prototype model, but with a monochrome E-Ink display. (I seriously hope this was not Onyx's train of thought when they made the Nova Air 2.)