Skip to main content

Onyx Boox Max 13.3″ Android eReader Up for Pre-Order on Amazon’s UK, US, Canada Sites

710xObJ5wEL._SL1002_The Onyx Boox Max is a document reader which runs Android and sports a  13.3″ E-ink screen. The first orders are just beginning to ship from ereader-store.de, and today a second retailer started taking pre-orders on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk.

A new China-based retailer is asking $650 for the Max, and they are promising to ship it by 20 May 2016.

That is a steep price for a device which is too large to be used as an ereader, but if you need a document viewer then this could be ideal. It’s cheaper than Sony’s writing slate, the DPT-S1, and more versatile.

Sony’s device runs a closed version of Android and only supports PDFs. But even with that limitation, it still makes a decent blueprint reader.

The Max, on the other hand, runs Android 4.0 on a dual-core CPU with Wifi and a microSD card slot, and it ships with Google Play. The 13″ screen has a resolution of 1600 x 1200, and it has a matching pressure-sensitive stylus (but no capacitive touchscreen or frontlight).

That’s rather limited hardware compared to the tablet you can get for the same price, but if it fills a need then it can be worth it.

Assuming that you can put your hands on one, that is.

The new seller is taking pre-orders, and the German seller (ereader-store.de) is now telling customers that they won’t be able to ship new orders for 4 weeks, so they are effectively taking pre-orders as well.

So we really don’t know when either will be able to ship, but if you do place a pre-order with the new seller you will also get several bonuses: a 32GB microSD card plus reader, and a case.

Is that enough to tempt you into ordering one?

Similar Articles


Comments


oranges May 3, 2016 um 7:52 pm

i just preordered an onyx boox max, with your amazon (affiliate) link 🙂 i ended up getting a refund for the 13.3 good ereader campaign a couple days ago too.

if anyone is on the fence between the onyx boox max or 13.3 good ereader, here’s my reasoning which lead me to the max after being in the good ereader indiegogo campaign:

— promo videos seem staged: i like the 13.3 good ereader on paper but they don’t post any unedited videos — all their videos with the content preloaded, as if they are hiding performance issues.

some users have asked for unedit videos shot from the camera of a phone, which seems effortless, but they are avoiding it till the campaign closes it seems like

— moving campaign goals: originally the campaign said if they hit 60 units, they would ship it out by summer. now they will ship it out once they reach 150k USD (almost +90 units). http://i.imgur.com/7vYyTHX.png?1

— 512 MB ram seems iffy, but they could easily eliminate any doubts about the performance with UNEDITED videos. the fact that they purposely don’t post any to reassure their backers performance isn’t an issue makes me believe there really are problems. going with the onyx boox max 1gb is a bit more safe

the main pros going for the good ereader are the weight and touch screen — this was my main reason to buy it over the onyx boox max, but in the end it wasn’t worth risking my cash with these guys after seeing the way they are handling their campaign makes their backers question what is going on.


poiboy May 3, 2016 um 10:43 pm

wow! that is a steep price.. its like almost 3 kindle oasis readers.


Detmold May 4, 2016 um 3:15 am

Before you make your decision I suggest to check some points whether they are important for you:
1. The seller (Lancer Technology) is based in China (ShenZhen Guangdong). The price there seem to be a little bit more attractive than by Ereader Store (because they have transport costs to warehouse in Europe), but you still would have to pay import taxes etc. additionally by import of goods from China.
2. This seller just have registered on Amazon and do not have any reputation at all. It is a big amount of money, which you are going to risk.
3. In case of warranty, problems with the device or other support requests it is quite difficult to contact someone there.
4. Software updates for Chinese market are not as regular and also a little bit different than updates offered by Ereader-Store.de for western world.

Ereader-Store.de already shipped the first batch of Onyx Max, offers two years of warranty and have confirmed very good reputation by its customers for years.
Ereader-Store.de has already shipped the first batch of Onyx Max, offers two years of warranty for their devices and have very good (confirmed) reputation by its customers for years.

Nate Hoffelder May 4, 2016 um 7:40 am

All good points, yes. Thanks for bringing them up.

These issues worried me as well, which is why I mentioned them in a mild tone in the post.


Feda May 4, 2016 um 7:34 am

Terribly outdated version of Android is a deal breaker.


Simplyput7 May 4, 2016 um 3:16 pm

Has there been any confirmation from the company that they will update the device to at least Android 5.0?

Nate Hoffelder May 4, 2016 um 3:23 pm

I have not heard anything, no.

And I would want that update as well.


Andrei May 4, 2016 um 5:19 pm

Well, they will probably upgrade to Android 4.4. The other models can be upgraded to 4.4, but the German Ereader-Store.de owner made clear on his website that the upgrade is not yet official, i.e. not sufficiently tested.


Graham May 4, 2016 um 6:57 pm

I checked the Amazon.com website and the product details are saying that the Onyx Boox Max 13.3 is 300dpi. The product details claim this in the graphics as well. This is obviously untrue, the Max is 150dpi.

I’m posting this calculations from Mobilereads.

Resolution 1200×1600
density = sqrt (1200² + 1600²)/ 13.3 = 150 ppi

Nate Hoffelder May 4, 2016 um 7:09 pm

Yes, the Max’s screen is 150ppi.


vicente May 5, 2016 um 3:15 am

Likewise another comenter on this site, I think it is a valuable device for students. But, ultimately, I think that, unlike their worried parents, most students will prefer a more dynamic tablet.


Everything’s coming up 13” e-readers – TeleRead News: E-books, publishing, tech and beyond May 5, 2016 um 11:41 am

[…] other companies are banking on it, too. A couple of days ago, Nate Hoffelder reported on The Digital Reader that the Onyx Book Max, one of the only other competitors in the 13.3” e-ink document viewer […]


E-reader vraagje. – Pagina 2 October 12, 2016 um 3:13 pm

[…] […]


Write a Comment