Boox Go 10.3 Review: An E-ink iPad Alternative Built for Productivity

Boox Go 10.3 Review

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Boox Go 10.3

4.0/5 Buy on Amazon

The Boox Go 10.3 is a great e-ink tablet for those who prefer digital minimalism or want to try e-ink for more than just an e-reader.

E-ink tablets are easier on the eyes, have longer battery life, and are generally much lighter than their backlit counterparts. The Go delivers on all of these points and more.

Boox has been making e-readers and e-ink technology since 2009, and the 10.3 is the latest model in the Go line.

Boox Go 10.3 Design

At just 5 millimeters thick, the Boox Go 10.3 feels light in the hand and never takes up much space in a bag. The only port is USB-C for charging or audio.

Overall, the Go is designed for simplicity. The main menu UI is divided into a library for books, a store for buying books, notebooks, storage management, and apps.

You can upload PDFs to the Go from your computer or other means, and the notes section lets you create folders and organize all your notes in one place. Like other e-readers, you can highlight text and customize your reading experience, from navigation to split-screen and note-taking alongside the text.

Boox Go 10.3 review: 4.6mm thick, not including case.

Go has 64GB of storage, which is enough for document files, most of which are supported (PDF, MOBI, EPUB, DJVU, etc.). Since it runs Android 12, there is plenty of space for customization, such as importing fonts.

Go also supports music, allowing you to store all your favorite playlists in .mp3 format or download the Spotify app from the Google Play Store. For your convenience, it comes pre-installed with essential apps such as a calendar, calculator, and RSS feed tool.

Boox Go 10.3 Review: Lots of Customization Available for Reading

Boox Go 10.3 – Specifications

Product Details	Specifications
Screen	10.3-inch HD Carta 1200 glass screen
Resolution	2480×1860 (300 PPI)
Touch	Touchscreen with stylus support
CPU	2.4 GHz Octa-core
RAM	4 GB
ROM	64 GB
OS	Android 12
Weight	~375 g
Thickness	4.6 mm

Boox Go 10.3 – Use

One of my favorite features of the Go 10.3 is that it is the same size as a notebook and gives almost the same tactile sensation as using it. The pen attaches magnetically to the side and does not require charging, which adds to that analog feel.

The stylus feels great in the hand, and the notepad interface is very similar to my favorite note-taking app on the iPad, Goodnotes. If you have a Boox account, you can use the free cloud storage to move files around for later access, or use it 100% offline if you want to go with e-ink for a minimalist look.

Because the e-ink tablet has no backlight and reflects natural light, it does well in sunlight or bright lamps.

Boox Go 10.3 review: Writing is super easy and simple for all subjects.

Because of its size and power, you'll have to be patient when quickly navigating between texts or notes if you use the Go for productivity. It's not a slow tablet, but e-ink refreshes differently than traditional displays.

It helps if you set the refresh settings to “speed” in the settings.

For personal use, I used Calibre to export all of my PDFs and reading files from my MacBook Pro to the Go. I found the Go to be a great way to take all of my textbooks with me for studying and leisure reading.

There is no Home button on the Go, but swiping up takes you back to the home page. There are a variety of gesture settings you can choose from when you first set up the Go to optimize your experience.

One oddity I found was that the AI hype has spread to e-ink as well. While using the Go, I kept seeing the “AI Assistant” pop up.

At first it seemed useful for converting handwriting to typed text in notebooks, but there is an actual AI Assistant app you can use with LLM called Coze. I’m not sure if it’s just a ChatGPT wrapper or not, but you’ll need the internet to use it.

It does a pretty good job of answering questions on a variety of subjects, but you are limited and can only use about 30,000 tokens with it. Tokens are the subunits of text used in LLMs, where one token is about four characters.

It's a nice feature, but I can't imagine using AI when I'm using e-ink for simple purposes like note-taking and reading.

Boox Go 10.3 review: the apps drawer on the home screen.

Boox Go 10.3 – strength in simplicity

Comparing it directly to the iPad is fair, but it’s clear that e-ink tablets fill a niche for people who value simplicity in their digital experience.

The original Kindle came out long before the first iPad, and since then, companies have had a lot of time to tinker with the balance between a simple e-reader and a full-fledged computing experience on a tablet. I see the Go 10.3 as a device that goes beyond the limitations of a laptop and e-reader while avoiding much of the unnecessary complexity.

That said, the 11-inch iPad Air M2 costs $599, while this tablet costs $379. They offer two very different experiences, but I found myself reaching for the Go before the iPad for reading and deep work.