BOOX Go 7 B/W White

The BOOX Go 7 pairs a surprisingly fast octa-core CPU with a gorgeous 300 ppi E Ink display, making it one of the best reading-focused Android tablets we've tested. But the 2300mAh battery ranks dead last in our database, which is a serious flaw for a device meant to be carried everywhere. At $270, it's a great e-reader and a mediocre tablet.

The octa-core processor here is no slouch. It ranks in the 83rd percentile for CPU and 80th for GPU, which is genuinely impressive for an E Ink tablet. Page turns feel snappy, app launches don't make you want to check your phone, and the Android 13 base means you can run real apps, not just a walled garden. The 4GB of RAM is a bit tight by 2024 standards, sitting in the 31st percentile, but for an e-reader that's mostly flipping pages and rendering text, it gets the job done.

The display is the star. That 7-inch E Ink panel pushes 1680 x 1264 at 300 ppi, which is razor sharp for reading. But here's the catch: the screen only ranks in the 29th percentile overall. That's because our database compares it against LCD and OLED tablets, where 7 inches is tiny and 300 ppi is table stakes. For an E Ink device, this is a great panel. For a general-purpose tablet, it's a niche curiosity. The refresh modes help, with HD mode for static reading and faster modes for scrolling, but you'll still see ghosting if you push it.

Stacked against the Apple iPad Air M4, the BOOX Go 7 loses on nearly every spec: smaller screen, less RAM, less storage, and a battery that's frankly embarrassing by comparison. But that's not the point. The iPad can't do E Ink, and if you're reading for hours, your eyes will thank you for the BOOX. Against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11, same story: the Samsung is a powerhouse, but it's also a glowing rectangle that'll drain your attention span. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 are similar stories, better specs on paper, but none of them offer the paper-like reading experience or the 4G connectivity that makes the Go 7 feel like a dedicated reading device rather than a compromised tablet. If you want a general-purpose tablet, buy any of those. If you want an E Ink reader that happens to run Android, the Go 7 is in a class of its own.

At $270 USD, the BOOX Go 7 sits in a strange middle ground. It's cheaper than an iPad Air M4 by a mile, but you're also getting a fundamentally different device. For an E Ink tablet with 4G, Android 13, and stylus support, that price is reasonable. But the stylus isn't in the box, so factor in another purchase if you want to take notes. The 64GB of storage is fine for books and documents, but if you're loading up on PDFs and comics, you'll want that microSD card. Compared to other E Ink readers, this is competitive. Compared to a $270 Android tablet, you're giving up a lot of screen and battery for that paper-like display.

The BOOX Go 7 is a weird one to score. It's an E Ink tablet, so comparing it against iPads and Galaxy Tabs feels almost unfair, but our database doesn't care about feelings. It lands at 43.1 out of 100 overall, which sounds rough until you remember this thing isn't trying to play Genshin Impact. It's trying to be a pocketable reading and note-taking machine with a 7-inch 300 ppi screen and 4G connectivity. And on those fronts, it does some things really well.

The spec sheet tells the story: an octa-core CPU that ranks in the 83rd percentile, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 2300mAh battery that sits at the very bottom of our rankings. That battery is the elephant in the room. For an E Ink device, which should sip power, a 1st percentile battery score is a red flag. But the 5-star rating from early buyers suggests people are finding ways to live with it, or they're just really charmed by the crisp black-and-white display.

Skip the BOOX Go 7 if battery life is a priority. The 2300mAh cell is the worst we've seen in this category, and for a device that's supposed to be a low-maintenance reading companion, that's a dealbreaker. Also skip it if you want a stylus in the box, since the InkSense pen is an extra purchase. And if you're expecting a general-purpose tablet, the 7-inch screen and 4GB of RAM will feel cramped and sluggish compared to an iPad or Galaxy Tab. This is a reading device first, and everything else is a bonus.

The BOOX Go 7 is a niche device that knows its niche. The 83rd percentile CPU and 300 ppi display make it one of the best E Ink reading experiences you can buy right now, and the 4G connectivity means you can download books and sync notes anywhere. But that 1st percentile battery is a genuine problem. A 2300mAh cell in a device meant for all-day reading is a head-scratcher, and the missing stylus feels like a nickel-and-dime move. If you're a dedicated e-reader user who wants Android flexibility and can live with frequent charging, this is a solid buy. If you want a tablet that does everything, look elsewhere.