Quick Summary
The new BOOX Note Max has a 13.3-inch E Ink display and can run Android apps more quickly and smoothly than you'd expect from the tech.
An optional cover turns it into a laptop replacement, too.
Ever since electronic ink was invented, commuters with sore shoulders have wondered when somebody will make a lightweight E Ink laptop – and it looks like the new BOOX Note Max could be just that.
It's a Kindle Scribe-esque e-reader with a fairly powerful processor and the ability to deliver a laptop-like workspace, as well as an excellent ebook experience.
Inside the Note Max is a 2.8GHz octa-core processor with 6GB of RAM, and BOOX says it delivers lag-free multitasking. It runs Android 13 so you've got access to the Google Play Store, and the optional add-on keyboard cover effectively turns it into a laptop replacement device.
I've got something similar for my iPad Pro, and that's made the iPad my do-everything travel device – I usually leave my MacBook at home and take the tablet instead. This E Ink tablet promises much the same thing, with all the benefits of the display tech, including long battery life and a paper-like reading experience.
BOOX Note Max: key features and pricing
The screen here is a 3200 x 2400 (300ppi) Carta 13 E Ink display at 13.3 inches diagonally. It's a touchscreen with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and it comes bundled with the BOOX Pen Plus stylus. The device is relatively lightweight at 615g.
The battery is 3,700mAh and it's capable of lasting three to five weeks, with an important caveat – if you want to use it more like a laptop then you'll be using BSR mode, which is BOOX's system for delivering faster refresh rates than typical e-paper displays usually offer.
That improvement in responsiveness means a big cut in battery life, though. Reviews suggest a day plus rather than the weeks you'd get from purely e-reading.
Unlike my iPad you can't watch Squid Game on it, but if you're looking for an eye-friendly laptop alternative that's also a good sized e-reader and a powerful document editor then this is definitely worth a look.
The Note Max is available now from BOOX in the US and EU, and from Amazon in the UK. Pricing is £649.99 / $649.99 / €699.99 / about AU$1,282.
