Boox vs Kobo: which e-ink tablet should you buy?

Trying to decide between Kobo and Boox? This guide is here to help.

These are two very popular e-ink tablet brands, and both feature in our ranking of the best ereaders .

However, there are some distinct differences.

Kobo specializes in ereaders.

It has a small range of different models, but all are geared towards reading — and in some cases, can be used for annotating and note-taking.

They offer an offline-first experience, and they're almost all waterproof, which is great news if you like to read in the bath.

Boox (from parent company Onyx) is more of an e-ink tablet brand.

Boox tablets run a full version of Android, which means you can use them in a wide variety of ways and for many different tasks.

It's a particularly good option for those who have a Kindle but are looking to switch, because you can simply install the Kindle app from the Google Play store and then you'll still have access to all your books.

The Boox range is wide and sprawling, and includes a selection of options that are shaped and sized like a phone.

It also just launched three new models earlier this week: the Note Air6 C, Note Mini C, and Palma 3.

Below, I'll dig into the two brands in more detail, starting with an overview of the different ranges and then moving into specs comparison and some buying pointers.

Kobo ereaders Kobo Libra Colour Read our full review Pros Good size for portability and usability Relatively affordable for a color ereader Full writing features Repair kits available Cons Couple of functions suffer from lag Stylus sold separately Kobo Clara Colour Read our full review Pros Responsive color display Compact and lightweight Good battery life Relatively affordable Cons 6 inches can be too small for some users Black-and-white text lacks contrast Kobo Clara BW Read our full review Pros New E Ink Carta 1300 screen Compact, lightweight and waterproof Affordable and repairable Cons No cloud file transfer support Dated, plastic design 6-inch screen can be small for some Kobo Elipsa 2E Boox ereaders Note for UK readers: some of these models are only available direct from Boox at the moment.

On the Boox Europe store, prices are only provided in Euros, but there are UK versions available and it does not look like they're being shipped from abroad.