One of the criticisms I regularly read about Boox E-Ink tablets is that they have a ultra-fast product lifecycle.
Every year, they release several new products that supersede models that may not yet even be a year old.
This was particularly relevant with the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro, a replacement model for the Boox Tab Ultra C, the latter only being released only around six months prior.
This understandably led many Boox Tab Ultra C owners to be unhappy because they perceived that their brand new device had very quickly become obsolete.
In this post, I want to briefly discuss these concerns and give you my take on it.
Some, But Not All
Whilst I’ve highlighted the case of the Boox Tab Ultra C and Boox Tab Ultra C Pro (both released in 2023), in general Boox product releases are not really that extreme.
For example, the Note Air2+ was released in 2021, and its successor (the Note Air3/3C) was released in 2023, with two years between models.
The last time that Boox released a 7.8″ monochrome tablet was 2022.
There was a year’s gap between the Boox’s 7.8″ colour offerings (the Nova Air C and Tab Mini C.
And in their 13.3″ range, the Boox Max Lumi2 was release in 2021, followed by the Tab X in 2023 (although if I remember correctly, the Max Lumi2 was released at the end of 2021, and the Tab X at the beginning of 2023, so perhaps a little over a year between models.
It is worth noting that there hasn’t been any new products from Boox in the 7.8″ colour and 13.3″ categories so far this year.
So, in general, there’s perhaps a one-to-two year gap between generations – still more frequent than most other brands that tend to have a three-to-four year product cycle, but not quite as frequent as I perhaps inferred in the introduction.
Planned Obsolescence?
Firstly, I want to make it clear that I despise planned obsolescence – that is, selling products that are designed to become useless within a set period of time. I guess this is one of the reasons that Supernote brand with their replaceable batteries/motherboards appeals to me.
However, I do not believe that planned obsolescence is part of Boox’s marketing plan.
A Boox tablet will eventually break beyond repair. And without the option to swap out parts yourself (the innards being sealed up), this will mean buying a new device.
But this is true of many electronic devices and you can expect a Boox tablet to last many years before it kicks the bucket. So, based on this, I can’t single out Boox as having a more dubious motive any than any other e-ink tablet manufacturer (no including Ratta Supernote, who actively try to make their products last).
Anecdotally, I have several Boox tablets that are now over three years old and still function perfectly fine. I should also mention that although I’ve owned several Boox devices (well into double figures), I’ve never had a hardware or quality issue with any of them.
Rapid Product Cycle
Having established that Boox devices have no less longevity than e-ink tablets from other brands, I will now address the rapid product cycle, which sees several new Boox tablets being released each year.
Boox’s design philosophy is one of incremental improvement. Each new release provides a few new features that users have requested, whilst retaining the core functionality of the entire product range.
In the case of the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro, it had the following improvements over the Tab Ultra C; faster processor, more memory, Android 12 (rather than Android 11), bigger battery, camera flash, physical page-turn buttons and an improved keyboard folio.
In the case of the Note Air3 (which superseded the Note Air2+), there was a faster processor, Android 12, a fingerprint scanner, and a MicroSD Card slot.
Whilst I sympathise with users that bought an older generation model right before its successor was announced, my view is that the tablet that was purchased will still be able to do the things that it was originally bought for. Nothing is being taken away – they were just unlucky with their timing.
Another issue with Boox’s rapid product cycle is that when a new model is released, production ceases on the older models. This has been seen recently with the Boox Note Air3, which is a decent tablet but out-of-stock at most outlets (which could signify a replacement is on the horizon).
So, although Boox’s approach to the development cycle is not ideal for customers, because it means that a brand new purchase is very quickly out-dated (relative to other models in the range), you can still carry out the tasks that you originally needed to do on it.
In essence, at any moment in time, you have the option to either a buy an e-ink tablet and start using or wait for for a newer version…but if you’re always waiting for a newer version, you’ll never have an e-ink tablet.
Perceived Design Flaws
Regular new hardware releases allow Boox to stay on the cutting edge of technology, and develop new innovations to improve the way that an e-ink tablet is used.
However, as previously discussed, this does mean that the product range is in constant flux as new tablets are introduced and older generations become unavailable to buy.
Another downside that I feel is related to this fast-paced design philosophy is that most Boox tablets have some sort of design flaw that could have been avoided if more time and care was taken.
For example, the Boox Tab Ultra range all have an unsightly and impractical ‘camera bump’ on the rear panel, which means that the tablet cannot lie flat without a specially designed folio. The Note Air3 and 3C have the USB port on the left edge of the tablet, which means you can’t charge it whilst the folio is closed. The magnets on the Boox Go 10.3 do not hold the stylus very securely and it keeps slipping off (primarily because Boox ship it with the same stylus as used on their other tablets, but didn’t seem to take into account the fact that the Go 10.3 has thinner and rounder edges).
Whilst these are not major defects, and can be ‘lived-with’, they can be quite frustrating, particularly as they could have been avoided if Boox had a little more attention to detail.
These annoying little nuances are seldom experienced with brands that take more time and care over their product releases, such as reMarkable and Supernote.
At Least 3 Years of Firmware Updates
Although Boox tablets/hardware is quickly superseded by newer and better alternatives, it is worth noting that older generation models still receive firmware updates for at least three years.
Version 3.5.4 of Boox’s software has recently been rolled out to older devices, which means that essentially (hardware permitting) they run pretty much the same software as their newer siblings.
In fact, it was seeing the latest UI and software features on my old Max Lumi2 (from 2021) that prompted me to write this post.
So, although you may not have the newest shiny hardware, your device will still continue to improve over time.
Verdict
There are both good and bad points to the way Boox incrementally improve their products.
On the plus side, it means that the current range of Boox tablets are at the forefront of technology, and have the newest hardware features. And although this means that any Boox tablet bought is likely to be relegated to being ‘an older model’ fairly quickly, it will still work perfectly fine, and you will still receive continual improvements via firmware updates over time. You just won’t have the bragging rights that you own the most recent model.
The most significant negative for me is that Boox devices tend to have one or two annoying quirks that detract from the overall positivity of their products. Things that could easily have been avoided with a bit of forethought, rather than what appears to be a rush-job to get the new product on the market.
About the author
Dan Dutton is passionate about E-ink writing tablets, which bring together the pleasure of writing on paper with the power of digital technology. When he bought his first tablet, he realised that there wasn't a lot of unbiased information available for people that were considering buying an E-ink tablet, and so he built eWritable.
Hello Dan,
Good article. It seemed for a little bit there was a bit of an e-ink tablet rush on things, but it since has seemed to have slowed down. Perhaps companies are waiting for the e-ink chip upgrade, or perhaps improvements on the Gallery? Kaliedo is okay, but it is still limited and dark.
Regardless, there is not big “push” at this point as there were a year or two ago- the year of “first” for colour monitors, or first biggest colour tablet(Dasung and Bigme, and perhaps another?), and those who also joined later with better devices, like boox.
It may have been an article that you wrote, maybe some other blogger: Boox focuses on cutting edge tech, making their money off of device sales- hence the turnover rate. Remarkable is not focused on cutting edge tech, but having a focused solid machine. Their money is also based off of device sales, but also supplemented with subscription fees.
As for updates, I find that my Max 3 still receives updates, and that was a 2019 release. My NA3C receives the update first, and then sometime later my Max 3 does as well.
Hey Martin,
Yes, you’re right, Boox have not released as many devices this year (so far) as they have in recent previous years. However, their annual October new product launch should be just around the corner.
Cheers for letting us know your Max 3 is receiving updates also – the oldest Boox I still own is my Max Lumi2 from 2021, but your 2019 release trumps that 🙂 Boox do guarantee at least 3yrs worth of software updates but is comforting to know that this is extended to 5yrs (for your particular model anyway).
Sometimes I think I come across like a bit of a Boox fanboy (which is far from the truth) but I do feel that sometimes they get a certain amount of unwarranted criticism.
Dan
The e-ink industry is not exactly your mainstream industry. Each company has to create a stable niche in an unstable and constantly developing niche market, and try to profit off of it to stay alive in the meantime.
I suspect that those crossing from the more stable and “civilized” tech markets into the rapidly developing frontier tech territories, will easily misunderstand the various practices these companies have had to adopt in order to survive this “wild west” of the tech industry.