What is the difference between the Boox Tab X and the Boox Tab Ultra?

The Tab X and Tab Ultra are two of the newest E-ink writing tablets to be launched by Onyx Boox (and they are both on my list of the Top 5 best devices). Because Boox’s naming conventions are not always intuitive, in this blog post I want to highlight the main differences between the two devices.

First, the similarities…

Both the Tab X and the Tab Ultra use Boox’s latest technologies to enhance the user experience by making it smoother and easier to use.

This includes Super Refresh technology (both a graphics processor and improved software) to improve screen refresh rates and a user interface that supports widgets and customisation to resemble the home screen of other Android devices closely.

They also both have built-in speakers, a microphone, frontlight WiFi, Bluetooth and USB-C. They also have a G-Sensor automatically that flips the screen between landscape and portrait mode when the tablet is rotated.

Under the hood, they both use the same 1.8GHz octa-core processor and have 128Gb of storage space along with a powerful 6300mAh battery.

They also both ship with Boox’s Pen2 Pro stylus (which has an eraser at the top).

On to the differences…

The main difference is that the Tab X has a larger 13.3″ screen (A4-sized) compared to the Tab Ultra’s 10.3″ (A5-sized) screen. This means that the Tab X has a larger canvas area for writing and a higher screen resolution, however this does mean that pixel density is ever-so-slightly lower.

The Tab X uses a Mobius Carta e-ink screen/backplane compared to the Tab Ultra’s glass Carta HD screen. This means that the Tab X screen is a bit more flexible and less likely to break under stress.

Both devices have a similar thickness, but because of the larger screen on the Tab X, the dimensions (footprint) and weight of the device are bigger.

The Tab X also has 2Gb more memory than the Tab Ultra.

The Tab Ultra has some additional hardware features that aren’t available on the Tab X, including a rear-facing camera for scanning documents and a slot for a MicroSD card for file transfers and to expand storage capacity.

The Tab Ultra is also designed to work seamlessly with a magnetic keyboard/case. The Tab X does support third-party Bluetooth keyboards, but Boox does not manufacture one. In addition, the Tab X is not magnetic, so the stylus will not attach to the side of the tablet (as it does with the Tab Ultra).

In terms of price, the Tab Ultra is around $600USD, and the Tab X is £880USD.

The table below summarises the differences:

Feature	Tab X	Tab Ultra
Screen size	13.3″ (A4)	10.3″ (A5)
Screen resolution	1650 x 2200	1404 x 1872
DPI (Dots per inch)	207	227
Screen type	Mobius Carta (plastic)	Carta HD (glass)
RAM (memory)	6Gb	4Gb
Weight	560g	480g
Height	310mm	225mm
Width	228mm	184.5mm
Thickness	6.8mm	6.7mm
Camera	None	16Mp
SD Card slot	No	Yes
Magnetic?	No	Yes
Price	$880	$600

Summary of differences between Boox Tab X and Boox Tab Ultra

Boox Tab X vs Tab Ultra

PRODUCT	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA
Specs & ratings info	👍 Recommended	👍 Recommended
My Rating
Price (approx)	$880	$500
Manufacturer	Onyx Boox	Onyx Boox
Release year	2023	2022
SCREEN	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA
Screen type	Mobius Carta 1250	Carta HD
Screen size	13.3"	10.3"
Screen resolution (B/W)	1650 x 2200	1404 x 1872
Screen density (B/W)	207dpi	227dpi
Colour	⨯	⨯
Screen resolution (Colour)	n/a	n/a
Screen density (Colour)	n/a	n/a
Frontlight	✓	✓
Wacom compatible	✓	✓
Buy
HARDWARE	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA
CPU	1.8 Ghz octa-core	1.8 Ghz octa-core
RAM	6Gb	4Gb
Storage	128Gb	128Gb
Battery	6300mAh	6300mAh
Super Refresh	✓	✓
Keyboard folio	⨯	✓
Speakers	✓	✓
Microphone	✓	✓
G-Sensor	✓	✓
Ceramic Tip	⨯	⨯
Bluetooth	✓	✓
Fingerprint scanner	⨯	✓
SD card slot	⨯	✓
Rear camera	⨯	✓
Front camera	⨯	⨯
Waterproof	⨯	⨯
USB-C	✓	✓
Width	228mm	184.5mm
Height	310mm	225mm
Thickness	6.8mm	6.7mm
Weight	560g	480g
Buy
SOFTWARE	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA
Operating system	Android 11	Android 11
Google Play Store	✓	✓
Kindle support	✓	✓
Handwriting search	✓	✓
Handwriting conversion	✓	✓
Insert shapes	✓	✓
Insert images	✓	✓
Split screen	✓	✓
Custom templates	✓	✓
No. templates	40+	40+
Brush types	Fountain Pen, Paintbrush, Ballpoint Pen, Pencil, Marker	Fountain Pen, Paintbrush, Ballpoint Pen, Pencil, Marker
Screen share	✓	✓
ADE support	⨯	⨯
File formats	PDF, EPUB, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, CBZ, CBR, AZW3, MOBI, PRC, DJVU, CHM, ZIP	PDF, EPUB, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, CBZ, CBR, AZW3, MOBI, PRC, DJVU, CHM, ZIP
File formats (image)	PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP	PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP
File formats (Audio)	WAV, MP3	WAV, MP3
Buy
BUY	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA
Where to buy	Boox Euro Shop Boox Shop Reseller (CA) Amazon BE Amazon DE Amazon PL Amazon UK Amazon US eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US	Boox Euro Shop Boox Shop Amazon BE Amazon FR Amazon IT Amazon PL Amazon UK eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US
PRODUCT	BOOX TAB X	BOOX TAB ULTRA

About the author

Dan Dutton

Website | + posts

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.