This colorful new e-reader with Android might finally make you forget about your Kindle

Last month, Onyx BOOX announced Poke 7 and Poke 7 Pro, two new, compact e-readers with textured backs draped in playful, saccharine colors. At the time, these two e-readers with compact displays were limited to China, but the Pro variant is now making way to global markets under a different name. For seekers worldwide, BOOX recently pulled the wraps off the Go 6 (Gen II), which comes with the same vibrant colors and is a pronounced step up over the previously drab-looking Go 6 (2024).

As its name suggests, the second-generation BOOX Go 6 comes with a 6-inch ePaper display (BOOX refrains from making an E-Ink claim here, and the exact make is unclear). Despite its small size, the display supports a high resolution of 1448 x 1072 pixels, ensuring a print-quality 300 dpi output. The monochrome display supports a backlight with adjustable warmth.

Unlike the BOOX Palma, which feels more like a smartphone than an e-reader, the Go 6 (Gen II) adopts a more Kindle-like form factor, especially with the chin at the bottom, which makes it easier to grip. The 160g of weight (less than an iPhone Air) also feels bearable. However, unlike the latest Palma, you would miss out on a color display.

Surprisingly, the small display wouldn’t prevent you from using a stylus, as BOOX supports the InkSense Plus pen. But unlike other bigger Kindle Scribe rivals from BOOX, such as the recently teased Note X6, the pen won’t be included in the box and will be sold separately.

Like its other offerings, the BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) also runs on Android, albeit Android 11, with a custom skin focused on ebooks. Inside, it gets 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, though you can expand storage with a microSD card if you want to store additional books, which you can read plenty, as the BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) supports 26 different formats for documents and ebooks. There’s a 1,500mAh battery to let you sail through your marathon reads.

The BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) comes to the US, the UK, and the EU in four colors: Plum purple, Custard yellow, Stone gray, and white. In the US, the Go 6 (Gen II) is priced at $199.99 and is currently available for pre-booking through the company’s online store, with deliveries expected around June 17. While this is more expensive than the base Kindle, it is a small price to pay for freedom from Amazon controlling and owning the books in your library, even if you pay for a monthly Unlimited subscription.

Those pre-ordering currently also get a magnetic case free, and although you can mount it on a MagSafe-compatible charger, it won’t charge the e-reader. Meanwhile, the bundle with a stylus can be bought for just $232.99. Lastly, you can also pair it with BOOX’s “Tappy” clicker for turning pages.