This is a compact 7-inch color reader, which we have tested and we are eager to share our impressions with you.
Content
Positioning and priceComponentsDisplay and designPerformance and softwareConclusions
Positioning and pricing
The price of ONYX BOOX Raphael in the markets starts from 23-24 thousand rubles.
According to this parameter, the device falls into the category of mid-budget solutions, which fully coincides with the positioning: the manufacturer’s line includes more expensive and cheaper products with a similar set of characteristics.
Equipment
Very often, the first thing that worries the owner of a newly acquired reader after the purchase is finding a suitable case. Depending on the popularity of a particular model, the selection may take a long time or may not be successful at all.
Photo: Bogdan Bobrov/RG
The guys from ONYX BOOX solved the problem radically and saved the user from unpleasant missions by simply placing an accessory in the case to protect it from external influences. The magnetic cover can be set to various “smart” scenarios – for example, when you close it, it automatically sends the device into sleep mode.
Also included in the package is a USB Type-C data cable and a “warranty” with instructions.
Screen and design
If the theater begins with a hanger, then the reader begins with the screen. After all, this is its main and main part. In “Raphael” it is also in color, made using E Ink Kaleido 3 technology – it is said to display 4096 colors and 16 shades of gray in black and white mode.
The display is backlit using MOON Light 2 technology; its key feature is the ability to use just two sliders to adjust the comfortable “temperature” of the displayed image, giving preference to warm or cold tones.
Photo: Bogdan Bobrov/RG
At the same time, there is no flickering, so your eyes do not get tired even in the dark.
The chosen diagonal of 7 inches is very well chosen specifically for the format of the colour reader. In this design, comics, educational literature, maps or business content with plenty of graphics and tables look very organic and pleasant. In the third generation of Kaleido e-ink, colour reproduction has become noticeably richer than its predecessors, slowly approaching real paper in small steps.
At the same time, the designers managed to maintain the compact properties of the device: it does not look bulky and easily fits even in a small women’s handbag.
To prevent damage from combs, lipstick and keys, in addition to the case, the reader is protected by ONYX Glass. In addition to protection against scratches and splinters, this solution ensures that the design is borderless around the display and a special coating minimizes the likelihood of glare in front of the reader.
Overall, the appearance of the device would be fair to call sober and calm.
For tactile convenience, there are physical keys for turning pages on the front right, and around the slim edges are a power button and port, a microSD slot, and a speaker grille.
Photo: Bogdan Bobrov/RG
The body is ergonomic for both left- and right-handed users: the desired grip can be set in the display settings or by activating the auto-rotation function using the built-in G-sensor. The device is held securely in the hands and does not try to slip out.
Performance and software
The ONYX BOOX Raphael runs on Android 11 with all the pros and cons that come with it. Of course, there are many more of the former.
The positive aspects immediately include omnivorousness in terms of file formats. Even if you take out of the bins of your second-hand digital archives something completely exotic and ancient that a normal e-reader cannot open, there is a 100% chance that you will find the application you need in the app store. For these purposes, you can use the decades-old Google Play catalog or the pre-installed domestic RuStore.
For those who are no longer used to messing around with individual files and prefer subscription services, there are plenty of cloud libraries to choose from, such as Liters or Bookmate.
Another advantage is the installation of absolutely any application (nothing from books), from a logarithmic calculator to simple match-three games. For these purposes, 32 GB of internal storage is allocated, the space can be expanded using a memory card.
Photo: Bogdan Bobrov/RG
The library on the home screen has a very intuitive interface: filters are easy to customize and sorting is available by authors, titles and even series.
Content can be recorded to the device in any convenient way: via cable, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. By the way, “Bluetooth” allows you to connect external accessories, for example, headphones for listening to audiobooks. For lovers of cables, on the contrary, an option for connection via OTG protocol has been implemented.
The downsides, thanks to the Green Robot’s well-known resource gluttony, include battery life. Although this issue may become a topic of discussion. A 2300 mAh battery in the daily scenario of “reading on the train on the way to work” was discharged from 100 to 15 percent in about 2.5 weeks.
It is likely that, all things being equal, readers with custom firmware will “pass” a little more during laboratory measurements. But, considering how many advantages they are deprived of due to incompatibility with the search giant’s operating system, this “disadvantage” of Raphael is fully offset by all the positive aspects listed above.
Conclusions
After all that has been written, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that the ONYX BOOX Raphael is a very nice and good device.
Its creators managed to maintain a balance and achieve excellent value for money.
Achieve successful synergy of hardware and software.
If you have been looking for a reader with a color screen for a long time, this model will be an excellent option.
Photo: Bogdan Bobrov/RG
