Start with a simple question: do you actually want a tablet, or do you want to read? The BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) is built for the second person. It is a 6-inch, black-and-white E Ink reader that weighs about 160 grams, thinner than a stack of index cards, and it slides into a jacket pocket without a fight. What makes it interesting is not the size. It is that this pocket-sized reader runs a full copy of Android 11, with the Google Play Store, so it does the one thing a Kindle refuses to do - let you bring your own apps.
Made by Onyx International under its BOOX brand, the Go 6 (Gen II) arrived in June 2026 at $189.99. It is the sequel to a device readers already liked, and the changes are small but pointed: more memory, and a real pen. If you have ever wanted a Kindle that could also open Libby, the Kobo app, Pocket, and a note-taking app on the same screen, this is the machine aimed squarely at you.
Who it is forThe reader who wants one device, not one bookstore
The Go 6 (Gen II) makes the most sense for a specific person. You read across formats and stores - a library loan here, a purchased ebook there, a PDF someone emailed you. You like the calm of E Ink, the way text sits still under sunlight with no glare and no flicker. And you resent being told which bookstore's app you are allowed to use. On a Kindle you live inside Amazon. On this, you install whatever you want and pick your own home.
It is also for the note-taker who travels light. Gen II adds support for the BOOX InkSense Plus stylus, with 4,096 pressure levels, so the same slab that reads your novel can catch a phone number, a to-do list, or a quick sketch. It will not replace a full-size writing tablet - a 6-inch page is a 6-inch page - but as a pocket notepad that is always with you, it works.
The backstoryHow a 6-inch reader ended up running Android
Onyx has spent years doing something the big e-reader names avoided: putting open Android on E Ink. Where Amazon and Kobo build closed devices tied to their own stores, BOOX ships readers that behave like tiny Android tablets that happen to have paper-like screens. That choice is the whole personality of the Go line. The original Go 6 proved a palm-sized version could work. The Gen II is less a reinvention than a tune-up - Onyx listened to the two complaints reviewers kept raising and answered them.
The first fix was memory. The original shipped with 2GB of RAM, which is thin once you start running third-party apps on top of the reader software. Gen II moves to 3GB, and that extra headroom is the difference between an app store you can tolerate and one you actually use. The second fix was the pen. Adding InkSense Plus support turns a read-only device into a capture device, which is a bigger change in daily life than the spec sheet suggests.
"The Boox Go 6 (Gen II) is a memo-pad-sized e-reader with sharp text on its matte ePaper display and a highly responsive stylus for quick notes and sketches."
Notebookcheck, hands-on reviewWhat it is likeReading on a screen that does not glow
The panel is a 1448x1072 E Ink screen at 300 PPI under flat AG glass. Reviewers keep reaching for the same comparison - it looks like laser print. Text is crisp, the surface is matte, and in direct sun it stays readable while a phone turns into a mirror. There is no backlight burning into your eyes at night either; an adjustable front light with warm and cold tones handles low-light reading, and the light points at the page rather than at you.
Because it is Android, the library is whatever you make it. The device reads roughly 26 formats natively - PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, DOC and more - and for everything else there is Google Play. Bluetooth 5.0 pairs headphones for audiobooks and podcasts, which matters because there is no built-in speaker. The 1500mAh battery is modest on paper, but E Ink sips power, so most reviewers get days of reading between charges rather than hours.
The honest catchWhat Gen II does not fix
It would be a bad guide that only listed the wins. The Go 6 (Gen II) still runs Android 11, an operating system that first shipped in 2020 and reached its final update in 2024. For a reader that is mostly fine; for someone hoping to run the newest, fussiest apps, it can bite. The screen is monochrome, so comics, magazines and anything that leans on color are out - that is what the pricier BOOX Go Color 7 line is for. There is no built-in speaker, no automatic screen rotation, and no slot to stow the pen. The battery, at 1500mAh, is small for the category even if E Ink stretches it.
Several reviewers made the same point plainly: this is an incremental update. If you own the first Go 6 and do not care about the stylus, the reasons to upgrade are thin. AppleInsider summed the mood up in its headline verdict - delightful, just not that impressive. That is not a knock on the device so much as an honest note about who should buy which generation.
"The writing experience is perfectly functional, but I would not describe it as exceptional."
eWritable, full reviewHow it stacks upGo 6 (Gen II) versus the usual suspects
The clearest way to see where this device sits is against the readers people actually cross-shop. The Kindle and Kobo win on simplicity and store polish. The BOOX wins on freedom and the pen. Pick the row that matters most to you.
| Feature | BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) | Kindle (2024) | Kobo Clara BW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6" / 300 PPI | 6" / 300 PPI | 6" / 300 PPI |
| Runs Android apps | Yes (Play Store) | No | No |
| Stylus support | Yes (InkSense Plus) | No | No |
| Expandable storage | microSD to 1TB | No | No |
| Store lock-in | Open | Amazon | Kobo |
| Weight | ~160g | ~158g | ~174g |
| Launch price | $189.99 | ~$110 | ~$130 |
The math is honest: you pay a premium over a base Kindle or Kobo, and in return you get openness, a stylus, and expandable storage. If you only ever read from one store, that premium is hard to justify. If you juggle sources and want to write, it is the point of the whole thing.
The short version
- Buy it if you read across stores, love E Ink, and want to jot notes on the same pocket device.
- Skip it if you read only Kindle books, want color, or already own the first Go 6.
- Budget for the InkSense Plus stylus separately - it is not in the box.
- Comes in Plum, Shell, Stone and Custard. Yes, those are the real names.
Small delightsFun facts to end on
A few things that make the Go 6 (Gen II) easy to like. It weighs less than most flagship phones despite being a full Android device underneath. Its colorways read like a pastry menu. And there is a quiet irony at its core: this is a device that will happily run the Kindle app while competing with the Kindle. That openness is the reason readers keep choosing BOOX even when the spec bump is modest, and it is the reason this tiny slab keeps punching above its size.