Under one of my previous posts, some readers complained about the characteristics of one of the Onyx Boox books. This time I will please you with a review of a more modern reader. It’s about the updated reader «Livingstone 2». The characteristics personally pleased me: 4-core processor with a core frequency of 2 GHz, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 11th android, 16 gigabytes of internal memory, OTG support. As you can see, the updated version is superior to its predecessor. About everything in order.
Specifications:
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Display: 6 inch, E Ink Carta Plus, touch capacitive, 16 shades of gray, 1072 × 1448 dots
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Processor: Qualcomm, 4-core, 2 GHz, 14 nm
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RAM: 2 GB
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Built-in memory: 16 GB
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Book formats: TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, FB2.zip, FB3, MOBI, CHM, PDB, DOC, DOCX, PRC, EPUB, PDF, DjVu
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Image formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
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Other formats: CBR, CBZ, MP3, WAV
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Battery: 3000 mAh
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Dimensions: 156 × 112.5 × 8.8 mm
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Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11ac
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Weight: 165g / 265g (with case)
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OS: Android 11
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Expansion slot: for microSD / microSDHC memory cards
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Backlight: MOON Light 2
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Black color
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Wired interface: USB Type-C with OTG support
The novelty comes in a beautiful white packaging. All basic information is displayed on the back. I was pleased with the density of the cardboard — all the contents are under reliable protection.
Equipment:
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ONYX BOOX Livingstone 2.
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USB cable — Type-C.
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User manual in Russian.
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User manual in English.
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Warranty card.
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Active case with buttons.
The cover is interesting, combined. Its lower part (the frame itself) is made of nice, matte plastic. Also used leatherette. I didn’t smell any strange smells. Pleased with the absence of protruding threads. On the right are buttons that you can use to turn pages. Other functionality can be attached to these buttons by reconfiguring them in a special menu of the book.
In order for the buttons to be active, special contacts are provided. Here the manufacturer has thought of everything for you. In the case, the body of the reader, as it were, automatically comes into contact with these contacts.
On my own behalf, I want to add that if for some reason you didn’t like it, or your native cover didn’t fit, you can easily turn the pages by adding the appropriate buttons to the screen. Returning to the cover, it feels like both metal buttons are located on the so-called solid frame, they are implemented in the form of a rocker.
The case is made of very nice matte plastic with soft-touch coating. It lies pleasantly in the hands, does not cause rejection. The assembly was taken to a new level. If in some older models I came across gaps near the power button, then there are no such gaps here. With deliberate (without fanaticism) squeezing, the plastic does not break, since the walls of the case are quite thick.
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Dimensions: 156 × 112.5 × 8.8 mm
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Weight: 165g / 265g (with case)
At the top is a smooth plastic on/off button for the device. She is also responsible for turning off the screen, rebooting and sleeping. The operating system loads in 26 seconds. Bottom: USB — Type-C port with OTG support, as well as a slot for Micro SD / Micro SDHC memory cards. There is no headphone jack here, the manufacturer offers to output sound via bluetooth.
The central key is located strictly in the center. A short press returns us to the previous screen, and a long press turns off the backlight.
OTG support is implemented correctly, I have tried a huge number of different USB drives. All these drives were detected in Explorer on the first try. You can connect the most ordinary SSD drive using an external case for SSD.
Responsible for performance Qualcomm quad-core processor, with a core frequency of 2 GHz. The novelty should appeal to people who appreciate a smart interface. The previously considered model “Faust 3” works more slowly, but here everything just flies, it’s a pleasure to wander through the conductor, climb in the menu and library. Let’s look at the results in the Aida 64 application:
As we can see, there is indeed a 4-core processor inside. The RAM is 2 gigabytes, and the built-in memory is 16. Of these, a little more than 8 gigabytes of memory are available to us, of which about 1 gigabyte is occupied by some pre-installed files.
CPU-Z. The entire filling is brewed under the control of the Android 11th operating system.
And these are the results of two tests in the A1 SD Bench application. Pretty good speeds are demonstrated by the hero of the review. I was especially impressed by the speed of the built-in storage when reading files.
The display is 6 inch, made using E Ink Carta Plus technology. Looking at the characteristics of the screen, you understand that they coincide with the characteristics of some other models (Onyx Boox Darwin 9). Here, the resolution is identical: 1072 x 1448. The backlight is once again implemented by MOON Light 2 technology. Manual adjustment of warm and cold shades is present. I had no particular complaints about the simpler E Ink Carta screen with a lower resolution, and even here it’s a sin to complain at all. Your eyes do not get tired in the dark, you just select the brightness you need, the desired shade, adjust everything for your loved one and get high.
The bluetooth module of the fifth version allows you to output sound to a portable device, or to full-fledged acoustics with wireless connection support. The reader made friends with the Sanyun SW208 active speaker system. There are no complaints about the signal quality, within 10-12 meters the connection was not broken. The owner will be able to play audio books, music files. Voiceover of the selected text is supported, such voiceover is implemented by the voice of the robot.
Familiar menu:
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Library: almost the main section, where there is a breakdown by authors, genres, languages.
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File Manager — Explorer.
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Applications — access to all pre-installed and third-party applications.
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Settings: here you can configure absolutely everything, from the date and time to power and wireless networks.
Autonomy largely depends on whether you connect wireless headphones, use a Wi-Fi network. At low screen brightness, the device was discharged by 2 percent after two hours of reading. Two readers are preinstalled — AlReader X pro and Neo Reader 3.0.
A short press in any area of the text brings up an advanced menu where you can configure: day / night mode, brightness, fonts, text size, styles, profiles and much more. The font size is set manually, one or another area of the text is highlighted. The E Ink option deserves special attention. It is here that some screen features are configured, such as: screen update control, Snow Field technology control (improved page redrawing in e-ink technology). It is worth highlighting the funny animation when turning pages (it is also customizable).
There is also a top curtain with the appropriate settings: manual backlight adjustment, wi-fi and bluetooth, E Ink settings, sound volume, auto-rotate. There are also three pre-configured screen backlight presets.
Opinion.
Another worthy product of the company. I believe that this is almost the best offer on the market in terms of price-quality ratio. ONYX BOOX Livingstone 2 meets all requirements. Here is a smart 4-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, a modern screen, a USB Type-C port. Assembly deserves special attention. It would seem that there is nowhere cooler, but no, this time the manufacturer paid attention to all sorts of little things. The body of this book can be admired through a magnifying glass — everything is so even, everything is so perfect. I know that some demanding users wanted to see support for all modern applications in such a device. And then the company tried to please everyone — Android was updated from version 4 to version 11. Yes, there is no separate 3.5 mm jack, but is it really necessary? Nowadays, almost everyone has at least some kind of wireless headphones. The screen quality is amazing, the text is clear, the picture does not strain the eyes. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you for your attention.
E-book ONYX BOOX Livingstone 2 in the official online store.
And also on Yandex Market.