Onyx Boox Nova Air C

A colour LCD layer over E Ink gives this versatile e-reader a unique advantage over regular Android tablets

- MARK KNAPP

PRICE £333 (£400 inc VAT) from amazon.co.uk

Looking for an e-reader that’s not just another Kindle? The OnyxBoox Nova Air C one-ups Amazon’s readers with a colour display and a classy design, packing a spacious 7.8in display into a frame that’s about the height and width of a standard hardcover book.

It’s more versatile than a Kindle, too. It runs a full version of Android 11, albeit with a highly customised interface, and comes loaded with an eight-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. So aside from reading, there’s enough power here to browse the web in Chrome and run a range of preinstalled apps. I was even able to load up YouTube and Crunchyroll in the browser – although the screen isn’t ideal for cinematic visuals, as I’ll discuss below.

It’s also possible to install Google Play and gain access to the whole gamut of reader apps: you can load up the Kindle app for Amazon ebooks, download Comixology or Crunchyroll for comics, and use free-access services such as Overdrive or Hoopla. The addition of colour really brings digital documents, magazines and study materials to life.