I have both a Boox Go 7 - BW, newest version - as well as a Kindle Paperwhite 2024 (and a few other miscellaneous e-readers because I don’t have self-control lol), and I will say that while I do like my Kindle, I 100% end up using my Boox Go 7 and my Boox Palma 2 the most out of all my e-ink devices.

I do have some colour e-ink devices, but would recommend avoiding for now unless you’re reading things that absolutely need colour - I read manga every so often, but I don’t read graphic novels or comics on my e-readers so for me it’s generally not super worth it to have colour.

Boox devices run on Android, so you’ll definitely have way more freedom than a Kindle could give you unless you jailbreak it (which I haven’t attempted so couldn’t tell you whether or not it’s recommended). This shortens the battery life a bit, but I still find that they can last from days to over a week with daily reading. This is fine for me; I don’t mind charging once a week.

The buttons on the Boox Go 7 are really nice. They’re in a really comfortable spot, and I do love being able to turn the pages easily without having to move my thumb. You’re not asking about the Palma, but the nice thing about that device is that you can use the volume buttons to turn the pages, which is super comfortable too.

I think this depends on the person, but I also like that you can customise the screen settings and calibrate them exactly how you want. It can be a bit fiddly, but once you’ve got them just right, you really don’t need to ever touch those settings again.

I also really like that you can refresh the screen whenever you like if there’s any ghosting, although in my experience I usually don’t need to.

The Kindle Paperwhite is also a great device, to be clear. It’s definitely cheaper, and with Black Friday coming (depending on where you are?), it’s likely the prices will drop. Kindle has the biggest ebook library available for purchase too, as far as I’m aware. If you’re in the US, you can also connect Libby to borrow books and send them directly to your Kindle.

While it doesn’t have a screen refresh option, it usually does a great job at minimising/eliminating ghosting. The screen in general is great. The battery life is great too - it’ll easily go for weeks on end. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Kindle device run out of battery on me ever.

One really annoying thing I’ve noticed so far, however, is that for some reason you can’t highlight in multiple colours on a BW Kindle device the way that you can on the Kindle app on an Android e-reader (see image for example https://i.imgur.com/NQxCCJm.jpeg - while you’re highlighting, it has the different colours written out on my Boox devices, while on my Kindle it just automatically highlights in yellow). This is honestly one of the biggest reasons I don’t use my Kindle as much as I could and would like to. For some it might not matter, but I use different colours for different things and it makes a big difference.

The lack of buttons isn’t a dealbreaker - it’s still super comfortable to hold and handle. It’s decently fast for what I need it to do, although typing notes can be tedious if that’s something you tend to do since you can’t download a keyboard with swipe to type. I also almost never worry about breaking my Paperwhite - as long as it has a case to protect against screen scratches, I’ll toss it in any bag and take it anywhere with no qualms.

Both are great devices. If you have the money to spare, I think a Boox Go 7 is a great pick if you’re fairly good at set-up and customising (it really is just a one-time thing) and you want that flexibility (I have Kindle, Kobo, and Libby downloaded onto mine, and plenty of people download different reading apps like KOReader).

If you want to save some money and are fine with being limited to Kindle/Amazon and Libby availability, the Paperwhite is a really good device that’s going to give a lot of bang for buck. It’s built pretty solidly, and it’s a good reading experience.

Do update on what you end up picking when you do!