A new pair of compact e-readers just made Kindle look even more restrictive

BOOX has officially unveiled the new Poke 7 lineup, just days after the company teased the redesigned e-readers online, and hours before their official release in China. As we noted last week, the biggest change this generation is a fresh look bringing in a little personality.

The new lineup includes the standard Poke 7 alongside a higher-end Poke 7 Pro, giving BOOX’s compact reader range a standard/Pro split instead of the standard/budget split of the previous generation. Both devices feature refreshed hardware that looks considerably more modern than previous Poke models. The ribbed back design should theoretically improve gripability. It’s also just refreshing to see an e-reader that doesn’t look like another generic black slab.

Both e-readers ship with 6-inch monochrome e-ink displays at 300ppi, with 32GB of storage, and microSD card expansion up to 2TB. BOOX says both devices use an octa-core processor, though the listing does not specify the chipset. The devices are also reportedly running Android 11, and share the same 1,500mAh battery, 6.7mm thickness, and lightweight 165g design.

The differences between the two models are fairly minor. The standard Poke 7 comes with 2GB of RAM, while the Poke 7 Pro bumps that up to 3GB. The Pro is also only available in white, whereas the regular Poke 7 comes in blue, white, and sand finishes.

The lineup continues BOOX’s same strategy that’s helped devices like the Palma and Go series stand out, treating its readers more like small Android devices than strictly e-readers. While Amazon continues tightening Kindle’s ecosystem, BOOX emphasizes its open platform and Play Store flexibility. Even if Android 11 is starting to feel a little dated in 2026, the approach still gives BOOX devices a level of versatility Kindle users simply don’t get.

BOOX promotional materials on Weibo suggest pricing will start at ¥1199 (~$176) for the Poke 7 and ¥1399 (~$205) for the Poke 7 Pro. The current BOOX website listings still only show placeholder pricing ahead of launch. Chinese preorder listings also appear to include bundled accessories like a protective case and stand.

For now, though, the May 21 launch appears limited to China, and BOOX hasn’t officially announced global availability yet, but it would be surprising not to see a global launch in some capacity in the coming weeks.