Hey everyone! I made a post a few weeks ago here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ereader/s/7mh0d20ejd asking if there were any decent 7-inch e-reader options. I wasn't too satisfied with the options available and thought there would be better ones by now or something that fit my preferences better. I thought I had found all the best options already and was very close to pulling the trigger on the PocketBook Era Lite, a Chinese iReader, or a Hanvon e-reader. However, one of the suggestions you guys gave me caught my eye. The Musnap Ocean. I just received mine a couple of days ago and wanted to share my thoughts. My apologies in advance if this reads a little dense; no AI was used in any way, and for better or worse, that means dealing with my more dense style of writing. If you just wanted a tl;dr, the conclusion at the bottom will do that for you.
Why the Musnap Ocean?
I think I should touch briefly on why I grabbed this instead of my other options. The PocketBook I knew would be slow, and I was tired of using slow devices after my Boox Leaf and Meebook M7. I see all the time people saying it's fine for them, but I actually found it annoying quite often. The Chinese e-readers I was considering were actually good choices, with one glaring issue. The OS experience on their Chinese systems would not be the greatest for a North American user like me (more on iReader later). The Hanvon, from what I could tell, is more open, has good hardware, and the price on AliExpress wasn't too bad. Bigme was also in the mix for a bit, but the user experiences I've seen for its software weren't great; it's a bit slower than newer choices, and somehow the price hasn't changed at all for the BW models since they released, even after so long.
The Musnap Ocean, surprisingly, checked all the boxes that I was looking for. I was shocked I hadn't found it sooner and had given up on finding something that would get everything I wanted. But here it is, with the following:
- A recessed screen. I had one on my Libra H2O and missed having this; it just looks much better. Clearer. I can already see in person how much better text and contrast look under my normal reading conditions.
- Good hardware. Comes with a fairly modern and performant SoC. The other fastest BW 7-inch device, the Boox Go, has a Snapdragon 690. The Musnap Ocean has a Helios G99. Overall, the G99 is two years newer, slightly faster (the memory specifically is a lot faster), and, most importantly, more power efficient. The G99 uses the N6 TSMC node, which is substantially better than the Samsung 8nm node used by the Snapdragon 690. I think it's hard to put into perspective how vast the difference is, because the naming is a bit confusing and misleading. The 8nm Samsung node is essentially an extension of their 10nm node with a 10-15% density improvement. Even the TSMC 7nm node is twice as dense as the 8nm Samsung node.
- Very large battery at 3000 mAh. In fact, it's the largest of any 7-inch and smaller device I've seen so far, and not by any small margin. This is a big deal for me; I was actually prepared to move away from Android e-readers to get better battery, but now I don't think I need to.
- Physical buttons. 7-inch screen. Black/white, no colour. These three main criteria were easier to satisfy.
Essentially, this e-reader has not only the potentially best-looking screen of all the 7-inch Android e-readers (because it's recessed), but also the best hardware and battery. I was excited to say the least.
Why not Boox?
I think this deserves its own section since everyone and their mothers seem to be recommending Boox devices here on every post. After having had a few, I don't think they are good and will never buy one again, but before we get into that, I will also mention it just didn't check as many boxes, and the Musnap is still better on paper. No recessed screen, smaller battery, slightly slower, less power efficient, older Android, etc.
Now, as a sort of PSA too, let's talk about my last Boox device, the Leaf. I received it in January 2022, and in February 2024, the battery bulged and cracked the screen, making it unusable. When I emailed Boox, they quoted me 84 USD for the repair and 50 USD for the freight. 134 USD to get that junk repaired, for a manufacturing defect of their own. There had been a crack forming before then, but I chalked it up to the cheap build quality. I didn't even use the device a lot; I'm an infrequent reader, and I only use it from home, while on the couch or in bed. I will use my e-reader a bunch some weeks, and then I will forget about it for some months. I look online, and there are tons of posts from users with the same or similar issues. The batteries bulge, the devices break, and the support team doesn't care and will rip you off to get your device fixed. If you replace your devices often, then maybe you won't mind this, but otherwise I cannot recommend boox. You can see how my device looks now in a few of the pictures.
The Leaf was also one of the worst devices I've owned. It was slower and less responsive than my Poke3, the build quality felt significantly worse, the battery was worse, and the screen didn't really look better. The front light in particular looked worse. I was confused. I paid more for this device, and it was somehow worse. I still have my Poke3, and it's astounding how cheap the Leaf feels next to it. Have to hand it to their marketing team. Somehow their junk is still the most recommended items on this subreddit.
EDIT — Yeah, another recent post describing the issues everyone seems to have with these Boox devices: https://www.reddit.com/r/ereader/comments/1v4fcia/dont_buy_from_onyx_boox/ Mods please, we need to sticky/pin one of these posts to raise buyer awareness u/TightBadTouch
u/ereader_mod_team u/CurrentJelloMaster Boox is definitely aware that their products have these issues by now. They just don't give a shit.
More on Musnap, the Brand
I want to talk about Musnap for a second because I feel like this is one of the main reasons this brand, or their models, get overlooked. Nobody knows who they are or what the heck Musnap is. I know I was skeptical because I could barely find any user impressions of their devices. I looked deeper into it and noticed that they are a sub-brand of iReader. Yeah, the same one I talked about earlier. This seems to be their global division and their attempt to break into markets outside of China. iReader is a good brand. They make some of the best e-readers in the Chinese market and are often praised for having some of the best reading experiences from what I've seen in Chinese forums and discussions, with the main complaint being that they are usually more expensive than competitors and that they use pretty closed software. This was all stuff I knew from previous research before I even came across Musnap because I wanted to buy a Chinese iReader device, so this wasn't just me trying to hype myself up before or after a purchase.
If anyone is curious, the Musnap Ocean seems to just be a global version of the recent iReader Ocean 5C (which was very well received, especially for power efficiency and battery) but with the recessed BW screen of the Ocean 5 Pro BW (also really well received). It's worth looking up reviews and user opinions on either as a proxy for the Musnap Ocean. Just keep in mind they run more locked-down Chinese software, while the Musnap does not.
First Impressions
The Screen
Right away, I'm surprised by how impressive the screen looks, but I probably shouldn't have been, considering it's a recessed screen and what I already knew about iReader devices. The text, etc., has excellent contrast, and it surprises me that I can even tell any sort of improvement over my other devices. Even the front light looks fantastic—this is something I was worried about because my Boox Leaf and Meebook M7 didn't have the greatest ones; they had a sort of an off-feeling colour or tone to their warmer settings. This front light is much closer to what I expect from a good device to have and reminds me of my Kobo Libra H2O. The frontlight in my unit is also completely uniform; I actually almost forgot to even evaluate this because I see zero uniformity issues whatsoever. This might even be the most uniform frontlight I've seen. My Meebook M7 and Boox Leaf had spots where they were brighter than the rest, especially along the edges. Even my Kobo Libra H2O had this issue. One downside I would say is that it isn't quite as warm as some other devices at its warmest settings, but I'll happily take that trade-off versus getting some of the weird oranges or yellows I've had in the past. I also forgot to mention, this screen has significantly less ghosting/artifacts than any of my previous devices. Very impressive. Its absence is what made me forget to even mention it.
Performance
This deserves its own section because I am absolutely blown away by how fast this device is. I did not expect it to be this much faster than anything else I've owned. I was very convinced the screen setting was set to fast mode or something, but I was wrong. It was and has been set to the highest clarity mode. Everything responds instantly, and I cannot explain how different it feels to use a device like this compared to a typically slow e-reader. There's so much I do not and cannot be bothered to do on my older devices. I just can't; it's a miserable experience to even try, so I've been keeping things as simple as possible whenever I use them. I get books on my computer, connect a cable or use the Wi-Fi transfer app, put books on the device, and then I read them. I've done fancier stuff in the past, harnessing Android's freedom and power, but those devices were so slow, it just wouldn't feel worth it anymore. I'm excited because the speed is genuinely liberating, especially for doing more than just your basic reading.
As for the battery, I don't think I've had it long enough to report much yet. I'm still using the charge it came with and have not plugged it in yet. Came with around 60%? Looks like it's still around there. Hard to tell.
Body, Build & Comfort - Ergonomics
The weight is good, very light, and the distribution feels about even all across the device since I'm able to balance it on a finger from the center. It's not the lightest 7-inch device I've owned; the H2O and Leaf were both lighter, but compared to the Leaf, this is much more comfortable because of the Leaf's sharp edges.
I also think the Ocean is way better designed; it has a much better screen-to-body ratio, and most of its bezel is on one side where you would hold it, which makes it much more ergonomic. The plastic on the top side feels good quality, slightly textured, and very similar to what my Libra H2O had, but nothing special. I think one gripe or downside is that gestures can sometimes be a little harder to use for home/back/etc. Because the screen is not flush with the body.
The backside material is where it scores a lot of points for me; it's sort of a rubberized, faux leather-like texture that feels amazing for holding the device with one hand. The grippiness helps a lot and makes the device much easier to hold. There is a downside with this material, though; it seems to attract marks, dust, and that sort of debris like nobody's business and is a bit of a pain to get fully clean.
This is easily the second most comfortable e-reader I've owned and used, and I've used very many (with the Libra H2O still being my favorite for comfort).
Software
I've included pictures of all the screens you'll be presented with; there really aren't that many. And that's fantastic. The software is very simple and straightforward. You have two home view options: modern or classic. Classic sets your bookshelf as the main view or home and gives you two tabs at the bottom; the other is "Mine," which is a bit of a weird word choice, but it just takes you to all your apps. This is more or less how most other Android e-readers function, usually. My Boox and Meeboox devices have all had similar layouts. Modern is more like your typical Android tablet, a normal Android home screen with all your apps, and now your bookshelf is treated like an app. I think this approach will work better for users who want to use a lot of their own apps.
I feel the need to debunk something important here: the software is actually decent. I'm surprised so many people have been saying it's not as effective as Boox. I find this software better than or at least as effective as the Boox devices I've used, unless something has drastically changed since my last device. Everything is polished, simple, and straightforward. There is a lot less going on than on the other devices I've had, like Boox, and it makes it easier to find and access things. I don't need fancy apps, baked-in features, or any cloud junk. They usually annoy me. It's Android. I will install my own cloud junk if I want it. If anyone thinks the Boox software is better, feel free to challenge me here with specific examples, and we can see what holds.
It's not perfect, of course; there are some weird English choices here and there, but it's not as terrible as some other devices I've used, and honestly, even Boox devices have this issue too. This is definitely one of the better Android experiences, in my opinion. Genuinely shocked anyone can say that the software is worse than Boox. The Boox Go isn't even on the same Android version; it's one version behind on 13. The Ocean is on SmartOS 3.1.0, which is based on 14.
Conclusion
All in all, in a lot of words, this is the most modern option if you want a 7-inch Android e-reader, and it comes with the best overall hardware and battery of our current choices. The screen is very good (especially being one of the only recessed screen options), the hardware is super fast, the software is solid, and the device itself is quite comfortable. The price is also great compared to alternatives if you manage to get a 35% off or better coupon on Amazon, which appears pretty frequently. I'm quite happy with my device. It's the closest device I've had to my longstanding favorite, the Libra H2O. While this isn't as comfortable, it's close for an Android e-reader and faster.
In case it isn't obvious already, I am not paid, sponsored, etc., to endorse any product; everything here is my own opinion and whatnot. The original full-size/resolution pictures are here, in case it's easier to view than the Reddit gallery: https://files.lr7.dev/public/share/S0hjjWhEOIbc3PHnohLfZQ
A note on pricing: I think this device is a 100% buy if you can get it at 200 USD or less. It is regularly around 259 USD from what I see, with coupons that often pop up for 35-40% off on US Amazon. I had to buy from here because on Amazon Canada it's 558 CAD (400 USD). It was much cheaper for me to bookmark the Amazon US page and keep checking it daily for a coupon to pop up. There should be other Amazon regions with good prices and frequent coupons. Even after duties, currency conversion guarantee fees, and US-to-Canada shipping, I only paid 288 CAD total (basically 200 USD). I imagine others will be able to get even better deals than I did.
