Owners of the BOOX Go 6 (Gen II) are finding an update in Settings that moves the reader from Android 11 to Android 13, less than four months after it went on sale in June. The first reports appeared on September 24, and Onyx is releasing the update in batches, so some readers will see it days after others. Onyx has published no changelog for it. The original Go 6 from 2024 is not part of the rollout, which leaves the two 6-inch models, $40 apart on the US store, two Android versions apart as well.
Why an Android upgrade from Onyx is rare
Onyx has rarely changed the Android version of a BOOX device after launch. The one earlier case that e-reader blogs cite is from 2021, when two models moved from Android 6 to Android 9 through a fiddly process that carried a risk of bricking the device.
What Onyx does promise is firmware. Its firmware page commits to “free firmware updates for all models for at least three years after the product’s launch.” Those updates change BOOX’s own software: the NeoReader app, the notes app, the launcher, the display settings. The Android layer underneath has stayed where it shipped. So the original Go 6, launched in August 2024, should keep getting firmware until at least August 2027, and nothing in that promise says it will ever leave Android 11.
What Android 13 gives the Gen II
Early owner reports describe the same BOOX launcher and home screen as before. According to Good e-Reader, the package is firmware 4.2.2, which also brings the features of Onyx’s 4.2 series to the Go 6 (Gen II). On other models those include EinkWise Code (a short code that loads display settings for a third-party app), a Template Hub for notebooks, a scrolling page layout in handwritten notes and a Calendar Memo. Onyx’s own firmware page warns that features vary between models, and without a changelog for this device the exact list is still unconfirmed.
The reason to want the update is app headroom. Every Android app sets a minimum Android version, and developers raise it over time. Android 11 dates from 2020 and Android 13 from 2022, so a reader on 13 should keep installing current versions of the Kindle, Kobo and Libby apps for longer before one of them leaves it behind. It is still several versions behind the Android 16 on the BOOX Note Air6 C.
The store page has not caught up
On September 29 the comparison table on BOOX’s own Go 6 (Gen II) listing still showed Android 11 for both the Gen II and the original Go 6, with Android 13 only against the Go 7. A buyer comparing the three models there would see no difference in Android between the two 6-inch readers.
The rest of that table holds. The Gen II has 3 GB of memory to the original’s 2 GB, 32 GB of storage and a microSD slot on both, the same 1,500 mAh battery and 300 ppi screen, and support for the InkSense Plus stylus, which the original lacks. It weighs about 160 g, 14 g more than the first model. On the US store the Gen II sells for $199.99, or $232.99 with the stylus, and the original for $159.99.
Before you install it
A move between Android versions rewrites more of the system than a routine firmware release, so treat it like a phone upgrade. Sync your notebooks to Onyx’s cloud or export the ones you care about, write down any apps you installed from outside the Play Store, and charge the reader first. Then open the software update section of Settings. If nothing is offered, your batch has not arrived yet, and checking again in a few days is all you can do.
Nobody has published a report of the update wiping a device, and nobody has published a full list of what changed either. Owners who rely on one sideloaded app for their library may prefer to wait a week and read what other owners report.
Which Go 6 to buy now
Buy the Gen II if you plan to read in Android apps. Android 13 and the extra gigabyte of memory both work in its favor for Libby, Kindle and Kobo, and the update is already on its way to every Gen II.
The original BOOX Go 6 makes sense only at a clear discount and for a reader who opens EPUBs in NeoReader and rarely installs anything. Its Android version is now a known quantity, and Onyx has given no sign it will change. If you want Android 13 without the 6-inch size, the BOOX Go 7 already shipped with it.
