Boox Picco Unveiled at IFA 2026; Bigme B6 Color Review Finds Value, Poor Battery

The Picco, first teased about six weeks ago, has a 3.97-inch e-paper touchscreen, physical page-turn buttons that can be customised, a front light, a microSD card slot, and a USB-C port. Unlike Boox's larger Android-based readers, it runs a Linux operating system, which means no access to mainstream apps such as Kindle or Kobo. TechRadar says Android Police went hands-on and found the software promising, with a reading stats page, a Pomodoro timer and other built-in apps. Books can be transferred via microSD, USB-C, cloud storage or a local-area network.

The Picco, however, lacks the magnets found on the Xteink X4 Pro, so it cannot be attached magnetically to a phone. It does include a USB-C port, which the X4 Pro does not. Good Ereader has reported that the Picco will cost around $100 (roughly £75 or AU$140), but TechRadar notes that other outlets which handled the device say the price has not been announced; some speculate it may settle at that level. Shipping is expected no later than November.

For the Bigme B6 Color, TechRadar's review says the six-inch colour e-reader is priced at about $179 / £149 / AU$280. It runs a modified Android 14 and ships with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. The open Android system gives access to the Google Play Store, allowing users to run Kindle, Kobo and other reading apps, as well as a web browser. The device has a small mono speaker for audiobooks and podcasts. The screen renders sharp text with minimal ghosting, though colour images look slightly more washed out than on the Colorsoft.

Battery life, however, is the biggest flaw. TechRadar measured about five hours of use while reading manga in the Kindle app at high brightness, and around ten hours for a PDF novel stored locally. The device also lost about 10 percent charge per day in standby, so it needs a full shutdown when not in use. The operating system was also reported to be buggy. Despite these issues, the B6 Color undercuts the Kindle Colorsoft, which costs $279.99 / £269.99 / AU$449 for 32GB and no case. The B6 Color, available in black, white or light green, comes with a magnetic protective case.