Boox Be aware Air4 C assessment: Solely delicate upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in a whole lot of conditions. For some motive, it helps me focus extra on what I am taking notes on than if I have been to kind notes. Due to that, I actually loved the Boox Note Air3 C. It offered an exquisite handwriting expertise with a flexible Android OS that was intuitive to me as a long-time Android phone person. So when Boox introduced the Be aware Air4 C, I used to be excited. In any case, any enhancements to a tool I already like and suggest sound attractive.

Sadly, a few of my excited anticipation was unwarranted. To spoil the shock, the upgrades are, to place it mildly, delicate. It represents extra of a modest iteration than a considerably new product. That mentioned, it is nonetheless a wonderful machine for a lot of causes and may be very satisfying to make use of.

Your modifications have been saved

Observe Adopted

Observe with Notifications Observe Unfollow

Editor’s Selection

Boox Be aware Air4 C

The Boox Be aware Air4 C is an E-Ink pill that can be utilized with a stylus to take handwritten notes. It runs on Android 13 for better flexibility and flexibility. The ten-3-inch coloration show makes it straightforward to see content material and affords loads of customization choices. 

Execs

• Implausible writing expertise
• Sharp, clear show
• Android OS supplies a whole lot of flexibility and customization
• New UI helps widgets and acquainted tablet-like expertise
• Extra alternatives to make use of handwriting

Cons

• Not many vital upgrades from the earlier mannequin

See our course of

How we test and review products at Pocket-lint

We do not do arm-chair analysis. We purchase and take a look at our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have truly reviewed.

Worth, availability, and specs

The Onyx Boox Be aware Air4 C is obtainable from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely out there in a single coloration and measurement and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. If you need a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you may must buy these individually.

Bodily, the Be aware Air4 C seems to be nearly equivalent to the Be aware Air3 C. Boox modified its brand placement on the entrance of the machine (it is now extra delicate and within the backside left as an alternative), however in any other case, it is subsequent to unattainable to inform them aside simply by wanting. The brand new mannequin is one gram lighter than the Air3 C, however the thickness stays the identical. It additionally retains the identical Kaleido 3 Colour Display, adjustable entrance gentle, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I preferred in regards to the Onyx Boox Be aware Air4 C

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Be aware Air4 C shares a protracted listing of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a nasty factor for the reason that Be aware Air3 C is a good machine. Initially, just like the Be aware Air3 C, the Be aware Air4 C supplies a improbable writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, due to the delicate texture of the glass. The stylus, which is identical because the earlier mannequin, is as snug to carry as a pen or pencil, and it glides easily throughout the floor of the machine.

The C within the title signifies that this can be a coloration E-Ink machine. Whereas you aren’t getting the colourful, saturated colours of tablets just like the Apple iPad, there’s sufficient of a spread to be useful when highlighting textual content or sketching designs. I’m a giant fan of color-coding notes and charts, so I respect that I can proceed that behavior on this pill. It additionally makes for a nicer expertise when utilizing apps which are wealthy with coloration.

Past coloration, the show is sharp and clear, making it very straightforward to learn textual content. Graphics will not look exceptionally detailed, because it’s extra like taking a look at a newspaper than a high-resolution pill, nevertheless it’s well-detailed for an E-Ink show. It affords a better decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus coloration content material (150 ppi), so primary textual content seems to be fairly a bit higher than coloration graphics, however coloration supplies are in no way dangerous for an E-Ink machine.

The matte end on the show makes it straightforward to see in any gentle, even vibrant daylight. In contrast to other tablets with fancier shows, there are hardly any reflections or glare. You possibly can go for no entrance gentle or flip the entrance gentle to very vibrant for simple use in any lighting scenario. That entrance gentle can also be coloration temperature adjustable, all the best way to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at evening.

Whereas there are a whole lot of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are a number of appreciated updates. First, Boox upgraded the Be aware Air4 C to Android 13. Android 15 is essentially the most present Android OS, and whereas I do not anticipate the most recent model in an E-Ink pill, the Android 12 OS (which got here out in 2021) within the Be aware Air3 C felt unnecessarily outdated. For sure, I used to be glad to see a step-up within the OS. As a part of that change, the brand new machine affords an up to date UI that capabilities like a well-recognized pill expertise. Now, widgets provide you with faster entry to books, notes, or latest apps. Sadly, the out there widgets are restricted to Boox apps particularly, however hopefully, these will ultimately develop so I can have my Google Calendar and Spotify widgets as effectively.

Associated

4 reasons I’d buy the Onyx Boox Note Air 3 C over a reMarkable 2

Although lesser identified, the Onyx Boox Be aware Air 3 C has some vital benefits over the reMarkable pill.

The brand new UI additionally makes it quicker to entry your apps. On the Be aware Air3 C, you first needed to navigate to the Apps folder (or change the default startup web page to that). Now, identical to once you flip in your telephone or pill, you may have a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or no less than a web page away). General, it makes for a extra acquainted and intuitive expertise.

That Android OS means you’ll be able to entry the total Google Play Retailer, which is one among my favourite issues about Boox E-Ink tablets. I can obtain no matter apps I would like or need, comparable to Spotify, all of my Google apps, Libby, and extra. New this time round, although, is a slight repair to one among my complaints in regards to the Be aware Air3 C. It was that handwriting was solely doable within the Boox apps and was not appropriate with third-party apps.

Now, although, you’ll be able to primarily write on something due to the Free Mark possibility and expanded handwriting instruments in apps like Google Docs. It would not work together completely with each app, however it’s good to see the handwriting characteristic expanded since that is without doubt one of the fundamental causes for getting this pill. It is value declaring that Boox additionally prolonged this characteristic to the Be aware Air3 C, so it is not unique to the Be aware Air4 C.

What I did not like in regards to the Onyx Boox Be aware Air4 C

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s lots to love in regards to the Boox Be aware Air4 C, it would not signify a lot of an improve from the earlier mannequin. On paper, there’s 2GB extra RAM on the Be aware Air4 C in comparison with the 3C, and Boox promised a 50% efficiency enhance within the new mannequin. However in precise day by day use, it is practically unattainable to discern a distinction in efficiency between the 2.

On a number of events, I began up the 3C and 4C at the very same time, and so they each loaded inside a fraction of a second of one another (the 4C was forward by a hair every time). The identical is true when opening up apps or flipping by way of e book pages. Even when paying shut consideration to look at for any distinction between the 2, I am unable to discover an actual distinction.

I loved utilizing the Be aware Air3 C, so it is not essentially horrible that there is not an enormous efficiency leap. Nonetheless, it will have been good to see extra of a rise in a brand new mannequin, no less than to the purpose the place it is noticeable. In any case, a lot of the modifications appear to be in software program, which might have merely been a software program replace as an alternative of a wholly new machine.

Do you have to purchase the Onyx Boox Be aware Air4 C?

The Boox Be aware Air4 C is a extremely succesful and versatile E-Ink pill that gives a improbable writing expertise. The E-Ink show has inherent lag and ghosting, so it is not a worthy machine for graphic or color-focused packages like YouTube, Photoshop, and so on. Nonetheless, it’s a nice possibility in order for you a extra primary machine with a long-lasting battery for taking notes.

What about these with the Boox Be aware Air3 C? Due to the very delicate and modest upgrades, it is not value upgrading. Apart from the UI, you will not discover any actual distinction between the 2 fashions, and it will not be value spending cash on. You are higher off ready for the following iteration, which we hope introduces extra substantial modifications.

Your modifications have been saved

Observe Adopted

Observe with Notifications Observe Unfollow

Editor’s Selection

Boox Be aware Air4 C

The Boox Be aware Air4 C represents a light improve from the earlier mannequin. It now runs on Android 13, providing a well-recognized tablet-like UI, nevertheless it retains the identical improbable writing expertise.