Boox Be aware Air4 C evaluation: Solely refined upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in quite a lot of conditions. For some purpose, it helps me focus extra on what I am taking notes on than if I had been to kind notes. Due to that, I actually loved the Boox Note Air3 C. It offered a beautiful 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 advocate sound engaging.

Sadly, a few of my excited anticipation was unwarranted. To spoil the shock, the upgrades are, to place it mildly, refined. It represents extra of a modest iteration than a considerably new product. That stated, it is nonetheless a superb system for a lot of causes and could be very pleasing to make use of.

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Editor’s Alternative

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 higher flexibility and flexibility. The ten-3-inch colour show makes it straightforward to see content material and presents loads of customization choices. 

Professionals

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

Cons

• Not many important upgrades from the earlier mannequin

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Worth, availability, and specs

The Onyx Boox Be aware Air4 C is accessible from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely accessible in a single colour and dimension and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. In order for you a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you will must buy these individually.

Bodily, the Be aware Air4 C appears to be like nearly an identical to the Be aware Air3 C. Boox modified its emblem placement on the entrance of the system (it is now extra refined and within the backside left as a substitute), however in any other case, it is subsequent to unimaginable to inform them aside simply by trying. 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 Coloration Display, adjustable entrance mild, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I favored 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 foul factor for the reason that Be aware Air3 C is a superb system. Firstly, just like the Be aware Air3 C, the Be aware Air4 C offers a unbelievable writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, because of the refined texture of the glass. The stylus, which is similar because the earlier mannequin, is as snug to carry as a pen or pencil, and it glides easily throughout the floor of the system.

The C within the title signifies that it is a colour E-Ink system. Whereas you do not get the colourful, saturated colours of tablets just like the Apple iPad, there may be sufficient of a variety to be useful when highlighting textual content or sketching designs. I’m an enormous 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 colour.

Past colour, 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, but it surely’s well-detailed for an E-Ink show. It presents the next decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus colour content material (150 ppi), so fundamental textual content appears to be like fairly a bit higher than colour graphics, however colour supplies are not at all dangerous for an E-Ink system.

The matte end on the show makes it straightforward to see in any mild, even vivid daylight. Not like other tablets with fancier shows, there are hardly any reflections or glare. You may go for no entrance mild or flip the entrance mild to very vivid for simple use in any lighting scenario. That entrance mild can also be colour temperature adjustable, all the best way to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at night time.

Whereas there are quite a lot of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are a couple of appreciated updates. First, Boox upgraded the Be aware Air4 C to Android 13. Android 15 is probably the most present Android OS, and whereas I do not count on the newest 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 system presents an up to date UI that features like a well-known pill expertise. Now, widgets provide you with faster entry to books, notes, or latest apps. Sadly, the accessible widgets are restricted to Boox apps particularly, however hopefully, these will ultimately broaden so I can have my Google Calendar and Spotify widgets as nicely.

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 important benefits over the reMarkable pill.

The brand new UI additionally makes it sooner 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, similar to whenever you flip in your cellphone or pill, you have got a house display screen the place the apps are entrance and middle (or at the very least a web page away). General, it makes for a extra acquainted and intuitive expertise.

That Android OS means you possibly can entry the complete 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, similar 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 possibly can basically write on something because of 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 function expanded since that is likely one of the principal causes for getting this pill. It is price stating that Boox additionally prolonged this function 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 refined improve from the earlier mannequin

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

On a couple 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 ebook pages. Even when paying shut consideration to observe 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. Nevertheless, it will have been good to see extra of a rise in a brand new mannequin, at the very least to the purpose the place it is noticeable. In any case, many of the adjustments appear to be in software program, which might have merely been a software program replace as a substitute of a completely new system.

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 provides a unbelievable writing expertise. The E-Ink show has inherent lag and ghosting, so it is not a worthy system for graphic or color-focused applications like YouTube, Photoshop, and so forth. Nevertheless, it’s a nice possibility if you’d like a extra fundamental system with a long-lasting battery for taking notes.

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

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Editor’s Alternative

Boox Be aware Air4 C

The Boox Be aware Air4 C represents a gentle improve from the earlier mannequin. It now runs on Android 13, providing a well-known tablet-like UI, but it surely retains the identical unbelievable writing expertise.