Boox Be aware Air4 C overview: Solely refined upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in loads of conditions. For some cause, 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 consumer. 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, refined. It represents extra of a modest iteration than a considerably new product. That stated, it is nonetheless a wonderful system for a lot of causes and may be very pleasurable to make use of.

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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 larger flexibility and flexibility. The ten-3-inch shade show makes it simple to see content material and affords loads of customization choices. 

Professionals

• Improbable writing expertise
• Sharp, clear show
• Android OS offers loads 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

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Value, 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 shade and dimension and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. If you would like a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you may have to buy these individually.

Bodily, the Be aware Air4 C appears nearly similar 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 screen, adjustable entrance mild, 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 an extended record of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a foul factor because the Be aware Air3 C is a good system. Firstly, just like the Be aware Air3 C, the Be aware Air4 C offers a implausible writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, because of the refined 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 system.

The C within the title signifies that this can be a shade E-Ink system. Whereas you do not get 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 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 shade.

Past shade, the show is sharp and clear, making it very simple to learn textual content. Graphics will not look exceptionally detailed, because it’s extra like 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 shade content material (150 ppi), so primary textual content appears fairly a bit higher than shade graphics, however shade supplies are in no way dangerous for an E-Ink system.

The matte end on the show makes it simple 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 straightforward use in any lighting scenario. That entrance mild can also be shade temperature adjustable, all the best way to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at evening.

Whereas there are loads 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 system affords an up to date UI that features like a well-recognized pill expertise. Now, widgets offer you faster entry to books, notes, or current apps. Sadly, the out there widgets are restricted to Boox apps particularly, however hopefully, these will ultimately broaden so I can have my Google Calendar and Spotify widgets as properly.

Associated

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

Although lesser recognized, the Onyx Boox Be aware Air 3 C has some vital 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, identical to if you flip in your telephone or pill, you’ve gotten a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or a minimum of a web page away). Total, it makes for a extra acquainted and intuitive expertise.

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

Now, although, you may primarily write on something because of the Free Mark possibility and expanded handwriting instruments in apps like Google Docs. It does not work together completely with each app, however it’s good to see the handwriting characteristic expanded since that is among the most important causes for getting this pill. It is price 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 refined improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s so much to love in regards to the Boox Be aware Air4 C, it does not characterize 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 every day use, it is almost unimaginable 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 can not 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 might have been good to see extra of a rise in a brand new mannequin, a minimum of to the purpose the place it is noticeable. In any case, many of the adjustments appear to be in software program, which may 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 implausible writing expertise. The E-Ink show has inherent lag and ghosting, so it is not a worthy system for graphic or color-focused packages like YouTube, Photoshop, and so on. Nonetheless, it’s a nice possibility if you would like a extra primary 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 subsequent iteration, which we hope introduces extra substantial adjustments.

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Editor’s Selection

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-recognized tablet-like UI, nevertheless it retains the identical implausible writing expertise.