Boox Notice Air4 C evaluation: Solely delicate upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in quite a 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 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 Notice Air4 C, I used to be excited. In any case, any enhancements to a tool I already like and suggest sound engaging.

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 superb gadget for a lot of causes and could be very pleasant to make use of.

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Editor’s Alternative

Boox Notice Air4 C

The Boox Notice 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 provides loads of customization choices. 

Professionals

• Incredible 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 Notice Air4 C is out there from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely accessible in a single shade and measurement and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. If you’d like a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you may have to buy these individually.

Bodily, the Notice Air4 C seems virtually equivalent to the Notice Air3 C. Boox modified its emblem placement on the entrance of the gadget (it is now extra delicate and within the backside left as a substitute), however in any other case, it is subsequent to not possible 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 Shade Display, adjustable entrance mild, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I appreciated in regards to the Onyx Boox Notice Air4 C

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Notice Air4 C shares an extended checklist of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a nasty factor because the Notice Air3 C is a good gadget. Initially, just like the Notice Air3 C, the Notice Air4 C offers a improbable writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, because of the delicate texture of the glass. The stylus, which is similar because the earlier mannequin, is as comfy to carry as a pen or pencil, and it glides easily throughout the floor of the gadget.

The C within the identify signifies that it is a shade E-Ink gadget. Whereas you aren’t getting 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 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 can be 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 taking a look at a newspaper than a high-resolution pill, nevertheless it’s well-detailed for an E-Ink show. It provides the next decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus shade content material (150 ppi), so fundamental textual content seems fairly a bit higher than shade graphics, however shade supplies are on no account dangerous for an E-Ink gadget.

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

Whereas there are quite a lot of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are a couple of appreciated updates. First, Boox upgraded the Notice Air4 C to Android 13. Android 15 is essentially the most present Android OS, and whereas I do not anticipate the newest model in an E-Ink pill, the Android 12 OS (which got here out in 2021) within the Notice Air3 C felt unnecessarily outdated. Evidently, I used to be glad to see a step-up within the OS. As a part of that change, the brand new gadget provides an up to date UI that capabilities like a well-recognized pill expertise. Now, widgets provide you with faster entry to books, notes, or current apps. Sadly, the accessible widgets are restricted to Boox apps particularly, however hopefully, these will ultimately increase 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 Notice 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 Notice Air3 C, you first needed to navigate to the Apps folder (or change the default startup web page to that). Now, identical to whenever you flip in your cellphone or pill, you will have a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or not less than a web page away). Total, 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 in all 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 in all my complaints in regards to the Notice Air3 C. It was once that handwriting was solely attainable within the Boox apps and was not suitable with third-party apps.

Now, although, you’ll be able to 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 likely one of the most important causes for getting this pill. It is value mentioning that Boox additionally prolonged this characteristic to the Notice Air3 C, so it is not unique to the Notice Air4 C.

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

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s so much to love in regards to the Boox Notice Air4 C, it does not symbolize a lot of an improve from the earlier mannequin. On paper, there may be 2GB extra RAM on the Notice 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 practically not possible 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, they usually 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 observe for any distinction between the 2, I am unable to discover an actual distinction.

I loved utilizing the Notice Air3 C, so it is not essentially horrible that there is not a large efficiency leap. Nonetheless, it might have been good to see extra of a rise in a brand new mannequin, not less than 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 gadget.

Must you purchase the Onyx Boox Notice Air4 C?

The Boox Notice Air4 C is a extremely succesful and versatile E-Ink pill that provides a improbable writing expertise. The E-Ink show has inherent lag and ghosting, so it is not a worthy gadget for graphic or color-focused applications like YouTube, Photoshop, and so on. Nonetheless, it’s a nice possibility if you need a extra fundamental gadget with a long-lasting battery for taking notes.

What about these with the Boox Notice 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 subsequent iteration, which we hope introduces extra substantial adjustments.

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Editor’s Alternative

Boox Notice Air4 C

The Boox Notice 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 improbable writing expertise.