Boox Observe Air4 C evaluation: Solely delicate upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in a number of conditions. For some motive, 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 supplied 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 Observe Air4 C, I used to be excited. In spite of everything, 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 wonderful system for a lot of causes and may be very satisfying to make use of.

Your adjustments have been saved

Observe Adopted

Observe with Notifications Observe Unfollow

Editor’s Alternative

Boox Observe Air4 C

The Boox Observe 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 shade show makes it straightforward to see content material and affords loads of customization choices. 

Professionals

• Improbable writing expertise
• Sharp, clear show
• Android OS offers a number 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 check our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have truly reviewed.

Worth, availability, and specs

The Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C is accessible from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely obtainable in a single shade and measurement 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 Observe Air4 C seems nearly an identical to the Observe Air3 C. Boox modified its brand placement on the entrance of the system (it is now extra delicate 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 Shade Display screen, adjustable entrance gentle, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I favored concerning the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Observe Air4 C shares an extended checklist of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a foul factor because the Observe Air3 C is a superb system. At the start, just like the Observe Air3 C, the Observe Air4 C offers a incredible writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, because of 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 system.

The C within the identify signifies that it is a shade E-Ink system. Whereas you aren’t getting the colourful, saturated colours of tablets just like the Apple iPad, there may be 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 recognize 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 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 affords the next decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus shade content material (150 ppi), so primary textual content seems fairly a bit higher than shade graphics, however shade supplies are under no circumstances unhealthy for an E-Ink system.

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 may go for no entrance gentle or flip the entrance gentle to very vibrant for straightforward use in any lighting state of affairs. That entrance gentle can be shade temperature adjustable, all the way in which to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at evening.

Whereas there are a number of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are a couple of appreciated updates. First, Boox upgraded the Observe 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 Observe 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 swap, the brand new system affords 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 obtainable 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 Observe 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 Observe 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 telephone or pill, you’ve gotten a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or at the least 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 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 concerning the Observe Air3 C. It was that handwriting was solely attainable within the Boox apps and was not appropriate 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 without doubt one of the principal causes for getting this pill. It is price declaring that Boox additionally prolonged this characteristic to the Observe Air3 C, so it is not unique to the Observe Air4 C.

What I did not like concerning the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s so much to love concerning the Boox Observe Air4 C, it does not characterize a lot of an improve from the earlier mannequin. On paper, there may be 2GB extra RAM on the Observe Air4 C in comparison with the 3C, and Boox promised a 50% efficiency increase within the new mannequin. However in precise each 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 guide 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 Observe 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, at the least to the purpose the place it is noticeable. In spite of everything, many of the adjustments appear to be in software program, which might have merely been a software program replace as a substitute of a wholly new system.

Do you have to purchase the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C?

The Boox Observe Air4 C is a extremely succesful and versatile E-Ink pill that gives a incredible 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. Nonetheless, it’s a nice possibility in order for you a extra primary system with a long-lasting battery for taking notes.

What about these with the Boox Observe Air3 C? Due to the very delicate 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.

Your adjustments have been saved

Observe Adopted

Observe with Notifications Observe Unfollow

Editor’s Alternative

Boox Observe Air4 C

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