Boox Observe Air4 C evaluate: 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 have been to sort 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 Observe Air4 C, I used to be excited. In spite of everything, 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 superb system for a lot of causes and may be very pleasing to make use of.

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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 colour show makes it straightforward to see content material and provides loads of customization choices. 

Execs

• Incredible 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

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Worth, availability, and specs

The Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C is out there from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely out there in a single colour and measurement and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. If you’d like a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you will must buy these individually.

Bodily, the Observe Air4 C seems virtually equivalent to the Observe Air3 C. Boox modified its emblem 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 not possible 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, adjustable entrance gentle, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I preferred in regards to the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Observe Air4 C shares a protracted checklist of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a foul factor for the reason that Observe Air3 C is a good system. Firstly, just like the Observe Air3 C, the Observe Air4 C offers a improbable writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, due to the delicate 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 identify signifies that this can be a colour 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 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, however it’s well-detailed for an E-Ink show. It provides a better decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus colour content material (150 ppi), so fundamental textual content seems fairly a bit higher than colour graphics, however colour supplies are in no way unhealthy for an E-Ink system.

The matte end on the show makes it straightforward to see in any gentle, even vibrant daylight. Not like other tablets with fancier shows, there are hardly any reflections or glare. You’ll be able to 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 colour temperature adjustable, all the best way to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at night time.

Whereas there are a number of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are just a few 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 most recent 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 provides an up to date UI that features like a well-recognized pill expertise. Now, widgets offer you faster entry to books, notes, or latest apps. Sadly, the out there widgets are restricted to Boox apps particularly, however hopefully, these will finally 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 once you flip in your cellphone or pill, you might have a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or at the least a web page away). General, it makes for a extra acquainted and intuitive expertise.

That Android OS means you may entry the complete Google Play Retailer, which is considered one of my favourite issues about Boox E-Ink tablets. I can obtain no matter apps I want or need, corresponding to Spotify, all of my Google apps, Libby, and extra. New this time round, although, is a slight repair to considered one of my complaints in regards to the Observe Air3 C. It was 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 due to 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 predominant causes for getting this pill. It is price stating 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 in regards to the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s lots to love in regards to the Boox Observe 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 Observe 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 just a few 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 means of e book pages. Even when paying shut consideration to observe for any distinction between the 2, I can not discover an actual distinction.

I loved utilizing the Observe 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 least to the purpose the place it is noticeable. In spite of everything, many of the modifications appear to be in software program, which may have merely been a software program replace as a substitute of a completely new system.

Must you purchase the Onyx Boox Observe Air4 C?

The Boox Observe 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 system for graphic or color-focused applications like YouTube, Photoshop, and so forth. Nevertheless, it’s a nice possibility if you would like a extra fundamental 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 following iteration, which we hope introduces extra substantial modifications.

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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-recognized tablet-like UI, however it retains the identical improbable writing expertise.