Boox Word Air4 C assessment: Solely delicate upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in plenty of conditions. For some cause, 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 supplied 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 Word Air4 C, I used to be excited. In spite of everything, any enhancements to a tool I already like and advocate 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 wonderful gadget for a lot of causes and may be very pleasing to make use of.

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Editor’s Alternative

Boox Word Air4 C

The Boox Word Air4 C is an E-Ink pill that can be utilized with a stylus to take handwritten notes. It runs on Android 13 for better flexibility and flexibility. The ten-3-inch colour show makes it simple to see content material and affords loads of customization choices. 

Execs

• Incredible writing expertise
• Sharp, clear show
• Android OS gives plenty 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 Word 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. If you would like a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you may have to buy these individually.

Bodily, the Word Air4 C seems to be virtually an identical to the Word 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 inconceivable 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 mild, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

What I appreciated concerning the Onyx Boox Word Air4 C

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Word Air4 C shares a protracted record of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a nasty factor because the Word Air3 C is a superb gadget. Firstly, just like the Word Air3 C, the Word Air4 C gives 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 this can be a colour E-Ink gadget. Whereas you aren’t getting the colourful, saturated colours of tablets just like the Apple iPad, there’s 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 admire that I can proceed that behavior on this pill. It additionally makes for a nicer expertise when utilizing apps which can be wealthy with colour.

Past colour, 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 affords a better decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus colour content material (150 ppi), so primary textual content seems to be fairly a bit higher than colour graphics, however colour supplies are certainly not unhealthy for an E-Ink gadget.

The matte end on the show makes it simple to see in any mild, even vibrant daylight. In contrast to 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 vibrant for straightforward use in any lighting scenario. That entrance mild can also be colour temperature adjustable, all the way in which to orange, saving your eyes (and circadian rhythm) at night time.

Whereas there are plenty of similarities with the earlier mannequin, there are a couple of appreciated updates. First, Boox upgraded the Word 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 Word 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 gadget affords an up to date UI that capabilities like a well-recognized 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 finally increase so I can have my Google Calendar and Spotify widgets as effectively.

Associated

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

Although lesser recognized, the Onyx Boox Word 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 Word 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’ve got a house display the place the apps are entrance and heart (or at the very least 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 one in all 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 one in all my complaints concerning the Word Air3 C. It was that handwriting was solely potential 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 would not work together completely with each app, however it’s good to see the handwriting characteristic expanded since that is among the essential causes for getting this pill. It is price stating that Boox additionally prolonged this characteristic to the Word Air3 C, so it is not unique to the Word Air4 C.

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

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s lots to love concerning the Boox Word Air4 C, it would not characterize a lot of an improve from the earlier mannequin. On paper, there’s 2GB extra RAM on the Word Air4 C in comparison with the 3C, and Boox promised a 50% efficiency enhance within the new mannequin. However in precise day by day use, it is almost inconceivable 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 means of guide 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 Word Air3 C, so it is not essentially horrible that there is not an enormous efficiency leap. Nonetheless, 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 spite of everything, a lot 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 gadget.

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

The Boox Word 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 packages like YouTube, Photoshop, and so forth. Nonetheless, it’s a nice possibility in order for you a extra primary gadget with a long-lasting battery for taking notes.

What about these with the Boox Word Air3 C? Due to the very delicate and modest upgrades, it is not price upgrading. Moreover 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 Word Air4 C

The Boox Word 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.