Boox Word Air4 C assessment: Solely delicate upgrades

I am nonetheless a sucker for taking handwritten notes in a whole lot of conditions. For some cause, 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 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 Word 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 stated, it is nonetheless a superb gadget for a lot of causes and may be very fulfilling to make use of.

Your adjustments have been saved

Observe Adopted

Observe with Notifications Observe Unfollow

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 coloration show makes it straightforward to see content material and gives loads of customization choices. 

Execs

• Unbelievable writing expertise
• Sharp, clear show
• Android OS gives a whole lot 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 take a look at our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have really reviewed.

Value, availability, and specs

The Onyx Boox Word Air4 C is offered from Amazon, Walmart, Boox’s web site, and the Onyx web site for $499.99. It is solely obtainable in a single coloration and measurement and comes with the Boox Pen Plus. In order for you a canopy or the Boox Pen Professional 2, you will have to buy these individually.

Bodily, the Word Air4 C seems 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 an alternative), however in any other case, it is subsequent to unattainable 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 Coloration Display screen, adjustable entrance gentle, microSD card slot, fingerprint lock, 3700mAh battery, and 64GB of reminiscence.

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

A tablet-like expertise on an e-reader

The Word Air4 C shares an extended record of similarities with its predecessor. That is not a foul factor for the reason that Word Air3 C is a superb gadget. At first, just like the Word Air3 C, the Word Air4 C gives a implausible writing expertise. It feels remarkably like writing on paper, due to the delicate texture of the glass. The stylus, which is identical 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 coloration 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 recognize that I can proceed that behavior on this pill. It additionally makes for a nicer expertise when utilizing apps which might be wealthy with coloration.

Past coloration, 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 gives the next decision for black and white content material (300 ppi) versus coloration content material (150 ppi), so fundamental textual content seems fairly a bit higher than coloration graphics, however coloration supplies are under no circumstances dangerous for an E-Ink gadget.

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

Whereas there are a whole lot 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 anticipate 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. Evidently, I used to be glad to see a step-up within the OS. As a part of that change, the brand new gadget gives an up to date UI that features like a well-recognized pill expertise. Now, widgets provide you with faster entry to books, notes, or current apps. Sadly, the obtainable 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 identified, the Onyx Boox Word 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 Word 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 screen the place the apps are entrance and heart (or a minimum of a web page away). General, it makes for a extra acquainted and intuitive expertise.

That Android OS means you possibly can entry the complete 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, resembling 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 Word Air3 C. It was that handwriting was solely doable within the Boox apps and was not appropriate with third-party apps.

Now, although, you possibly can basically 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 function expanded since that is likely one of the principal causes for getting this pill. It is price stating that Boox additionally prolonged this function to the Word Air3 C, so it is not unique to the Word Air4 C.

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

Solely a delicate improve from the earlier mannequin

Whereas there’s lots to love in regards to the Boox Word Air4 C, it does 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 increase within the new mannequin. However in precise every day use, it is almost unattainable 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 ebook 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 Word Air3 C, so it is not essentially horrible that there is not a large efficiency leap. Nevertheless, 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 spite of everything, many of the adjustments appear to be in software program, which may have merely been a software program replace as an alternative of a completely new gadget.

Must you purchase the Onyx Boox Word Air4 C?

The Boox Word 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 gadget for graphic or color-focused packages like YouTube, Photoshop, and so on. Nevertheless, it’s a nice possibility in order for you a extra fundamental 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 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 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, however it retains the identical implausible writing expertise.