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Summary
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The Boox Note Air4 C has a colorful E Ink screen and is ideal for reading and drawing.
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It runs the Android 13 operating system and allows you to install apps from the Google Play Store.
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Front light function with adjustable color tone enhances the reading experience.
Although E Ink tablets are niche products, their extreme battery life and the limited distractions they offer are perfect for those who want to read more and be more creative. U Onyx Boox Note Air4 C is very effective in serving this purpose.
Boox Note Air 4C
The Onyx Boox Note Air4 C is a colorful eInk tablet ideal for reading and drawing. Its wireless features also make it an excellent device for basic productivity.
Pros
- Color screen
- Android 13 OS
- Front light with adjustable color tone
cons
- Difficult to access the USB-C port when the magnetic cover is attached
Price and Availability
The Onyx Boox Note Air4 C is available on Amazon and the Boox website for $499.99. However, if you buy from the Onyx website, you will get a magnetic case and an extra set of tips included in the bundle. Also, if you add $48, you can get the premium stylus package, which includes the Pen2 Pro for a better writing experience.
A colorful reading and writing experience
The first thing that sets the Note Air4 C apart from the rest of the Onyx lineup is its E Ink color screen. This makes it perfect for appreciating colorful book cover art and enjoying graphic novels and comic books. In addition to this, it also gives you different color inks, which allow you to express yourself more freely, both while taking notes and while drawing.
The Note Air4 C’s built-in Notes app is great for jotting down, especially with the included stylus. It has five pen styles – fountain pen, brush, ballpoint pen, pencil and marker – giving you more freedom to execute your vision. It also has other tools, such as input form, fill, as well as images and attachments, which allow for an interactive note-taking experience. And if you are not satisfied with the stock app, you can use some of the the best stylus note taking apps until you find the one you like.
Of course, the Boox line is also designed for reading, so it has an online library where you can get a few titles for free. Apart from that, its library function allows you to synchronize with many cloud services, including OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote, Evernote and more.
So, if you already have a massive database of online books, you don’t need to manually transfer them to your new device. Finally, if you use other services such as Kindle, you can download the app directly from the Google Play Store and start reading without going through the hassle of manually installing these cloud services.
Features for reading and drawing anywhere
Since the Note Air4 C does not use an LED screen with backlight or an OLED display that emits its own light, Onyx added a frontlight to the E Ink tablet. This allows you to use it anywhere, even without ambient light to help you see the screen. You can also change the brightness and color temperature of the light, making it easier on your eyes if you use the tablet right before going to bed.
If you prefer to listen to music while reading or drawing, you can do so with the built-in Music app or install Spotify to stream your tracks. It doesn’t have the best sound quality, but it’s loud enough to enjoy some sound while doing something else. Alternatively, you can connect your Bluetooth headphones to the Note Air4 C and enjoy your music without disturbing the people around you.
In addition to its creativity tags, the pre-installed Boox Neo Reader app allows you to directly annotate what you read. It also gives you all the writing tools in the Notes app, which allow you to mark the text, write some notes in the margin of your eBook, or even write text. This is perfect for students and professionals who frequently review files and documents.
Google compatibility makes it 10 times more useful
The combination of Android 13 and the wireless connectivity features of the Note Air4 C make it a great device for basic productivity. That’s because you can install word processing applications like Microsoft Word or Google Docs on it and get some typing done by connecting a wireless Bluetooth keyboard. Alternatively, you can use a wired USB-C hub to add a keyboard and mouse if you want a distraction-free device to get some work done.
It is a little strange, however, that the only USB-C port of this tablet is located on the bottom of the tablet. This is not a problem in itself, but if you use the magnetic case included with the Standard Bundle from the Boox Shop, you have to open the cover to charge it. Its power / lock button is located in the upper left corner, which is not an intuitive place, especially if you are used to iPads, and it has no physical volume control buttons.
However, it does have a few other tools you’d normally find on a tablet, such as a voice recorder and a basic calculator. And like all those who get on the AI bandwagon, the Onyx Boox Note Air4 C has a built-in AI assistant, which allows you to ask some general things.
However, even Onyx says that the output is for reference only and should not be treated as gospel. You are also limited to only 3000 characters per day. However, it’s a good tool if you need general information quickly and don’t want to bother searching the Internet manually.
Another thing you should know, though, is that this doesn’t sport a powerful processor like what you’ll find on an iPad Pro (or even just the basic iPad), so don’t expect to get any responses fast But this is actually a feature, because it will allow you to have more time to think, helping you to breathe a little while writing about it. Apart from that, it allows the tablet to have an amazing battery life, so you don’t need to keep charging it every day.
No need to worry about the load
One of the primary reasons people buy an E Ink reader over a tablet is the amazing battery life these devices offer. With the front light off and all battery settings set to default, the Onyx Boox Note Air4 C could last several weeks on a single charge. I also used the E Ink tablet as a desk clock that refreshes its screen every minute, and I was able to use it for at least a week before needing to charge it again.
However, it doesn’t charge quickly, with the tablet taking a couple of hours to go from empty to full. But with a battery life that lasts for weeks, this will probably not be a problem because even just 10% of the remaining battery life would be more than enough to last a couple of days. As long as you don’t forget to charge and use many battery-consuming functions (such as the front light and Spotify background playback), the slow charging of the Note Air4 C will never be a problem for you.
Should you buy the Onyx Boox Note Air4 C?
U Onyx Boox Note Air4 C it’s a great E Ink tablet for reading and drawing, especially with its color screen. It may not be as vibrant or responsive as a full-on tablet, but its epic battery life and limited functionality make it perfect for those who want to focus intensely on their work and have limited distractions.
Apart from that, its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity make it useful for a few productivity tasks. So, you can turn it into a distraction-free digital typewriter for typing, allowing you to get your creative juices flowing without getting notifications from your various apps every now and then.
However, one thing that might stop you from getting it is the price — at $499.99, it’s about $150 more expensive than a vanilla iPad with the same 64GB storage and a USB-C Apple Pencil. The latter has a bigger, more vibrant screen and can do a lot more than the E Ink tablet. However, it also comes with a lot of distractions, and you’ll have to charge it every day if you use it often.
But, if you are an avid reader and draw a lot, the high price of the Onyx Boox Note Air4 C should be worth it, especially if you are trying to be more attentive and avoid distractions. Because it runs on Android 13, this E Ink reader could also do well as a lightweight productivity device that’s great for typing and basic internet browsing.
Boox Note Air 4C
The Onyx Boox Note Air4 C is a colorful eInk tablet ideal for reading and drawing. Its wireless features also make it an excellent device for basic productivity.
