Boox Note Air 2
The Boox Note Air 2 Plus made quite the entrance into the world of e-ink tablets. It’s essentially an upgraded version of the Note Air 2, boasting a larger battery, a fresh greenish color finish, and added magnets for compatibility with the new magnetic flip cover.
The device serves a dual purpose, functioning both as an e-ink reader and a note-taking tablet, powered by Android 11.
With a hefty price tag. Is the Boox Note Air 2 worth it? Let’s find out..
Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Specification
| FEATURES | ONYX BOOX TAB ULTRA | ONYX BOOX TAB X | ONYX BOOX MAX LUMI 2 | ONYX BOOX NOTE AIR 2 PLUS | ONYX BOOX NOTE 5 | ONYX BOOX NOVA AIR 2 | ONYX BOOX NOVA AIR C |
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Display | |||||||
| Screen type | Carta HD | Mobius Carta 1250 | Mobius Carta 1250 | Carta 1000 | Mobius Carta 1000 | Carta HD | Kaleido Plus |
| Screen size | 10.3" | 13.3" | 13.3" | 10.3" | 10.3" | 7.8" | 7.8" |
| Screen resolution | 1404 x 1872 | 1650 x 2200 | 1650 x 2200 | 1404 x 1872 | 1404 x 1872 | 1404 x 1872 | 468 × 624 100dpi (color) |
| Screen density | 227dpi | 207dpi | 207dpi | 227dpi | 227dpi | 300dpi | 300dpi |
| Harware | |||||||
| CPU | 1.8 Ghz octa-core | 2 Ghz octa-core | 1.8 Ghz octa-core | 1.8 GHz octa-core | 1.8 GHz octa-core | 1.8 GHz octa-core | 1.8 GHz octa-core |
| RAM | 4Gb | 6Gb | 6Gb | 4Gb | 4Gb | 3Gb | 3Gb |
| Storage | 128Gb | 128Gb | 128Gb | 64Gb | 64Gb | 32Gb | 32Gb |
| Battery | 6300mAh | 6300mAh | 4300mAh | 3700mAh | 3000mAh | 2000mAh | 2000mAh |
| Thickness | 6.7mm | 6.8mm | 10.9mm | 5.8mm | 5.8mm | 6.3mm | 6.3mm |
| Weight | 480g | 560g | 570g | 445g | 385g | 235g | 235g |
| Connectivity | Wifi + BT+ USB C | Wifi + BT | Wifi + BT | Wifi + BT | Wifi + BT | Wifi + BT | Wifi + BT |
| Software | |||||||
| Operating system | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 | Android 11.0 |
| Handwriting recognition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Play Store | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stylus | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Additional Features | |||||||
| Backlight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Speakers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microphone | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Rotate | ✓ | ✓ | ⨯ | ✓ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| SD card slot | ✓ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Waterproof | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
Aspect of Consideration
- Design
- Display
- Hardware
- Software
- Stylus
- Notetaking Experience
- Reading Experience
- Service
- Pricing
Design
Note Air 2 Plus follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, maintaining the sleek and premium look with its strengthened aluminum alloy milled body and glass screen.
The new greenish color option adds a touch of elegance. However, it lacks anti-skid feet, making it a bit slippery on flat surfaces.
The device’s ergonomic design shines through, allowing for comfortable use in any orientation. At 445 grams, it’s slightly heavier than the Note Air 2 due to its larger battery but remains manageable for most users.
Key takeaways
- Sleek and premium design with strengthened aluminum alloy body.
- Elegant greenish color finish complements the overall aesthetic.
- Lacks anti-skid feet, which can affect stability.
- Slightly heavier than its predecessor due to a larger battery.
Display
The Note Air 2 Plus retains the same 10.3-inch HD Carta glass screen with a resolution of 1404 x 1872 at 227 PPI. Its monochromatic display offers crisp text and sharp images, perfect for reading.
The device also features dual-color front lights, allowing you to fine-tune your reading experience, even in low-light conditions.
One feature to highlight is the factory-laminated paper-like layer on the screen. This layer provides an exceptional writing feel, akin to writing on real paper. But, like most e-ink tablets, this added layer does have a minor impact on image clarity when compared to dedicated e-readers.
The Note Air 2 Plus excels in screen reflectivity. It expertly diffuses reflections, ensuring that you can comfortably use it indoors or outdoors.
The distance to the screen is standard, at just one millimeter, matching the thickness of the front light, which plays a vital role in providing an evenly illuminated reading experience.
One area where the Note Air 2 Plus excels is in ghosting control and screen refresh modes. It offers various screen refresh options:
- Normal
- Speed A2
- X Mode
Each mode comes with its trade-offs between image clarity and ghosting, allowing you to tailor your experience to your preferences.
Key Takeaways
- 10.3-inch HD Carta glass screen offers a sharp and clear display.
- Dual-color front lights for customizable lighting.
- Adjustable Contrast and Refresh Rate
- Great Refresh Rate reduces lagging and ghosting
Software & UI
Running on Android 11, the Note Air 2 Plus offers the capabilities of a full-fledged Android tablet. It comes with Boox’s OS, ensuring a stable and efficient user experience.
The UI is Optimized for various apps, like OneNote and Evernote, providing a smoother writing experience. However it is limited to a few apps only.
The device supports various document formats, including PDF, PPT, ePub, text files, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, and more, making it versatile for reading and annotating documents.
Key Takeaways
- The UI is inspired by Android tablet and is highly customizable.
- Split-screen functionality is available for supported apps.
- The device can be used as an external monitor for various tasks
- Screenshots, screen recording, and screen casting capabilities enhance usability.
Hardware
The Note Air 2 Plus boasts an octa-core Snapdragon 665 CPU, providing ample processing power for a fluid user experience.
It comes with 4 gigabytes of LPDDR4 RAM and 64 gigabytes of non-expandable UFS 2.1 standard ROM storage. This combination ensures snappy performance, whether you’re reading your favorite e-Book or taking notes on the go.
Key Takeaways
- Octa-core Snapdragon 665 with 4GB RAM responsive multitasking.
- 64GB storage for ample content space.
- G Sensor and Light Sensors
- USB Type C with OTG Support for file transfer
Reading Experience
When it comes to reading, the Note Air 2 Plus comes equipped with Neo Reader, a versatile and powerful reader app. While the focus here is on the screen, it’s important to mention that Neo Reader is known for its user-friendly interface and extensive features.
However, with the support of 3rd Party apps from Google play store you can download your favorite reading app like the Kindle App
Functions like Auto Rotate, Auto Brightness with warm lights and Split Screen function further enhance the reading experience.
Key Takaways
- You can adjust text size, margins, and other formatting elements to suit your preferences.
- The device supports auto-rotation and auto brightness making reading more convenient.
- You can customize your navigation preferences and tool bar within the reader.
- Offers a dedicated annotation toolbar with a wide array of tools. You can highlight text, underline, make handwritten notes, and use different colors for annotations.
- You can sharpen images, adjust text enhancement, control contrast and perform other modifications to tailor the reading experience.
Note Taking Experience
The Note Air 2 Plus doesn’t just excel in reading; it’s a capable note-taking device too. With a variety of brushes, colors, and formatting tools at your disposal, you have the power to create comprehensive notes.
However, the abundance of options might overwhelm newcomers, and some streamlining in the user experience department could enhance the note-taking functionality further.
The writing feel is a bit lacking as it feels unnatural when compared to devices like the reMarkable 2 but overall the writing experience is enhanced due to its great Note Taking UI.
While the Note Air 2 Plus performs slightly slower than its predecessor in terms of latency, it’s essential to note that these differences may be attributed to software quirks rather than hardware discrepancies.
Related: Check out these Free Boox Templates
Key Takeaways
- Offers a variety of templates, however it lacks options for scaling
- Note Air 2 Plus includes a range of brushes, tone and colors
- The stylus offers pressure sensitivity, allowing for varying line thickness based on pen pressure.
- Lasso Tool for selecting and manipulating content & multiple layers makes taking notes fun
- It also includes canvas control options for inserting shapes, text, and other objects
- The Tab Ultra allows users to insert audio recordings into their notepads, which can be tagged for easy organization.
Stylus
With the Note Air 2 Plus, you receive the standard Boox Pen Plus, which matches the device’s green color scheme. While it lacks advanced features like an eraser or a button, it provides a comfortable writing feel with soft nibs and a balanced design.
Key Takeaway
- The standard Pen Lacks an Eraser
- Comfortable writing experience with soft nibs and balanced weight.
- Supports 3rd party styluses as well
Battery Performance
One notable upgrade in the Note Air 2 Plus is its battery. With a larger 3700mAh battery, it outshines its predecessor’s 3200mAh battery.
Remarkably, Boox managed to maintain the same slim form factor and dimensions while increasing the battery capacity by 700mAh. Expect impressive battery life for all your reading and writing needs.
Whether you’re reading for hours on end or continuously writing notes, this tablet delivers exceptional endurance.
Reading: Expect around 50+ hours with the front light on however it decreases significantly if the brightness is increased to maximum.
Writing: For continuous writing, the Note Air 2 Plus offers approximately 10 – 12 hours of usage on a single charge.
Connectivity
The Note Air 2 Plus supports standard Wi-Fi connectivity, both on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, ensuring a stable internet connection.
It supports Bluetooth, allowing you to connect a physical keyboard or even a mouse, enhancing its versatility and usability. You can also use file browsing apps to access your LAN network, seamlessly integrating the device with your other devices.
The device is equipped with a single USB-C port, which serves various purposes, including charging, data communication, USB OTG storage functionality, and headphone connectivity.
The device also features screen sharing capabilities, making it effortless to cast your screen or share content.
Covers
Boox’ Note Air family has seen various cover designs, but the Note Air 2 Plus introduces a magnetic flip book cover that significantly improves upon previous iterations.
Unlike its predecessors, which used adhesive tapes or plastic bucket frame designs, this cover relies on magnets alone to attach securely to the device. This approach eliminates the need for adhesive tapes and adds an extra layer of convenience.
The cover also features a pen holder flap, ensuring that your stylus stays in place during transport. While the cover offers a practical design, some users might miss the landscape stand functionality found in previous covers.
Pricing
With the features kept in mind along with the in the box stylus the device is reasonably priced.
Finally Is Boox Note Air 2 worth it?
Boox Note Air 2 Plus is an iterative upgrade over an already successful design. It offers more power, practicality, and versatility, making it a strong contender for one of the the best 10.3-inch e-note-taking device.
Pros
- The Note Air 2 Plus builds upon an already impressive design, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing and functional device.
- It boasts unmatched reader flexibility and capabilities in this segment, making it a versatile e-ink device.
- The device impresses with its remarkable battery life, ensuring extended usage without frequent recharging.
- With Android 11 and the inclusion of the Google Play Store, the Note Air 2 Plus opens up a world of possibilities
- High Performance Hardware
Cons
- The absence of anti-slip pads on the device can be a minor annoyance.
- While Android 11 offers great power and functionality, it may present a steep learning curve for some users, especially those less tech-savvy.
While there are some minor cons to consider, such as the learning curve associated with Android 11, the device’s overall value for money and feature set make it an excellent choice for those in search of a monochromatic 10.3-inch e-ink tablet.
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