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Supernote vs Boox
Supernote and Onyx Boox are one of the biggest names in the E Ink Tablet Market. Both brands have great E ink tablets but they are made for a different set of Users.
Onyx Boox has a huge inventory of devices which come in all sizes and specs. From simple e ink readers to large highly complex e ink tablets. They are more like the Samsung of E Ink devices. Whereas, on the other hand Supernote focuses on a single device. They have only two devices in the line up which are almsot similar apart frrom the size. The Supernote A5x and the Supernote A6x. I would say they are more like the Apple of the E Ink Market.
Boox Note Air vs Supernote A5x
Its hard to compare Supernote A5x with every Onyx Boox E Ink Tablet. However, Onyx Boox Note Air and Supernote A5x are closely related as both the devices are A5 or 10.3″ screen sized device. Both devices are great but they tend to target a different set of audiance. If I had to use one liner then
Supernote Primarily focuses on note taking with its Pen over Paper like feel with no distraction and minimalistic approach.
Whereas, If you are tech nerd who wants something more customizable and versatile then Onyx Boox devices are for you.
Difference between Onyx Boox Note Air 2 & Boox Note Air 2 Plus:
There is hardly any difference between the two devices when it comes to design and performance. Boox Note Air 2 Plus differs in following aspects:
- Boox Note Air 2 has a bigger battery (lasts almost 5 weeks on standby). Consequently, it a bit heavier.
- It comes with a case and the magnetic attachment seems better.
- It comes in pine green color whereas the Boox Note Air 2 comes in blue color.
Comparison Table Boox vs Supernote
| FEATURES | REMARKABLE 2 | ONYX BOOX NOTE AIR 2 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 |
| Display | ||
| Screen type | (CANVAS) Carta | Carta 1000 |
| Screen size | 10.3" | 10.3" |
| Screen resolution | 1404 x 1872 | 1404 x 1872 |
| Screen density | 226ppi | 227ppi |
| Hardware | ||
| CPU | 1.2Ghz Dual-core | 1.8 GHz Octa-core |
| RAM | 1GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 8GB | 64GB |
| Battery | 3000mAh | 3700mAh |
| Thickness | 4.7mm | 5.8mm |
| Weight | 405g | 445g |
| Software | ||
| OS | Linux-based | Android 11.0 |
| Handwriting recognition | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Play Store | ⨯ | ✓ |
| Other Features | ||
| Backlit Screen | ⨯ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ⨯ | ✓ |
| Speakers | ⨯ | ✓ |
| Microphone | ⨯ | ✓ |
| Auto Rotate | ⨯ | ✓ |
| SD card slot | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Waterproof | ⨯ | ⨯ |
Aspect of Consideration
- Design
- Display
- Stylus
- Notetaking
- Reading
- Hardware & Software
- Pricing
- Connectivity
Comparison: Supernote Vs Boox Note Air 2
Design
Supernote and Onyx Boox Note Air 2 both have a tablet-like form factor and are equipped with same E Ink Displays. Both devices are made of premium material. However Supernote is considerably lighter when compared to the Note Air 2 even though it is quite thicker then the Note Air 2.
Even though the body of supernote is made of plastic it feels quite premium.
Supernote A5x
- The Supernote has a wider bezel at the bottom with a touch slider on the right bezel.
- It has a plastic casing and screen, which makes it very light (375g ).
- Supernote A5x is a bit thicker (7.2mm)
- The USB-C connector on the Supernote is located centrally on the bottom edge and the power button is on the top right edge
Onyx Boox Note Air 2
- Both the Note Air 2 and Note Air 2 Plus have the same thickness (5.8 mm)
- In weight Note Air 2 Plus is heavier (445g) when compared to Note Air 2 (420 g)
- The aluminum frame gives the device a very premium feel when holding but makes it heavier.
Display
The displays of the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 and Supernote A5x are quite similar. The pixel density, screen resolution, and screen size are the same.
The Screens of both the devices are made of different materials. The Supernote screen is a bit softer that is why it gets its signature feel of Writing with a gel pen over a business card. Whereas the glass screen of Onyx Boox gives it more like a pen over paper feel.
Supernote A5x
- The Supernote A5x uses a plastic Mobius Carta screen. Its more flexible and lighter. Supernote A5x claims that its screen never breaks making it a better option for careless forks .
- The device has no backlight or warm lights which is big problem when using the device in low light.
Onyx Boox Note Air 2
- The screen uses the Carta 1000 techology. The best part of Onyx Boox is its backlit screen and adjustable warm lights.
- The Screen Refresh rate and gray scale are highly customizable
- Refresh Rate is higher making it great for moving elements
Stylus
The Supernote A5x comes with a lot of Stylus options you can choose different styluses and different colors. On the other hand, the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 comes with the Boox Pen Plus Stylus in the box.
With regards to the writing experience, the Supernote and Onyx Boox both have very different tactile feel. Yet aspects like Latency and Pressure sensitivity are almost similar, the Supernote does lack tilt feature while writing. Personally, I love the writing experience on both devices, however, the Supernote feels a bit better to me with its Gen pen feel.
Supernote A5x
- It uses hard ceramic tips that do not wear down and never need to be replaced. The feel is more like a gel pen over a high gloss printed paper but it feels good in its own way.
- Supernote A5x stylus is magnetic, the tablet itself is not. Therefore, a case/folio with a pen loop is needed to keep the tablet and stylus together.
- The pen comes with a cap so the nip is more secure
Onyx Boox Note Air 2
- The nib is made of soft plastic and has a nice feel while writing
- The standard pen lacks a eraser but you can use alternate styluses as well.
- Tilt detection & accurate pressure sensitivity makes the writing highly enjoyable.
- Overall it has minimal lag and a useful range of stroke settings
Note Taking
The Supernote and Note Air 2 both are great at note taking. The Supernote has a minimalistic UI with decent templates and pen options. Whereas, Note Air 2 has more flexibility in terms of a lot of features and gives a decent note taking experience.
I think writing experience can be a bit subjective but in my opinion Supernote is the winner when it comes to note taking. Whereas Onyx Boox is a better E Ink Tablet for sketching and drawing.
Supernote A5x
- The note taking UI has multiple brushes, shades and templates.
- It has folder/sub-folder hierarchy and files can be sorted by name, modified date and size.
- The tagging system is much advanced with keywords set at the notebook page level. You can search by folder/filename, file type and keywords.
- The annotations function includes actual text extraction. Also you can read & edit word documents as well
- The text recognition while note taking is in real time
- Navigation on the Supernote A5x is made even easier with the side touch slider.
- You can view and compose emails and a calendar app that syncs with Google/Outlook calendars.
- The Supernote can export notebooks as PDF, PNG, DOCX or TXT file formats. These are stored in an EXPORT folder, which can then be synced or shared.
Onyx Boox Note Air 2
- It has more than 30 templates
- When creating multiple pages inside a notebook, we can add a different template for each page.
- You can add electronic text, voice recordings, photos, attachments, links to another note page, and a website link to your notes.
- You can create notes on any text and graphic files, in the calendar and external programs like OneNote or EverNote.
- Created notes can be exported to a PDF or PNG file, and transferred via Bluetooth, e-mail or applications like cloud service.
- The text recognition and conversion is great as well.
Reading
When it comes to reading experience, the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 is far better than the Supernote A5x.
Supernote A5x
- Supernote A5x supports ePub, PDF, and Word documents, as well as PNG and JPG image formats.
- However, you can install the Kindle app on the Supernote to get access to almost all of these reading features
- There is no backlit screen, light and G sensors in the device.
- You can also scribble notes on them and annotate them
- The weight is lesser so its more comfortable for prolonged reading sessions
- Supports all the major reading formats which can be increased with third party apps
- You can read your favorite books using the Kindle App or any other 3rd Party Reader.
- The refresh rate is one of the best even when reading on the web browser.
- The device has backlit screen with adjustable warm lights an essential for reading in the dark.
Hardware & Software
The Supernote A5x was launched in 2020 and the hardware is a bit outdated when compared to Onyx Boox Note Air 2 but still packs and punch. The Supernote A5x runs own tailored Android which does not have full android capabilities and google play store unlike the Onyx Boox.
The Onyx Boox Note Air 2 has a far superior hardware. The device runs on Android 11. Overall it resembles quite alot to a traditional tablet.
Supernote A5x
- Runs on Quad-core processor with 2 GB of memory and 32Gb of storage.
- Supernote lacks key features like backlit screen and g sensors.
- Supernote A5x has a larger battery (3800mAh) and the absence of Backlights and sensors makes its last longer then the Onyx Boox
Onyx Boox Note Air 2
- Boox Note Air has a 1.8 Octa-core processor with 4 Gb RAM.
- The storage is only 64Gb which is more than enough.
- It has speakers and microphone along with Bluetooth for audiobooks
- The device also has G sensor and light sensor for auto brightness.
Price
In terms of pricing, the Supernote is more affordable and has a great return policy. Whereas the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 costs more but with the specs its justified.
Connectivity
The Supernote A5x does provide a decent connectivity but Onyx Boox beats Supernote in this aspect, with 3rd party cloud services you can utilize multiple platforms. You can also share files Via Bluetooth or use OTG for sharing notes.
Costumer Service
Onyx Boox is a great device but when it comes to Costumer Service nothing beats the Supernote. Supernote’s small but solid community is always active and has a strong relationship with thier users . They also provide regular updates and are eager for costumer feedback, and updating or designing there devices based on this feedback is part of their ethos.
Before You Go…..
Check Out Boox Tab Ultra Vs reMarkable 2
Comparison of All Onyx Boox Devices or Onyx Boox Vs Kindle Scribe
Find Out The best E Ink Tablet To Buy right now
