It’s taken me a while to shake the idea thatall E Ink devicesare primarily for reading.Onyx offers a wide rangeof tablets with full Android capabilities, but its form factor still had me focusing on the core e-reader functionality —- until I used the Note Air3 C. It offers a wide range of features, making it a true companion device instead ofsimply an e-reader. It won’t replace your laptop or iPad, but that’s not Onyx’s goal. If you’re open to a different style of computing on the go, the Note Air3 C might be your next purchase.
Onyx Boox Note Air3 C
The Onyx Boox Note Air3 C features a 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 Carta 1200 glass screen with a pressure-sensitive layer to aid pen input. Like other Onyx devices, the display is capable of displaying color images. It ships with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage with a MicroSD card slot for expandability.
Price and availability
Onyx and Amazon have you covered
The Onyx Boox Note Air3 C is available through Onyx’s store for $499. It comes with the Boox Magnetic Pen Plus, and the Pen2 Pro can be purchased for an additional $80. I recommend the Magnetic Versatile Protective Case for around $50. In addition to protecting the screen, it allows the Air3 C to be used in various positions, acting as a stand.
Design and hardware
It feels good in the hand and is plenty portable
Like most Onyx products, the Note Air3 C features excellent build quality. Its solid aluminum construction lends to a fantastic feel in the hand. Even with its solid build, the Air3 C weighs only 430g — less than a similarly sized Apple iPad. It’s also thin, with a thickness of only 5.8mm. On a smartphone, asymmetrical bezels drive people mad, but they make sense on the Air3 C. The added space on the left side of the screen gives the user a place to hold the tablet comfortably without placing their thumb on the screen. If you’re left-handed, rotate the device, and the orientation will adjust.
Along Note Air3 C’s frame, you’ll find dual speakers, a microphone, and the device’s MicroSD card slot — a welcome addition supplementing the tablet’s 64GB of onboard storage. The speakers are nothing to write home about, but they do a decent job for audiobooks — just don’t expect to rock out to Taylor Swift. You can pair your favorite Bluetooth headphones if you need improved audio performance.
Aside from the tablet and the stylus in the box, you’ll find a USB-C cable for charging and a SIM tray tool to access the MicroSD card slot. Onyx equipped the Note Air3 C with a fingerprint sensor along the frame for additional security. It works well and allows for quick access to the tablet.
Color E Ink comes in handy more than you’d think
The Note Air3 C features a 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 display with a Carta 1200 glass screen. Like other Onyx tablets, the layered screens offer different resolutions when displaying color or black-and-white content. For color images, the resolution is 1240x930, while black and white text and images are displayed at a sharper 2480x1860 resolution. It’s a significant difference that you’ll notice throughout using the Air3 C. I like adding color to the tablet’s display, but I consider it more helpful in highlighting PDFs and drawings than viewing color images on the screen.
The Note Air3 C uses a thin glass layer to protect the display with a close-to-paper film on top. Onyx hopes this film will create a textured feel when using the stylus, and I like the overall result. Writing feels natural, with the added resistance aiding note-taking and drawing. If you’re an artist, you’ll notice the extra control over stylus inputs the layer enables — even for highlighting, I like the accuracy the paper-like texture provides.
The backlighting could be a touch more vibrant, but the brightness level never hindered my experience indoors or outside. Onyx also allows the display’s lighting to shift between cooler and warmer tones. If you’re reading at night, you can tint the display to aid relaxation before sleep — the less blue light, the better.
Like many E Ink tablets, the Note Air3 C comes alive when the backlighting is off. Using it in natural light is an absolute joy, with my eyes reading for hours with ease. Text is sharp, with deep contrast allowing for a fantastic viewing experience. Most people buy tablets to binge-watch shows in bed; with the Note Air3 C, you’ll binge-read your favorite content from anywhere and everywhere.
Endless options to tweak your reading experience
Onyx ships the Note Air3 C with its heavily modified version ofAndroid 12. It works well for what the company wants to accomplish — a low-maintenance, user-friendly launcher that allows quick access to apps and features. Like its other E Ink devices, Onyx provides granular control over how you refresh the screen on a per-app basis. It can help keep ghosting to a minimum, which is crucial for any E Ink tablet.
You can choose between four screen modes, ranging from a speed-dominant mode with less detail to a resolution-dominant mode. If you opt for the higher resolution, be prepared for ghosting and artifacts to hinder your experience. It takes some work, but I like the ability to tailor each app to my preferences. It’s also important to set how many taps you want before the screen refreshes. Onyx allows for manual refreshes, but you’ll want to set it to fewer clicks for reading and document work if you don’t want ghosting.
Since you can dial in your refresh settings, third-party Android applications can work well when you set them to refresh on each page turn. It’s an ideal setting for reading and gives the best experience on an E Ink display. Amazon’s Kindle app, Libby, Moon Reader, and Google Play Books allow for refreshes on each individual page turn. I was disappointed that the Kobo app doesn’t work correctly with the feature enabled, as I was hoping Rakuten’s app would mesh well with the Onyx tablet.
Reading is a joy on the Note Air3 C. The Kindle app experience is pleasant, with little slowdown. Libby and Moon Reader were snappy, and I’m glad there is access to third-party apps for buying additional content. It helps solve one of my biggest issues with Onyx devices: the lack of a native store. So, if you’re a bookworm looking for a larger E Ink display, the Note Air3 C will not disappoint, and that’s thanks to creative app settings that let you control when your apps refresh.
As the Note Air3 C name suggests, the Onyx tablet comes alive when performing productivity work. Note-taking is a phenomenal experience on the Air 3C. And no offense to Steve Jobs, but the stylus is central to the experience. The Wacom layer allows for precision that E Ink displays typically lack. While capacitive inputs may seem slightly delayed, pen inputs are silky smooth. For artists, you’ll love sketching on the Note Air3 C, with plenty of brush and layer options in the Notes app.
I was surprised by how well the Note Air3 C handles split-screen multitasking. If you turn the Air3 C into landscape mode (it’ll change orientations automatically), you’re able to easily fit an email or website on one side while you markup a PDF on the other. It’s handy, and I loved referencing information side-by-side without swiping back and forth. It’s what separates the Note Air3 C from being just another e-reader — it’s a true productivity companion.
As you’d expect, Onyx’s suite of native apps is available. PushRead enables the easy setup and reading of RSS feeds. NeoBrowser allows web surfing as long as you realize the screen technology will still limit you. Calendar Memo is still my favorite Onyx app. It will completely replace your giant paper calendar, allowing you to make handwritten notes, set appointments, and even see what documents you accessed or books you read on certain days. It’s a fantastic app.
Performance
Few e-readers offer performance like this
You’ll find a Qualcomm octa-core chipset powering the Note Air3 C with 4GB of RAM. On a device like this, the RAM is significantly more important. I found the tablet didn’t close apps aggressively, and performance was noticeably improved over older Onyx devices. It’ll get the job done, but don’t expect high-octane gaming (you’re limited by the E Ink display anyway). Apps load quickly, and I never felt myself limited by the processing power of the Note Air3 C.
Onyx places the NaviBall on the screen by default, a shortcut to get to your settings. I like this change, as the NaviBall is helpful for navigation and performance. Screen refreshes can be handled right from the bottom of the screen, eliminating the need to swipe down and open the E Ink Center. I recommend setting it up to your liking, as many different functions can be tied to it — you’ll thank me later. You can still shut the ball off if you prefer an uncluttered screen when reading.
Battery life
The Note Air3 C features a 3,700mAh battery capable of going several days without a charge. The combination of an E Ink display and a low-power chipset means you won’t run to the wall outlet at the end of each day. Standby time is outstanding, with the Note Air3 C able to sit for a week or more without losing significant battery life.
While e-reading alone won’t drain much battery, it’s still an Android tablet, so more intensive apps, like streaming audio, will shorten the times between charges. It’s not a huge concern on the Air3 C, but it’s something to be mindful of if you tend to use a lot of demanding Android apps. Nothing is worse than waking up for the day and realizing your tablet doesn’t have enough juice. Thankfully, you can recharge quickly in around two hours.
Competition
Kindle and Boox are what you should look at
The Kindle Scribe features a 10.2-inch display, with Amazon billing it as a digital notebook. It’s available for $419, which might seem like attractive competition, but there are limitations. I stillgive Amazon the edgeregarding its ecosystem and traditional e-reading, but the Note Air3 C competes in a different category since it runs Android. Even at the higher price, I prefer the flexibility of full Android over the walled garden that Amazon provides with its software.
Onyx’s own Tab Ultrais also a competitor to the Note Air3 C, with the same $499 price tag. You give up color on the display but pick up the functionality of a camera for scanning documents for editing on the go. The Tab Ultra also features more base storage, 128GB. It’s a personal choice, but a case must be made for the Tab Ultra if you don’t need a color display.
Should you buy it?
I’ve had reservations aboutOnyx devicesin the past, but the Note Air3 C is so much more than an e-reader. I love the added productivity of multitasking with a responsive and accurate pen. So if you’re in the market for a device that can do more than a Kindle while moonlighting as an Android tablet, the Note Air3 C is an excellent choice for the office or the classroom, giving you the flexibility of an E Ink display with the functionality of an Android tablet.
The Onyx Boox Note Air3 C is unlike other e-readers, thanks to its color screen, paper-like display, and included stylus. It’s great for taking notes, annotating work, or simply reading your favorite novel. And since it runs Android, all your favorite apps can be used.
