Boox Note Air 4C: Unboxing and First Impressions of an Iterative Update of the Excellent Note Air 3C

[@katepurrple]

I would have appreciated a hole in the case so I could charge without having to adjust the cover. I am considering cutting a slot so I can do that...

[@davidrussell9662]

Yeah that was a crazy decision.

[@mscargill1]

Absolutely. Stupid of Boox. I have cut a hole in my Boox NA3C cover but despite the care I took it’s not great. On reflection, I should have not cut a hole and just got used to turning round the device in its magnetic cover (and turning back the pen flap) when I wanted to charge it.

[@dashdashdot]

Your excellent videos helped me decide between the Remarkable Pro (I have the original Remarkable and really like it) and the Note Air 4C. I only use my Remarkable for note taking and learning Japanese, but I fancied a bit of colour for highlights. I decided that I couldn't face the flickering on the Remarkable Pro and so I bought the 4C. First impressions are excellent. The only downside is not having a wider margin at the bottom of the screen to rest my hand on when writing at the bottom of the page. I use the 4C propped up on bended knees whilst sprawling on the sofa so writing at the bottom of pages is a bit tricky. On the plus side, the feel of the pen and 'paper' is much nicer than the Remarkable. Thanks for your excellent reviews! Keep up the good work.

[@RossMcCarthy-qk3yp]

I will forever be baffled at how long we all went without knowing there is a rainbow in that test document until RPP😂

[@heartgungirl]

Thank you, will watch it right now.

[@michaelz.3305]

Thanks for your incredible well made reviews. Just great!

[@CyrilJap]

I just sold my Tab Ultra C because of the Kaleido 3 being too dark and having so much joy using the Go 10.3 (almost) perfect screen instead. I remember you saying that Kaleido 3 technology is a dead end when you reviewed the Tab Ultra C. After reviewing all of those Kaleido devices, what are your thoughts?

[@MyDeepGuide]

They remain unchanged. It is a dead end technology with physical limitations that cannot be overcome.

[@TellurdogIsayhi]

The go 10.3 doesn’t have a backlight though right? So you can’t read in a darker environment?

[@CyrilJap]

@@TellurdogIsayhi Like if books have never existed?

[@jollyrancherchick]

@@CyrilJap I don’t remember the last time anyone paid $500 for a paperback with a rechargeable battery

[@andriipogorilyi6934]

Thanks, so this one or Boox Go 10.3?

[@0xKruzr]

they don't tell you this on the product comparison page, but there is another big difference between the NA4C and NA3C: it just says "Octa-Core CPU," but the NA4C's CPU is older by a year, on a slightly larger (older/theoretically less efficient) manufacturing process node and also significantly faster than the NA3C's, especially the GPU which is much faster. I suspect Boox needed to make this change in order to comply with Google's licensing requirements for Android 13. The NA3C has a Snapdragon 665 w/ an Adreno 610 GPU and the NA4C has a Snapdragon 750G w/ an Adreno 619. The 750G/Adreno 619's graphics performance is almost 3X faster. re: the screen: Roderick from Rants About Tech went into this a bit. the backplane of the screen is updated which makes it somewhat faster to react among other things.

[@MyDeepGuide]

I explicitly mentioned that in the Overview section, that the SoC is updated as they were allowed to use Android 13 on it. Thanks for sharing the specifics of the SoC used :)

[@0xKruzr]

@@MyDeepGuide happy to help! It's a little counterintuitive that they actually "updated" the SoC to an older (but faster, and even more power efficient) chip for this, but that's the silicon industry ;)

[@Shag1077]

I recall Boox stating that much of the color upgrade came from the change in the dynamics between the front-light and the screen. So with that said, perhaps a better color comparison would be with both front lights on.

[@MyDeepGuide]

Thanks for the tip :)

[@lucymorgan499]

I was rather disappointed that Boox didn't release a new colour device larger than the 10.3-inch screen size but smaller than the 13-inch screen size. The 13-inch screen size is a tad too large for my needs as I have to carry round a laptop with that size screen. But equally, the 10.3-inch screen size is a tad too small for making study notes. In the end I went for the RM Paper Pro which has just arrived and is the perfect screen size for study notes. I do like the RMPP device very much indeed but the software is still a bit limited as there is no split screen. Had Boox released a new colour device with a screen size of about 11.8-inch , I would have bought the Boox device instead.

[@adangranados4009]

can you link between notebooks? pages? or even file or websites?

[@cward2986]

Voja - when you do the full review, could you please address whether the Google Drive integration (not the app, though some may wonder about this also) is fully functional up and down.

[@davidrussell9662]

Personally I am deGoogling. Their underhand practices with regard to Google search which is now useless due to extreme monetisation. Go with Dropbox. It works flawlessly with Boox and they aint reading all your data to train their AI (unlike Google who are reading even your email).

[@MrKlawUK]

finally you get hold of one. Looking forward to more detail. I had hoped for a quick look at the notes update on 4.0 but will wait for separate video from that. In particular use of hyperlinked pdf as a template for notes so can be searched and links/TOC added (i.e not using neoreader). And opening a note with all pages of a pdf, not 1 page and then having to add pages to make them visible from the underlying pdf. that is - will 4.0 finally let us use MDO properly in notes mode?

[@CooingCheetah]

This is great time to grab a Tab C ultra pro :D I hope Boox keep their tradition of releasing many iteratives so I can grab the old high end one at a bargain :D

[@francescaromanalauro2110]

Thank you for your video! I was looking forward to listen to your opinion. I am actually still with a Note Air 2 but I am dreaming about a coloured version... I still don't know if I will buy this or wait for another version because it is quite expensive and for Europe the bundle is not available anymore... Kisses from Italy!

[@johnmanley4528]

Hi Voja. I just received my NA4C this week. So far, I really like it. However, it does have a dead pixel in the screen. It’s not too big, but it’s still a dead pixel. I messaged BOOX and they said it’s less that .5mm from what they can see and it’s more or less normal for one of these types of screens to have a dead pixel. Does that track with your experience as well with these types of screens? I am in my return period with Amazon and I could exchange it. I just don’t want to go through that if the next one could have the same issue. Would you exchange it? Thanks!

[@hugolencastre3337]

So sad that they keep the usb port on that side... I normally charge it when using it but i would love to be able to close the lid and leave it charging... Maybe on version 5 or 6 and i can change from my 3 xD

[@yorgohoebeke]

Thank you for this video! Currently which device do you use most? b&w vs color, boox vs supernote vs... ? :)

[@anuragsaini3067]

Just got the Air4c and have this annoying screetching noise when writing. Is anyone else experiencing the same?

[@MrEmilioPRO]

For people who wants to read comics with this 3c or 4c, where they buy it? Or they download it from some place and then put it on a sd carf? Thank you, great video by the way.

[@MyDeepGuide]

You can buy comics on both Kindle and Kobo platforms, and since you can run both apps here, then you can mix and match your library, but you will have to have both apps installed. For other comic books, it depends which format you have, but for example if it is a cbz file, I think that NeoReader has native support for such formats. If that is the case, then you should be able to simply transfer your files onto the tablet and read them in the NeoReader. However, only non-DRM protected files will work in NeoReader.

[@evanrosado6348]

Is it possible to continuously scroll down on a blank page to extend notes on the same page without having to have to open a new one?

[@lamewatcher1]

aah he's back

[@jeffcardillo]

I wonder how much of the color difference is due to the panel and how much due to the firmware. After I updated my NA3C I’m seeing a difference in color rendering- especially on a power off image. It looks completely different and more bold after the update. I’m curious to see a color comparison after the 3C gets the 4.0 update.

[@matteodelmonte1397]

Hi, thank you so much! Your review are amazing. Just purchased a 4C and I'm not so sure I like the standard pen. Can you tell me the precise pen and nib you use? Thank you

[@vitorferrari3462]

Could you please go deeper on PDF templates performance on the notes app ? Available on the 4.0 only as far as I know.

[@Battlem0nk]

Wonder if there will be a NA4 b/w or is the GO 10.3 the replacement for the NA3 successor?

[@KKKKrzysztof]

Can You Guys help me? Assume that we have the same Boox account in every Boox model. Do notes written in new Boox models (for example Note 4C) can be synchronized with older models (for example Note Air 1)? And what is more important, can You open end edit them?

[@JimDavies42]

FWIW When I first got my 3c it has the same tacky feel you're describing on the 4c. It does go away and feels like you describe your 3c after a couple weeks. I think it has to do with how they apply the screensaver layer.

[@ThePasserGenius]

Hi, do you think that Note Air 3C will get the new firmware as 4C?

[@terraeurasia345]

Hello, I have a question for you. Why does handwriting and writing in apps like noteshelf, goodnote, oneNote not work on the boox Tab ultra c. There is always a delay when writing. Is this a setting thing? What can I do? Is there an app for boox where this works without any delay when writing? I would like to be able to access and edit a document from all three devices, cell phone, Samsung tablet and boox tablet. It is a calendar/planner that is supposed to synchronize via a cloud. Sorry for my bad English ;) thx

[@snazzygan]

I need guidance. I bought the BOOX Tab Ultra Tablet PC 2 years ago and it is still in pristine condition. Would it be a good idea to upgrade to the BOOX Tablet Note Air 4 C? Which one of the two is better?

[@TheTrueTeknician]

Hey MyDeepGuide, Firstly, thank you for your very detailed guides. I am officially a fan ! I would like to buy an e-ink tablet for my father this Christmas as a small thank you for his contribution to my life. He is a retired civil engineer who spends a lot of his time drawing, designing the next thing he is going to build, fix, restore or create around the house. He does a lot of 2D sketching that I hope is possible to convert to CAD via some sort of software eventually, but also not necessarily. Being able to read, annotate PDF documents and architectural/engineering blueprints is a must; and in colour is preferable. For me, I think the feeling of writing on paper is the most important thing for him. So my question is, and anyone, please feel free to give your opinion if you've tried can. Would you go Boox Note or RPP? I prefer these so far because the metallic professional build of the Note series and Remarkable are key as I would like this product to last as long as possible for my Dad who is almost 70. (So far I feel like Remarkable definitely wins in terms of designing for longevity, what do you think?)

[@scottwhitlow8468]

Would you be able to link to your pen that you are using in the description? Also, what are good nib replacements that are compatible? Thanks!

[@lallenlowe]

I'm also curious about the nib used in the video. It doesn't appear to be the default tab s6 lite pen nib

[@geodave4389]

Thank you for this comparison with the NA3C, I was waiting for a very good comparison like this. From the announcement by Boox, I expected the screen 'whiteness' to be a bit 'whiter' (which is rather gray of course), but from what I see, this is not the case. Do you have the feeling when seeing these in real life that it is actually clearer?

[@geodave4389]

I found your answer in an earlier comment - nevermind ;-)

[@Zwiesel66]

I don't like it at all when manufacturers have product cycles of a year or less. Especially when there are no hardware improvements that really make a difference. I now expect both the Android and OS upgrades to be released for the Boox Air 3C. If there is no Android upgrade, then that would be a reason for me not to buy any more Boox devices in the future - this is simply part of normal product care for high-quality hardware. I am very curious.

[@MyDeepGuide]

There won't be a new Android version on the Note Air 3C, as I mentioned, there is a licencing cap that is allowed on SoCs used in systems. They could allow it if they paid an additional licence fee, but they obviously won't.

[@Zwiesel66]

@@MyDeepGuide Thank you Voja for the information, I had missed that. In my opinion, this is not a good strategy, especially as they used an Android that was far too old right from the start. I have no idea how high the licence fees are, but as a customer you also expect regular updates of the operating system - for security reasons alone.

[@pedritolospalotes]

Is this version as fast as tab ultra c pro? I would like to run third party app for writtning, drawing as Excalidraw in Obsidian. A3C doesn´t work and ultra C pro can.

[@liketheduck]

Does Boox usually update their previous generation tablets? I’ll be surprised if it gets OS 4 or the newer Android 13.

[@dianachacon187]

They usually do

[@JarlSigvaldr]

Should I replace my Onyx Boox Page with Note Air 4C? (In terms of screen quality and battery life)

[@MyDeepGuide]

Those are very different devices, so I don't understand how you can compare them.

[@retrofilmwork]

@@MyDeepGuidei think he is looking for an upgrade

[@JarlSigvaldr]

Exactly! I mean, could it be considered a significant upgrade over the Page device, especially in terms of battery life, screen quality, and performance?

[@retrofilmwork]

@@JarlSigvaldr The battery is actually a lot worse on the NA3C cause of the Boox Super Refresh to eliminate ghosting more and possibly using a lot of frontlight due to the dim screen on the Kaleido 3. Yeah the color is muted and washed but its still an upgrade since you have 300 B&W and 150ppi. I'm not sure if there's a lot of ram differences. Bigger screen but less portability. Dont forget about the stylus and the note taking feature.

[@JarlSigvaldr]

@@retrofilmwork Thank you! Actually, I’m not planning to use note-taking. The Page is a fine device, but the only drawback for me is the battery life (it's much worse than on my old PocketBook InkPad 3). So my priority is a larger, crisper screen and better battery life. I guess I’ll wait for some Onyx device with a 7.8- to 8-inch Carta 1300 display.

[@amaella1]

I really hope they don't bring the tablet like UI to my devices with the new update. I'd still do it for the new features within apps and to get rid of the awful look of past 2 updates (I loved my na2+ UI before it)... But I still adore that I open the magnetic case and I'm within notes on my na2+ and inside the library on my go color 7. Just as they are intended for my use. I'd be annoyed to have to tap extra every single time. If they do bring it, let it be optional or make an optional setting to make build in app the home screen again..

[@5idi]

Same here. I loved my NA2+ UI until the last update. Didn't update to 3.5.3 because I saw complaints, but expected it to be fixed in 3.5.4. Big mistake. Sent them raging feedback...

[@anabell7184]

who's your favorite musician/band from norway?

[@melancholiax3]

You should demonstrate zooming in and out of pdf

[@Grave79]

I really like my Note Air 3C except for how bad color looks on it vs Nova Air C. Pull up an image of a person's face and you'll see it right away. Nova Air C (despite having a greenish tint) has much better color gradients which results in much more definition. The Note Air 3C looks blobby and undefined in comparison. It almost looks like it's displaying less color even though the panel should be able to show more colors. If the 4C fixes that, I'd sell my 3C for one in a heartbeat.

[@siafok6960]

IMHO blocking upgrade on NA3C would be marketing mistake because it wouldn't force anyone to buy NA4C but it could discourage from buying quite expensive device with short software support. But greed is a mighty force and a bad advisor.

[@5idi]

Been waiting for thiiiis! In their launch video Boox showed NA3C and 4C side by side, with the 4C being WAAAYYY whiter. Turns out it's just with front light 🤦🏻‍♀️ My problem with 3.5.4 is not the lines; it's that they suddenly made many texts smaller (like on the status bar and on Notes top and side bars and on notebook covers) so now some things require a magnifying glass (like pen width) and if I change system text size it doesn't help and some things just don't fit (like template titles). It looks like OS 4 is the same. It'd be funny if I'm the only one who's complained.

[@MyDeepGuide]

I didn't notice any difference in whiteness between the two, none at all.

[@kutthroatgaming1925]

50% isopropyl and a paper towel should clean the screen up nice. I had to do that with mine.

[@a13jo]

I really wanted a tab mini C2. For me the 4C is too big, as an industrial engineer I need something small to bring here and there. Cheers from Guatemala 🇬🇹✌🏼

[@cward2986]

I would buy that, also. You can still find the first one, but I’d prefer an updated version.

[@mrcpu9999]

wish they would just put wireless charging on these and be done with it.

[@dksdarkness]

Thanks Voja! Which app do you use to read manga? :)

[@wilfridobulbaai1267]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I just bought the 3c!! 😩

[@petufo]

I have NA3C and there is no reason to upgrade. Only thing is the OS. I hope they will update NA4C to Android 13 too, I would like to use the widgets.

[@lamewatcher1]

Deep fried Voja

[@evgenyminkevich6587]

Cannot like or subscribe - already done both 😅. But I can comment!

[@alixc9779]

if they force then... I am going to drop their a55 this is straight up unethical business practice.

[@MazerTime]

Hype😊

[@StabbedYa]

dont trust a review for someone who says they can say what they want then have a REFFERAL CODE in there description for the same products and nothing else besides that same product that competes with it. Complete conflict on interest. Do better

[@MyDeepGuide]

Whatever floats your boat, since you've obviously done your due diligence of actually checking out the source before jumping to wild accusations right? Oh no, wait, you just jumped right ahead like a young grasshopper you seem to be 😁

[@StabbedYa]

​@@MyDeepGuideSo were is your proof that this isn't an unbais review because the proof is skewing way into bais and positive from the get-go with that affiliate link that your shilling in your disc. saying i didnt do my due dillgence is a cop out. you know your in the wrong because you went straight defence to insults. If you thought you were in the right you would of proven that there wasn't a conflict of interest (which is impossible) having a reffereal program to the same product and company that your reviewing is always wrong and never wont be a conflict of interest and you cant prove otherwise because you would of already done so.

[@StabbedYa]

@@MyDeepGuide if the review was good enough you could make enough money from other non related ads or sponsors but no you have to shill your affiliate code

[@MyDeepGuide]

You really do need help.

[@joepowell2910]

Please give/send the device to me! I’m a Mortuary Science student living in Alabama.

[@MyDeepGuide]

The device is not mine to give. Boox decides what they want to do with it.