Onyx Boox Note Air 2
10.30", 64 GB, Blue, Black
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
26 reviews
Super reader/tablet
Pro
- Compact
- Convenient Android system
- Backlighting
- Battery ++.
Contra
- Screen refresh not very smooth
- Poor or no translation at times depending on the menu
But clearly different from the reMarkable2
I've been thinking for a long time between reMarkable 2 or Onyx Air 2. The "no bullshit" argument of reMarkable appealed to me, but I like gadgets and wanted to keep the Android app world open.
I use it with Zotero and ZotEZ2 as a source manager and always have all the documents available as PDFs at hand via cloud synchronisation.
The display is not as good as that of the reMarkable 2, that's just the way it is... On the one hand, this is due to the foreground illumination - which causes a slight "kink" in the appearance due to the additional layer. And it writes less paper-like in direct comparison. The matt coating also cracks easily.
The pen supplied is rubbish, to say the least... sorry, has to be said. I only use it on the road because it can be attached to the tablet with a magnet. Otherwise I use Stadtler Norris Digital. They are great, feel 1:1 like the pencils you had in school 30 years ago.
I have no regrets about choosing the Air 2 over the reMarkable. Let's see if I ever have a support case.
Synchronisation via nextCloud, Onyx Cloud and Google Drive all work great.
Word processing is theoretically possible, there is a slimmed down version of MS Office adapted to the display, but neither this nor the one from the Play Store can be used for anything more than makeshift typo correction. The most usable is the only-Office implementation in nextCloud.
Those who read newspapers with the proprietary e-paper apps can also use them, albeit with some limitations due to the display. For me, that's enough.
I find the apps from the "Onyx App Store" rather dubious. I therefore prefer to use the Play Store.
The factory-installed on-screen keyboard is also rubbish in my opinion. I downloaded the AOSP keyboard. Thanks to the PLay Store ;-)Pro
- All Android apps available
- Foreground lighting (this can also be dosed very well)
- Good integration possibility in any cloud
- Acceptable standard apps especially for notes
- Connection also possible via managed enterprise WPA networks
Contra
- Standard keyboard (which is factory installed is very poor)
- Supplied pen bad
- "Onyx App Store" rather dubious
Note taking and ebook reader
Pro
- Weight
- Ability to install additional apps
Contra
- Rough French translation
Best decision
I have been using the device every day for about 4 weeks. It delivers what it promises. To take notes, to read, to call up or save something on OneDrive - just the right thing for my use. A big plus for me is the background lighting. Comparable tablets, such as the Remarkable, are worlds away from this.
There are also regular updates and you feel picked up by Boox.Pro
- light and handy
- extremely thin
- writing feels like on paper
- extremely fast for an eInk display
- Android based = more possibilities
- background illumination
Contra
- Spare refills were not included
- Pen could be a bit better - Pro pen is not really an asset
- It should come with a case or pouch
- Not suitable for drawing
Super ereader
Pro
- Large display
- Fast
- Super recorder
Contra
- Relatively expensive
Magic
Pro
- Functional
- Fast
- Format
- File sharing
- Writing sensation
awesome device
+ premium feel
+ uncluttered software
+ decent stylus
+ good writing feel
+ good, offline OCR
- cold in touch if you are not using cover (might be unpleasant to read from it)Great product
Perfectly satisfied! The battery lasts over a week with daily use. No reason to go for the Plus version. It's great that the Play Store can be used. Leaves nothing to be desired and the writing feel is awesome!
Pro
- Processing
- Speed
- Battery duration
- Menu
- Storage space
Suitable as e-book reader + e-ink notebook.
In contrast to the Kobo Elipsa (> 90ms, handwriting lags behind and sporadically fails completely), the NoteAir2 is good and pleasant to write by hand. If you do not want two devices (Remarkable2 for writing plus an e-reader of your choice, e.g. Tolino Vision 6 or Paperwhite last generation), you might find what you are looking for with this device. Provided he/she can keep his/her Android reservations in check (update will almost certainly never be available for this device, the same basic features are scattered elsewhere in every app).
Pro
- Handwriting latency <35 ms
- Good Kindle app
- Configurable to 1'000 and back
Contra
- Google Play Store only awkwardly connectable (see electronic manual)
- Boox Drop for exchange of notes uses an unprotected connection (! - 2022?)
- Tolino and Kobo app unsatisfactory (certainly worlds better on the original devices)
- Android: The same basic functions scattered elsewhere in each app
My first e-ink device. I love reading and writing with it.
It's my first and only e-ink tablet, so I can't compare.
I use it for reading and writing notes and I am very satisfied.
Flat, light, wonderfully readable, great backlight.
For surfing the internet, the screen is made naturally (no colours, delay in image build-up).
Pens:
Boox (came with the Boox Note Air 2):
Weight 13.5g
Length 15cm
Width 9.2 - 9.8 mm
Eraser No
Magnet Yes (I never use it, but it holds well)
Without spare tip :(
I lost the protective cap long ago. Writing is pleasant, the tip
is rigid like a pencil. Hardly any resistance when writing.
Staedtler Noris digital Jumbo (14676787):
Weight 9.6g
length 14cm
Width 9.2 - 9.65 mm
Eraser Yes
Magnet No
Incl. 5 spare tips and tool
I like the triangular shape. The eraser is practical, but it glides across the screen so badly,
that I prefer to erase with the tip when erasing for more than a short time (which does require switching).
The tip is slightly thinner and writing feels softer, a bit like using a felt-tip pen.
The tool takes some getting used to as it slips off easily, damaging the tip.
Is probably only meant to remove a tip that needs replacing.
Tips (Nibs):
Boox:
Shaft length 17mm
Shaft thickness 0.9mm
Head length 2.7mm
Head thickness 1.6mm
Does not fit the Staedtler Noris Pen because of the wider head.
Noris:
barrel length 17mm
barrel thickness 0.9mm
Tip length 2.7mm
Tip thickness 1.2mm
Can be used in the Boox Pen in a pinch, but does not hold well sideways due to the narrower head - not recommended.
Wacom:
Shaft length 17mm
Shaft thickness 1.0mm
Tip length 2.7mm
Tip thickness 1.6mm
Can be inserted into the Boox and Staedtler Pen, but not quite, it is missing 1.5mm.
So the tip does not hold and it is not possible to write.
After I scraped off the first 1.5mm of the barrel with the pocket knife, the tip fits perfectly into the Boox Pen and feels good.
fits perfectly into the Boox Pen and feels like the original tip.
However, it does not fit in the Staedtler Noris Pen because of the wider head.Pro
- E-Ink (wonderfully pleasant reading)
- Pleasantly thin and light
- Backlight
- Feels high quality
- Battery lasts long (without backlight and WLAN)
- USB-C
Contra
- Price
- E-Ink poorly suited for surfing
My constant companion
Switched my office to paperless with onyx boox
Pro
- long battery life
- Readability
- Pin colour
Contra
- Usability of the software could be improved
Very suitable for notes, drawings and e-books
If you value a good writing experience and read and draw a lot, you are very well covered with this device.
However, if you prefer surfing or watching videos often, you should choose a different device.Pro
- Very good writing feeling
- Many setting options
- E-books very readable
- Price/Performance
- Battery life
- High quality workmanship
Contra
- Not suitable for videos
- No colour screen
The top
Pro
- Really beautiful and effective!
Compared to me need they are completely reached really made cry reading and writing the
Pro
- Feeling of writing on paper
- Flexible compared to other brands
Contra
- Reflection can be faster
Useful but limited
Pro
- Robust
- Good battery life
- Comfortable
Contra
- Takes a long time to switch on
- Sometimes erratic when saving
- Lack of interconnectivity
- Slow sorting of the files
Boox
Fantastic synchronisation with dropbox or other clouddrives .
Everything on one device, notes, books, pdf's etc.
Top for all kinds of hand notes
no reason to buy air 2 plus. too few advantages. the 4gb ram + 64 GB storage are top.
Unless you don't like bluePro
- haptics
- size
- design
Good e-book reader
Pro
- Display
- Flexibility
- Writing with the pen<
Contra
- Heavier than "normal" readers
- Battery capacity
Perfect gift
Got it as a wift for my hubby, so far he seems to love it.
Besides for reading, he uses it on his meetings to take notes. When needed, he can quickly share those notes with his team, very convenient.Pro
- Light
- Good screen size
- Digitalizing notes quickly (work convenient)
- Pen included
Can do what I bought it for
I bought the Boox Note Air 2 as a replacement for my x paper notes and for that it is just right and also great. With access to Google Play Store, more apps can be installed and if you want, you can even access the Internet - but I miss the color display for that.
For what I need it for, writing digital notes, it is just right. Writing on the Boox is just fun and I finally have my notes in one place and not lying around on x different pieces of paper.
Only for reading ebooks it is way too bad - use it for what it is meant for - taking digital notes.
For surfing there are better tablets but the battery life are worlds better for it, here I don't reckon hours until the next recharge.... no, in days.Pro
- just right for digital notes
- super thin, feels good in the hand
- battery lasts very long
Contra
- no color display (but I knew that)
Operation is pathetic to say the least!
The device itself is not bad by design, but the menus and operation is pathetic to say the least! all the time you can not find anything you are looking for, intuitive = zero! every time I need to transfer a file, I have to spend half an hour to figure out again how it works and where the function is. Since transferring files to be read is the main thing is really pathetic! another sore point are the covers. without cover it is unusable, it slips too much, very uncomfortable a decent cover is not available in Switzerland and from the parent company shipping costs a huge amount.
Excellent build and perfect large screen
This is my first experience with an ebook reader, so I cannot really compare. However, of what I can see is that the built quality is excellent and that reading from it is a pleasure - both with ebooks and pdf files. The large screen size is a great plus as it allows a lot of flexibility in sizing the lettering, and not having to flick to the next page every few sentences, as with the smaller screen sizes.
Although the annotation capabilities were not a criteria for me, I must say it is nice to be able to add some comments to pdf documents.
Al in all - a good purchase.Pro
- Excellent build (aluminium)
- Free to use any app (Kindle, Kobo, ...)
- Screen protector already applied
- Large screen (10.3 inch) - perfect for pdf files
Contra
- Aluminium built also means it can be a bit slippery to hold
A whole other world
Pro
- Display
- Eye-oriented graphics
Contra
- Only 64 GB memory (you have to work in the cloud)
Excellent reader and notebook - mediocre Android tablet.
Hardware and software are great for writing and reading. Optionally, it has (almost) the functionality of an Android 11 tablet. This also allows for a wide variety of options to transfer files to or from the device. It is relatively responsive and allows for fluid work. Has integrated seamlessly into my daily work routine.
The screen is on the small side for PDFs - but the screen can be rotated easily and the software supports different page layouts. Notes can be made in color and are exported correctly.Pro
- E-ink screen
- Great case
- Software excellent
- Good writing feel
- Fast
- Many functions
- Search functions sensational
- Handwriting recognition
Contra
- Many things not intuitive
- Icons unusual
- Steep learning curve
- Manual: meh.
- Many functions
Practical, versatile pad, something for everyone.
I bought the pad after much consideration and various test and comparison videos with competing products and I am thrilled. It offers, exactly what I expected from the Pad and even more, thanks to the connection to the Playstore of Google and the pairing of Bluetooth devices (keyboard). So I can use the pad for handwritten notes, as a sketchboard, for process modeling, brainstorming, in meetings, can also record meeting minutes through a keyboard and even listen to music via Spotify during back office work in the home office. Absolute purchase recommendation!
Pro
- e-Reader
- Notepad
- Drawing board
- Google Play connection
- High quality
- Intuitive
- Bluetooth
- Wlan
Contra
- German language version not 100% well translated
Unfortunately, it went back. The Ipad can do much more for less.
I bought the device mainly for work, to digitise my hand notes directly.
But was robbed of all my nerves after just a few minutes. It is really extremely slow and constantly hangs. I also bought an Ipad (generation 19) in parallel, which was much cheaper, but much more pleasant to use. Handwriting digitisation is extremely easy and fast thanks to iCloud!
That's why the Onyx went straight back. I can't understand why this device is so expensive.Pro
- Visually cool design
Contra
- Very slow
- Many restrictions regarding mail providers (business mail from Outlook does not work, for example).
- Constantly gets bogged down
Do not buy it!
It does have positive features, such as the size of the screen, the quality of the font and is pleasing to the eye, and not much more... It is an extremely slow device, very, very slow. Also, there are not many apps that are compatible.
The range of functions and tools is very limited.
The book reader is not practical, and if you have to download the books to take notes, you can't work in the cloud.
I returned it within a few hours of receiving it, it doesn't justify the price.
