If not the first, surely the second thought that comes to mind when we see an e-ink tablet or e-reader in a shop window or in someone’s hands is: does it still make sense? We will find out with our test
Before jumping to conclusions, you should know that the e-ink tablet market is in turmoil and that ONYX, a Chinese company, one of the few in circulation that still believes in this sector, has benefited from a lot of interest. The BOOX Note Air 2 Plus is basically an Android e-ink device, with good customization.
What does an e-ink device with an Android operating system do? It’s a useful extension of an e-reader’s performance, provided its limits are kept in mind, starting with the display which, being black and white, imposes a decisive choice between the downloadable apps. In short, you cannot expect to use the BOOX Note Air 2 Plus, nor other e-readers, to entertain adults and children with games or other similar content.
To write
Where it excels, however, is in the utterly satisfying writing experience, which closely resembles a pencil, even in the hiss that comes out as you write: everything hints at writing with a graphite stylus on a sheet of paper. Partly thanks to the pen that has 4,096 pressure levels and does not need to be charged, but also thanks to the display. The screen is actually 10.3 inches, with a resolution of 1872×1404 and sturdy metal frames. The total weight is 445 grams, it never poses a problem, you never feel embarrassed, the feeling is indeed that you have something extremely solid and well made in your hands. Even if it does not have the importance it can have in a classic smartphone or tablet, in the ONYX BOOX Note Air 2 Plus we find a respectable processor. It is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, an octa-core that never gets into trouble thanks to the 64 gigabytes of storage memory and 4 GB of RAM.
An integrated light and excellent autonomy
By registering with your ONYX account, you get an additional 10 gigabytes of space to optimally store thousands of documents and hundreds of books, which you can enjoy even in the dark thanks to the light integrated into the frames. The operating system, on the other hand, is a modified version of Android 11, more than enough to keep day-to-day operations at bay. On the left we find: a speaker that allows us to listen to podcasts, audiobooks or our recorded vocal notes thanks to the microphone always present on the same side, where we also find a USB-C port for charging but also for connecting to the PC, to an external memory or headphones.
The autonomy is impressive: with the 3,700 mAh battery it even lasts a few weeks, although a lot depends on the type of use. If you get carried away and tinker with the pre-installed Google Play Store to download and uninstall compatible apps, from apps for notes to messaging or email, or if you listen to a lot of music, you can save a lot but hardly less than two to soften.
Judgment, availability and price
Of the features we liked the most, the notes-to-text conversion is the master. Despite not having a scribble handwriting, the system almost never ran into problems, turning our scribbles into text with amazing speed.
And we are at the conclusion: the ONYX BOOX Note Air 2 Plus is certainly an instrument suitable for students and professionals, with a huge potential in the field of multimedia.
He does everything right if we don’t ask him for what he doesn’t really have: namely the playful part. It is designed and built to satisfy in other areas. Texts are written and sent without the need for keyboards, emails are checked, messages are exchanged like on a smartphone, but with a different satisfaction. In short, it is a working tool that can stimulate, something that certainly does not happen to us very often. The price is 520 euros.
Pros and cons
PRO
- Note-to-text conversion
- User experience
IN RETURN FOR
- Little oleophobic display
Source: TG 24 Sky
I am James Novak, a passionate and experienced news writer with the ultimate goal of delivering the most accurate and timely information to my readers. I work in the news department at a website dedicated to providing reliable and up-to-date information about technology. My articles are widely circulated, often featured on major publications, and have been read by millions of people around the world.
