E-readers are sometimes mistaken for single-purpose units with eye-friendly shows. In fact, trendy e-paper units are a lot greater than that. Onyx Boox is a model that has labored laborious at excelling on this class, defeating the likes of the Amazon Kindle for the throne.
The Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C is a colorized and up to date iteration of the Onyx Boox Word Air 3, reviewed by my colleague Harish Jonnalagadda. The Word Air 3 has a colorized model known as the Onyx Boox Word Air 3 C, which begs the query, why do you have to purchase the newer, costlier mannequin?
As with all new launch, the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C has upgraded internals and software program. After utilizing it for just a few months, I’ve some ideas in regards to the Word Air 4 C. Let’s dive into the main points.
There is a new shade Onyx Boox on the town and it is as modern as ever
Onyx Boox stays busy, launching new fashions of its black & white in addition to coloured E Ink tablets loaded with Android each few months. The Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C was launched on October 23, 2024. Apparently, there isn’t a grayscale Word Air 4 to go together with the 4 C.
You should buy the Word Air 4 C for $499.99 from Onyx Boox’s web site or retailers like Amazon. It comes with a stylus within the field and a charging cable, however the accompanying Word Air 4 C Cowl must be purchased individually for an additional $50.99.
Onyx Boox outfitted the Word Air 4C with an upgraded Kaleido 3 shade E Ink panel which delivers higher brightness and distinction ranges, in addition to a better display screen refresh charge. The ten.3-inch e-paper show has an anti-glare layer on high and a Wacom layer to assist the included EMR stylus.
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Design sensible, the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C appears to be like precisely the identical because the last-gen Word Air 3 C. Each e-readers are equally slim at light-weight, measuring 226mm x 193mm x 5.8mm in measurement and coming in at a light-weight 430 grams.
To make you perceive simply how modern this factor is, I in contrast it to the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely. Subsequent to this slim and trim e-ink pill, the S25 Extremely appears to be like chunky. It is wonderful, contemplating that is an older design, whereas Samsung’s flagship cellphone is scorching out of the oven and hasn’t even began transport but.
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There aren’t any bodily buttons other than the ability button. The microSD card slot remains to be positioned within the backbone of the pill, together with the USB-C port for 15W wired charging. You too can use a USB-C thumb drive with the Word Air 4 C because it helps USB-C OTG.
Sadly, there isn’t any ingress safety but once more this 12 months, so it’s important to be tremendous cautious when dealing with the Word Air 4 C close to liquids and grainy stable particles.
The software program is the largest draw with Boox tablets
As I discussed earlier, the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C has a speedier octa-core chipset and beefier 6GB RAM, including 2GB to the Word Air 3 C’s 4GB of RAM. The result’s noticeably improved efficiency, fewer cases of ghosting, and higher loading instances on the whole. It is nonetheless nowhere close to as snappy as a full-blown Android pill, after all, however it’s one of many quickest e-paper tablets that cash should purchase proper now.
Boosted internals go hand in hand with newer software program. The Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C comes with Android 13 put in out of the field versus the Word Air 3 C, which got here with Android 12. This might sound previous seeing as we’re on Android 15 within the smartphone sector now. However for e-readers, that is fairly superior. To not point out, Onyx Boox guarantees to ship not less than three years of firmware updates to all of its units. Most Boox tabs in all probability get greater than that.
The most important draw with an Onyx Boox e-reader is that you simply get unfettered entry to Android apps, and the Play Retailer is pre-installed. Amazon blocks this means on all Kindle e-readers, limiting what you are able to do with a Kindle to an incredible extent. The Word Air 4 is ripe with prospects. You possibly can attempt putting in any Android app within the solar. Even when it is incompatible, you’ll be able to tweak and optimize it utilizing Onyx Boox’s built-in customizability instruments.
The NeoReader is a incredible e-book app with intensive instruments and choices baked in. Word-taking can be a deal with on the Word Air 4 C, because of Boox’s Notes app, which has OCR built-in in an effort to convert hand-written notes on the fly. Onyx Boox provides so many helpful studying and writing capabilities that it is laborious to listing out the whole lot.
Like each different tech model, Onyx Boox has additionally hopped aboard the AI bandwagon. You get neat AI options pre-loaded on the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C, such because the Boox AI Assistant and AI Learn. This makes the NeoReader extra clever than ever earlier than.
Only a few rivals provide what the Word Air 4 C does
There are many e-readers on the market, however only a few can do what the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C can. For those who do not care about Android smarts and simply need an affordable e-reader for nothing however studying, probably the most simple reply is an affordable Amazon Kindle.
Different competing manufacturers embrace Bigme, Kobo, and Pocketbook. Nevertheless, none of those firms have e-readers that run Android 13, include shade shows, and constantly obtain software program updates.
Sarcastically, in the event you’re searching for a less expensive different, the most suitable choice comes from Onyx Boox themselves. The smaller Boox Palma 2 launched alongside the Word Air 4 C and prices solely $279.99. It encompasses a 6.13-inch E Ink Carta 1200 show that solely outputs shades of black and white. The nifty little Palma 2 has lots of the smarts of the 4 C regardless of its stature, and it one-ups the bigger tab because of its splash-proof design.
Is it value shopping for the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C?
You can purchase it if…
- You need the newest processor and better RAM
- You desire a versatile e-reader for note-taking
- You are a pupil or somebody who wants to jot down rather a lot
- You desire a colourful e-reader
You should not purchase it if…
- You want ingress safety like water-resistance and dust-proofing
- Your finances is extraordinarily tight
As a lot as I really like the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C, nearly $500 is a hefty worth to pay for such a distinct segment gadget. It is a fantastic e-reader that is excellent for note-taking, with no limitations and unrestricted entry to Android apps through the Play Retailer. Nevertheless, the whole lot that I really like about this pill overlaps with the Onyx Boox Word Air 3 C.
Frankly talking, past the menial {hardware} improve such because the sooner processor and newer Bluetooth chip, there’s not rather a lot there to justify shopping for the Word Air 4 C over its predecessor. You possibly can rating the Word Air 3 C for $50 much less and it nonetheless will get the identical firmware upgrades because the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C.
If Android 13 is of nice significance to you, the newer Boox e-reader is smart. However most often, I would counsel choosing the older Word Air 3 C as an alternative. Make no mistake, the Onyx Boox Word Air 4 C is a spectacular gadget. It is simply that it would not add a lot over the last-gen 3 C, not less than not sufficient to justify a $50 worth distinction.
Get school prepared
Onyx Boox created the Word Air 4 C for studying at first, and the gadget excels at that. Along with an exquisite built-in e-reader with exhaustive choices, this Android pill additionally capabilities as a spectacular note-taking gadget with native OCR. Now outfitted with a number of AI options and a sooner processor, it is the best non-intrusive gadget for a studious particular person, working skilled, or school-going individual.
