Boox Note Air5 C

When you're looking to buy a digital device, the first thing you should ask yourself is what exactly you want it for. If you're looking for an eReader, it may be a lightweight way to carry your entire library on public transport on a daily basis, as a travel companion, or simply as a document holder, or as a study manual. Maybe you have (or will cultivate) an artist's soul, and you're looking for a highly stroke-sensitive panel on the screen, one that clearly reflects your handwritten words, your notes taken on the fly during university lectures or business meetings. Maybe you simply need a convenient way to read the daily news, browse recipes, enjoy the world of comics, or even compose music. If there's any of these, even ideas I haven't mentioned, but you've thought of putting them on (digital) paper, maybe you need to start looking for an all-in-one solution, and Boox has a new one at hand.

It was only a few months ago that my colleague David was able to take advantage of the features offered by Boox Note Air4 C in the summer, a fairly complete product in terms of features, but one that was missing a few tweaks here and there. Better response times when taking handwritten notes or with the touch keyboard, better colour saturation, a bit more raw power... a malleable product that, however, is not a tablet, and its successor, the one I have in my hands and on which I'm writing this review, the Boox Note Air5 C, isn't either. But it has taken another step in the right direction.

I started earlier by talking about eReaders as the eInk-based devices of choice, but the Note Air5 C goes much further. It's a reading and writing device, a workstation and a sketchbook, all at the same time and only a light touch of the finger or touch pen away. It's based on an identical design to its aforementioned predecessor, but with very slight changes. Yes, it now comes with Android 15 as standard, and thankfully it has fixed the curious design flaw in the case that didn't include a small hole for charging the Note Air5 C with the case closed through the USB-C port. Beyond that, it's business as usual. Same 64GB of memory and same 6GB of RAM. There are no changes (unfortunately) to the Kaleido 3 screen, which would be the main workhorse to encourage those who already own a previous Note Air model to upgrade.

Because yes, you have to dwell a little on the screen to understand my moderate joy on the one hand, and slight frustration on the other, when using the Boox Note Air5 C. Even with the screen's brightness and temperature modulation, this model still doesn't faithfully reflect contrasts and colours. One of the main uses I was looking forward to was as my repository for almost 30 years of accumulated graphic novels, comics, and comic books, of which I was planning to reduce the collection at home. I think I'll end up doing it, because the sharpness of the frames and vignettes are really here, but not the reflection of the colours and inks, even though the screen supports up to 4,096 colours. It's a very thoughtful decision to give it this "pass" in comics, and it gets it by the skin of its teeth, because it fits the specific circumstances I need. I'm sure anyone who doesn't read black and white graphic novels or manga will be disappointed here, and a picture of the same page both on paper and on the Note Air5 C is proof of that.

If you plan to use the Boox Note Air5 C as an ebook reader and note-taker, it's best to disable the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 functions, because they will consume the battery much "faster", as long as the device is active. Still, it gives a week of battery life with everything running, and I'm happy with the battery life, even if using the pen consumes a lot more resources. I also like the handwriting options. We had already talked about its benefits in the previous model, but I would like to add that the templates included as standard are really useful for almost any situation, and I especially found the customisation option essential for filling in forms without wasting paper, and then sending them through the post or to a PC.

I have also found it useful for explaining simple school lessons to my daughter, saving a generous amount of paper. And yes, in the end she has been able to make better use of the free drawing option to give free rein to her creativity.

Right now, Boox Note Air5 C is still a great choice for academic or creative uses, or simply as an office companion. For other uses that are less office or literacy-related, I'd find it harder to recommend. Yes, you can install Telegram, WhatsApp, shopping apps, and even Netflix, if you don't mind watching the latest season of Stranger Things as if it were shrouded in Silent Hill fog (and watching the battery drain as well), even with Boox's own super-refresh (or BSR) feature.

No, the Boox Note Air5 C is close to being the perfect resource for any handwritten discipline, but I'll make a couple of suggestions for a Note Air6 C. First, it needs a clear place to put the magnetic pen without accidentally hitting the volume down button (or new page, if you're in the notes app). It's very annoying to have to keep deleting extra blank pages that have been created by an unintentional continuous press. In the same way that holster loading has been fixed, this is something to review. On the other hand, I think the actual function of Boox EinkWise needs a rethink. It's supposed to adapt the brightness, colour, and refresh rate of the screen to your current needs, but neither its interface is clear nor does it seem to be performing as well as it should. In the end, you end up having to go directly into the device's settings and having to search for the options, one-by-one.

Saving a couple of grey areas, I'll definitely stick with the Boox Note Air5 C as a handy office device. The e-ink has won the battle for visual health, its functions offer far more possibilities than any eReader or digital notepad, and its storage space is ample to keep all your books, comics, class notes, or work documents close at hand. It doesn't have enough advancements to justify the switch if you already have a Note Air4 C, but for a new buyer who doesn't yet conceive that they can have everything in one slim, handy device, this should definitely be an option on the table.