The Onyx Boox Nova Air C is one of the most eagerly anticipated e-reader and e-note product of the year. It is employing the latest generation E INK Kaleido 2 color e-paper technology and has some great hardware specs. You will be able to use over 16 different colors to freehand draw, make notes or annotate your favorite book or PDF file. Not to mention it ships with Android 11 and has Google Play, so all of your apps will be in full color, useful for looking at maps. The Nova Air C is available now and it retails for $419.99 and comes with a free case. Will you buy this unit? Or wait to see what comes out later this year?
The Onyx Boox Nova Air Color features a 7.8 inch E INK Carta HD and E INK Kaleido Plus color filter array. The resolution on the B&W display is 1404×1872 with 300 PPI and the color resolution is 468×624 with 100 PPI. The screen is flush with the bezel and protected by a AG glass flat cover-lens. There are 36 white and amber LED lights, so there is a front-lit display AND color temperature system. Users can adjust the color darkness, vividness, and brightness to get their desired effects. The dual-tone front lights in refreshing white and cozy yellow make the 4,096 colors more comfortable to view in any environment.
Onyx is using a WACOM screen on their tablet. It comes with their seminal note taking app, which has over 16 different colors and shades to freehand draw, take notes or simply edit PDF files. It comes bunded with their Boox Pen Plus stylus, which has over 4,096 degrees of pressure sensativity.
Underneath the hood is a Snapdragon 662 Octa core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. You can connect up to the internet using WIFI and it supports wireless headphones or an external speaker for audiobooks, music, podcasts and more, thanks to Bluetooth 5.0. If you don’t feel like using headphones, there is two stereo speakers, which has amazing sound. There is a USB-C port, which is useful for charging the e-Reader to your PC or MAC, or even a wall charger. It is powered by a 2000 mAh battery, which should be good for a couple of weeks of regular use. The dimensions are 194×136.5×6.3 mm and weighs 235g.
One of the best reasons to invest in the Onyx Boox brand is Android. Android 11 has a ton of added security benefits. Google Play is available to install when setting it up for the first time, which makes it extremely appealing for users who want to install apps and keep them updated. Onyx also updates firmware on a regular price, often every couple of months. They solve bugs and introduce new features and enhancements.
Will you buy the Nova Air C? The price isn’t that crazy. However, it only has a 7.8 inch screen. Many people want a color e-note that can read A4 or A5 documents. There isn’t any 13.3 inch devices with Kaleido currently available, since the current generation color e-paper does not support 13.3. There are only 2 models in the 10.3 inch category that have color and English, the Bigme Carve Color, which retails for $999 and the Bigme B1 Pro Plus, which retails for $850. E INK is expected to release Kaleido 3 sometime this year.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.