Note Air3 vs Note Air3 C - How to Choose.
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- Опубліковано 16 лют 2024
- Is Black and White for you? Or are you a colour vision person. Sure colour e-ink is brilliant but black and white is not broken. So which will suit you better out of the Onyx Boox Note Air3 and the Note Air3 C?
Here are the (affiliate) links to the Boox Website:
Note Air 3 C:
shop.boox.com/products/noteai... (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/bo... (EU and UK)
Note Air 3:
shop.boox.com/products/noteai... (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/bo... (EU and UK)
Tab Ultra C Pro:
shop.boox.com/products/tabult... (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/bo... (EU and UK)
Tab X:
shop.boox.com/products/tabx?r... (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/bo... (EU and UK)
Tab Mini C:
shop.boox.com/products/tabmin... (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/ta... (EU and UK)
The Note Air 3 C is available at Amazon: amzn.to/3M3thHS
The Note Air 3 at Amazon: amzn.to/48VJ0lm
Tab Ultra C Pro at Amazon: amzn.to/3Sc8Hcl
Supernote have been kind enough to offer an affiliate link to their website
A6X2 supernote.com/products/supern...
A5X (now with the Feel Write 2 screen) supernote.com/products/supern...
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Here's my reading list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Feel free to leave a comment to let me know your thoughts about a book or to recommend one!
Bigme S6 Colour + (7.8" Kaleido 3 e-ink tablet) store.bigme.vip/products/bigm...
Bigme Inknote Colour Lite (10.3" Kaleido 3 e-ink tablet) store.bigme.vip/collections/c...
if you decide Bigme is right for you, then please check out their shop via my (affiliate) link here: store.bigme.vip/?ref=m70ez2cm
Here it is at amazon, but I think it is actually cheaper at the Bigme store: amzn.to/40kYLPS
Check out the prices and compare.
Tab Mini C at Amazon: amzn.to/3qRm32p
This is my new favourite small e-ink tablet!
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Check out the Tab X Amazon: amzn.to/3ye8R7M
And the Tab X case: amzn.to/3SV4Azu
Kindle paperwhite bundle:
amzn.to/3T355pH
Kindle paperwhite device only:
amzn.to/3fCsXTy
Kindle (basic 2022):
amzn.to/3NK9uNl
Kindle kids edition. Great value as comes with a case and cover!
amzn.to/3zLb1x4
Kobo Elipsa 2E: amzn.to/3Wak5pb
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I love them all, I know which one I'd buy if I could only have more but...
This is more about your choice. - Наука та технологія
I'd love to hear which one you go for and how you find it after using it, please let me know below: So which will suit you better out of the Onyx Boox Note Air3 and the Note Air3 C?
Check them both out at the Boox websites:
Note Air 3 C:
shop.boox.com/products/noteair3?ref=0t1qqbSDWLMb (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-note-air3-c?ref=my_f5MKKrpQRge&variant=42939341373640 (EU and UK)
Note Air 3:
shop.boox.com/products/noteair3?ref=0t1qqbSDWLMb (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-note-air3?ref=my_f5MKKrpQRge&variant=43063001448648 (EU and UK)
(These are affiliate links meaning that I earn a small commission if you buy through them, but there is no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting the channel. 🙂 )
KittBetts I hope you got the affiliate commission. I got my Note Air 3 two weeks ago, and it has transformed my note taking life having never had an eink device before. I am really glad that I didn't go for the C, even though it looks great, I really appreciate how long the battery lasts, and despite the lack of super refresh even browsing for reading and reference purposes is really good on the Note Air 3. I would seriously recommend others (as you have said in your video) really think about whether they need the colour, as the battery life, the easy to read black and white screen and the price difference make this the winner.
Great overview and I totally agree with your conclusions at the end! I actually ordered/received a Note Air 3 last week ... and then started to wonder if I had made the right decision so I (foolishly) ordered a Note Air 3C to compare, with the intention of returning one of them.
And now here's my problem: I like both of them, in different ways (of course!)
The high refresh of the 3C is nice, but I will say this: you are right-on-the-mark with your comments on the colour ghosting. I wasn't prepared for the amount of colour ghosting on the 3C. When scrolling web pages, reading colour-heavy PDFs or flipping through comics in the Kindle app, if you don't have your 3C set to "HD" you are going to get a *lot* of ghosting, very quickly. It was bad enough in the Kindle app that a few page flips were all that was required to make the comic unreadable without a full screen refresh, which sort of negates the benefits of the BSR & colour overall.
And while the colour does add another dimension when reading, the colour text is *far* less contrasty on the 3C than the equivalent text on the 3. When I look at my notes on the 3, I feel as though I'm looking at a piece of paper, even with the frontlight on. Interestingly, the 3C feels more like looking at a regular screen rather than paper - it doesn't trick my brain the way the 3 does.
On the other hand, when taking notes on the 3 you'll notice that it redraws/finalizes your handwriting about a half a second after you lift your stylus from the screen (you can turn this off and/or change the timing in the settings). This doesn't happen at all on the 3C, which makes note-taking a little nicer. But only a little.
The resolution difference between the two is insubstantial (to me). Yes, when I take my iPhone out and zoom in on the 3's screen in macro mode, I can tell that there is more anti-aliasing on the notes I've written. But without the macro shot I don't notice it at all. Plus the 3C's colour layer makes everything just that much darker *and* grainier, offsetting the resolution gain.
I've got a week or two to make up my mind as to which to keep. They're both great, in different ways. I do think it might come down to whether or not I end up running a lot of apps. The 3C is better at that thanks to BSR ... but for note-taking, reading text-heavy books and webpages, and overall clarity I think the Note Air 3 might be the winner for me.
Then again... I could keep both and post a review too 😆
Thank you for the review! Which one you're keeping in the end?
Just for the record, I've just got my 3C. I like it so far.
With the color, i feel i'm still on a ipad which distracted me.
The 3C is my first eink device and I'm very happy with it. I use it throughout the day for notes at work and browse the web on it which keeps me off my phone. Color and BSR was definitely the way for me to go. I find that I charge once every 3-4 days and that's totally fine for me.
I bought the Note Air 3 and perfectly satisfied with it. $200 cheaper in my region, longer battery life and better contrast. Colour would be nice, but I think the colour screen on the 3C looked too muted. Would rather better, crisper B&W vs muddy colours. And the lower resolution of the B&W only matters if I pixel peep. In normal reading distances, it's more than crisp enough.
Tried the 3C. Not happy with battery life or dark screen. Returned it to Amazon. Now have the Air 3 and am surprisingly happy. I thought the resolution would bother me but not at all. I wish the blacks were a little blacker but it’s ax minor complaint, very little to complain about and a lot to like. It’s a keeper.
I did exactly the same thing - returned the NA3C and now waiting for the arrival of my NA3. The stuff that I complained about the NA3C isn't in the NA3 (like battery life, horrible colour, and overpromising on Google Play app performance), so I'm hoping the NA3 is the one for me.
@@andrewmathenge3400 I think and hope you will like it. My battery consumption is about 10% a day with medium use. I use syncthing to sync my obsidian notes with my pc. I run my kindle off it now, as well as emails, pdf markup and notes, and readwise. I read the news on it and have no issue with the speed or level of ghosting. The only quibble I have is that I can’t access eduroam (student WiFi) at the university. Costa WiFi works fine, as does my phone hotspot, just not the university for some reason. The blacks are not quite as dark as on my kindle scribe, but overall it’s a super little machine.
@@andrewmathenge3400 what do you mean by "overpromising on Google Play app performance"?
Extremely helpful, especially the summary at the end for why you'd use the Note Air 3 vs Note Air 3 C vs Tab Ultra C Pro. Just boils it down perfectly. Thanks man.
Thank you Kit. I'm still aiming for the Air 3C, but only when it comes down in price. I'm in no rush, but the color and split screen are what I am missing in the Kindle Scribe and realize I will make great use of in the Air 3C. I appreciate this comparison between the Air 3 and Air 3C. Thanks again!
Thanks for all the reviews. They have been very helpful in helping me choose. The side by side comparison with no backlight helped me make this Note Air decision. I don't need colour and my main uses are reading and note-taking.
I am one week into using a NA 3 monochrome. I have yet to charge it and I am well impressed by the screen legibility in bright sunlight [something I have not seen any reviewers show]. The 'low' screen resolution is not an issue and ghosting has not bothered me at all. Just reading this screen, in bright sunlight or at night in artificial light, is much easier on the eyes than using an iPad or computer screen. My eyes don't ache with fatigue any more! If you don't understand this comment, wait a few years and you will!
There are some software quirks that are probably on both models. NeoReader is not an app in the Apps folder. You access it only by opening a readable file, like a PDF, EPUB etc. The music app sucks. The stylus doesn't stick well to the side of the device, with its cap on. Remove the cap and all is well.
Maybe I got you wrong or you hid the side-navigation bar at some point, but the Notes app and the NeoReader are among the 6 icons for direct access on the side bar (Notes, Reader, Shop, Storage, Apps, Settings), so in that sense it is one of two highlighted apps, you just cannot miss it. It also is one of your 6 choices to be set as a home screen that you access with a defined gesture from the bottom of the page. That is why neither the NeoReader app nor the Notes app appear among the other apps. It may be quirky, though. ;-)
@@julieparadise9694 Thanks for the list and explanation. Down the left side navbar, I have Library, Store, Notes, Storage, Apps and Settings. I didn't think I'd missed it!
@@impulsesystems But ... once you open something from the library, you automatically are in the NeoReader app, just like the Notes app automatically opens once you are in your notes overview page and open a note. So ... what was the question or complaint then? That you cannot _be_ in the Reader or Notes app without having a book/PDF or a note file open?
@@julieparadise9694 I was wondering why NeoReader does not appear in the app library...like other apps do.
@@impulsesystems You are right as it is at least an inconsistency to not name the app and make it clearer that this what accessing something in your library leads you to: opening/using the NeoReader. The Notes app isn't found under "apps" either, but the naming is consistent throughout, isn't it, at least in English? -- I am asking because if you change the settings to another language (for me: German), you'll have varying names for the app (e.g., in the settings for gestures or the NaviBall), and some are so weird that you have to know they mean the app (notes) and not something else (Benachrichtigungen = notifications, although what is meant are "notes").
Thanks again Kit for another incredibly useful video. I was hoping for this comparison video to come out soon. I will be receiving my NA3 tomorrow and was hoping to get a little more info concerning the differences between the Air series devices. I was mainly concerned with two topics that you covered here, PPI and a lack of BSR. I feel more confident in my decision now after having watched this. I initially bought the Tab Ultra C Pro as it seemed if I wanted color I would just go for it and be done with it. I ended up returning it however in exchange for the NA3. My primary use cases are 90-95% Reading and Writing/Journaling etc. The remaining 5-10% would be potentially opening a browser to follow links that I would have created in my Journal and PKM system inside the notes. I am glad to hear of the battery life of the NA3. I found that the Tab Ultra C Pro was similar to your findings of the NA3C in being roughly a day of use before requiring a charge. For me the color screen was great and I would have loved to have it but, given my overwhelmingly prominent use case was reading and writing, and making use of the TUCP to it's full potential (which for me would've meant possibly using it for work email) meant having the keyboard case, and having the keyboard case made it too heavy and awkward when trying to use it for nearly any other purpose. There is also the matter of, in this particular scenario, a price difference, when all totaled, of $350 (Difference between TUCP w/keyboard case [$800] and NA3 w/Case [$450] ) which was certainly significant.
I think you framed it brilliantly by stating that the choice between the Note Air models is really between Notes and Apps users. I couldn't agree more, and bravo to you again Kit for giving us another brilliant video with more well thought out analysis that is clearly communicated.
Cheers!
100% agree - the NA3C should have been available without colour. Then it would have been perfect for me. As it is, I can't live with 1 day battery life.
I'm used to kobo and the appeal of e-inkt is to have the calm reading and paper reading feeling.
But my old kobo is too small for most documents to scale well and I am a "learning by making notes and writing", so I was out to either a digital pen or something to write on paper. And this seemed to be the most reasonable in price and function and no vender lock in.
I was between the color and non-color, but then realized soon I have a nice OLED portable screen, if I need color for something. But intend to use this device to avoid piles of untidy notes on paper and to have my books with me to read comfortably.
In that use-case, the battery life and contrast are more weighing into the decision. The extra price to sacrifice battery and get a pseudo LCD experience with pastel colors, didn't really talk to me too much. (I read that the color requires the light to be on to read, while a normal e-inkt reader does not need this)
My order is on the way, I'm
I got the black and white one last week based on your videos and other reviews. While I love the pastel look of the color one, I realized that I don't draw, and that's really the only scenario where I would have enjoyed the color screen.
The difference in the battery life was also a big factor for me. BSR technology was not a factor at all for me, since I use it for reading and taking notes.
Thank you for this
Kit, thanks for the comparison. A year ago after watching you I got the Supernote A5X, My main use for this is only teaching. I love it for that. My main purpose is I write out my teaching with using LINKS to a PDF Bible. I use numerous links and go back and forth between my notes and my pdf. I have many "highlights" that help me notice certain things I want to bring out. In my paper writing days I used color highlights that "helped" me keep my "thoughts" in line. These reviews you put out have me thinking of moving to the Note Air 3c for the color highlighting. Big Question though is the "link" between the notes document and a PDF proficient ? I have numerous links in a teaching note. Thanks. Again, I appreciate your videos.
great video, thank you
Hello, thanks for you detailed videos, they really helped me choosing the tablet suited for me. I've decided to go with Air3C (I mostly want to share technical drawing with my colleagues during meetings, so color is a plus to identify axis of motion for instance) even if darker and more battery demanding and even if it doesn't come with eraser pen by default. I known you somehow recommended to go with a samsung s-pen in some video but can't find it back to know which s-pen model you are recommending for. What about titanium nibs ? Are they worth it in term of paper feeling (i think it's probably more sloppy feeling ... but they last longer ...)
please compare note taking process
Hi, thanks for the video. Im in the market for a 10" e-ink device like this, and have been deliberating on the Note Air 3 vs 3C. Is there any particular reason you didnt include a writing test of these devices? I have heard mixed reviews from users saying there is less latency on the 3C than on the 3 B/W and wanted to know whether that was true before purchasing. Thanks!
I use many PDFs, so color is important for me. Battery life has been never an issue for me. But I see the point :) The only annoying thing is, how highlighting/marking is handled. What is the point of drawing highlights on top of text and not at the back of it. Hopefully it will get addressed in an update.
Agreed. This is a weird issue. I now underline, rather than highlight, as the text is difficult to read with an overwritten highlight.
Yeah, I feel like that has been known as an issue for some time. Hopefully they'll get around to it.
I'm glad that Boox have the choice for everyone to pick their priorities, i.e. battery life, colour, etc, just as you say.
Thanks, Kit, for all the thoughtful reviews you've posted. I'm loving my NA3C, but I'm having trouble getting it set up as an external display for my Windows laptop using SpaceDesk as you have demonstrated in several of your videos. Which type of connection do you use? I haven't had any success at all with a USB cable or WiFi Direct, and WiFi thru my router was pretty slow. I'm not optimistic about running a crossover Ethernet cable to the USB port, which would be a bit of a hassle to set up, but would theoretically give the best performance.
I've only ever used it via the WiFi. Perhaps the router is due an upgrade? Have you tried running spacedesk on another android device to see if it is actually the eink which is slow?
[Posting attempt #2]
*DOH!*
Thanks for your quick response. It saved me from continuing down unproductive paths of investigation. Turns out that my laptop display gives me headaches and I had my blue-light+ filter turned way down and it showed up as something like black-on-black on the BOOX display. Turned it off and all was fine, even the speed over WiFi. I think that when I tried it out 3 mos ago, I didn't have it cranked down quite so low, and I could read it on the tablet, but just barely. I remembered not being satisfied with it and thought it must have been the speed.
I had remarkable but really missed the colurs , only having a few colours would make a big difference as I remember notes better
I had to return both of them eventually. Compared to the Supernote and Remarkable 2 the screens are less pleasant to read on. I didn’t like the backlight on both of them. The black and white was quite comfortable for the eye but lacking behind in note taking quality. Compared to the Remarkable 2, Supernote and the BOOX 3c it was the slowest one in handwriting. The color version is unusable without the backlight, other then that I liked the device. I ended up with the Supernote A5X and quite happy with it. Writing speed is good and has no backlight which makes the writing closer to the screen and has plenty of functions that help with keeping notes in PDF and EPUB. Battery is also great. Better then all of them in my experience.
Not to forget , compared to the Supernote and Remarkable the BOOX is the heaviest one. Especially with the case. If you want a lighter weight then also the Supernote A5X is a better option.
without BSR, what's the most noticeable upgrade of the air3 over the air2?
Hi there, I would like to buy a e-ink tablet. The things that I look for are, paper feeling while writing, a screen by which I can read easily, a color screen if it goes with the conditions before and a battery life at least two days long. I don’t know how the Tab Ultra Pro C is. I heard here and there that it doesn’t give the feeling of writing on paper. I would like to know your opinions and thoughts which could help me. Thanks in advance. ✌️
I just received my Boox Note Air 3C. Thank you for the recommendation. I used your link. I have the following question: How do I charge it initially? Do I charge it before starting the device or wait for the battery to drop and then charge it?
No, I'd just fire on. Usually comes with 80% ish charge.
I feel like a software update can switch from color to black and white on the NoteAir3 C.
I just want the dang Supernote a4x to come out already.
I would love to have the colour, but if it is 2 weeks vs 3 days, then black and white it is...
Hi Kitt, I want an e-ink tablet for university. I would use it for note taking, reading dokuments, and chaking ppt-s. In your opinion which would be a better choice: color or b/w? Thaks you for your answear
I think the PowerPoints are the only thing leaning you towards colour. So just make up your mind whether using PowerPoint in black and white is acceptable or not, and conversely, whether charging it most evenings is acceptable or not! 🙂
@@KitBetts-MastersLooking at the fact, that I will have to check plenty of ppt-s, I'm going to choose the colour version. The charging is no problem, if I chose a normal tablet, I would need to charge it daily as well. Thank you, it helped a lot.
Ero incerto se comprare Note Air3 oppure Note Air a colori. Il suo prezioso video mi ha convinto a comprare Note Air 3 in bianco e nero. Grazie mille. (Salvatore da Lecco Italia).
Grazie Salvatore!
Unfortunately, I still can't decide. I’m certain that one of them will be a game-changer for my work and research compared to daily use of a laptop, tablet, or classic books and papers for reading and note-taking. I need to read a lot, highlight sentences, and often take notes by hand. I hope that having one device that I can always carry with me, organize my tasks, and have my notes, papers, and a 'library' at hand will boost my productivity. I won't use it for traditional typing in the office with a keyboard. Instead, I need it as a companion for my laptop, a task and note organizer, and a portable library. I expect to spend around 6 to 12 hours a day using it, so better battery life would be useful. I don’t care much about color, and currently, the Air3 is about €140 cheaper in my country. The question is: how different is the latency? Does it really feel different? Does the Air3's latency bother you while writing, or not? I'm concerned that latency might hinder my concentration, make handwriting insufficiently responsive, and make me nervous. Thank you for any advice or help. Best wishes.
Hiya, sounds like you will be better served by the B/W. Save yourself the money and enjoy the battery life. The only thing I'm thinking for you is colour highlights, (you can categorise them with colour of B/W but the screen doesn't show the different colours.)
No latency is never a problem now with all of these guys being around 20ms. If you think about it, 40ms is one frame of video, so it's not a big deal at all. 🙂
@@KitBetts-Masters Thank you a lot. I bought the B/W version and I do not regret it. You were right, color highlights would be useful, but for me, it is not a big deal. I use the Boox Note Air 3 around 8-12 hours per day and I have to recharge it every 5th or 6th day. That is fantastic! Also, it is game-changing for academic work. I am able to manage all my thoughts and ideas, categorize all notes, and have almost my entire PDF library with me. The reading experience is perhaps even better than with classic books, due to the fact that I can highlight and take notes without hesitation. The device is quick, so if PDFs are searchable, then I am able to search for any keywords quite fast, which is, of course, useful for academic research. Writing is clear and fast. The only thing I am missing is some kind of pins like, for example, the Evernote app has. Also, the nibs wear out quickly, but that is due to everyday use. Again, thank you a lot.
Can you switch the 3C to a black and white mode so that you can use it like the normal 3?
want to know this, too! hope we get the answer.
no, you can't. Neither disable BSR
@@restevezes i see, thanks for answering!
I just got my note air 3 c and honestly, I am seriously considering returning it for the note air 3. The main decider for me is the battery life. I have a samsung tab s9 plus and that thing does everything I need in terms of watching video, browsing the web and even reading comics. But I just don't see myself taking advantage of the BSR or the color on the Note Air 3C and the tradeoff just kind of sucks. If they had a software switch for turning off BSR, I might consider keeping it though. But I think adding something like that would require rooting the device and writing custom software to disable it. Even then, its a 100 dollar difference for features that aren't that important to me.
One other thing. I've been using ereaders for decades now, and really have only owned 2 of them; an old Kobo and a Kobo Clara HD. I am so used to charging those devices maybe every other week at most, but with this Note Air 3c, I am charging it every night, which gets absurd given that I am also charging a phone, tablet, laptop and a few other devices in the same room off the same power strips. Just so many cables.
Yeah, I think maybe that makes sense. If you're happy doing appy stuff on the Samsung, just keep the eink for what it is best at, reading and writing. 🙂