Product test
The Pocketbook Inkpad Eo colour e-reader is chaotic
by Michelle Brändle
Testing the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C: an e-reader with a colour display and stylus
3.4.2024
Translation: Katherine Martin
The Onyx Boox Note Air 3C can do almost anything. You can read colourful comics on the colour display, listen to audio books through the speakers, make sketches and take notes. However, the pale E Ink display means videos are no fun.
I generally use my e-reader for reading books in digital form. Although the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C is wonderful for this, it comes at a disproportionately high price. Still, the e-reader has a few aces up its sleeve, including its strength at creating colourful sketches.
Size and design: just right!
The USB-C port is positioned just where I’d like it to be: on the left side. Here, the cable’s least likely to get in my way while I’m reading or charging the device.
Hardware: colour display with Wacom technology
What makes the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C special is its colourful E Ink display. The colours aren’t punchy in the way you’re used to from your smartphone. But they’re there. This makes the device an interesting way of reading comics and doing sketches.
The display boasts two other plus points. One is the backlight, which I can adjust to suit my surroundings. It makes it possible to relax with a book both in bright sunshine and in the dark. The matt surface also protects against reflections and makes text appear sharper.
The device comes with 64 gigabytes of built-in memory. Since books tend to be 0.5 megabytes on average, I’ve got space for plenty of apps. If that turns out not to be enough, I can access 10 gigabytes of cloud storage. There’s also a microSD slot.
Software: numerous options with Android and app store
The Note Air 3C works with Android 12. Consequently, I can download any apps from the app store. In addition to the 17 e-book formats, I download my favourite e-book app Google Books. I can connect to the internet on the device via Wi-Fi or SIM card.
I chose Google Books because I can log into my Google account and download books I’ve already bought onto my device. A little patience is required when downloading, but the Note Air 3C runs very quickly for an E Ink tablet.
Using the pre-installed BOOXDrop app, I can also send files from my computer to the e-reader. You’ll have to go through a few steps to set it up; the exact instructions are available here.
Since the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C has a lot more to offer besides just its e-reader mode, there are various modes for different scenarios. In general, the faster and more complex the content, the greater the loss of detail and ghosting.
- HD: for simple blocks of text, books and strong contrasts
- Balanced: good for more complex documents, though causes more ghosting
- Fast: best for web browsing, but involves heavier detail loss
- Ultra-fast: best for videos, involves heavy detail loss
Reading and listening: does what it’s supposed to
Reading mode is any e-reader’s key feature, and this one didn’t disappoint. Even in HD, the slowest mode, the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C responds quickly, displaying the font legibly and in high contrast. Sometimes, the refresh rate is too slow for me and I see some faint ghosting. Mind you, I can quickly fix that with a manual refresh. Reading on the device is enjoyable.
The colour display can be used for reading comics. They show up well overall – after a few manual tweaks to the brightness and contrast. That being said, the ghosting bothers me and the font appears slightly blurry from time to time. All in all, there are too many drawbacks compared to paper comics. Personally, I wouldn’t read a colour comic on the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C.
As the device is fine for mangas with only a few colour images, I could take my entire One Piece collection with me to the beach.
Sketching and note-taking features are a pleasant surprise
The Onyx Boox Note Air 3C boasts built-in technology made by Wacom, a manufacturer of professional graphics tablets. This is apparent as soon as my stylus touches the display – the screen responds without latency, even with quick pen strokes. Writing feels very natural overall, and the matt surface makes drawing even more pleasant.
The pre-installed notebook app is perfectly equipped. I can create books and select backgrounds such as dot- and line grids for them. I’m able to draw colourful pictures as well as write in these notebooks. There’s also a layer feature and various drawing tools.
Casual games work on the device too
The same goes for the second game I picked out: a search-and-find puzzle. It runs really well and despite the matt colour display, I’m able to spot the characters and objects I’m supposed to find. What’s more, I can zoom right into the picture. The mediocre response time doesn’t bother me, as this game’s meant to be played at a leisurely pace anyway. All this to say, the device can handle relaxed games.
In a nutshell
Fun when reading and sketching
The Onyx Boox Note Air 3C is more than just an e-reader. It’s also great for note-taking and making colourful sketches. Compared with printed books, it’s a little too pale for comics in my view. When it comes to games, I end up having to go for gentler stuff like Sudoku and search-and-find puzzles. However, considering it’s an e-reader with relatively new colour E Ink technology, it’s made a positive impression on me overall.
If you want to ditch your smartphone while you’re on holiday but don’t fancy giving up the opportunity to read a couple of comics or take notes, I’d recommend the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C. Provided you don’t mind the paleness or inability to do hardcore gaming, that is. It gives you everything in one compact device. Thanks to its energy-efficient technology, the battery will even have you covered for two-week trips (depending on how much you use the device). The thing is, getting all these features comes at a hefty price. This e-reader’s only worthwhile if you make full use of its functions. For books alone, the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C is overkill.
Pro
- long battery life
- good stylus included in the box
- speakers for audiobooks
- colour display for comics
Contra
- expensive
- colours aren’t as punchy as on a smartphone
- not suitable for complex artistic work
- not suitable for videos and fast games due to ghosting
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
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