Boox Note Air5 C review: improved pen feel and speed, but AI and pen placement fall short

ZDNET reviewed the Boox Note Air5 C, an Android-based e-ink tablet priced at $530, and highlighted its improved writing experience and noticeably faster performance compared with earlier Boox models. The review says the included Pen3 stylus has an improved textured surface, 4,096 levels of pressure and ultra-low latency, producing a more paperlike writing feel.

The device runs Android 15 and offers AI-powered Smart Scribe tools, side-by-side multitasking, and customizable note-taking features such as color-coding, links and attachments, layers, multiple notebooks, infinity canvas, tags and flags. The 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 color display is noted as good for reading magazines, and the reviewer reports much less e-ink ghosting and snappier web browsing and app performance.

An attachable keyboard cover is available separately for $110. Not all aspects impressed the reviewer. ZDNET says the AI features ‘‘leave much to be desired,’’ calling the AI tasks basic and reporting they were not used much during testing. The review also flags a design flaw: the most secure magnetic pencil attachment overlaps the volume down button and, if settings aren’t adjusted, can trigger accidental additions of many pages to a notebook.

In its buying advice, ZDNET calls Boox a standout brand and names the Note Air5 C its new favorite model, while noting the $530 price is still about $150 cheaper than some competitor color e-ink devices such as the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and the ReMarkable Paper Pro.

Key Topics

Tech, Boox, Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, Smart Scribe