(Unlike tablets such as the iPad, ebook readers use a side-lighting system that provides a glow across the screen, rather than from behind it.) Because this feature is so prevalent, we didn’t test any readers without it.

Built-in lighting: Most e-readers provide their own light for reading in dark environments.

It’s definitely not on the same level as Kindles and Kobos from a pure ebook reading perspective. It’s probably great for Chinese books but for English books it could still use some work.

There’s no left justification, hyphenation is wonky (but at least it can be turned off), sometimes it’ll drop punctuation to the next line, it only comes with one English font type (at least they finally separated it from the 200+ system fonts that are a total mess to navigate, and none of the fonts are optimized for E Ink screens and most look terrible). The interface is rather awkward and there are like 20 different settings menus, and some of the little things are annoying. I just think most people prefer to use other ebook apps than the built-in app. Boox devices used to support Adobe DRM but they dropped that a long time ago. Introducing Boox Note Air2 Plusĭon’t get me wrong, it’s a decent app with a lot of features but the onboard store is a joke when it comes to English-language ebooks and not supporting DRM is a big negative for people that don’t use Calibre to manage everything. I’m still using the ancient Note2 from 2019 and it only weighs 378 grams, and it has an even larger 4300mAh battery.

I’m sure it’s a nice device, though, but it’s a shame Onyx’s Note models keep getting heavier.

What’s the point if they’re just going to replace it with a new model in six months? The upgrades are usually so minor there’s virtually no usability difference to speak of I would bet that this new model is 95% functionally identical to the original Note Air that was released in 2020. That’s why I don’t review Onyx’s devices anymore. It’s kind of surprising they didn’t include more upgrades than a larger battery and a magnetic cover, but it’s not surprising at all to see Onyx release a new version of the Note Air so soon after releasing the previous model. The new magnetic case sells for $50.99 (it does not work with the previous model). The Note Air2 Plus is available to order from Onyx’s Amazon store for $509.99 with free shipping. Luckily they didn’t increase the price for a change so it still sells for the same price as the Note Air2 did, except now the Note Air2 is available for $20 less.

Calibre onyx boox