BOOX Note Air 4C Review

A Colorful Leap for E Ink Tablets

The BOOX Note Air 4C is a striking yet affordable entry in the growing world of color e-ink devices — and for digital note-takers, readers, and PDF power users, it delivers serious versatility. While it’s not perfect, it might just be the best all-around value for those seeking an e-ink device that does more than just take notes.

(For instance, if you're studying for the USTCP exam and want daily tax court opinions to sync automatically to your device, this tablet is a game-changer.)

In this review, we’ll delve into everything this tablet excels at (and where it falls short), and then compare it to the reMarkable Paper Pro and reMarkable 2.

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What Is E Ink (and Why Use It)?

E Ink, or electronic ink, is a display technology that simulates real paper. Unlike glowing LCD or OLED screens, it reflects light like a printed page, making it comfortable for long reading and writing sessions.

Pros of E Ink:

• No eye strain from screen glare

• Exceptional battery life (days to weeks)

• Perfect for PDFs, books, and handwritten notes

• Sunlight readable

Cons of E Ink:

• Limited color (especially on Kaleido screens)

• Slower refresh than LCDs

• Can feel laggy for fast-moving tasks

• Not great for media-rich tasks like video

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Unboxing the BOOX Note Air 4C

The Note Air 4C comes with:

• A 10.3″ Kaleido 3 color e-ink screen

• A magnetic stylus (BOOX Pen Plus)

• A well-built aluminum chassis (feels premium)

• USB-C charging

• Optional magnetic folio cover

• 64GB storage (not expandable)

It looks modern and clean, with a dark frame and an orange accent strip that gives it some flair without being flashy. It’s slim and light — easy to hold for long reading or writing sessions.

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Note-Taking Experience

Writing on the Note Air 4C is very good, though not exactly as “paper-like” as the reMarkable and reMarkable Paper Pro. With a matte screen protector installed (BOOX sells one), the friction improves significantly. The stylus is responsive, and there’s minimal latency.

The native BOOX note-taking app includes:

• Layers

• Custom templates

• Multiple brush styles

• Text boxes

• Handwriting-to-text via AI

• Built-in cloud sync

• Audio recording sync with notes

You can also install OneNote, Evernote, Google Keep, or even Goodnotes via Android. That’s where this device leaves reMarkable in the dust: you’re not stuck in one system.

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Reading & Color Handling

This is where the Air 4C shines:

• Color documents look great for E Ink — better than earlier generations

• PDFs are crisp, and highlights pop

• Eye fatigue is nonexistent

• Warm/cool frontlight means you can use it day or night

It’s a joy to read tax court opinions, annotated PDFs, or research materials on this screen. While the color depth isn’t as rich as an iPad, it’s good enough for diagrams, charts, and highlights.

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Software, Apps & Multitasking

The Note Air 4C runs Android 13, and you can install Google Play — giving you access to:

• Kindle

• Readwise (more about that here)

• Libby (library books)

• Dropbox, Google Drive

• Chrome (with limitations)

• Notion (light use)

• Microsoft Office apps, including OneNote

You can also split screen, view two documents side-by-side, and switch between apps like on a regular tablet. That’s something the reMarkable simply can’t do.

Performance is snappy thanks to the octa-core processor and 6 GB of RAM. Just don’t expect iPad-like speed. It’s still e-ink.

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Battery Life

The battery is very good. You’ll get:

• ~7–10 days with moderate use and frontlight on

• ~2 weeks or so with light use

Charging via USB-C is fast, and it sleeps efficiently when not in use.

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Limitations

Let’s be honest — this isn’t perfect.

Color limitations are inherent to E Ink Kaleido 3: colors are soft, and the 150 DPI for color is noticeably less sharp than black and white. Also:

• The writing experience is not quite as “remarkable” as reMarkable

• Android flexibility = more distractions

• The UI can feel clunky at times

• It’s easy to install too many apps and get overwhelmed

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Final Verdict

The BOOX Note Air 4C is the most flexible and powerful color E Ink tablet under $500. (The base model is under $500, but the bundle with the pen brings it slightly over.) It’s perfect for tax professionals, students, or writers who need to annotate documents, sync across apps, and do more than just take notes.

The reMarkable Paper Pro and reMarkable 2, meanwhile, are still kings of the writing feel. If your ideal day is sitting with coffee and a digital notebook to journal, brainstorm, or sketch — and you don’t want app distractions — it’s a beautiful device. But it's far less capable.

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Bottom Line

• Choose the BOOX Note Air 4C if you want:

  • Power + versatility

  • Cloud sync without subscriptions

  • Android apps like Readwise, OneNote, or Kindle

• Choose the reMarkable Paper Pro (color) or reMarkable 2 (black & white only) if you want:

  • A clean, focused, almost meditative writing tool

  • The best digital writing feel on the market

  • A simple interface that keeps you in flow