I was thrilled to receive my Boox Note Air 5C this morning, and after spending some initial time with it I’m ready to share my first impressions. This device looks promising right out of the box.
What’s in the box?
Since I ordered directly from Boox Hong Kong, my package included a case. However, regardless of where you purchase it, the standard box is clean and simple. Inside, you should find the essentials:
- The Boox Note Air 5C device itself.
- The Pen3 Stylus
- A USB-C cable.
Design, Build, and hardware
The Note Air 5C immediately gives off a premium feel. It has a sleek, metal body that feels both smooth and comfortable to hold. Weighing about 440g and being incredibly thin at around 5.88 mm, it strikes a great balance between portability and screen size.
The hardware layout is straightforward:
- The power button, which cleverly doubles as the fingerprint reader, is located on the top. I appreciate that it operates without a “clicky” sound.
- The USB-C port is centered on the left side, with a microSD card slot positioned right next to it.
The Boox Pen3 stylus is a new addition. While the pen’s tip is silky smooth, its top-heavy weight distribution is unique and might take some getting used to for long writing sessions. Thankfully, it attaches securely to the right side of the device with a solid magnet
Display: Kaleido 3 and Color Quality
The device uses the 10.3” Kaleido 3 Display. When viewing black and white content, the sharpness is excellent, benefiting from a crisp 300 ppi resolution. However, when color comes in, the resolution drops to 150 ppi.
For an e-ink screen the color quality is nice. Compared to its predecessor, the 4C, the colors are perhaps a little more vibrant, but the difference isn’t drastic. It’s important to remember that these are e-ink colors; compared to an LCD tablet, the colors will appear quite muted.
One known characteristic of the Kaleido 3 Display is that its quite dark—a trait that is noticeable on the Note Air 5C when compared to something like the Boox Go 7.
Addressing the dark screen
Fortunately, the device counters the inherent darkness with a highly effective adjustable dual-tone front light. This light offers both a warm and cool setting that you can fine-tune to your preferred reading environment. The light distribution appears reasonably even and is a lifesaver for reading in low-light conditions.
Reading and Writing Experience
Reading
Reading PDFs on this device is a pleasant experience. The page turn speed is great, and the inclusion of numerous cropping features within the Neoreader app makes handling large documents easy. You can fully annotate, highlight, and take notes directly within any PDF file.
Writing
The writing experience is perhaps one of my favorite features. The combination of the pen and the screen texture offers just the right amount of friction—it truly feels like writing on real paper. There is absolutely little if any lag, which is a testament to the Boox Super Refresh technology that quickly updates the screen.
The native Note-taking App is intuitive, offering various pen types like calligraphy and fountain pen, as well as useful tools like layers or the lasso tool.
Performance and Software Advantages
Running on Android 15 and featuring the Google Play Store, the Boox Note Air 5C has a major advantage for app flexibility and functionality.
Performance is snappy; the device is able to switch between apps and navigate without any noticeable lag. A feature I particularly appreciate is the Split-Screen capability, which allows you to read a document on one side while taking notes on the other—a fantastic productivity boost.
A quick note on accessories: The device includes a pogo pin connection, which suggests it would pair well with a dedicated keyboard.
Who Is This Device For?
While I personally would have loved to have this device during my uni student days, its versatility makes it suitable for a wider audience. I can easily see this being a valuable tool for:
- Professionals who need to read, annotate documents, and multitask.
- Creatives who enjoy the paper-like writing experience.
- Avid Readers who want a large-screen, low-eyestrain reading platform.
Overall, the Boox Note Air 5C is shaping up to be a great device. I plan to make a full review soon to explore its features in greater depth.
Buy it here: https://amzn.to/4373lDX
