The Boox Word Air 2 is essentially the most tablet-like E Ink gadget I examined. This 10.3-inch pill encompasses a decision of 227 mph, runs on a personalized model of the Android 11 working system, and even has its personal app retailer, the place you possibly can obtain third-party apps which have been optimized for the gadget. And sure, whereas it does not come prebaked into the system, there’s a strategy to entry the total Google Play retailer – although I would not suggest it for something apart from downloading an e-reading app, because the Boox nonetheless has an E Ink show and is not made for video games or video. A step-by-step on how you can get the Google Play retailer put in is on this hands-on assessment of a earlier mannequin.
Additionally, the Boox comes with solely 64GB of nonexpandable storage, so you don’t need apps filling up your system. The corporate does supply 5GB of cloud storage from its personal service totally free to assist switch paperwork to the gadget, although it’s also possible to use Dropbox, Evernote and OneNote.
The largest good thing about the app retailer is that you will have entry to your complete assortment of books out of your Kindle, Nook and Kobo libraries. You can even obtain the Libby app for library books, and Marvel Limitless customers can obtain the app and browse comics, although not in coloration. The Word Air 2 contains audio system and a microphone, permitting you to take heed to audiobooks from Audible or different audiobook apps.
It is a nice promoting level of the gadget, however I discovered the in-app expertise to be lower than preferrred. Most of the options that make the Word Air 2 distinctive are disabled in third-party apps. For instance, you will not be capable of use the pen to take notes or make highlights in books on the Kindle app. As a substitute, you may need to kind in notes you wish to take, like utilizing the app on some other pill. To write down immediately onto books, you may have to have them in DRM-free e book format. Fortunately, the Boox helps a variety of codecs together with PDF, epub, DOC, and Mobi.
Word-taking and PDF administration are sturdy on the Word Air 2 however not as seamless as on the ReMarkable 2. Highlights aren’t robotically straightened, and customers have to decide on the colour and width of the marker. The Word Air 2 offers 16 choices of grayscale coloration, however all of them look the identical on the gadget, leaving highlights wanting darkish and messy. The included stylus additionally options 4,096 ranges of strain sensitivity however lags ever so barely when writing throughout the web page. On the plus facet, you possibly can embrace audio recordings for extra correct retention. The Word Air 2 additionally enables you to open a PDF and pocket book on the identical time in a split-screen view, supplying you with the flexibility to learn and take notes .
Just like the Kindle Paperwhite and Oasis, the Boox Word Air 2 comes with a heat and chilly entrance mild to assist make the display screen simpler on the eyes and provides it a extra paperlike look. You’ll be able to simply regulate each lights with a swipe-down menu. Plus, it additionally measures its battery life in weeks, not days.
Whereas this pill is by far the costliest on our listing, it is also essentially the most versatile of the E Ink tablets and does lots properly however nothing nice.
You may see that the corporate has not too long ago introduced a Word Air 2 Plus. I have not tried that one, but it surely’s nearly an identical to the unique Air 2 — simply with an even bigger battery, which additionally makes it very barely heavier. Additionally they make the Tab Extremely, which I’ve examined and loved, however finally discovered too costly to suggest to most individuals.