I don't often feel a want to comment on videos, but after having watching all three of these relatively lengthy segments with full engagement and interest, I was compelled to say something. Such an extremely comprehensive and thoughtful review was extremely helpful to someone like myself, who gives careful consideration to all the small details. Every question I had come up with, you have managed to touch upon (particularly my concern with being able to turn the front light off), and you've absolutely helped me in making a decision I've been putting off for some time. Likewise I like that you departed from a starkly technical tone and imbued your review with some flare and emotionality. I'm highly left-brained and logical, but I also tend to get emotionally attached to and invested in my devices and other things of course, and your opinions in this regard resonated with me. Thanks for a wonderful review! Great job, to the point of eliciting a comment from this 98% silent observer.
watched all 3 parts. thought it was long at the beginning, but quickly turned into wanting to hear all you had to say. The review is SO comprehensive AND fair. Made up my mind after this video, answered all my questions and more. Really glad I found it. Excellent job and an awesome channel. Thank you so much.
Probably the most sincere and heartfelt review I've ever seen. Congrats Voja, you put a lot of passion and effort in your reviews. PS. I feel very sorry for Remarkable :( I'm waiting for my unit (batch7) and will give it try, probably together with an Air for direct comparison. However, despite I love RM2 (don't even know why), there seem to be way too many reasons at this point to prefer Boox.
It really depends. If you don't draw and all you need from it is note taking and not a functional reader, and you prefer no learning curve and core simplicity, then it'll probably stay in your heart and on your desk :) In my case, I simply can't justify using it, since I needed it for drawing and as an at least semi functional reader, and for me there is a difference between simplicity and limitations, and for me, rM is unnecessarily limited. Simplicity should not mean limitations. Note Air, with all its quirks, learning curve, and faults, just does everything I need a device to do and I can use it both for work and pleasure. Plus, i love how it looks and feels :)
For me it's the opposite. rM2 might not be good enough for me, also batch 7. But from what I KNOW about Note Air, it's got too many cons for me to get over rM2. It's rM2 or nothing for me. (maybe rM1) And the jagged lines isn't on every device, but it's a lottery.
@@housr can you get the seperate? I'll get my Note Air on monday and give my rM1 to my girldfriend. I'd need a better pen then and I don't really know where to start looking
I'm feeling quite the same about RM2, and I think it's because it's the one getting as close as possible to a pen&paper experience which is exactly shat I search for in these techs. However I'd also like these techs to go beyond that ad give us everything we could expect from copruting devices (why did they put aside a good pdf handling in the first place?)
Hello Voja and thank you for your absolutely amazing reviews. As for the screen protector, I managed to put on mine without any defects. The key points were 1. clean 2. cold and 3. slow! First of all let the device cold. It needs to be at room temperature. Then make a really humid environment in your bathroom, after cleaning all the dust in it. Enter the bathroom without clothes, wearing a surgical mask and a hair cover. Use an isopropyl alcohol surface cleaner pad on your screen and let it dry (that was the time after I actually removed the protective cover of my note air without even powering it on, yet). Remove the one side cover of the protector all at once and begin applying it SLOW. What I mean by slow is that the whole process took me about 40 minutes. I used some kind of pulley mechanism for holding the top side of the protector with some tape stuck on its front, to highly control the flow. If any bubbles were formed I lifted it back 5mm and pushed it again flat with a credit card until it reached the top. I still had 4-5 bubbles near the bottom side at which I started, but since there wasn't any dust trapped inside, I easily managed to push them out with the card after the application. It really helped that I spent some time simulating the process without removing the screen and the protector covers. Another tip is that I used the '1' and half of the '2' sticker to actually hold the bottom of the screen protector in place for the first few cm of application. For your case you have already applied the protector, I suggest you remove it once you are already setup in that clean and humid environment, clean the screen VERY well with isopropyl alcohol and take any dust of the protector (it should be were your bubbles already are) by tapping some sticky tape while holding it inside your fingers. Hope that helps and let me know of your results! Again thank you for your absolutely absolutely perfect reviews. I was about to order the 10.3" pocketbook and you helped me decide to preorder the note air which I'm in love with. Thank you!!
That's excellent advice and thank you :) But it also just proves how insanely difficult it is and to what extreme measures people have to go through in order to apply a screen protector that should have been applied by the factory in the first place :) But thank you very much for sharing all of the details. I myself have given up on that screen protector and have ordered a different paper like, which I'll try out as soon as it arrives :)
@@MyDeepGuide I absolutely agree with you. It's not easy to have your brand new device on your hands and know that you have to go through all of this before you even power it on. I'm looking forward your follow up video for the new screen protector. I hope it works really well for you!
@@LTR2025 I don't think it is a method they would use for mass production. It takes so much time. It's only good for individuals trying to apply their own screen protectors. For massive application I'm sure they would use either the wet method or a lab clean environment, like Voja mentioned, in a small room or a dust free vacuum glove box.
@@dimitris2521 I know, and don't get me wrong thank you so much for sharing it, it's much appreciated. It was just a joke to show Onyx (they might be reading) how tedious is to apply the filter properly without any bubbles that's all ;)
Thank you, Voja! Your reviews these past months have really helped me make the decision which device to buy. I was so looking forward to my Remarkable 2 - ordered June 8th (batch 7) - and got really disappointed over the late delivery, low internal memory and lack of software support. I decided to give the Boox Note Air a try after watching your unboxing video, I placed the "pre-order" (seems unfitting compared to RM2) 9 days ago and it arrived today! Still waiting for the RM2 after 5 months! I started working with the Boox Note Air right away and I'm VERY pleased! It's my first e-ink note taking device and I'm even very happy with the stock pen. I'll definitely try out other pens (like the LAMY) but this is already really nice to work with for me. Thanks a ton! I feel like this has been the right decision.
Thanks a ton for these 3 videos.... I was struggling for a month on which device to own and you've made me feel 100x better about my decision. After your first unboxing video I put my unopened RM2 on eBay and was able to sell it for a nice premium which in turn lowered my cost on the Note Air... WIN, WIN!!! I am VERY much looking forward to your BOOX instructional series as getting used to this device after strictly using an iPad/iPhone is a struggle to say the least. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK VOJA!!!
You did a perfect work again. It's rare case for me to watch full video of this kind of length without skipping but I did for all three parts of the review. Thanks for your work always.
Exactly! I am quite sure that until this review I have NEVER watched anything longer than 20min. And here I am with over 80 min at once. Congratulations :)
I have to indulge and write a second comment. I finally installed the screen protector. I would say that that it was a 90% success. I did get some bubbles. It is indeed impossible to eliminate all dust in a typical home environment. I got very lucky with my installation. The few bubbles that I have on the writing screen are so small that I don't notice them in typical use of the Note Air. I would equate these bubbles with the annoying white pixel problem. You really have to look for these bubbles to see them. One added benifit to the screen protector is that it adds a little more friction to the blue metal band on the side of the Note Air. This helps me to hold the tablet with better control. It is less likely to slip out of my grasp while using it. Definitely a plus.
I knew you’ll have a hard time letting go of RM2. I really tried hard to make use of my RM1 (didn’t bother with RM2 when I found out it had no software improvements) and just felt like I was “hitting the wall” like you said. I kept hanging on to it hearing how people love the “writing feel” but then could never get it for myself. I finally sold it! Loving the Note Air as much as you do.
Dear Voja! Thank you very much for this very interesting comparison. I have the rM2 for 1 week and now I ordered the Note Air for testing and comparing it for myself and my needs. I am very curious to see which device will win the battle..
@@tinybuddha8379 After my testing I came to the conclusion, that I will keep the Note Air. It was a hard decision, because the writing experience and the ease of use of the rM2 is definitely better. rM2 is really more distraction free compared with the Note Air. On the other hand, the functionality of the Note Air is much higher. Which makes it also more complex, you need more time to understand the concept and all the details and there are definitely more distractions using the Note Air. You have to think about folder syncs, what clouds you use for what purpose, directory structures, workflows, and so on. As I am a person with a background as engineer, I am more comfortable to have a more complex system with more options, than an easy good working system with so strict limitations. For sure, there is already a growing group of linux programmers using the rM2 and add more nice unsupported functions to it, but this is too much effort for me to go this way. So the conclusion for me is, that both products are very good products and both are a recommended buy. The rM2 is the perfect choice for people who want to use it as a writing pad, and maybe read and make notes on pdf files. The Note Air (or one of the other products with the same operating system, like the Note 3) is the best choice if you want a more flexible system for writing notes, reading pdf docs, reading eBooks of all kinds, work in low light enviroments, use other Apps like email, checklists, and more.
Hey Voja, Great summary! I've only been doing this now for 30 days, and while the BooX Air is way more complex, it also, in many ways, is way more capable. As much as I really like my Remarkable, I'm going to return it and keep the Air. A really significant point in this decision, and I cannot state this enough, is the Remarkable company itself. Not only are they non responsive, one gets the feeling they hate their customers. Still no mention anywhere I see about the jagged edges issue. I've sent them emails which are never responded to. I guess I chalk this up to the companies relatively naive management and lack of understanding regarding customer relations. Still, one would think they would at some point get a clue. The Air has a questions and feedback form right in their settings area. They've always responded promptly, once in only 2 minutes! This is huge.
It's very good to hear from another rM2 device fan to hear the similar type of progression. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts here :) I'm preparing to pimp up my Note Air to make it even more funky, and a dedicated series The Big Boox Guide, that should help people climb that learning curve and be able to understand their devices and form their own workflows and habits, so that the device works for them, not against them :)
@@MyDeepGuide t That sounds great. You may want to suggest people download Solid Explorer as their file browser. Using it you can share your files to just about anything service as well as email and Gmail. It's the only way over figured out how to email full resolution PNGs from my notes (btw, the QR code does not link to full res PNGs).
my comments for this part 3 video are... The Pros and cons are so on point it's not even funny. She is such a beauty and I can't stop using it either. I enjoyed watching the deep analysis in the first two parts. Didn't comment in part 2 yet because i'm testing something that might help with an issue you pointed out. Once I'm finished and verify, I'll make the comments in your part 2 video. I almost spilled my drink at time index 11:30. That was too funny. Who are you and what have you done to Voja? :) Looking forward to viewing the Boox instructional video series, sounds like it's going to be very helpful. Bottom line, Boox has a very good hit on their hands and hopefully they will take all the cons you pointed out into account and fix them. They hit it out of the park with this version, I can only imagine what they will do for the Note Air 2. As always, thanks for the videos.
Such an amazing set of reviews again! I wonder if boox will bring out a felt tip for their pen after seeing this! I hope so! I really look forward to seeing you trying different aftermarket pens on the Note Air. Especially as you can't buy the Remarkable pen on its own yet.
Thank you for the great review! I've been enjoying my Note air for a week now! I was doubting to cancel my remarkable 2 pre-order, but thanks to your review I was able to make the decision. I look forward to your opinion on the best pen & tip combination for the Note air! Have you used the Lamy pen on it yet?
For me it really works. High quality, elegant and fun at the same time :) But it's not wearing a suit and a tie (maybe that's why I love it). For that, rM2 is the one to go to.
I don't like the plastic slab design of the Note and Nova, I really like the Poke2 and Max3 and which are the models that I invariably use. I have the entire Boox range and the 10.3" and 7.8" screens get the least use. Actually not used at all.
Thanks Voya. Fantastic reviews, like the thoroughness, as well as your personality infused throughout. Super cool, can't wait for my BOOX Air and Staedler Jumbo both of which I've just ordered. Cheers!
Hello Voja, I think I can relate to how you feel about remarkable. I had it in my eye for almost two years, but I was waiting for second-gen, once I saw the promotion on the march about the 2nd gen I ordered it, and I was waiting for it for 7 whole months. In the while, I saw all the reviews I could find online, especially yours in deep review that by the way, you did an excellent job. Some days before my shipment I saw the jaginess issue, and once I received my device the disappointment started. I write with very small letters and I don't like at all how jaggy they look, and if you see your note in the companion app it's looking even worse. and the worst part an update rolled out and they did not do anything about the jaggines issue. I have my device for one and half week now, and I don't know how to proceed, shall I return it and try again with Note air for a better experience, or leave at all the e-ink devices and invest in an iPad pro with the magic keyboard and the pen. Keep in mind I was using my iPad with the apple pencil for almost a year taking notes and although I don't; like at all the writing feel, as note taking is a lot better, because you can add images to your notes, draw straight lines and shapes, and also add text. (something I see you can also do with note air. But after so much time I lost waiting for that device, I don't know if my heart is in the right position to return it. Sorry for the long text
I'm receiving the RM 1 tomorrow, and have yet to see what the e ink experience is like, but this review makes me really question whether I should return it as well and upgrade to the note air.
Personally, I find it much better to use eye-friendly screen.. I have an iPad and I felt exhausted every time I've used it. I think I will continue to use my RM2.
@@valentynaponomarenko4568 I don't have a problem with the screen, especially when i am using it inside, my only problem with iPad is the glassy feel when you write with the apple pencil, if only they had a felt tip, it would be somewhat better. The big difference with the screen is if you used it outside that is a thousand times better the remarkable screen and any e-ink device in general in opposition of an LCD screen
Voja, I absolutely love your videos. I've been in the Batch 10 RM2 queue for several weeks now and have been eagerly following your latest Boox reviews, using them to refine what will ultimately be a very difficult decision. Because I would really like to have the software capabilities of the Boox platform, I'm inching toward purchasing one of the newer models. I suspect there's still a lot to learn about the Note 3, which is very much in play for me. Would you be able to speak at some point to the differences you perceive in the form factors of the Max Lumi, Note Air, and Note 3? I find that I'm attracted to the extra real estate of the Max Lumi but am worried that its size might be a bit unwieldy for writing in places like an armchair or sofa. I would super enjoy you talking a bit more about something you say very briefly in this video--that the Note Air is the model you want to pick up and take with you everywhere you go in the house. This is the "feel" I'm looking for and I'd love to know how your relate differently to the three new Boox models and which most invites you to engage with it. Again, your videos have been endlessly delightful and helpful to me. Thank you!
you can try this about remove all the bubbles, after applying the screen protector, use 2 short pieces of SCOTCH type, one to gently lift the screen protector from the edges, and squeeze in the other pieces of the type to catch the dust and repeat.
Thank you Voja for doing these 3 video reviews of the Boox Note Air. Looking forward to the playlist of the guide for the Boox platform. I feel for you and the somewhat let down feeling that you are experiencing with the rM2. I am ecstatic about your enthusiasm for the Boox Note Air because I am really considering buying it. I like the mutli-functionality of the device and I was struggling between the writing experience of the Boox Note 3 with its slightly bigger storage and RAM - which would better. But I do believe I am liking the style better of the Note Air. Great video's as normal.
Amazing review! I couldn't wait for it and went for the Air after your first impressions, but this was very nice to watch and only solidified my personal opinion of the device. I am absolutely in love with it as my first E-Ink tablet, and immidiately got the Lamy Al-Star EMR to use with it. I love the pen and as a noob with these kinds of devices, I really can't feel a huge difference to writing on paper. I even sometimes prefer the smooth feel to somewhat scratchy paper. It's also really good for my workflow, taking notes in pdfs for university and writing equations and calculations down during lectures. I can use Google Drive and AutoSync for Drive to automatically download all my school stuff to the device and automatically sync it when I export the notes or save the pdfs. That was my main point for picking up this over the remarkable. And I actually like the included cover, due to the stick on method it's really slim. Would have been nice if it were a little bit more stable, bat as long as it allows me to keep the screen protected without using a screen protector, I'm happy! Also, love your channel and really looking forward to more coverage on the Air :D
Voja, excellent work as always. You are the Grand Master! I watched the entire Note Air review on my new Note Air. I ordered it on Amazon Nov 1 and it arrived on Nov 4. I'm still waiting for my rM2，batch 7. Watching you on the TH-cam app was a bit grainy but very doable , like analog TV with poor but acceptable reception. I am using the stock stylus to handwrite this comment. So far I am very impressed with the Note Air. Maybe it is tucked in tight behind the rM2 in writing experience，but it is light years ahead in functionality. I‘m not sure if I will keep both tablets. I hope--though I won't hold my breath--that reMarkable will eventually fix many of the issues with their software. As Morning Coach has said, the rM2 is a work of art. Perhaps this work of art is destined for jail break in the Linux community. But I digress. I will play with the rM2 when it finally arrives. I may just keep the pen and send back the tablet. Thanks again for your invaluable work.
There's no jailbreaking the RM2, as you already have root access by default, they even give you instructions how to connect. However the drivers for the hardware are proprietary and the part that makes it so responsive in the first place. Meaning someone has to reverse engineer the whole thing which is an ungrateful job, or they provide and api/source for writing on the device.
My Note Air arrived in the mail today. Looks like Onyx overhauled the production for more recent SKUs a bit - it came with the screen protector already attached, and the magnet holds the pen remarkably (no pun intended) well to the side of the tablet; it takes some serious shaking to force it off. I definitely see the issues with the included pen, drawing feels very technical, like tracing on old-school carbon paper. It's not exactly the fun writing and doodling experience you'd expect from this specific device. That said, for now it gets the job done, and I'll get me a stylus fit for more casual use soon enough. So far, very pleased with the device.
25:20 Hey Voya! I tried to look through your other Papyr videos why you like to use the Papyr over the Boox Note Air sometimes. I'm interested to learn more about what Papyr can do, that Boox doesn't do as well. Would you be able to give a quick response on that? Thank you!
I have tried out several. The best pen for the note air in my opinion is the ReMarkable Pen, really wonderful writing. Good alternative would be Staedtler Noris Jumbo. The boox pen is really not good, very slippery
Today I made the tough decision to return my reMarkable2 and order an Onyx device. It was really tough as I enjoyed the device. Besides watching your videos i realized a few things. I have a clear grasp of who Onyx are and that they support their devices and community. I can't say that for rM. The second main reason was I am a reader and a writer. Having to hack the device to meet both needs just doesn't make sense for me. So I am getting the Note 3. So hearing from you about the best marker for the Onyx would be fantastic.
That's a video that will come soon, still waiting on an Amazon delivery with a couple of pens, nibs and a screen protector, so that I can make the test and the video for the best pen+nib combo for the Boox devices.
You just nailed exactly why I am not even considering a Remarkable anymore. Supporting and communicating with early adopter consumers is vital in an early-stage, growing tech category.
@@seanbaedke3155 The intense connection with the device shows that they are on to something. Leaving customers to wonder if you don't care, you don't have the skill set, you are swamped or you are visionaries makes even the most adventurous early adopters think twice. I have never wrestled with a tech purchase like this one. Why? I do believe I am maling the right decision but at the same time I feel like I am losing somehow. Sheesh...it is just a tablet. Lol
As always, wonderful review! Love the way you do the reviews and it definitely helps many many persons within their decision wich product to buy. You did that for me, too. I bought the rM2 back in March, was Batch 2 but as I found your review, I was sure I will send it back due to the software beeing so bad. The bad communication of rM, the many delays and not telling what the issues are lead me to cancel my preorder (unfortunately I was a day too late, they already sent the device out and I had to refuse it at my door - it was sent back without opening it). After your first review of the Note Air I ordered that, and I'm even more excited to get my hands onto it after seeing your in depth review. Thanks for making my waiting time even more crucial :D Thanks Voja, keep doing the good work and I'm looking forward to your Onyx Universe Videos (now that I'm a part of it as well) P.S. do the remarkable nibs fit into the Lamy pen?
I received the RM2 after almost 6 months wait (batch 5). I have the jagged line issue which is worse at the bottom 0.5-1cm of the screen, but it's not the only issue I've found with it. For some reason close to the right border, the stroke becomes 3 times the thickness than elsewhere (without pressure change or tilt difference). Honestly this pretty much ruined the excitement I still had for the device, and I've already put it aside because it feels like creating content on it is a waste of time. I hope I'll get a reply from RM on my ticket soon, but by the stories on their support and transparency, I don't get my hopes up. The whole company feels like the apple of note taking devices. It's pretty, it's good at some things, but in the end They decide what you get, and if there's a problem, They give you the finger. Having said that I have already attached myself emotionally to the RM as well thanks to the waiting time and the time invested in watching reviews, weighing pros and cons. Right now I will probably get the note air though, or the note 3, which is supposed to be the flagship being an ugly plastic one. Main thing that holds me back for the Air is the glass screen, and the expected writing experience that comes with it, and not in the least the glare. As they've both bee and addressed and seem to be not much of an issue, I think I'll take the leap and try the Air. It's not as refined as the RM2, nor am I the biggest fan of the color scheme but it still looks like a high end device. Long personal story short, thanks for providing us with the great insights that you give the world Voja! You put in a lot of time and effort for us, but it's greatly appreciated. It makes it possible to weigh most pros and cons before having physically seen or tried the device ourselves.
The blue and orange coloring should definitely be an option, but it seems a little off to me that a company named Onyx releases a product without a black color option. I'd like to see what a Note Air with darkish gray bezel and matte black brushed aluminum case would have looked like. For the pen, I've seen magnetic sleeves for slipping over the pen that will allow you to stick any pen to the case. Started November 2nd, Onyx is shipping a "sticky pen holder" with random Note Air orders, but they should have included one of those magnetic pen sleeves instead.
I have been on the fence between the Boox Air and the Supernote A5X. One of the biggest selling points for me between the two is that Bestbuy now sells the boox tablets so returns are super easy. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS
Hi Voja. I just got my Note Air. I’m still going through the learning curve, but first impressions are very favorable so far. I’m looking forward to your review on what pen(s)you like for this. I’m presently using my Remarkabe 1 pen as I don’t like the one that came with it.
@@MyDeepGuide I wonder if you justify for yourself giving up Note Air (leaner and metallic, with its auto-rotation feature and left-centered bezel) for Note 3 autorotation-less, with that different cover, but with more memory and double storage, symmetric profile and more lightweight :) Will be looking forward for review! Many blessings!
Are the jagged lines of Remarkable 2 uncomfortable a lot? I use it for taking notes and drawing simple schematics (shapes and lines). I'm going to go buy it this Saturday. (From someone who bought it in March and then resells it now) Since I am Korean, I used a translator. I appreciate your understanding even if there are some awkward parts. Videos are always watched! Thank you!
My unit in combination with my harder writing and drawing style presents a problem for me. Since Note Air doesn't have that issue at all, it's a very easy decision for me.
You cannot make straight line with rm2! Ir well you can, but the Note air actually have a tool which can make straight lines, circles, squares etc. The rm2 has non of that.
Very nice review of the device Voya. Related boox pen, I think that the easy solution is to sell a different nibs more soft. I suppose that in china webs more sooner than later you can find something compatible if the device works commercially. One question, do you think that the nib could be worked with a fine sandpaper? Or is a silly idea? And I hope that in future devices Onyx Boox work a little bit more on the design of a pen to use on their devices, that could be the same to reduce costs but much better than the actual. Is a pitty that the pen devaluate the device itself
Felt nib and paperlike screen protector is a perfect combo for Onyx Boox devices. I just bought a Note 3 on a Chinese online shop. They provided those nibs and protectors as free gifts. The writing experience is really great.
J’ai remarqué qu’avec le Boox Note Air, dans le carnet de notes proposé sur la gauche, il est difficile de tourner la page avec le doigt. Il y a certes la fonction “” en haut à droite qui affiche le numéro de page n en cours et où le logo “” change de page, mais il est très difficile de tourner la page en effleurant d’un doigt la vitre de gauche à droite ou l’inverse. Il faut une certaine distance, une certaine vitesse, une certaine pression, sinon l’appareil ne fait rien, il faut s’y reprendre à plusieurs fois, c’est assez pénible. Dans la lecture de PDF, donc avec un autre logiciel, celui par défaut qui ouvre un PDF, le simple fait de toucher la vitre à droite ou à gauche suffit à faire tourner la page, comme sur les liseuses classiques, mais ça ne marche pas avec les Notes de la Boox Note Air. Il faut également apparemment que ce soit un stylo qui soit sélectionné, dans toute autre fonction, on ne pourra pas tourner la page. Bref, sauf à utiliser les signes “” en haut à droite dans les Notes standard de la Boox, il est difficile de tourner la page avec le doigt. Bien à vous
Voja, thank you for such an excellent and in-depth review!! I'm looking forward to seeing your reviews on the Note 3 and Nova 3 as well. Does the Note Air have the ability to translate handwritten notes into text? If so, how easy and reliable is it? Thanks again!
If you care about it, yes. If you don't, no. For me it's not, because I've checked what the device is doing (nothing unusual) and I consider it an issue that the distributors and law agencies should address, if they care about it, but apparently, they don't.
Thanks A LOT for your in-depth exploration of those devices, it's really really usefull as there is kind of an obscure mistery on this technology that has yet to breach to a larger audience but still has a tremendous potential (as of my point of view): somehow I find myself very attracted by the concept of an "interactive paper" as I'm both a Pan&Ink lover and a tech-nerd, however I still hesitate to invest in those because of the lack of features I'd expect for 500+€ devices! I honestly was sad to cancel my Remarkable2 preorder but as both a scholar and an illustrator, I couldn't see myself struggling with jaggy lines and bad pdf handling. I honestly hope they'll keep developing the software! Anyway, thanks again. E-ink is such a minimalistic tech yet huge subject to talk about, and I'm always surprised to see how people can get obsessive with developping it or wanting it while we have IPad techs and lookalike! Somehow it feels as if we'll never get over the materiality of pen&paper, which is a good thing I believe.
"simply because I have the ability of self control" 😆❤️ Thank you. Now I want a Note Air and since I'm a broke student saving up will take forever 😂 I guess that also requires self control. I like your channel, subscribed 😄
I just got the Boox note air (27-07-2021). They apparently fixed the issue with the standard pen not being secured to the note air well enough by the magnets. I can literally not get the pen to fall off no matter how hard I shake the device! It's still the same smooth surfaces on both note air and pen. 🙂👍
I really, really value your opinions thus far. I'm looking for a good PDF reader and I think you've dissuaded me from the remarkable2 and are convincing me to use the Boox Air. I'm hoping you might help me do a fact finding mission though... a secondary use that I'd love to explore is using the eInk device as a secondary monitor for coding. In the latest 3.0v firmware update, Boox states they "Support screencast ( It only supports to mirror screens to Win10 computers)" but I cannot find any demonstration of this anywhere. Have you tried this functionality at all? Or better yet, have you shown it in a video (that I've somehow missed)?
Hey Voja. Great video, thanx! Let me ask for your expert, subjective opinion: In 21:38 you grade rM2 as "A" and Note Air with a good pen as "B+", regarding their writing experience. How would you grade Note3 and max lumi writing experience on the same scale? I want you to know that your videos and information help lot of us to choose how to spent their hrd-earned money. Salute.
Thank you :) I would grade them all the same on that same scale. Between the different Boox devices there are small, fine differences, but on a grander scheme of things, when compared to the reMarkable, they all feel like they are in the same category.
Nice to hear the Note Air turns out like I expected and I only still have to wait until it arrives (order experience is still really bad). I will also do some hacks and workarounds and use it without screenprotection. Hope it will last many years.
Fantastic videos. Thanks so much!! Which pen can you recommend other than the remarkable 2? I don't see the option of ordering the remarkable 2 pen only, so am looking for an alternative...
Thank you Voja, for the incredibly thorough review. I'm curious - do you have any concerns about Boox's violation of the GPL? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onyx_Boox at the bottom of page.) I notice that this hasn't been covered in any of your videos. I know your reviews are very focused on the devices themselves, so perhaps you consider it out-of-band? But since I recall the (very useful) video you posted about the Remarkable licensing agreement concerns, I thought you might want to investigate this as well.
I did, and I got this question a couple of times and since then I've been looking into it a lot, and if I'm honest, i don't really care about that. I know that they should release the source code modifications, and of that i agree, but after checking what the device is doing and tracing packets and scanning the system, I've found exactly 0 out of the ordinary activity, and as such I have no worries about it. Regarding the remarkable subscription model, i focused on the article which was released in Norway only where they announced the subscription models and I backed that bit of info with their T&C Cloud Subscription that confirmed it. Now, some people focused solely on the T&C part, completely forgetting that the main part is the article itself, and when I reminded them about that they would admit that they panicked "a little bit". So, that was the absolute last time that I listen to requests from people about what I should cover. So no, it doesn't worry me at all because I tested it, and for my needs it's as leaky and as safe as my phone is, meaning, standard. Should they release it? Absolutely. Does it worry me? Not one bit.
Nope, i didn't like it, like i mentioned in the review, so i returned it. But I kept the Nova 2, as i like that one, and I definitely love the Note Air :)
Three in a row! Thanks Voya. Can you record a video to showing all Boox devices. It's to hard to remember all those in the market to decide which is the best for me. (Or can do that at the blog)
Best tech review of any kind I've seen by far. For me to be perfect, I'd only need to know which others pens you'd recommend to buy with the Note Air, best e-ink device nowadays. Greetings from Barcelona, Catalonia, EU
Thank you very much :) i have waited for other pens to arrive and to test them out. Last night everything arrived, so I'm testing them out and a video that covers that in detail will be coming soon :)
Thanks so much for this. As someone for whom ereading capability (ideally including kindle) is important and who occasionally does a little bit of browsing to find info to include in my writing, this was most helpful. Looks like with a good pen the writing won't be so much worse than the RM2 and it'll be Ok for notetaking. Thanks again :)
after reading the review, I just bought the note air, and really feel amazing about it, the look, all the functions it has, and even the writing experience. The only thing I complain will be the magnet pen that is not attached well and does not has a built in eraser on it. Also there seems to have a steep learning curve on using it. please be aware of it. But how can you know all the tricks to use the device? Where can you find all these info? Can you provide a link to me here?
I have the same kind of dilemma with the RM2. I have it but I use my Note Air way more often ! I guess the whole "no distraction thing" of the RM2 is a real limitation. The software needs to evolve, the RM2 must be compatible with Dropbox and Google drive. The current limitations can be overcome by a software improvement. We don't need emails or else what most of people need is the possibility to access cloud documents. That's all.
@Maisonier I ordered the Staedtler Noris Jumbo instead, which is thicker and 3-sided for a more comfortable grip and also has an eraser at the other end. Read the reviews at Amazon to see what I'm talking about.
I have got an RM2 device. I totally share @MyDeepGuide remarks. In particular, the jagged lines problem NEEDS to be solved and Cast/LiveShare NEEDS to improve. Particularly now that we are living in a work-from-home world and given the competition (Papyro, Quaderno, Boox Note Air, etc...). These devices are all offering a better live-sharing experience than the Live (beta) function of RM2. I love my RM2 but I agree with Voya.
Thank you very much for the review. Base on your videos, I decided to hold off the purchase 'til the pen is fixed, and maybe when it comes with screen protector pre-applied. Otherwise, this device or note3 is perfect for my use case. Luckily with Onyx refresh cycle, I bet I'll see these requests met in 6 months or less. RM2 lacks reader feature for me.
There's just one thing I'd want to know. if you open a PDF from the google drive app using the native PDF viewer/editor, make changes and close it, are those changes automatically saved back to google drive (ie, would they be visible if you open that pdf on the computer). or do you have to explicitly upload it back to google drive?
If you open a PDF from Google drive using anything else than the Google drive reader, Google drive itself is the one that will instruct the device to download the document first and then open it with the instructed app. This is how Google Drive works on any system, including Boox devices. With that in mind, yes, you can "open" a file with Neo Reader directly from Google Drive, but you need to understand that from that moment on, you are working on a locally downloaded PDF version of that file. You can of course upload that PDF back to Google drive manually when you are done working in it. This is expected behavior and is how Google Drive works.
@@MyDeepGuide thanks for the reply! Perhaps there are different ways to open it. On iPad, I open it in foxit reader, which interfaces with drive. And on my android tablet, I open drive, navigate to pdf, click 3 dots on the right, click 'open with', then Shane pdf editor (in my case Xodo). Then, any annotations I make are automatically saved back to drive when I close the file (no manual saving or reuploading required). Is there any way to basically have a streamline (no manual saving or uploading) shared folder on desktop and this tablet and use their native pdf editor/viewer? Maybe drop box?
Well you can use the same apps you are using on Android now and it'll all work the same it does for you now, as this is Android 10. Your original question was in regards to the Neo Reader.
Hi Voja, Love your excellent reviews! I don't think I've seen better reviews anywhere! Thanks a lot! I have a use scenario for e-paper displays that I think could be very interessting but most reviewers seem to be unaware of: replacement of a paper family wall calendar! No more manually updating the paper wall calendar would be very helpfull especially for families, teams etc. I am currently looking for a e-paper device to replace our old kitchen calendar to be used together with google calendar (thinking about boox air) and it would be very interessting to hear your opinion about it! Maybe there are issues that prevent this use scenario that I am not aware of? Could you demonstrate how, for example google calendar, would look on an e-paper display? 🙏
Ask my self, do the speed modes infect the DESTA results? Is there a difference between the original pen to the rM2 one. Maybe it is one topic for the upcoming pen video.
Hi, congratulations for your channel. I have a question; You can write over the epubs directly with pen as in PDF. Is it possible write in EPUBS with pen directly as in PDF to take notes, or underline...etc? thanks.
Thank you for your reviews, which are thorough and informative. They have helped me to make a decision and will be buying the Boox Note Air. Which pens do you recommend for it? Which S pens are better? and what about the Staedtler pens? Thank you for all the work you put into the reviews. Also could you point me to a video on ways to transfer the handwritten documents to a laptop or thumb drive please?
Thank you :) Yes, I have a whole video dedicated to that, pena and nibs, so be sure to check it out, it's relatively recent, just search for it best pens on my channel :)
I'm a compulsive writer, I love having a piece of paper by me when I work to write quickly my idees. And I think this is exactly what Boox Note Air doesn't provide, that "QUICK PAPER" feeling. I'll wait for your Remarkable 2 VS Boox Note Air fight! ;) Note: I wonder if the jagged lines can be fixed by remarkable, I hope it's not hardware.
I'm curious, why do you think that the Note Air can't provide that? Are you talking about paper feel or how quickly accessible the ability to write down notes is?
@@MyDeepGuide How quickly accessible the ability to write down note is. I think the remarkable OS has been optimised almost only for that purpose. And I already pre-order my remarkable 2 batch 8 lol. Boox Note Air seems to be an awsome device and i'm seriously hesitate.
Well, if Note Air goes to sleep with your notebook open, it wakes up at the same place, same notebook, same page, so it's ready in about 1 sec. Remarkable 2 wakes up slightly faster, but we're talking about less than 1 second difference here.
Nope, Android doesn't have it as a standard, but, if that's what you're looking for, you can install a recycle bin app of your choosing, or a file manager that already has a recycle bin functionality as a part of it. So, quite a lot of flexibility there, depending on what your particular needs are :)
One note here, notes in their native format can't be handled by the recycle bins during normal use, so one should be careful with deletion of notebooks. Rest can be found in bins, from what I've tested.
A heart felt review, so I'll have to take it seriously. Do I cancel my remarkable 2 or wait for it, try it out and send it back if the lines are too jaggedy? Tough. Thanks again for the review.
Thanks for this - very useful! I cannot believe that Boox have self-sabotaged by shipping with a pen that does not release the best experience! Why would you do that? Most customers are not going to buy a Remarkable just to get a decent pen for their Boox, or even discover what a difference that would make. Looking forward to your review of pens - hopefully you will be able to recommend a reasonably priced pen that can be bought on its own. Some other things I would like to see: I am still not sure if I need to go to a 13" device or if a 10" one will be sufficient for the use case of reading typical technical PDF documents and datasheets. It is worrying that the 10" devices are both a little smaller and a little lower resolution than the typical laser printed paper version. I'd love to see a direct side by side comparison of an A4 page filling the device screen beside a 300dpi laser print of the same page, with a zoom-in on the video so the text is readable on the print (to see if it is also readable on the device). My current Kobo 6.5" reader is not usable for this because of the need for 2-D scroll and pan on a screen with very slow refresh. Another thing I would like to see is the Kobo and Kindle apps running on Boox devices. Is this practical for day to day use, or are there usability problems with Android apps not specifically designed for e-ink displays? Is the note-taking experience reasonably well integrated? Are there practical alternatives such as ways to read protected Kobo and Kindle books in the native Boox reader app?
At first I was also super excited about Note Air and was aiming for it, but the reviews took a while to arrive and in the end I went for the much more expensive Max Lumi because just like you I am mainly reading A4 format PDFs and my eyesight is not the best, so I thought a bigger screen would offer me more benefits in the long run, especially taking into consideration that you will have substantially more space for splitscreen work. Max Lumi is amazing and I am extremely happy with the purchase, although I still think that it should not cost nearly twice as much as Note Air... Kindle app runs absolutely fine on Android OS. I've been using it on my Android phones and tablets for years now, and never felt like there was an issue with it. In fact, because Android devices have more powerful components, the app itself works substantially faster on them than on any Kindle. Just double-checked it by opening some of the books I have in my Kindle library on Max Lumi and it opens them pretty much instantly without any formatting issues. I am not entirely sure, but I think Voja did cover Kindle app use in his Max Lumi guide, so you can check it there.
Hi Voja...do you know if the Max Lumi nibs work on the Note Air? I liked the combo you used with the Lamy and Lumi nib in your Lumi review and since we cannot buy the remarkable 2 pen separately was looking for a similar solution.
No, the new Boox pen isn't compatible with the regular standard that most of the pens are compatible with. I will be doing a pen comparison video and nibs, specifically searching for the best option for the Note Air, so everything will be covered there, as soon as the pens and nibs i ordered arrive :)
@@MyDeepGuide thanks so much! Look forward to that. So I guess it is fair to say with you finding us the best solution, I should go ahead and get my Note Air 😊.
Voya, firstly thank you so much for these 3 new videos, been waiting for this to determine whether I should cancel my RM2 pre-order. I was really hoping to hear that RM2 was still the king so I don't go through the hassle of having to cancel and then reordering the Air, however these videos have really elevated the Air into becoming the number 1 option. Shame I will have to spend a further $40-$50 on a decent pen for the Air.
I'd recommend that you wait and get the rM2 device and test it for yourself, and then make the decision, since you've already waited. Some people will prefer the rM2 because of it's advantages in the writing experience department, however, for my needs and in general, as far as I am concerned, Note Air is overall a better device, if you're not looking for the ultimate writing experience. If that's your priority, as I said clearly in the video, rM2 remains the dominant one.
Keep in mind that Boox is violating the GPL by using open-source code and keeping their software proprietary. They are essentially stealing software from the public. Of course, you can decide whether you care about this - no judgement if you don't - but I feel it's worth mentioning, because it isn't mentioned in the video and is a dealbreaker for me.
@@jeremyschwartz7286 thanks Jeremy, I must admit that wasn’t really something I have given any thought about when making a decision on which device to go with. I will take Voya’s advice on keeping my RM2 order and test it out when it finally arrives. The number one priority for me is the writing experience and think RM2 is still the best writing experience. Cheers
Voya , got my RM2 today, glad I listened to your advice and didn’t cancel my order. I have literally not been able to put the device down. The writing is like nothing I have experienced before. The hardware is incredible !! This device has found a permanent home and won’t be going back as the writing experience was my main concern and this has delivered beyond my expectations. Thanks again
I'm trying to figure out if I should get the Note Air, Note 3, or Max Lumi… Your channel is a treasure trove of information. Super useful… Thank you so much! Totally random question… (just curious 😁) Do you also have an iPad?
I have an old iPad Air 1, that serves only as a Netflix machine in the kitchen, while I'm cooking :) Generally I don't use iOS devices because I really dislike the ecosystem, so no, I don't have an iPad that I use as a tablet :)
I don't know honestly. The writing feel will always remain better and the brushes are better, but I'm already developing so many great and flexible workflows on the Note Air that I can't do on the reMarkable, i think that they'll need to seriously up it's game, software wise in order to be competitive, as far as my needs are concerned. It's just too limiting. Simplicity doesn't need to be limiting, and that's something they seem to not understand over at the software and UX department at the reMarkable and I don't see any indications or willingness from their side that this will change anytime soon. Each response they offer is more opaque, dismissive, defensive and distanced. I hope I'm wrong, and that they come up with something awesome by the end of the year. But from my experience, this looks like another few months of relentless marketing campaigns now when it goes into retail, then another marketing set for the subscription models and then maybe they'll start focusing on the actual product. That Norwegian article was very important, because it discloses all of these things, plain as day. Their priority number 1 now is establishing sustainable profitability, and in that case it's logical if their decision is to allocate software development costs onto something that will bring them money on a regular basis, such as Premium Subscription model for expanding storage on the cloud and maybe some backup services. Only after all of that is established, they might turn to the actual development and so desperately needed TLC (tender, love and care) of the software platform. This is me just guessing and hoping I am wrong :)
@@MyDeepGuide great answer. I work in tech and I'm also an academic in the philosophy of technology. Have been very interested in E-Ink and it's cognitive and creative potential. However if they move to a subscription model it will be the death knell for me. I am one of these people who want a distraction-free device. And to be freed from notebooks the way that the kindle allows me to carry 400 books in my handbag. However I think they are on an interesting knife edge right now with the Rm2. Thanks for the detailed and honest reply. I'm in batch 8. I'll consider things carefully. Your nuanced and thoughtful perspective has been immensely helpful. Appreciate it a lot ❤️
Hello Voja, a friend send me a page he had written on boox note 3 as a pdf, and I noticed that the text was in raster format, and after some search I did I found that the only way to export your notes from a boox device as vector data is through the cloud, can you confirm that? is this really the only way?
Hello, did you friend write the notes on an existing pdf, as in, written remarks on pages of an existing PDF document, or is it the case of exporting a notebook as a PDF? If it's the first case, the written notes are exported as as vector data on the page of a PDF. If it's a notebook, and exported directly from the device, then it's rasterized. If it's exported from the push.boox cloud, then the cloud service will convert it to vectors and export the PDF that way for you.
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you for the quick reply, especially during these late hours. He exported it from a notebook. So it is true, the only way to export your notes as vector pdf is to do it from the cloud. But I also read that it wasn't always like that, I am wondering what would be the reason for something like that since pdf file is used from many apps for its vector data.
@@MyDeepGuide I don’t agree 100% if the user had the choice of exporting it as raster or vector I could understand, but now they obligating the user to use cloud services in order to export it as vector. There are cases where someone may not want some documents on the cloud due to confidentiality. At least that’s how I see it
But there are a lot of PDF programs that can do that same function for you? So you can choose to keep it away from the cloud, and within your own workflow environment. It's somewhat of a standard functionality these days.
You can use it wirelessly, but as it is 10.3" that will naturally limit it's use case scenarios. But technically it works the same, except that it doesn't have the HDMI in, so on wireless methods are supported.
If I could trouble you could you answer one query about the note air. How does Microsoft onenote behave on the tablet? I know older tablets had a lag between pen activity and the actual line happening but hoping this has moved on. Thank you in advance for any trouble taken to reply b
@@MyDeepGuide brilliant, thank you will take a look now. Fantastic videos by the way, really like your presenting style and how informative you make them.
Thanks you a lot for these videos. There is one thing you don't mention and I'd very much like to know about, the text to speech function. Does it have it? How good or bad is it? Once again, thanks a lot!
Yes it does and depending on which one you use it'll be as good as it is. I use Gboard and it's text to speech functions n, and that one works perfectly.
Well, Vijay...for a note-taking device...would you switch to the Note Air? I know the writing experience is better on reMarkable...but with the functionality, searchable notes, etc. Is the Note Air a better note taking device all-around?
I have switched to Note Air, that's the point of the conclusion. For my needs and requirements, yeah, I'm now using Note Air pretty much for everything except collaborative type of work that I do on Papyr, as far e-ink devices go.
@@MyDeepGuide sorry, my question might have come across a little dense. I meant JUST for a note-taking device. I won't use really any of the other features besides notes, PDF annotation, and exporting/organizing files/documents. You answered my question, even though I didnt ask it well. Thank you for all that you do!
@@MyDeepGuide if I may ask one more question...how do you think the writing experience of the Note 3 will compare to the Note Air? On their website, they are saying the Note 3 should have an even better experience ..but have read some contradicting thoughts on reddit. I am curious what your expectations are?
From a technology standpoint, i expect it to be like Max Lumi, meaning better than Note Air, more roughy and less glassy, since it's not glassy. But we'll see soon enough, since the review unit is coming early next week :)
I don't often feel a want to comment on videos, but after having watching all three of these relatively lengthy segments with full engagement and interest, I was compelled to say something. Such an extremely comprehensive and thoughtful review was extremely helpful to someone like myself, who gives careful consideration to all the small details. Every question I had come up with, you have managed to touch upon (particularly my concern with being able to turn the front light off), and you've absolutely helped me in making a decision I've been putting off for some time. Likewise I like that you departed from a starkly technical tone and imbued your review with some flare and emotionality. I'm highly left-brained and logical, but I also tend to get emotionally attached to and invested in my devices and other things of course, and your opinions in this regard resonated with me. Thanks for a wonderful review! Great job, to the point of eliciting a comment from this 98% silent observer.
Thank you very, very much for leaving a comment :)
watched all 3 parts. thought it was long at the beginning, but quickly turned into wanting to hear all you had to say. The review is SO comprehensive AND fair. Made up my mind after this video, answered all my questions and more. Really glad I found it. Excellent job and an awesome channel. Thank you so much.
Probably the most sincere and heartfelt review I've ever seen. Congrats Voja, you put a lot of passion and effort in your reviews. PS. I feel very sorry for Remarkable :( I'm waiting for my unit (batch7) and will give it try, probably together with an Air for direct comparison. However, despite I love RM2 (don't even know why), there seem to be way too many reasons at this point to prefer Boox.
It really depends. If you don't draw and all you need from it is note taking and not a functional reader, and you prefer no learning curve and core simplicity, then it'll probably stay in your heart and on your desk :) In my case, I simply can't justify using it, since I needed it for drawing and as an at least semi functional reader, and for me there is a difference between simplicity and limitations, and for me, rM is unnecessarily limited. Simplicity should not mean limitations. Note Air, with all its quirks, learning curve, and faults, just does everything I need a device to do and I can use it both for work and pleasure. Plus, i love how it looks and feels :)
For me it's the opposite. rM2 might not be good enough for me, also batch 7. But from what I KNOW about Note Air, it's got too many cons for me to get over rM2. It's rM2 or nothing for me. (maybe rM1) And the jagged lines isn't on every device, but it's a lottery.
Get the rm2 pen, sell it with the air pen for the preorder price or a bit cheaper
@@housr can you get the seperate?
I'll get my Note Air on monday and give my rM1 to my girldfriend.
I'd need a better pen then and I don't really know where to start looking
I'm feeling quite the same about RM2, and I think it's because it's the one getting as close as possible to a pen&paper experience which is exactly shat I search for in these techs. However I'd also like these techs to go beyond that ad give us everything we could expect from copruting devices (why did they put aside a good pdf handling in the first place?)
This is the gold standard of reviews. Great work, thank you for providing so much info.
Hello Voja and thank you for your absolutely amazing reviews. As for the screen protector, I managed to put on mine without any defects. The key points were 1. clean 2. cold and 3. slow! First of all let the device cold. It needs to be at room temperature. Then make a really humid environment in your bathroom, after cleaning all the dust in it. Enter the bathroom without clothes, wearing a surgical mask and a hair cover. Use an isopropyl alcohol surface cleaner pad on your screen and let it dry (that was the time after I actually removed the protective cover of my note air without even powering it on, yet). Remove the one side cover of the protector all at once and begin applying it SLOW. What I mean by slow is that the whole process took me about 40 minutes. I used some kind of pulley mechanism for holding the top side of the protector with some tape stuck on its front, to highly control the flow. If any bubbles were formed I lifted it back 5mm and pushed it again flat with a credit card until it reached the top. I still had 4-5 bubbles near the bottom side at which I started, but since there wasn't any dust trapped inside, I easily managed to push them out with the card after the application. It really helped that I spent some time simulating the process without removing the screen and the protector covers. Another tip is that I used the '1' and half of the '2' sticker to actually hold the bottom of the screen protector in place for the first few cm of application. For your case you have already applied the protector, I suggest you remove it once you are already setup in that clean and humid environment, clean the screen VERY well with isopropyl alcohol and take any dust of the protector (it should be were your bubbles already are) by tapping some sticky tape while holding it inside your fingers. Hope that helps and let me know of your results! Again thank you for your absolutely absolutely perfect reviews. I was about to order the 10.3" pocketbook and you helped me decide to preorder the note air which I'm in love with. Thank you!!
That's excellent advice and thank you :) But it also just proves how insanely difficult it is and to what extreme measures people have to go through in order to apply a screen protector that should have been applied by the factory in the first place :)
But thank you very much for sharing all of the details. I myself have given up on that screen protector and have ordered a different paper like, which I'll try out as soon as it arrives :)
@@MyDeepGuide I absolutely agree with you. It's not easy to have your brand new device on your hands and know that you have to go through all of this before you even power it on.
I'm looking forward your follow up video for the new screen protector. I hope it works really well for you!
@@dimitris2521 You should send your method to Onyx folks, they'd start applying it at source :)
@@LTR2025 I don't think it is a method they would use for mass production. It takes so much time. It's only good for individuals trying to apply their own screen protectors. For massive application I'm sure they would use either the wet method or a lab clean environment, like Voja mentioned, in a small room or a dust free vacuum glove box.
@@dimitris2521 I know, and don't get me wrong thank you so much for sharing it, it's much appreciated. It was just a joke to show Onyx (they might be reading) how tedious is to apply the filter properly without any bubbles that's all ;)
Thank you, Voja! Your reviews these past months have really helped me make the decision which device to buy. I was so looking forward to my Remarkable 2 - ordered June 8th (batch 7) - and got really disappointed over the late delivery, low internal memory and lack of software support. I decided to give the Boox Note Air a try after watching your unboxing video, I placed the "pre-order" (seems unfitting compared to RM2) 9 days ago and it arrived today! Still waiting for the RM2 after 5 months! I started working with the Boox Note Air right away and I'm VERY pleased! It's my first e-ink note taking device and I'm even very happy with the stock pen. I'll definitely try out other pens (like the LAMY) but this is already really nice to work with for me. Thanks a ton! I feel like this has been the right decision.
I am glad that you like it and if my work has helped you :)
Thanks a ton for these 3 videos.... I was struggling for a month on which device to own and you've made me feel 100x better about my decision. After your first unboxing video I put my unopened RM2 on eBay and was able to sell it for a nice premium which in turn lowered my cost on the Note Air... WIN, WIN!!! I am VERY much looking forward to your BOOX instructional series as getting used to this device after strictly using an iPad/iPhone is a struggle to say the least. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK VOJA!!!
You did a perfect work again. It's rare case for me to watch full video of this kind of length without skipping but I did for all three parts of the review. Thanks for your work always.
Exactly! I am quite sure that until this review I have NEVER watched anything longer than 20min. And here I am with over 80 min at once.
Congratulations :)
I have to indulge and write a second comment. I finally installed the screen protector. I would say that that it was a 90% success. I did get some bubbles. It is indeed impossible to eliminate all dust in a typical home environment. I got very lucky with my installation. The few bubbles that I have on the writing screen are so small that I don't notice them in typical use of the Note Air. I would equate these bubbles with the annoying white pixel problem. You really have to look for these bubbles to see them. One added benifit to the screen protector is that it adds a little more friction to the blue metal band on the side of the Note Air. This helps me to hold the tablet with better control. It is less likely to slip out of my grasp while using it. Definitely a plus.
I knew you’ll have a hard time letting go of RM2. I really tried hard to make use of my RM1 (didn’t bother with RM2 when I found out it had no software improvements) and just felt like I was “hitting the wall” like you said. I kept hanging on to it hearing how people love the “writing feel” but then could never get it for myself. I finally sold it! Loving the Note Air as much as you do.
Dear Voja! Thank you very much for this very interesting comparison.
I have the rM2 for 1 week and now I ordered the Note Air for testing and comparing it for myself and my needs.
I am very curious to see which device will win the battle..
Hi Roland. Could you please share your experiences?
@@tinybuddha8379 After my testing I came to the conclusion, that I will keep the Note Air. It was a hard decision, because the writing experience and the ease of use of the rM2 is definitely better. rM2 is really more distraction free compared with the Note Air. On the other hand, the functionality of the Note Air is much higher. Which makes it also more complex, you need more time to understand the concept and all the details and there are definitely more distractions using the Note Air. You have to think about folder syncs, what clouds you use for what purpose, directory structures, workflows, and so on. As I am a person with a background as engineer, I am more comfortable to have a more complex system with more options, than an easy good working system with so strict limitations. For sure, there is already a growing group of linux programmers using the rM2 and add more nice unsupported functions to it, but this is too much effort for me to go this way.
So the conclusion for me is, that both products are very good products and both are a recommended buy.
The rM2 is the perfect choice for people who want to use it as a writing pad, and maybe read and make notes on pdf files.
The Note Air (or one of the other products with the same operating system, like the Note 3) is the best choice if you want a more flexible system for writing notes, reading pdf docs, reading eBooks of all kinds, work in low light enviroments, use other Apps like email, checklists, and more.
@@rst33079 Thank you Roland for putting the time into answering in detail. I wish you a merry Christmas and a great new year :)
Please do the pen comparison video, it sounds like it would be quite interesting
Would love that too
me too
me too
Yes! please
Hey Voja,
Great summary!
I've only been doing this now for 30 days, and while the BooX Air is way more complex, it also, in many ways, is way more capable. As much as I really like my Remarkable, I'm going to return it and keep the Air.
A really significant point in this decision, and I cannot state this enough, is the Remarkable company itself. Not only are they non responsive, one gets the feeling they hate their customers. Still no mention anywhere I see about the jagged edges issue. I've sent them emails which are never responded to.
I guess I chalk this up to the companies relatively naive management and lack of understanding regarding customer relations. Still, one would think they would at some point get a clue.
The Air has a questions and feedback form right in their settings area. They've always responded promptly, once in only 2 minutes! This is huge.
It's very good to hear from another rM2 device fan to hear the similar type of progression. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts here :) I'm preparing to pimp up my Note Air to make it even more funky, and a dedicated series The Big Boox Guide, that should help people climb that learning curve and be able to understand their devices and form their own workflows and habits, so that the device works for them, not against them :)
@@MyDeepGuide t
That sounds great. You may want to suggest people download Solid Explorer as their file browser. Using it you can share your files to just about anything service as well as email and Gmail.
It's the only way over figured out how to email full resolution PNGs from my notes (btw, the QR code does not link to full res PNGs).
You can always also auto sync with Dropbox and bypass the sending phase altogether :)
@@MyDeepGuide yeah, but you can't get PNGs that way
my comments for this part 3 video are...
The Pros and cons are so on point it's not even funny. She is such a beauty and I can't stop using it either. I enjoyed watching the deep analysis in the first two parts. Didn't comment in part 2 yet because i'm testing something that might help with an issue you pointed out. Once I'm finished and verify, I'll make the comments in your part 2 video.
I almost spilled my drink at time index 11:30. That was too funny.
Who are you and what have you done to Voja? :)
Looking forward to viewing the Boox instructional video series, sounds like it's going to be very helpful.
Bottom line, Boox has a very good hit on their hands and hopefully they will take all the cons you pointed out into account and fix them. They hit it out of the park with this version, I can only imagine what they will do for the Note Air 2.
As always, thanks for the videos.
Such an amazing set of reviews again!
I wonder if boox will bring out a felt tip for their pen after seeing this! I hope so!
I really look forward to seeing you trying different aftermarket pens on the Note Air. Especially as you can't buy the Remarkable pen on its own yet.
I'm glad my Air I just bought came with the screen protector already on it.
Thank you for the great review! I've been enjoying my Note air for a week now! I was doubting to cancel my remarkable 2 pre-order, but thanks to your review I was able to make the decision. I look forward to your opinion on the best pen & tip combination for the Note air!
Have you used the Lamy pen on it yet?
Hi, have you received your refund already? How long did it take?
@@borysromanczuk755 Yes, it took 1 day.
@@Shuttereye_7 Thanks for the answer ^^
With the Note Air aesthetics and build quality I think Boox have hit a 'signature' design that I would love to see adopted across the range.
For me it really works. High quality, elegant and fun at the same time :) But it's not wearing a suit and a tie (maybe that's why I love it). For that, rM2 is the one to go to.
I don't like the plastic slab design of the Note and Nova, I really like the Poke2 and Max3 and which are the models that I invariably use. I have the entire Boox range and the 10.3" and 7.8" screens get the least use. Actually not used at all.
@@MyDeepGuide that's the best comment to describe the rM2: a suit and tie outfit! Cool!
Thanks Voya. Fantastic reviews, like the thoroughness, as well as your personality infused throughout. Super cool, can't wait for my BOOX Air and Staedler Jumbo both of which I've just ordered. Cheers!
Canceled my RM2 order (Batch 8) and am getting my Air tonight (two days ahead of time!)-- quite excited. Any recommendations for alternative pens?
Hello Voja, I think I can relate to how you feel about remarkable.
I had it in my eye for almost two years, but I was waiting for second-gen, once I saw the promotion on the march about the 2nd gen I ordered it, and I was waiting for it for 7 whole months.
In the while, I saw all the reviews I could find online, especially yours in deep review that by the way, you did an excellent job.
Some days before my shipment I saw the jaginess issue, and once I received my device the disappointment started.
I write with very small letters and I don't like at all how jaggy they look, and if you see your note in the companion app it's looking even worse. and the worst part an update rolled out and they did not do anything about the jaggines issue.
I have my device for one and half week now, and I don't know how to proceed, shall I return it and try again with Note air for a better experience, or leave at all the e-ink devices and invest in an iPad pro with the magic keyboard and the pen.
Keep in mind I was using my iPad with the apple pencil for almost a year taking notes and although I don't; like at all the writing feel, as note taking is a lot better, because you can add images to your notes, draw straight lines and shapes, and also add text. (something I see you can also do with note air.
But after so much time I lost waiting for that device, I don't know if my heart is in the right position to return it.
Sorry for the long text
I'm receiving the RM 1 tomorrow, and have yet to see what the e ink experience is like, but this review makes me really question whether I should return it as well and upgrade to the note air.
Personally, I find it much better to use eye-friendly screen.. I have an iPad and I felt exhausted every time I've used it. I think I will continue to use my RM2.
@@valentynaponomarenko4568 I don't have a problem with the screen, especially when i am using it inside, my only problem with iPad is the glassy feel when you write with the apple pencil, if only they had a felt tip, it would be somewhat better. The big difference with the screen is if you used it outside that is a thousand times better the remarkable screen and any e-ink device in general in opposition of an LCD screen
Voja, I absolutely love your videos. I've been in the Batch 10 RM2 queue for several weeks now and have been eagerly following your latest Boox reviews, using them to refine what will ultimately be a very difficult decision. Because I would really like to have the software capabilities of the Boox platform, I'm inching toward purchasing one of the newer models. I suspect there's still a lot to learn about the Note 3, which is very much in play for me. Would you be able to speak at some point to the differences you perceive in the form factors of the Max Lumi, Note Air, and Note 3? I find that I'm attracted to the extra real estate of the Max Lumi but am worried that its size might be a bit unwieldy for writing in places like an armchair or sofa. I would super enjoy you talking a bit more about something you say very briefly in this video--that the Note Air is the model you want to pick up and take with you everywhere you go in the house. This is the "feel" I'm looking for and I'd love to know how your relate differently to the three new Boox models and which most invites you to engage with it. Again, your videos have been endlessly delightful and helpful to me. Thank you!
you can try this about remove all the bubbles, after applying the screen protector, use 2 short pieces of SCOTCH type, one to gently lift the screen protector from the edges, and squeeze in the other pieces of the type to catch the dust and repeat.
Thank you Voja for doing these 3 video reviews of the Boox Note Air. Looking forward to the playlist of the guide for the Boox platform. I feel for you and the somewhat let down feeling that you are experiencing with the rM2. I am ecstatic about your enthusiasm for the Boox Note Air because I am really considering buying it. I like the mutli-functionality of the device and I was struggling between the writing experience of the Boox Note 3 with its slightly bigger storage and RAM - which would better. But I do believe I am liking the style better of the Note Air. Great video's as normal.
Amazing review! I couldn't wait for it and went for the Air after your first impressions, but this was very nice to watch and only solidified my personal opinion of the device. I am absolutely in love with it as my first E-Ink tablet, and immidiately got the Lamy Al-Star EMR to use with it. I love the pen and as a noob with these kinds of devices, I really can't feel a huge difference to writing on paper. I even sometimes prefer the smooth feel to somewhat scratchy paper.
It's also really good for my workflow, taking notes in pdfs for university and writing equations and calculations down during lectures. I can use Google Drive and AutoSync for Drive to automatically download all my school stuff to the device and automatically sync it when I export the notes or save the pdfs. That was my main point for picking up this over the remarkable.
And I actually like the included cover, due to the stick on method it's really slim. Would have been nice if it were a little bit more stable, bat as long as it allows me to keep the screen protected without using a screen protector, I'm happy!
Also, love your channel and really looking forward to more coverage on the Air :D
Voja, excellent work as always. You are the Grand Master!
I watched the entire Note Air review on my new Note Air. I ordered it on Amazon Nov 1 and it arrived on Nov 4. I'm still waiting for my rM2，batch 7. Watching you on the TH-cam app was a bit grainy but very doable , like analog TV with poor but acceptable reception. I am using the stock stylus to handwrite this comment. So far I am very impressed with the Note Air. Maybe it is tucked in tight behind the rM2 in writing experience，but it is light years ahead in functionality.
I‘m not sure if I will keep both tablets. I hope--though I won't hold my breath--that reMarkable will eventually fix many of the issues with their software. As Morning Coach has said, the rM2 is a work of art. Perhaps this work of art is destined for jail break in the Linux community. But I digress. I will play with the rM2 when it finally arrives. I may just keep the pen and send back the tablet.
Thanks again for your invaluable work.
There's no jailbreaking the RM2, as you already have root access by default, they even give you instructions how to connect. However the drivers for the hardware are proprietary and the part that makes it so responsive in the first place. Meaning someone has to reverse engineer the whole thing which is an ungrateful job, or they provide and api/source for writing on the device.
You've become my reference to go to before making any decisions. Thank you very much for the insightful reviews and for sharing your passion.
My Note Air arrived in the mail today. Looks like Onyx overhauled the production for more recent SKUs a bit - it came with the screen protector already attached, and the magnet holds the pen remarkably (no pun intended) well to the side of the tablet; it takes some serious shaking to force it off. I definitely see the issues with the included pen, drawing feels very technical, like tracing on old-school carbon paper. It's not exactly the fun writing and doodling experience you'd expect from this specific device. That said, for now it gets the job done, and I'll get me a stylus fit for more casual use soon enough. So far, very pleased with the device.
25:20 Hey Voya! I tried to look through your other Papyr videos why you like to use the Papyr over the Boox Note Air sometimes. I'm interested to learn more about what Papyr can do, that Boox doesn't do as well. Would you be able to give a quick response on that? Thank you!
I've just orderder my note air! What other pens would you recommend?? Besides the remarkable one. Thank you for your videoos!
I have tried out several. The best pen for the note air in my opinion is the ReMarkable Pen, really wonderful writing. Good alternative would be Staedtler Noris Jumbo. The boox pen is really not good, very slippery
Today I made the tough decision to return my reMarkable2 and order an Onyx device. It was really tough as I enjoyed the device. Besides watching your videos i realized a few things. I have a clear grasp of who Onyx are and that they support their devices and community. I can't say that for rM. The second main reason was I am a reader and a writer. Having to hack the device to meet both needs just doesn't make sense for me. So I am getting the Note 3. So hearing from you about the best marker for the Onyx would be fantastic.
That's a video that will come soon, still waiting on an Amazon delivery with a couple of pens, nibs and a screen protector, so that I can make the test and the video for the best pen+nib combo for the Boox devices.
You just nailed exactly why I am not even considering a Remarkable anymore. Supporting and communicating with early adopter consumers is vital in an early-stage, growing tech category.
@@seanbaedke3155 The intense connection with the device shows that they are on to something. Leaving customers to wonder if you don't care, you don't have the skill set, you are swamped or you are visionaries makes even the most adventurous early adopters think twice. I have never wrestled with a tech purchase like this one. Why? I do believe I am maling the right decision but at the same time I feel like I am losing somehow. Sheesh...it is just a tablet. Lol
As always, wonderful review! Love the way you do the reviews and it definitely helps many many persons within their decision wich product to buy.
You did that for me, too. I bought the rM2 back in March, was Batch 2 but as I found your review, I was sure I will send it back due to the software beeing so bad. The bad communication of rM, the many delays and not telling what the issues are lead me to cancel my preorder (unfortunately I was a day too late, they already sent the device out and I had to refuse it at my door - it was sent back without opening it).
After your first review of the Note Air I ordered that, and I'm even more excited to get my hands onto it after seeing your in depth review. Thanks for making my waiting time even more crucial :D
Thanks Voja, keep doing the good work and I'm looking forward to your Onyx Universe Videos (now that I'm a part of it as well)
P.S. do the remarkable nibs fit into the Lamy pen?
Thank you very much :) Yes, rM nibs fit normally into the Lamy pen.
I received the RM2 after almost 6 months wait (batch 5). I have the jagged line issue which is worse at the bottom 0.5-1cm of the screen, but it's not the only issue I've found with it. For some reason close to the right border, the stroke becomes 3 times the thickness than elsewhere (without pressure change or tilt difference).
Honestly this pretty much ruined the excitement I still had for the device, and I've already put it aside because it feels like creating content on it is a waste of time. I hope I'll get a reply from RM on my ticket soon, but by the stories on their support and transparency, I don't get my hopes up. The whole company feels like the apple of note taking devices. It's pretty, it's good at some things, but in the end They decide what you get, and if there's a problem, They give you the finger.
Having said that I have already attached myself emotionally to the RM as well thanks to the waiting time and the time invested in watching reviews, weighing pros and cons. Right now I will probably get the note air though, or the note 3, which is supposed to be the flagship being an ugly plastic one.
Main thing that holds me back for the Air is the glass screen, and the expected writing experience that comes with it, and not in the least the glare. As they've both bee and addressed and seem to be not much of an issue, I think I'll take the leap and try the Air. It's not as refined as the RM2, nor am I the biggest fan of the color scheme but it still looks like a high end device.
Long personal story short, thanks for providing us with the great insights that you give the world Voja! You put in a lot of time and effort for us, but it's greatly appreciated. It makes it possible to weigh most pros and cons before having physically seen or tried the device ourselves.
The blue and orange coloring should definitely be an option, but it seems a little off to me that a company named Onyx releases a product without a black color option. I'd like to see what a Note Air with darkish gray bezel and matte black brushed aluminum case would have looked like.
For the pen, I've seen magnetic sleeves for slipping over the pen that will allow you to stick any pen to the case. Started November 2nd, Onyx is shipping a "sticky pen holder" with random Note Air orders, but they should have included one of those magnetic pen sleeves instead.
I have been on the fence between the Boox Air and the Supernote A5X. One of the biggest selling points for me between the two is that Bestbuy now sells the boox tablets so returns are super easy. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS
Hi Voja. I just got my Note Air. I’m still going through the learning curve, but first impressions are very favorable so far. I’m looking forward to your review on what pen(s)you like for this. I’m presently using my Remarkabe 1 pen as I don’t like the one that came with it.
Hello Voja! When approximately Note 3 will arrive to you?
Maybe Monday, not sure as post is quite unreliable globally these days, which is understandable, considering the state of the world.
@@MyDeepGuide I wonder if you justify for yourself giving up Note Air (leaner and metallic, with its auto-rotation feature and left-centered bezel) for Note 3 autorotation-less, with that different cover, but with more memory and double storage, symmetric profile and more lightweight :) Will be looking forward for review! Many blessings!
Are the jagged lines of Remarkable 2 uncomfortable a lot?
I use it for taking notes and drawing simple schematics (shapes and lines).
I'm going to go buy it this Saturday. (From someone who bought it in March and then resells it now)
Since I am Korean, I used a translator. I appreciate your understanding even if there are some awkward parts.
Videos are always watched! Thank you!
My unit in combination with my harder writing and drawing style presents a problem for me. Since Note Air doesn't have that issue at all, it's a very easy decision for me.
Not all rM2 tablets have the jagged line issue, so it might not be a problem at all.
You cannot make straight line with rm2! Ir well you can, but the Note air actually have a tool which can make straight lines, circles, squares etc. The rm2 has non of that.
Very nice review of the device Voya.
Related boox pen, I think that the easy solution is to sell a different nibs more soft. I suppose that in china webs more sooner than later you can find something compatible if the device works commercially.
One question, do you think that the nib could be worked with a fine sandpaper? Or is a silly idea?
And I hope that in future devices Onyx Boox work a little bit more on the design of a pen to use on their devices, that could be the same to reduce costs but much better than the actual. Is a pitty that the pen devaluate the device itself
Felt nib and paperlike screen protector is a perfect combo for Onyx Boox devices. I just bought a Note 3 on a Chinese online shop. They provided those nibs and protectors as free gifts. The writing experience is really great.
J’ai remarqué qu’avec le Boox Note Air, dans le carnet de notes proposé sur la gauche, il est difficile de tourner la page avec le doigt. Il y a certes la fonction “” en haut à droite qui affiche le numéro de page n en cours et où le logo “” change de page, mais il est très difficile de tourner la page en effleurant d’un doigt la vitre de gauche à droite ou l’inverse. Il faut une certaine distance, une certaine vitesse, une certaine pression, sinon l’appareil ne fait rien, il faut s’y reprendre à plusieurs fois, c’est assez pénible. Dans la lecture de PDF, donc avec un autre logiciel, celui par défaut qui ouvre un PDF, le simple fait de toucher la vitre à droite ou à gauche suffit à faire tourner la page, comme sur les liseuses classiques, mais ça ne marche pas avec les Notes de la Boox Note Air. Il faut également apparemment que ce soit un stylo qui soit sélectionné, dans toute autre fonction, on ne pourra pas tourner la page. Bref, sauf à utiliser les signes “” en haut à droite dans les Notes standard de la Boox, il est difficile de tourner la page avec le doigt. Bien à vous
Voja, thank you for such an excellent and in-depth review!! I'm looking forward to seeing your reviews on the Note 3 and Nova 3 as well. Does the Note Air have the ability to translate handwritten notes into text? If so, how easy and reliable is it? Thanks again!
It's great to see such a thorough review on this device as well. I was wondering, don't you consider the gpl violation a con for boox?
If you care about it, yes. If you don't, no. For me it's not, because I've checked what the device is doing (nothing unusual) and I consider it an issue that the distributors and law agencies should address, if they care about it, but apparently, they don't.
For PDF reading, Boox Nova or Note air/Note3? I am a student.
Thanks A LOT for your in-depth exploration of those devices, it's really really usefull as there is kind of an obscure mistery on this technology that has yet to breach to a larger audience but still has a tremendous potential (as of my point of view): somehow I find myself very attracted by the concept of an "interactive paper" as I'm both a Pan&Ink lover and a tech-nerd, however I still hesitate to invest in those because of the lack of features I'd expect for 500+€ devices! I honestly was sad to cancel my Remarkable2 preorder but as both a scholar and an illustrator, I couldn't see myself struggling with jaggy lines and bad pdf handling. I honestly hope they'll keep developing the software!
Anyway, thanks again.
E-ink is such a minimalistic tech yet huge subject to talk about, and I'm always surprised to see how people can get obsessive with developping it or wanting it while we have IPad techs and lookalike! Somehow it feels as if we'll never get over the materiality of pen&paper, which is a good thing I believe.
"simply because I have the ability of self control" 😆❤️ Thank you. Now I want a Note Air and since I'm a broke student saving up will take forever 😂 I guess that also requires self control. I like your channel, subscribed 😄
I just got the Boox note air (27-07-2021). They apparently fixed the issue with the standard pen not being secured to the note air well enough by the magnets. I can literally not get the pen to fall off no matter how hard I shake the device! It's still the same smooth surfaces on both note air and pen. 🙂👍
what is the right pen to use with this?
What is a proper pen you would recommend?
I really, really value your opinions thus far. I'm looking for a good PDF reader and I think you've dissuaded me from the remarkable2 and are convincing me to use the Boox Air. I'm hoping you might help me do a fact finding mission though... a secondary use that I'd love to explore is using the eInk device as a secondary monitor for coding. In the latest 3.0v firmware update, Boox states they "Support screencast ( It only supports to mirror screens to Win10 computers)" but I cannot find any demonstration of this anywhere. Have you tried this functionality at all? Or better yet, have you shown it in a video (that I've somehow missed)?
Hey Voja. Great video, thanx!
Let me ask for your expert, subjective opinion:
In 21:38 you grade rM2 as "A" and Note Air with a good pen as "B+", regarding their writing experience. How would you grade Note3 and max lumi writing experience on the same scale?
I want you to know that your videos and information help lot of us to choose how to spent their hrd-earned money.
Salute.
Thank you :) I would grade them all the same on that same scale. Between the different Boox devices there are small, fine differences, but on a grander scheme of things, when compared to the reMarkable, they all feel like they are in the same category.
@@MyDeepGuide thanx for your ultra quick responce! Looking forward for the videos to come...
Another master piece of review Voja.
How would the Staedtler Jumbo work on this surface? Thanks.
Nice to hear the Note Air turns out like I expected and I only still have to wait until it arrives (order experience is still really bad).
I will also do some hacks and workarounds and use it without screenprotection. Hope it will last many years.
Fantastic videos. Thanks so much!!
Which pen can you recommend other than the remarkable 2? I don't see the option of ordering the remarkable 2 pen only, so am looking for an alternative...
Thank you Voja, for the incredibly thorough review. I'm curious - do you have any concerns about Boox's violation of the GPL? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onyx_Boox at the bottom of page.) I notice that this hasn't been covered in any of your videos. I know your reviews are very focused on the devices themselves, so perhaps you consider it out-of-band? But since I recall the (very useful) video you posted about the Remarkable licensing agreement concerns, I thought you might want to investigate this as well.
I did, and I got this question a couple of times and since then I've been looking into it a lot, and if I'm honest, i don't really care about that. I know that they should release the source code modifications, and of that i agree, but after checking what the device is doing and tracing packets and scanning the system, I've found exactly 0 out of the ordinary activity, and as such I have no worries about it.
Regarding the remarkable subscription model, i focused on the article which was released in Norway only where they announced the subscription models and I backed that bit of info with their T&C Cloud Subscription that confirmed it. Now, some people focused solely on the T&C part, completely forgetting that the main part is the article itself, and when I reminded them about that they would admit that they panicked "a little bit".
So, that was the absolute last time that I listen to requests from people about what I should cover. So no, it doesn't worry me at all because I tested it, and for my needs it's as leaky and as safe as my phone is, meaning, standard.
Should they release it? Absolutely. Does it worry me? Not one bit.
@@MyDeepGuide Cool, thanks for the perspective.
Thanks a lot for the deep reviews! Do the RM2 pen work as well with the Note 2 as with the Note Air?
I don't have the Note 2, so i don't know.
@@MyDeepGuide you no longer have the one you reviewed 8 months ago?
Nope, i didn't like it, like i mentioned in the review, so i returned it. But I kept the Nova 2, as i like that one, and I definitely love the Note Air :)
Three in a row!
Thanks Voya.
Can you record a video to showing all Boox devices. It's to hard to remember all those in the market to decide which is the best for me.
(Or can do that at the blog)
Best tech review of any kind I've seen by far. For me to be perfect, I'd only need to know which others pens you'd recommend to buy with the Note Air, best e-ink device nowadays. Greetings from Barcelona, Catalonia, EU
Thank you very much :) i have waited for other pens to arrive and to test them out. Last night everything arrived, so I'm testing them out and a video that covers that in detail will be coming soon :)
Thanks so much for this. As someone for whom ereading capability (ideally including kindle) is important and who occasionally does a little bit of browsing to find info to include in my writing, this was most helpful. Looks like with a good pen the writing won't be so much worse than the RM2 and it'll be Ok for notetaking. Thanks again :)
Hello Voja. Thank you for the excellent set of reviews! Can you, please, suggest a good pen that can be purchased separately? Thank you!
after reading the review, I just bought the note air, and really feel amazing about it, the look, all the functions it has, and even the writing experience. The only thing I complain will be the magnet pen that is not attached well and does not has a built in eraser on it. Also there seems to have a steep learning curve on using it. please be aware of it. But how can you know all the tricks to use the device? Where can you find all these info? Can you provide a link to me here?
I have the same kind of dilemma with the RM2. I have it but I use my Note Air way more often ! I guess the whole "no distraction thing" of the RM2 is a real limitation. The software needs to evolve, the RM2 must be compatible with Dropbox and Google drive. The current limitations can be overcome by a software improvement. We don't need emails or else what most of people need is the possibility to access cloud documents. That's all.
The best reviews! Thanks Voja :)
what pen do you recomend? I'm about to buy this device with a Staedtler Noris Digital or a Lamy (the same of the a6x) :/
I need to test out more things before I can issue a recommendation.
@@MyDeepGuide does the lamy pen works with the book air?
@@junzhou5162 yes it does... and the eraser as well, I have it. and it works great
@Maisonier I ordered the Staedtler Noris Jumbo instead, which is thicker and 3-sided for a more comfortable grip and also has an eraser at the other end. Read the reviews at Amazon to see what I'm talking about.
@@LTR2025 Thank you a lot for that recommendation ! I also was watching the Lamy Al-Star due the erase button.
I have got an RM2 device. I totally share @MyDeepGuide remarks. In particular, the jagged lines problem NEEDS to be solved and Cast/LiveShare NEEDS to improve. Particularly now that we are living in a work-from-home world and given the competition (Papyro, Quaderno, Boox Note Air, etc...). These devices are all offering a better live-sharing experience than the Live (beta) function of RM2. I love my RM2 but I agree with Voya.
I totally understand the feeling and thank you for the honesty :)
Thank you very much for the review. Base on your videos, I decided to hold off the purchase 'til the pen is fixed, and maybe when it comes with screen protector pre-applied. Otherwise, this device or note3 is perfect for my use case. Luckily with Onyx refresh cycle, I bet I'll see these requests met in 6 months or less. RM2 lacks reader feature for me.
Thanks for the great review. And looking forward to your pen comparison and recommendation video.
There's just one thing I'd want to know. if you open a PDF from the google drive app using the native PDF viewer/editor, make changes and close it, are those changes automatically saved back to google drive (ie, would they be visible if you open that pdf on the computer). or do you have to explicitly upload it back to google drive?
If you open a PDF from Google drive using anything else than the Google drive reader, Google drive itself is the one that will instruct the device to download the document first and then open it with the instructed app. This is how Google Drive works on any system, including Boox devices.
With that in mind, yes, you can "open" a file with Neo Reader directly from Google Drive, but you need to understand that from that moment on, you are working on a locally downloaded PDF version of that file. You can of course upload that PDF back to Google drive manually when you are done working in it. This is expected behavior and is how Google Drive works.
@@MyDeepGuide thanks for the reply! Perhaps there are different ways to open it. On iPad, I open it in foxit reader, which interfaces with drive. And on my android tablet, I open drive, navigate to pdf, click 3 dots on the right, click 'open with', then Shane pdf editor (in my case Xodo). Then, any annotations I make are automatically saved back to drive when I close the file (no manual saving or reuploading required).
Is there any way to basically have a streamline (no manual saving or uploading) shared folder on desktop and this tablet and use their native pdf editor/viewer? Maybe drop box?
Well you can use the same apps you are using on Android now and it'll all work the same it does for you now, as this is Android 10. Your original question was in regards to the Neo Reader.
Hi Voja,
Love your excellent reviews! I don't think I've seen better reviews anywhere! Thanks a lot!
I have a use scenario for e-paper displays that I think could be very interessting but most reviewers seem to be unaware of: replacement of a paper family wall calendar!
No more manually updating the paper wall calendar would be very helpfull especially for families, teams etc. I am currently looking for a e-paper device to replace our old kitchen calendar to be used together with google calendar (thinking about boox air) and it would be very interessting to hear your opinion about it! Maybe there are issues that prevent this use scenario that I am not aware of? Could you demonstrate how, for example google calendar, would look on an e-paper display? 🙏
Thank you for the great review. trying to decide between note air and note 3. We need a comparison please :)
When I receive the device, yes, it will come :)
Ask my self, do the speed modes infect the DESTA results? Is there a difference between the original pen to the rM2 one.
Maybe it is one topic for the upcoming pen video.
Nope and nope. Tested :)
@@MyDeepGuide Haha!👍🏻
Hi, congratulations for your channel. I have a question; You can write over the epubs directly with pen as in PDF. Is it possible write in EPUBS with pen directly as in PDF to take notes, or underline...etc? thanks.
very nice. But sorry can i crop a portion of PDF and drop in a note? many thansk
Yes, you can take a screenshot, then use an app of your choice to edit a photo and then add that photo to the notebook.
Sooo happy to have listened to you and all you. videos.
Note air: TOP!
Thanks a lot!
I am very happy that my videos helped you and that you are happy with the Note Air as well :) I love mine still, quite a lot :)
Hi Voja, using only the default pen that come with each devices, which one do you think gives a better writing feel between Note Air and Nova 2?
Nova 2.
Thank you for your reviews, which are thorough and informative. They have helped me to make a decision and will be buying the Boox Note Air. Which pens do you recommend for it? Which S pens are better? and what about the Staedtler pens? Thank you for all the work you put into the reviews. Also could you point me to a video on ways to transfer the handwritten documents to a laptop or thumb drive please?
Hello, you can check out my video on Best Pens and Nibs, where most of the popular pens are tested and compared.
@@MyDeepGuide Thanks I saw it after posting.
Amazing review, thanks for all the hard work.
As others have asked: do you have any recommendations for pens other than the one from remarkable?
Thank you :) Yes, I have a whole video dedicated to that, pena and nibs, so be sure to check it out, it's relatively recent, just search for it best pens on my channel :)
Could you recommed some other pen for note air? I am not sure if all 4096 pens could work well with air.Thank you
Great, Great review!! Thank you for being honest, for presenting your own opinion with respect for all other use cases and likings.
Thank you very much, helped a lot in my decision making process!👍
Voja, it almost sounds like you married the perfect woman but can't keep your hands off your playful lover 🤣
Rather married to a very limited and flawed woman, while his lover provides all the fun ;-)
I've never cheated, but I imagine that's how it feels like! That's exact the feeling 😂
8:03 🤣
I'm a compulsive writer, I love having a piece of paper by me when I work to write quickly my idees.
And I think this is exactly what Boox Note Air doesn't provide, that "QUICK PAPER" feeling.
I'll wait for your Remarkable 2 VS Boox Note Air fight! ;)
Note: I wonder if the jagged lines can be fixed by remarkable, I hope it's not hardware.
I'm curious, why do you think that the Note Air can't provide that? Are you talking about paper feel or how quickly accessible the ability to write down notes is?
@@MyDeepGuide How quickly accessible the ability to write down note is. I think the remarkable OS has been optimised almost only for that purpose.
And I already pre-order my remarkable 2 batch 8 lol.
Boox Note Air seems to be an awsome device and i'm seriously hesitate.
Well, if Note Air goes to sleep with your notebook open, it wakes up at the same place, same notebook, same page, so it's ready in about 1 sec. Remarkable 2 wakes up slightly faster, but we're talking about less than 1 second difference here.
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you for the information, really appreciated. I will think about it ;)
Hello Voja, many thanks for your really helpful videos. One Question: Does a paper bin functionality exist? I couldn't find one. regards
Nope, Android doesn't have it as a standard, but, if that's what you're looking for, you can install a recycle bin app of your choosing, or a file manager that already has a recycle bin functionality as a part of it. So, quite a lot of flexibility there, depending on what your particular needs are :)
@@MyDeepGuide many thanks
One note here, notes in their native format can't be handled by the recycle bins during normal use, so one should be careful with deletion of notebooks. Rest can be found in bins, from what I've tested.
A heart felt review, so I'll have to take it seriously. Do I cancel my remarkable 2 or wait for it, try it out and send it back if the lines are too jaggedy? Tough. Thanks again for the review.
Wait and try out. You lose nothing.
@@MyDeepGuide got it! I'll wait and try it out.
Sounds amazing! This model with great color would be epic..
Thanks for this - very useful! I cannot believe that Boox have self-sabotaged by shipping with a pen that does not release the best experience! Why would you do that? Most customers are not going to buy a Remarkable just to get a decent pen for their Boox, or even discover what a difference that would make. Looking forward to your review of pens - hopefully you will be able to recommend a reasonably priced pen that can be bought on its own.
Some other things I would like to see:
I am still not sure if I need to go to a 13" device or if a 10" one will be sufficient for the use case of reading typical technical PDF documents and datasheets. It is worrying that the 10" devices are both a little smaller and a little lower resolution than the typical laser printed paper version. I'd love to see a direct side by side comparison of an A4 page filling the device screen beside a 300dpi laser print of the same page, with a zoom-in on the video so the text is readable on the print (to see if it is also readable on the device). My current Kobo 6.5" reader is not usable for this because of the need for 2-D scroll and pan on a screen with very slow refresh.
Another thing I would like to see is the Kobo and Kindle apps running on Boox devices. Is this practical for day to day use, or are there usability problems with Android apps not specifically designed for e-ink displays? Is the note-taking experience reasonably well integrated? Are there practical alternatives such as ways to read protected Kobo and Kindle books in the native Boox reader app?
At first I was also super excited about Note Air and was aiming for it, but the reviews took a while to arrive and in the end I went for the much more expensive Max Lumi because just like you I am mainly reading A4 format PDFs and my eyesight is not the best, so I thought a bigger screen would offer me more benefits in the long run, especially taking into consideration that you will have substantially more space for splitscreen work. Max Lumi is amazing and I am extremely happy with the purchase, although I still think that it should not cost nearly twice as much as Note Air...
Kindle app runs absolutely fine on Android OS. I've been using it on my Android phones and tablets for years now, and never felt like there was an issue with it. In fact, because Android devices have more powerful components, the app itself works substantially faster on them than on any Kindle. Just double-checked it by opening some of the books I have in my Kindle library on Max Lumi and it opens them pretty much instantly without any formatting issues.
I am not entirely sure, but I think Voja did cover Kindle app use in his Max Lumi guide, so you can check it there.
Hi Voja...do you know if the Max Lumi nibs work on the Note Air? I liked the combo you used with the Lamy and Lumi nib in your Lumi review and since we cannot buy the remarkable 2 pen separately was looking for a similar solution.
No, the new Boox pen isn't compatible with the regular standard that most of the pens are compatible with.
I will be doing a pen comparison video and nibs, specifically searching for the best option for the Note Air, so everything will be covered there, as soon as the pens and nibs i ordered arrive :)
@@MyDeepGuide thanks so much! Look forward to that. So I guess it is fair to say with you finding us the best solution, I should go ahead and get my Note Air 😊.
Did you find a pen? Someone recommended Noris digital jumbo.
Yupps, I have a dedicated video about it. Just do a search for "best pen and nib" 9n my channel and you'll find it :)
@@MyDeepGuide found it - thanks. And thanks for sharing your expert reviews. They really are very good.
Voya, firstly thank you so much for these 3 new videos, been waiting for this to determine whether I should cancel my RM2 pre-order. I was really hoping to hear that RM2 was still the king so I don't go through the hassle of having to cancel and then reordering the Air, however these videos have really elevated the Air into becoming the number 1 option. Shame I will have to spend a further $40-$50 on a decent pen for the Air.
I'd recommend that you wait and get the rM2 device and test it for yourself, and then make the decision, since you've already waited. Some people will prefer the rM2 because of it's advantages in the writing experience department, however, for my needs and in general, as far as I am concerned, Note Air is overall a better device, if you're not looking for the ultimate writing experience. If that's your priority, as I said clearly in the video, rM2 remains the dominant one.
Keep in mind that Boox is violating the GPL by using open-source code and keeping their software proprietary. They are essentially stealing software from the public. Of course, you can decide whether you care about this - no judgement if you don't - but I feel it's worth mentioning, because it isn't mentioned in the video and is a dealbreaker for me.
@@jeremyschwartz7286 thanks Jeremy, I must admit that wasn’t really something I have given any thought about when making a decision on which device to go with. I will take Voya’s advice on keeping my RM2 order and test it out when it finally arrives. The number one priority for me is the writing experience and think RM2 is still the best writing experience. Cheers
You can get a tab S3 pen for about 15$
Voya , got my RM2 today, glad I listened to your advice and didn’t cancel my order. I have literally not been able to put the device down. The writing is like nothing I have experienced before. The hardware is incredible !! This device has found a permanent home and won’t be going back as the writing experience was my main concern and this has delivered beyond my expectations.
Thanks again
Voja, I’m planning to migrate from rM1 to Note Air. Any tips for migrating documents over?
I'm trying to figure out if I should get the Note Air, Note 3, or Max Lumi… Your channel is a treasure trove of information. Super useful… Thank you so much!
Totally random question… (just curious 😁) Do you also have an iPad?
I have an old iPad Air 1, that serves only as a Netflix machine in the kitchen, while I'm cooking :) Generally I don't use iOS devices because I really dislike the ecosystem, so no, I don't have an iPad that I use as a tablet :)
if you find the jagged line issue is resolved would that convince you to come back to the Remarkable 2?
I don't know honestly. The writing feel will always remain better and the brushes are better, but I'm already developing so many great and flexible workflows on the Note Air that I can't do on the reMarkable, i think that they'll need to seriously up it's game, software wise in order to be competitive, as far as my needs are concerned. It's just too limiting. Simplicity doesn't need to be limiting, and that's something they seem to not understand over at the software and UX department at the reMarkable and I don't see any indications or willingness from their side that this will change anytime soon. Each response they offer is more opaque, dismissive, defensive and distanced.
I hope I'm wrong, and that they come up with something awesome by the end of the year. But from my experience, this looks like another few months of relentless marketing campaigns now when it goes into retail, then another marketing set for the subscription models and then maybe they'll start focusing on the actual product.
That Norwegian article was very important, because it discloses all of these things, plain as day. Their priority number 1 now is establishing sustainable profitability, and in that case it's logical if their decision is to allocate software development costs onto something that will bring them money on a regular basis, such as Premium Subscription model for expanding storage on the cloud and maybe some backup services. Only after all of that is established, they might turn to the actual development and so desperately needed TLC (tender, love and care) of the software platform. This is me just guessing and hoping I am wrong :)
@@MyDeepGuide great answer. I work in tech and I'm also an academic in the philosophy of technology. Have been very interested in E-Ink and it's cognitive and creative potential. However if they move to a subscription model it will be the death knell for me. I am one of these people who want a distraction-free device. And to be freed from notebooks the way that the kindle allows me to carry 400 books in my handbag. However I think they are on an interesting knife edge right now with the Rm2. Thanks for the detailed and honest reply. I'm in batch 8. I'll consider things carefully. Your nuanced and thoughtful perspective has been immensely helpful. Appreciate it a lot ❤️
Is the writing feel of note air different to max lumi? Which one writes better?
Hello Voja, a friend send me a page he had written on boox note 3 as a pdf, and I noticed that the text was in raster format, and after some search I did I found that the only way to export your notes from a boox device as vector data is through the cloud, can you confirm that? is this really the only way?
Hello, did you friend write the notes on an existing pdf, as in, written remarks on pages of an existing PDF document, or is it the case of exporting a notebook as a PDF? If it's the first case, the written notes are exported as as vector data on the page of a PDF. If it's a notebook, and exported directly from the device, then it's rasterized. If it's exported from the push.boox cloud, then the cloud service will convert it to vectors and export the PDF that way for you.
@@MyDeepGuide Thank you for the quick reply, especially during these late hours. He exported it from a notebook. So it is true, the only way to export your notes as vector pdf is to do it from the cloud.
But I also read that it wasn't always like that, I am wondering what would be the reason for something like that since pdf file is used from many apps for its vector data.
Well, the options are there for people to choose and then use what they need, that's at least how i see it :)
@@MyDeepGuide I don’t agree 100% if the user had the choice of exporting it as raster or vector I could understand, but now they obligating the user to use cloud services in order to export it as vector. There are cases where someone may not want some documents on the cloud due to confidentiality.
At least that’s how I see it
But there are a lot of PDF programs that can do that same function for you? So you can choose to keep it away from the cloud, and within your own workflow environment. It's somewhat of a standard functionality these days.
awesome review
How about using it as an external monitor? Does it work the same as Lumi or better?
You can use it wirelessly, but as it is 10.3" that will naturally limit it's use case scenarios. But technically it works the same, except that it doesn't have the HDMI in, so on wireless methods are supported.
If I could trouble you could you answer one query about the note air. How does Microsoft onenote behave on the tablet? I know older tablets had a lag between pen activity and the actual line happening but hoping this has moved on.
Thank you in advance for any trouble taken to reply b
This has been addressed in details in me recent Max Lumi video regarding 3rd party apps, so check it out :)
@@MyDeepGuide brilliant, thank you will take a look now. Fantastic videos by the way, really like your presenting style and how informative you make them.
Thank you very much! :)
Thanks you a lot for these videos. There is one thing you don't mention and I'd very much like to know about, the text to speech function. Does it have it? How good or bad is it? Once again, thanks a lot!
Yes it does and depending on which one you use it'll be as good as it is. I use Gboard and it's text to speech functions n, and that one works perfectly.
I appreciate your thoroughness. New subbie.
Thank you :)
Well, Vijay...for a note-taking device...would you switch to the Note Air?
I know the writing experience is better on reMarkable...but with the functionality, searchable notes, etc. Is the Note Air a better note taking device all-around?
I have switched to Note Air, that's the point of the conclusion. For my needs and requirements, yeah, I'm now using Note Air pretty much for everything except collaborative type of work that I do on Papyr, as far e-ink devices go.
@@MyDeepGuide sorry, my question might have come across a little dense. I meant JUST for a note-taking device. I won't use really any of the other features besides notes, PDF annotation, and exporting/organizing files/documents.
You answered my question, even though I didnt ask it well. Thank you for all that you do!
@@MyDeepGuide if I may ask one more question...how do you think the writing experience of the Note 3 will compare to the Note Air?
On their website, they are saying the Note 3 should have an even better experience ..but have read some contradicting thoughts on reddit.
I am curious what your expectations are?
From a technology standpoint, i expect it to be like Max Lumi, meaning better than Note Air, more roughy and less glassy, since it's not glassy. But we'll see soon enough, since the review unit is coming early next week :)
Does Mycrosoft teams app work on it?