Ebook readers have become hot property, with more and more bibliophiles swapping their books for the devices.
Ebook readers offer the convenience of carrying hundreds of books at any single time. But over the years they have evolved into more practical devices, with some becoming fully fledged media devices to watch films or play games on.
There are several household names within this market such as Amazon’s Kindle or the many Kobo readers.
Another big player is Onyx Boox which has been around since 2011 and has an illustrious back catalogue of devices.
After the amazing reception, they received for their Note Air 2, they have released its successor the Note Air 2 Plus.
The Note Air 2 Plus is the latest ebook or ePaper tablet in the Onyx Boox Note series, priced just a tad bit higher than its predecessor but boasts a slew of enhanced features.
It has a sleek massive screen with an aluminium body that's only 5.8mm thick and weighs 445g.
The Note Air 2 Plus is so robust and tough and feels like it will take a beating when being transported.
Unlike the Note Air 2, this comes in an elegant Pine Green colour which just elevates its already premium look.
It may be slightly heavier this time around but this is probably due to the larger battery which is a great enhancement and worth the additional weight. I found that it was fine to carry round and use over long periods of time despite it being heavier.
One of the new additions to the Note Air 2 Plus is the new magnetic protective case.
This case is really classy and complements the tablet very well with its grey or terracotta colour scheme.
It not only looks lovely but grants that extra protection and increases the device's versatility by acting as a stand also.
The case doesn't come included with the ebook reader and will cost £45.99, which is a little pricey for what it is.
The Note Air 2 Plus is certainly one of the more premium-looking ebooks I have ever seen, its design is practical with each element complementing its overall aesthetic.
The Note Air 2 Plus’ large screen is 10.3-inch and utilises E INK Carta HD display technology, which is pretty standard with all black and white ebooks.
It has a resolution of 1872×1404 with 226 PPI which is very good compared to what's on the market.
The eye-friendly display is very clear with text, comics and images resembling how they would look on paper. Coloured comics also are displayed in great fashion, obviously as its in black and white there was some missing details but all it was very adequate.
The display works a charm with a fast refresh rate that can be tweaked at the expense of the overall quality but the drop isn’t that noticeable.
You can watch videos on the Note Air 2 Plus but I wouldn’t recommend it at all as the quality won’t be the best.
One of the major features of the Note Air 2 Plus is the ability to make notes and draw on the device. making it great for artists, designers and illustrators or anyone who doodles.
This new model comes with a magnetic stylus called the Pen2 Pro which features an eraser this time around.
The stylus works a charm and is very responsive especially when running on the built-in app.
The low latency ensured that the Note Air 2 Plus was able to track all my hand movements accurately no matter how scruffy my handwriting was.
This is such a great inclusion and one of the more meticulous styluses I have used.
The Note Air 2 Plus comes with so many great features such as different backlights that cater for night as well as daytime reading.
It has built-in speakers that enable it to play music from apps or downloads, however, it does not have a 3.5mm jack for headphones.
The Bluetooth 5 allows connectivity to earbuds or a headset. The inclusion of audio is a great feature but the speakers aren’t as powerful as they could be.
The Note Air 2 Plus comes with a Snapdragon 646, 1.8 GHz Octa-Core processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which is more than enough for books and most comics.
This is very powerful for what most people will use the ebook for but allows for a smoother experience with next to no lag.
Having 64GB of storage is great if you are only using the device to read books, however, if you start downloading podcasts, audiobook images space could run out a lot sooner than expected.
And what makes matters worse is the omission of an SD card slot, so there isn’t really any way to expand the memory which is a massive oversight.
It runs on Android 11 which may be one generation behind but considering what the device will be used for, it is sufficient and runs effortlessly.
The Note Air 2 Plus will grant users access to the majority of the ebook app stores available. Onyx Boox have also made it much easier to access the Google Play store straight out the box without having to tamper with the settings.
It also will read pretty much every type of ebook format from PDF, MOBI, EPUB, FB2 and more, which is fantastic.
The systems UI has also been given an update with icons finally having names to help discern what each of them means. Navigating the ebook remains the same with all the different sections being easily accessible.
One of the big selling points is the new 3700mAh battery which is leaps and bounds from the 3000mAh found in its predecessor.
According to Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus the device will last for up 7-8 days on one charge, slightly less if the backlight is on but the battery is still very impressive. It also charges very quickly using a USB C charger.
Verdict 4/5
The Note Air 2 is another great device from Onyx Boox that really excels in a crowded market.
It is slightly on the more expensive side being priced at £469.99 and also having to pay for the case which cost an extra £45.99.
However, it's a premium product that is really versatile and offers a lot of accessibility compared to what's currently on the market.
The Onyx Boox Note Air 2 is out now for £469.99 and can be purchased on Amazon or on the Boox website
