The Boox Note Air 2 was one of the devices that put Onyx on the map as a serious rival to reMarkable and Amazon’s Kindle Scribe. Even though newer Boox tablets like the Note Air 4C have since launched, the Note Air 2 (and its Note Air 2 Plus sibling) is still floating around on resale sites and third-party retailers in 2026, often at a steep discount. This review breaks down exactly what you get, what’s dated, and whether it’s still worth buying today.
Boox Note Air 2: Key Specifications
| Display | 10.3-inch E Ink Carta HD, 1872 x 1404, 226 PPI |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, octa-core, 2GHz |
| RAM / Storage | 4GB RAM / 64GB storage |
| Operating System | Android 11 with full Google Play Store access |
| Stylus | Wacom EMR pen, 4096 pressure levels, magnetic attach |
| Battery | Roughly a week of mixed daily use |
| Build | Metal frame, 5.8mm thin, 14.8 oz (approx. 420g) |
| Connectivity | Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, no headphone jack |
| Launch price | $499.99 (2021) |
| 2026 street price | Roughly $350–$430 refurbished/discounted, where still available |
Design and Build Quality
Unlike most E Ink devices, which lean on plastic, the Note Air 2 uses a metal frame that genuinely feels premium in hand. At just 5.8mm thick, it’s remarkably slim, and the large spine on the left side doubles as a comfortable one-hand grip while reading. The trade-off is weight: at nearly 15 ounces, one-handed reading for long stretches gets tiring, and the device is not waterproof, so it needs a bit more care than a typical Kindle.
Display and Reading Experience
The 10.3-inch E Ink Carta HD panel isn’t the newest E Ink tech on the market anymore — Boox has since moved to Carta 1200 and Kaleido colour panels on its current lineup — but it still renders text sharply and handles PDFs, academic papers, and manga far better than a standard 6-7 inch e-reader. A 32-LED adjustable front light shifts from cool blue to warm yellow, making it comfortable to read at night without disrupting sleep as much as a typical tablet screen.
Note-Taking and Stylus Experience
The bundled Wacom-based stylus needs no charging and offers 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is a genuine advantage over rechargeable styluses like the Apple Pencil. Handwriting feels natural thanks to the textured screen cover that mimics paper friction. Notes can be converted to text, exported as PDF or PNG, and synced through Onyx’s BooxDrop tool. The one common complaint is that the magnetic pen holder isn’t very strong, so the stylus can occasionally slide off in a bag.
Performance and Software
Running Android 11 with full Google Play Store access is still the Note Air 2’s biggest differentiator versus closed ecosystems like reMarkable. You can sideload nearly any reading or note app. That said, the Snapdragon 662 chip and 4GB of RAM are dated by 2026 standards — apps like Notion or OneNote feel noticeably slower here than on a current-generation Boox device, and E Ink refresh lag is still present during fast scrolling or graphics-heavy tasks.
Battery Life
Battery life is good but not class-leading. With Wi-Fi left on and daily use mixing reading and note-taking, expect around a week per charge — solid for a tablet-class device, though short of the multi-week stamina you get from simpler mono e-readers with smaller batteries and no Android overhead.
Boox Note Air 2 vs Note Air 2 Plus vs Note Air 4C
The Note Air 2 Plus added a bigger battery and colour options but kept the same core internals. The current Note Air 4C jumps to a sharper 300 PPI mono panel, adds Kaleido 3 colour, and uses a current-generation processor with Android 13. If you can stretch your budget, the 4C is the meaningfully better long-term buy; the Note Air 2 only makes sense today at a steep discount.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Premium metal build
- Sharp 10.3-inch display, great for PDFs and note-taking
- Full Android + Google Play access
- Non-rechargeable, pressure-sensitive stylus included
Cons
- Dated Snapdragon 662 chipset
- No waterproofing
- Heavier than average for one-handed reading
- Officially discontinued; harder to find new
Should You Buy the Boox Note Air 2 in 2026?
If you can find one heavily discounted and specifically want a mono E Ink writing tablet with a large screen, the Note Air 2 still gets the fundamentals right. But if you’re spending close to full price, the current Note Air 4C offers a sharper screen, colour support, and modern internals for not much more money, making it the smarter buy for most people in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Boox Note Air 2 still available to buy new?
Onyx has largely discontinued direct sales of the Note Air 2, though third-party retailers and resellers still stock it at reduced prices.
Is the Boox Note Air 2 waterproof?
No. It has no official water or dust resistance rating, so it should be kept away from spills and moisture.
How long does the battery last?
With mixed daily use and Wi-Fi on, most users get about a week per charge.
Does it support handwriting-to-text conversion?
Yes, Boox’s native Notes app can convert handwritten notes into editable text and export them as PDF or PNG.
