BOOX Note Air5 C
A versatile 10.3-inch color e-ink tablet running Android 15 with full app compatibility, split-screen note-taking, and EMR stylus support. The best balance of e-ink reading and Android functionality.
Where to buy
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Our take
The BOOX Note Air5 C scores 75/100 and is the Swiss Army knife of e-ink tablets — the only one that runs full Android 15 with Google Play Store access.
Install Kindle, OneNote, Notion, Gmail — whatever Android apps you want — on a 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 color e-ink display. Split-screen multitasking, EMR stylus with 4096 pressure levels, and a 2.4 GHz octa-core processor that makes this the fastest e-ink tablet available. Compatibility scores 85/100 because it works with everything.
The trade-off: color resolution is only 150 PPI (vs 300 PPI in B/W), so colors look washed out compared to an iPad. E-ink refresh is still noticeably laggy. Not all Android apps are optimized for e-ink, and some look terrible. If you want the purest writing experience, the reMarkable Paper Pro (75) is better. If you just want to read, the Kindle Scribe (72) is cheaper.
At $529.99, the lowest recorded is $499.99. "Good price" momentum with a light-green signal suggests this is a reasonable time to buy — BOOX doesn't discount aggressively.
Bottom line: Buy if you want one device for reading, note-taking, AND running Android apps on an eye-friendly e-ink screen — it's the only real option in this niche.
Pros & cons
What we like
- Full Android 15 with Google Play Store access
- Good price-to-performance ratio for color e-ink
- Split-screen for reading and note-taking simultaneously
- Supports third-party apps (Kindle, OneNote, etc.)
- Physical keyboard accessory available
What could be better
- Color resolution lower than B/W (150 vs 300 PPI)
- E-ink refresh still not as smooth as LCD
- Stylus sold separately in base model
- Android apps not all optimized for e-ink
Key features
Who is this for?
Best for
Users who want a versatile e-ink tablet that can run Android apps, take notes, and read ebooks all on one device.
Not ideal for
Users who want the purest paper-like writing experience (reMarkable is better) or need vivid color display.
How it scores
Review scores
Price history (estimated)
Specifications
| display | 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 E Ink, 300 PPI (B/W), 150 PPI (color) |
|---|---|
| processor | 2.4 GHz Octa-core |
| ram | 6GB |
| storage | 64GB |
| os | Android 15 |
| stylus | EMR Pen3 (4096 pressure levels) |
Compatibility
Standalone Android tablet. Optional companion app for file transfer.
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