Chances are good that if you've ever owned an e-reader, it was one of the many varieties of the Amazon Kindle. But though the Kindle is the most ubiquitous e-reader, that doesn't mean it's the best—nor does it mean that other companies haven't bettered Amazon at the game it more or less invented.
Though Boox makes my own favorite e-book device (that would be the phone-shaped Boox Palma, which I'll recommend every time I get the chance), they've expanded well beyond the e-reader market, launching multiple lines of e-ink notebooks. You can think of these devices as a cross between a Kindle and an iPad—they've typically got those familiar greyscale screens, but can run apps and work with a stylus, like a full-fledged tablet.I recently reviewed the Boox Note Air 4C, the latest model of the company's color e-ink digital notebook, and came away very impressed: While the price might be a deterrent for some, it's a fabulous option for anyone looking for a device with a writeable, paper-like screen and enough features and processing power to serve as as a truly versatile productivity tool.
For the past two weeks, I've been testing out Boox's newest release in the space, and I think I like it even better than the Note Air 4C, for one simple reason: As the name implies, the Boox Note Max is freaking huge, in a good way.
BOOX Note Mac 13.3" E-Ink Notebook $649.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $649.99 at Amazon BOOX Note Max Keyboard Cover $169.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $169.99 at Amazon BOOX Note Max Magnetic Cover $50.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $50.99 at Amazon SEE 0 MOREA truly massive device
I know they make big iPads, but the biggest tablet I'd used prior to the Note Max had a 10-inch screen. This 13.3-inch device feels much larger. It's like that math equation that proves you should always order the bigger pizza, because it turns out there is quite a big difference between a 16-inch pizza and an 18-inch pizza. The Note Max is roughly the size of my laptop screen, but holding it, it feels a lot bigger—but it's also super thin, which makes it feel truly high-end (as befitting the price tag, I suppose). The included stylus, with a 4096-level pressure sensitivity, is also on par with the Apple Pencil in terms of the writing experience and the solidness of the build.
Credit: Joel CunninghamFor most of the stuff you'll want to do with this device, you'll truly appreciate the extra real estate. Whether you're marking up a PDF, paging through a recipe book, reading manga, or using split screen to read a book and take notes at the same time, it's wonderful for everything to be so big (and I say that as someone who prefers to read on an e-read the size of an iPhone).
The 13.3" Note Max (left) is significantly larger than the 10.3" Note Air 4C, not to mention the iPhone-sized Boox Palma. Credit: Joel CunninghamAnd that brings me to the one big love-it-or-hate-it caveat with this device.
There's no front light, for a reason
It has to do with Boox's intended use case for this device. This is a digital notebook aimed at a user with specific and relatively sophisticated needs: reading and editing documents, organizing their calendar, and, most importantly, taking written notes.
Apparently the lack of a front light also improves overall clarity, which is a good thing, because you'll need it if you are trying to use the Note Max in anything but direct light. I'm old enough to already need to crank the brightness on my laptop just to read it comfortably, and I had a little trouble with smaller print on the note max unless I was sitting in a fairly bright room.
A dream digital note-taking device
If a device has been optimized to best serve as a digital notebook, then it had better perform well enough at those tasks—note-taking, marking up PDFs, linking files, working on- and offline—to justify the loss of a useful feature like a front light. And it's here that the Note Max truly excels.
The split screen mode allows you to run any two apps side-by-side, so you can, for example, read an online article while taking notes on it at the same time.
Credit: Joel CunninghamThough I haven't used the the Kindle Scribe, Amazon's flagship e-notebook, I have read many user reviews filled with complaints about the difficultly in getting files on and off the device. The Note Max solves for that by integrating with most of the major cloud services, like Google Drive and Dropbox. Importing and exporting PDFs, notes, and anything else you are working on is a matter of a few taps (and, OK, mastering the not always intuitive file structure).
Credit: Joel CunninghamConsidering the native Boox apps were likely developed in Chinese and localized for the English-language version, I'm all the more impressed at how straightforward they are to use (this definitely hasn't been the case with every app-in-translation I've used). That isn't to say it's simple, however.
On the plus side, I never encountered a need the Note Max wasn't capable of handling—the native notes apps are truly feature-packed, and built with power users in mind—but it took some work to figure them all out. If you're used to Apple hand-holding you through using one of its apps, you might get frustrated, but I think the robust tool set and customization options are worth the tradeoff.
A lot more than just a digital notebook
A great device for reading books, manga, and black and white comics
The massive screen is nice to read on if you're sitting comfortably, though I do think the device is heavy enough to make it impractical for reading in bed or while commuting. Still, the size is particularly nice if you want to read anything with a lot of graphical elements, like comics or manga.
Credit: Joel CunninghamUse any apps you like (with mixed results)
The app store access doesn't limit you to just e-reading apps, and you can definitely use the Note Max to access your Gmail, use Google Docs, play games, and even watch videos. Like Boox's other signature devices, the Note Max includes multiple screen modes, from "Normal" to "Regal" to "A2" that control how quickly the e-ink display will refresh. More than that, you can set how often the screen will perform a full refresh on a per-app basis, which is a good option considering not all tasks will put the same demands on the hardware.
Credit: Joel CunninghamIn short, this means that while the Note Max can technically do anything you'd ask of your iPad short of making FaceTime calls, those experiences won't necessarily be all that satisfying. It's great for reading Reddit, but you probably don't want to use it to watch Netflix.
Unhappy customers have reported having little luck getting what they believed were faulty devices repaired under warranty, and mailing it in involves shipping to China. That said, if you purchase the device from Amazon, instead of directly from the company, you'll be covered under Amazon's typically generous return and exchange policies.
The optional keyboard case is nice-looking but not quite there yet
One thing the keyboard case has going for it is build quality: With a faux-leather look, a weight that feels substantial if not heavy, a large trackpad, and a keyboard that feels roughly as comfortable to use as the one on my MacBook Air, it definitely has premium trappings. Just look at it:
Credit: Joel CunninghamThe trackpad also gave me some trouble; again, the culprit was lag time. You feel less like you're moving the cursor and more like you're dragging it along. This makes it surprisingly hard to do things like select from a drop-down menu or click a button.
The bottom line
After spending more than a week testing out the Boox Note Max, I feel like I'm only just starting to realize its potential. Its premium build quality and massive size in comparison to other digital notebooks make it a joy to read (and write!) on, but the complex array of features and settings are far from intuitive, and it will take some effort to fully grasp, let alone make work for you. That's not really a negative—all those options mean you can basically configure it how you like—but it does suggest to me that this is a device for power users.
That is to say: If your needs include a lot of text editing and digital note-taking, you're going to love it. If they don't, it's probably more device than you really need.
BOOX Note Max E-Ink Notebook $649.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $649.99 at AmazonOnyx Boox Note Max specs
CPU: 2.8Ghz Qualcomm Octacore processor
Storage: 128GB
Lighting: None
Battery/charging: 3,700 mAh via USB-C
SD card support: None
Weight: 615g
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