Boox’s New E Ink Tablets Ship With Android 16, and That Changes the Math

E Ink tablets have always asked for a trade-off. You got a gorgeous, paper-like screen that doesn’t wreck your eyes at midnight, and in exchange you accepted software that was a generation or two behind everything else. Boox just broke that pattern.

Its three new devices, the Note Air6 C, the Note Mini C and the Palma 3, all run Android 16 out of the box, with the Google Play Store. As 9to5Google put it, “it wouldn’t have been a surprise if these devices were still a generation or two behind that.”

Why the Android version matters here

Boox devices aren’t really e-readers. They’re Android tablets with E Ink screens, and the whole appeal is that you can install Kindle, Libby, Kobo, OneNote or whatever else you already use instead of being locked into one bookstore. An older Android version eventually means apps that stop updating or refuse to install. Starting on Android 16 buys these devices real runway.

It also sets them apart in a thinning Android tablet market. Plenty of buyers want a big-screen Android device that isn’t a Samsung, and a color E Ink notebook is a legitimately different product from a glossy LCD slate.

The three new models

Note Air6 C: the one to buy

The 10.3-inch Note Air6 C is the flagship of this batch and the only one you can order today. It runs a 4nm octa-core chip, ships with the Pen3 stylus in the box, and Boox claims page turns are about 40% faster than on the previous model. The native Notes app gains a Dual Notes split-screen mode, plus outlining, tagging and search, along with AI transcription and document scanning.

At $579.99 it isn’t cheap. But for anyone who reads PDFs, marks up documents or takes handwritten notes all day, this is the Boox that makes the most sense.

Note Mini C: great size, strange price

The 8.52-inch Note Mini C is designed for one-handed use and pairs with a redesigned magnetic InkSight stylus that adds a side button. It’s a lovely size for reading on a train. Here’s the problem: Boox lists it at the same $579.99 as the bigger Note Air6 C. Same RAM, same storage, a smaller screen and a smaller battery for the same money. Unless portability is your top priority, the Air6 C is the better deal.

Palma 3: the phone-shaped reader

The Palma line is Boox’s oddball, an E Ink device shaped like a smartphone. The Palma 3 grows the screen slightly to 6.13 inches, promises deeper blacks and higher contrast, doubles down on build quality with an anodized aluminum frame and a paper-textured fiberglass back, and packs a 3,950mAh battery. At $339.99, it’s the cheapest way into this lineup and a smart pick for anyone who wants their Kindle and Libby apps in a jacket pocket, away from their actual phone’s notifications.

Our verdict

Android 16 at launch is the headline, and it’s a welcome one. Buy the Note Air6 C if you want a serious reading and note-taking tablet now. Wait for the Palma 3 if you want a distraction-free pocket reader. And skip the Note Mini C until its price comes down, because at $579.99 it’s asking you to pay flagship money for less tablet.

Sources: Android Central, 9to5Google, Pocketables. Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash.