Boox made a few announcements for the Chinese market earlier this month, and one such reveal was for the P6 Pro, which looks just like a Palma, but with a color screen and 5G data support. We had a feeling the device would come Stateside as the rumored color Palma Boox showed off to The Verge, and thanks to last night’s announcement, it’s now confirmed: the Palma 2 Pro is already available to pre-order from Boox’s website.
But that’s not all: Boox also revealed the Note Air5 C, an update to the Note Air4 C, now offering a paper-like screen feel with an optional keyboard case — a first for Boox’s Air line of e-readers.
2025 Boox Product Launch Event (source: Boox)
Overall, these are both welcome additions to the Boox line of e-readers and note-taking E Ink devices; however, power users are starting to notice that black-and-white e-readers are being ignored in the West, which is a shame when China is getting several.
The Boox Palma 2 Pro starts shipping this November
Boox Palma 2 Pro lifestyle shots (source: Boox)
Following Boox’s Product Launch Event, the Boox Palma 2 Pro’s product page appeared on the official website. It’s already available to order, with pricing listed at $400 for both the black and white models. This is $100 more than the Palma 2, but of course, it comes with a Kaleido 3 color screen at 6.13 inches. It also offers 5G data with a SIM slot, but only data; there is no support for voice over 5G, much like an Android tablet.
Palma 2 Pro Specifications
| Display: 6.13″ Kaleido 3 (4,096 colors) glass screen with flat cover-lens | Resolution: B/W 824 x 1648 (300ppi), Color 412 x 824 (150ppi) |
| CPU: Octa-core + BSR | RAM: 8 GB |
| ROM: 128GB | Connectivity: Wi-Fi + BT 5.1 |
| Battery: 3,950mAh Li-ion Polymer | Weight: 175 g (6.2 oz) |
| Dimensions: 159 x 80 x 8.8 mm (6.3″ x 3.1″ x 0.35″) | OS: Android 15 |
| Front Light: CTM (Warm and Cold) | Ports: USB-C Port (Supports OTG or use as an audio jack), Hybrid SIM Card Slot, Built-in Speaker, Built-in Dual Microphones |
Stylus support is also included, using the same InkSense Stylus as the Go 7, which is based on USI 2.0. Many users find USI inferior to EMR — the stylus tech used in the newly announced Note Air5 C — due to lower accuracy. Then again, stuffing in stylus support along with a color screen and frontlighting in such a small e-reader was likely a challenge, so it’s understandable some compromises had to be made.
Boox Palma 2 Pro and InkSense Stylus (source: Boox)
The device will ship with Android 15, an improvement over the Palma 2’s Android 13 that will likely never see a version update. The Palma 2 Pro has also bumped the RAM to 8GB, which should help keep the OS running at an even clip, no matter how many apps are in use.
Overall, the Boox Palma 2 Pro looks to be a fine upgrade to the Palma 2, but unless you need a color screen, 5G data, and stylus support, you’ll likely be better served by the previous two releases, which are conveniently on sale now that the Palma 2 Pro is available to pre-order. Ideally, units will start shipping early next month, with Boox stating November 7th is the tentative date.
Boox Palma 2 Pro
The Boox Note Air5 C hit the ground running and is already shipping
Boox Note Air5 C lifestyle shots and color app support (source: Boox)
The second device Boox announced last night is the Note Air5 C, and as the name suggests, this is the follow-up to the Note Air4 C. This time around, you can expect Android 15 to ship on the device (instead of Android 13 like the Note Air4 C), and there’s a new optional keyboard case (the last model didn’t offer a keyboard peripheral), and it even has a little cutout in the spine for the USB-C port so you can charge the device in the case, something that was overlooked with the Note Air4 C’s regular case.
Note Air5 C Specifications
| Display: 10.3″ Kaleido 3 (4,096 colors) Carta 1200 glass screen with flat cover-lens | Resolution: B/W 2480 x 1860 (300 ppi), Color 1240 x 930 (150 ppi) |
| CPU: Octa-core + BSR | RAM: 6 GB |
| ROM: 64 GB | Connectivity: Wi-Fi + BT 5.1 |
| Battery: 3,700mAh Li-ion Polymer | Weight: 440 g (15.5 oz) |
| Dimensions: 225 x 192 x 5.8 mm (8.9″ x 7.6″ x 0.23″) | Touch: BOOX stylus touch (4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity) + capacitive touch |
| Front Light: CTM (Warm and Cold) | OS: Android 15 |
| Rotation: G-sensor | Ports: USB-C Port (Supports OTG or use as an audio jack), microSD Card Slot, Built-in Dual Speakers, Built-in Microphone |
While it doesn’t appear that much has changed between the Note Air5 C and the Note Air4 C, the updated OS and keyboard attachment should entice anyone looking for a 10.3 inch e-reader that can pull double duty as an e-reader and digital notepad, especially now that Boox has added what it is calling an “upgraded handwriting texture,” which sounds like there is a film of some sort on the screen to ensure using the included Pen3 stylus feels as close to paper as possible.
Boox Note Air5 C close up and peripherals (source: Boox)
And as I mentioned above, the Pen3 stylus is an EMR stylus, which means it offers 4,096 levels of pressure, tilt sensitivity, along with a low latency, so if sketching and heavy note-taking are your primary uses, you should appreciate that Boox stuck with EMR support for the Nore Air5 C.
Pricing starts at $530 for the standard bundle, and if you’d like to include the optional Keyboard Cover, the price jumps to $607, which really isn’t that bad at $77 more than the base bundle. While it currently looks like the Keyboard Cover Bundle is sold out, a Boox representative on Reddit has mentioned that it’s simply not available yet, so just be patient; the new listing should offer the bundle soon.
Boox Note Air5 C
