Air VS Air 2 (Text Sharpness)

[Hängmattan]

Hey everyone!

I just received my Air 2 and was pretty disappointed at the lack of sharpness in the text. I know this issue has been addressed in other threads, but I haven't yet read about anyones experience that have had both.

So, for anoyone that have experience with both Air and Air 2, is there a noticeable difference in sharpness between both? Air 2, in theory, should have worse contrast, but is it distinctive?

Regards

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Hängmattan

I just received my Air 2 and was pretty disappointed at the lack of sharpness in the text. I know this issue has been addressed in other threads, but I haven't yet read about anyones experience that have had both.

So, for anoyone that have experience with both Air and Air 2, is there a noticeable difference in sharpness between both? Air 2, in theory, should have worse contrast, but is it distinctive?

I have Nova 2 and Note Air - both have excellent and quite comparable image quality.
In this video you can see the Nova Air vs Nova 2 comparison from about minute 13:10 and I assume the Nova Air uses the same screen film as the Note Air 2.

[Hängmattan]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

I have Nova 2 and Note Air - both have excellent and quite comparable image quality.
In this video you can see the Nova Air vs Nova 2 comparison from about minute 13:10 and I assume the Nova Air uses the same screen film as the Note Air 2.

Yup, looks much better without any film.

On Air 2, it feels as I have poor vision while reading. The text is too blurry.

[Hängmattan]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

I have Nova 2 and Note Air - both have excellent and quite comparable image quality.
In this video you can see the Nova Air vs Nova 2 comparison from about minute 13:10 and I assume the Nova Air uses the same screen film as the Note Air 2.

Thanks for you input!

I've had air 2 for two days and each time I read it feels as I have a slightly poor eye vision.

Found this as well! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j-KkmezdQv4

[kandwo]

This is a general problem for Boox devices, I feel. I had the Max Lumi 1 for a week before returning it - the text was blurry and my eyes watered trying to focus on it. It seems like the glass layer that Onyx Boox uses on top of their devices makes the text slightly unfocused, which is made all the worse with the rather low PPI of the Lumi.

I have the same problem sometimes with my Nova 3 (it has better contrast than the Lumi and significantly higher PPI). I've mostly gotten used to it, but if my eyes are tired in the evening I sometimes have to switch to reading on my Hisense A5 Pro that doesn't have that problem.

The question is whether the Air 1 has a better screen than the Lumi 1. Neither has a screen film added. The latter has a slightly lower PPI than the former - 207 vs 226.

I think you would have to see it in person to know.

If you don't need it now, I would wait for the next releases by Boox and hope that they use the latest Carta technology for a higher contrast. And hopefully they can fix the general fuzziness, too.

[ottischwenk]

It is a law of optics that any surface of a transparent medium will deflect light rays - this means reducing contrast and edge sharpness.

[azayn]

I recently had the opportunity to try out 3 Onyx devices: the Nova 3, Air, and Kon-Tiki2. The Air had the worst clarity out of all. But in fairness, that could very well be a result of the screen protector on the Air. The Nova 3, which I now own, was the sharpest and edges out even my Oasis. Global contrast settings help in that regard.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by azayn

I recently had the opportunity to try out 3 Onyx devices: the Nova 3, Air, and Kon-Tiki2. The Air had the worst clarity out of all. But in fairness, that could very well be a result of the screen protector on the Air. The Nova 3, which I now own, was the sharpest and edges out even my Oasis. Global contrast settings help in that regard.

Was this the Nova or the Note Air?

Did you think that Nova 3 had a better screen than Kon-Tiki 2? If so, that's interesting, since the latter is just a non-wacom version of the former. Some think the wacom layer decreases screen clarity, but Onyx Boox claims the wacom layer is underneath the e-ink and therefore shouldn't have an effect. I'm surprised the quality wouldn't be the same.

[citytrader]

I don't have any sharpness issues in my Boox Air 2. I'm satisfied with the text quality and of course is not comparable with my Galaxy S7 because its ppi difference.

[azayn]

Originally Posted by kandwo

Was this the Nova or the Note Air?

Did you think that Nova 3 had a better screen than Kon-Tiki 2? If so, that's interesting, since the latter is just a non-wacom version of the former. Some think the wacom layer decreases screen clarity, but Onyx Boox claims the wacom layer is underneath the e-ink and therefore shouldn't have an effect. I'm surprised the quality wouldn't be the same.

Nova Air.

I didn’t get an opportunity to compare the Nova 3 and Kon-Tiki 2 side by side but I too was expecting worse clarity due to the WACOM layer and was pleasantly surprised at how crisp the text was. The screen is even a shade whiter than my Oasis.

Here is a side by side of the Oasis, Kon-Tiki 2, and Nova Air with the front light turned off. As you can see, the Oasis and Kon-Tiki are similar while the Air is little darker. https://bit.ly/3sEQLsu

This is the Nova 3 next to the Oasis. https://bit.ly/3Js4R79. It’s hard to tell from the picture but the text is fuzzier on the Oasis and the screen is also a tad darker.

[Renate]

I dunno. People's taste in these things are so varied.
"My father's Japanese" is horrible. The font, the line spacing, everything.
The bottom two with their superfluous headers and footers don't suit me either.

[Hängmattan]

Originally Posted by azayn

I recently had the opportunity to try out 3 Onyx devices: the Nova 3, Air, and Kon-Tiki2. The Air had the worst clarity out of all. But in fairness, that could very well be a result of the screen protector on the Air. The Nova 3, which I now own, was the sharpest and edges out even my Oasis. Global contrast settings help in that regard.

So your air 1 arrived with screen protector? I thought they weren't applied on air. Or maybe that changed.

[azayn]

Originally Posted by Renate

I dunno. People's taste in these things are so varied.
"My father's Japanese" is horrible. The font, the line spacing, everything.

The bottom two with their superfluous headers and footers don't suit me either.

That would be the Oasis. Remember, the front light is off on all of them and admittedly, the lighting in the first photo isn’t great. The same device looks different under better lighting in the second photo.

Also, I’ve learned that videos and pictures of e-readers never do justice. For example, you won’t notice how fuzzy the Oasis’s text from the photo. A different story holding the actual device in your hand.

Originally Posted by Hängmattan

So your air 1 arrived with screen protector? I thought they weren't applied on air. Or maybe that changed.

Yes, the Nova Air came with the screen protector installed at the factory. My Deep Guide also confirmed this in his review: https://youtu.be/tcuxP4Nhy7I.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Hängmattan

So your air 1 arrived with screen protector? I thought they weren't applied on air. Or maybe that changed.

Its Nova Air - not Note Air