Supernote vs Boox: The Manta vs Note Air 4C, Compared

This is part of our Supernote hub. For the Manta alone, see our Supernote Manta review; for the wider field, the best Supernote alternatives.

The matchup

What the Supernote vs Boox question really is

Supernote vs Boox is one of the sharpest philosophy splits in e-ink. Both make excellent note-takers around the same size and price, but they believe opposite things about what the device should be. Supernote builds a closed, focused, repairable writing tool; Boox builds an open Android tablet that does everything. Once you know which of those you want, the decision is close to made.

The Supernote A5 X2 Manta is a 10.7-inch monochrome slab running Chauvet, Supernote’s locked system, with a famous ceramic-nib pen and a modular body you can repair. The Boox Note Air 4C is a 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 color tablet running full Android 13 with Google Play, so it installs Kindle, Notion, or any app you like. They cost within $50 of each other and aim at the same buyer from opposite directions.

Side by side

Hardware, head to head

The split is right there in the spec list. The Manta is monochrome, lightless, closed, and repairable; the Note Air 4C is color, open, and sealed. They are not really competing on the same axis, which is what makes the choice cleaner than the prices suggest: you are picking a philosophy, not comparing numbers.

Open vs closed

Open Android versus the closed Chauvet OS

This is the heart of it. The Note Air 4C runs full Android 13 with Google Play, so it installs any app: Kindle, Kobo, Notion, a browser, email, and note apps with their own template libraries. That makes it a genuine do-everything device. The Manta runs Chauvet, a locked Android-based system with no Google Play by default; you can sideload a few apps through F-Droid or Aurora, but it is deliberately walled off, because Supernote thinks a notebook with no app store is a notebook you actually use to think.

Color and writing

Color, and the writing feel

The Note Air 4C has color; the Manta does not. For highlighting, color-coded planning, and marked-up diagrams, the Boox’s Kaleido 3 screen is a real advantage, though color on Kaleido 3 renders softer, near 150 ppi, while mono stays near 300. The Manta answers on writing feel. Its ceramic-nib pen on a textured film is rated among the very best writing experiences in e-ink, and the nib barely wears, so you skip replacing tips. The Note Air 4C writes well; the Manta writes exceptionally.

There is also the frontlight to weigh: the Note Air 4C has one, the Manta does not, by design. If you write or read in dim rooms, that alone may settle it toward the Boox. If you only ever work in daylight and want the most paper-like surface, the Manta’s lightless screen is a feature, not a gap.

Cost over time

Price, repairability, and longevity

Up front they are close: the Manta $505 (pen separate, from $65) against the Note Air 4C at $500 with a stylus included. Over time the Manta pulls ahead on cost, because it is modular: its battery and motherboard can be replaced, so it is built to be repaired and kept for years rather than replaced when the battery ages. The Note Air 4C is a sealed device. If you buy tools to keep them, the Manta’s repairable build is worth real money, and it is the one advantage the more capable Boox cannot answer.

Both take custom templates, so a planner setup carries to either. The Manta imports PNG and PDF pages and has its own InkHub library; the Note Air 4C imports the same and adds any Android note app’s templates. Our Boox templates guide covers that side; for the Manta, our set is below.

Verdict

The call on Supernote vs Boox

FAQ

Common questions, answered briefly

People also ask

Other questions, briefly answered

Used both a Manta and a Note Air 4C? Tell us in the comments which one stayed on your desk, and whether it was the apps or the writing feel that decided it. We keep this comparison current as both lines update.