Supernote Nomad A6X2 review - my thoughts after a week and a half
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- #supernote #eink #impression
I've now spent about a week and a half with the Ratta Supernote A6X2 Nomad eink device. Here is my review after using it all that time. I also compare PDF reading on it vs the Boox Note Air 3 and 3C. Will this be the device I decide to keep?
If you'd like to help support me and purchase a Boox Note Air 3c or Note Air 3 for yourself, please use one of these affiliate links to purchase one on Amazon:
Boox Note Air 3c: amzn.to/3TR8VpY
Boox Note Air 3: amzn.to/3TXt3qM
If you are a developer interested in Elixir and Phoenix, check out my LiveView course at BuildItWithPhoenix.com.
Finally, check out my website for more information (maybe including a written review of this device) at geoffreylessel.com.
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Limited app store
04:28 - No front light
04:55 - Reflective screen surface
06:02 - Writing feel
07:33 - Small form factor
09:00 - Device speed
09:39 - Finger presses don't register
10:20 - Battery performance and charging
12:07 - Getting files onto the device
14:14 - Disappearing writing
15:30 - Reading PDFs
22:10 - Which device will I keep?
25:22 - Wrap up - Věda a technologie
Internet access. Folks, when out and about, make your phone the sole device connected directly, then hotspot devices to it. I do this as a rule. It simplifies the security situation and eliminates the headaches associated to captive portals and things.
Don’t tell me how to live my life Todd, that’s my wife’s job.
Thank you for the good work. I really like your style!
Awesome! You are welcome and thanks for letting me know!
I wasn’t sure on the size at first but the Nomad has really grown on me. It handles Kindle fine, but I still prefer my Paperwhite for reading. Having the front light really helps with any overhead glare. I love grabbing the Nomad and Paperwhite to sit at a coffee shop and summarize annotations with both setup side by side.
You know, I had a similar thought the other day! One of the things I should have mentioned in this video is I _do_ like the split-screen ability on the Boox for reading and taking notes at the same time. While I can do Kindle highlights while reading, I can't take longhand notes while reading on just the Nomad. I may try that Kindle + Nomad combo!
Thank you for the super honest comparison. Really appreciate it. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on the suerpnote and any follow ups you could do would be most useful. Thank you again!
You're welcome! I'm so glad it was helpful.
Thanks for the review without hype and so
Very good review I really like the way you went till I’m all products. I have a question. How does the super note integrated into your workflow when using the iPad and Super note?
I started using readwise and its now a must have for me too.
Great videos thank you. I’m really torn on which should be my first e ink device. I want to replace my paper notebook for note taking and to do for work. I’m torn between Remarkable 2, Boox Note Air 3 or C, and Supernote. I really want to be able to tag and organize notes. I’m a tech savvy person. Any advice?
Thanks for your reviews - they helped me a great deal. I was on the fence between the Boox Air 3 and the Supernote, but the lack of a 10.3 inch model pushed me to the Boox. I am still getting used to the size, as I’m coming down from a 12.9 inch iPad and I read many books and papers. My ideal size would be A4. That said, I am enjoying the Boox, it has a nice writing feel and low latency. I have the Pro pen, though it’s unnecessary since you can strikeout text. I also bought the Staedtler pencil which was grabby at first but is quite nice after a little use. Still working through the quirks but I think it was a good purchase. Thanks again for the videos 😊
I may have to try that Staedtler pencil! Does it change the feel much? I am looking forward to seeing if/when they come out with an A5 sized Supernote. I'm very curious about that. For my uses, I do think an A4 would feel ginormous! 😆
It's really about _'your use case'._
Almost everything I do is text based and so went for the Supernote A5X but advised my brothers who runs a busy office environment, to go for the Boox platform from which he chose the Tab Ultra C. Boox devices are very impressive, but when it comes to building text structures that you can jump around with easy, grab information or references to use elsewhere Supernote reigns as King. Additionally, my Supernote _feels_ robust, while picking-up my brothers Boox device I felt I needed to treat it with that extra bit of care lest I scratched or broke it.
Yeah, those are great points. Even though it is made of plastic, I agree that it feels robust.
thanks for the review, its a good point
Thanks for the review. I was on the fence with Boox device and wanted to return Nomad, due to size. But this thing just builds on you. I agree if they add a few apps, or better reading options, then it would be unbeatable.
Maybe you should wait for the A5X2 which is due out Q1.
@@tonyb408 I am waiting for it. I like the way Supernote handles notes.
Right?! It does build on you. And I really wish it had more apps.
Even given the expense I’m going to find it hard not to get the A5X2 when it comes out.
I do like obsidian on the Boox though.
Aaaargh!!!
Ah thanks for mentioning early on that there is no open play store. That's a deal breaker for me as I use some apps for working with old Hebrew and Aramaic text (the app has databases and such with data I need) so a closed ecosystem kills the deal for me. Very cool you mentioned that super important point early on. Thanks for another great review
You can sideload apps in I thought but equally I'm still researching how easy this is
Hi, I used to have kindle paperwhite. For notetaking, in normal lighting conditions is it easy to use supernote when compared to boox note air 3 (with frontlight on about 50%?). I really like to get supernote but the lack of frontlight is holding me. Thanks!
As a note taker, I have found the SuperNote, especially in this size, to be ideal. I like the email and calendar functions, as well. Beyond that I think the real comparison for the Boox devices are the iPads or other full fledged tablets. For me, iPad remains the best all around all purpose personal computer. E-ink has a ways to get to catch up with color, speed, you name it. But, there are times you simply want to grab a reliable device take notes for home, work or school, just as you would a pad of paper. So, if it does not break the bank get both an iPad and a SuperNote. If that is too expensive, get an iPad and a pad of paper and pen. You can always scan your notes into the iPad.
I agree that the iPad is still king of the all-purpose tablets. I already have an iPad that I'm super happy with (and already use daily). But I'm really looking forward to having this special-purpose note-taking and reading device. Thanks for the comment! Well said.
SuperNote A5X is my used piece of tech ever
I am stuck in decision purgatory. It is between the boox note air 3 b&w, and the SN nomadA6x2. I wish i had both in my hand to compare, but I cant order and tie up funds like that. This review has been amazing, but I am still stuck. how do the white and black contrast compare between the devices? My head is saying get the SN, but my FOMO is saying get the boox.
Hi Geoffrey, how did you write that small? Haha. Did you write it in horizontal or portrait mode? Thanks!
Is it a good idea to use a screen protector (plastic) on such devices? Thinking of buying one, but never used a writing pad.
Did you put your apps in the supernote?. They enabled sideloading a few days ago.
Hi Geoffrey, thank you for mentioning your feeling when you started writing on the Nomad. I received my Nomad four days ago, and when trying to write on it for the first time, I was sure that I will return it. But now it's much better and I was wondering if I just got used to it or if something is really happening with the screen :-D
It will be interesting to see what you choose to keep. I luv my Nomad, but it fits my need, which is just basically a supe'd up notebook that I can backup and load docs on/from OneDrive or side loading. I may have missed it, but did you consider the Boox Tab Ultra C mini? Basically same size as the Nomad, but internet and Play Store capabilities etc. There will be battery issues with Boox color devices but My Deep Guide has a great battery comparison vid that isn't particularly outdated.
I've essentially settled on the Nomad at this point. However, I did note consider the Tab Ultra C mini! I will check out that video. Thanks for the tip!
video quality is really great. What cams do you use?
It’s a secret
I am very confused... Should I buy an ink reader that has an external memory, or should I rely on cloud applications such as Google Drive... I have a large number of books...? I asked on Reddit and I asked on Twitter.. I did not find a clear answer.. Many questions about storing and downloading books via the cloud or SD card..
NEWS FLASH!
The *just* released official support for sideloading apps on the supernote make it more attractive than anything to me right now. I'm going to buy one next week when I'm paid.
Having todo lists and new apps for it make it irresistible!
How is sideloading apps? Not seeing much on this
@@smaao It works, it took me a little while to work out the command line prompts as you have to install apps via a terminal window using Windows Powertoys.
The only issue is = what programs do I want to run that would work well on the Supernote..
What would you use on it?
@MOSMASTERING ooh that's great to know
Honestly I don't want much but ideally
Koreader as it allows me to read all formats which kindle is restricted on.
And I would get tachiyomi equivalent for manga.
Note taking wise, I'll be happy I think with what supernote has. I currently use samsung notes on my tablet and phone but understand there's no 'one' note taking app to work on
Thanks for all reviews. You made my choice of not buying NA3 B/W after returning 3C sound. I am owner of Nomad since Thursday. So far so good. I am positively surprised that I dig the size coming from RM2, Scribe and briefly NA3C.
Premium pen feel is a plus.
Oooh, I'm glad to hear that your experiences have been similar to mine so far! It's always nice to know that you aren't alone in your impressions of something. I love that you have experience with all those devices and also ended up with a Nomad.
Thanks for the review. I was looking at the A6X2, but I can't figure out if I can save my notes as a pdf. Converting to text isn't helpful when there are diagrams and doodles and such interspersed. Also it would be nice if it saved the recognized text with the handwriting in the pdf so that I could search it. It is really hard to tell if it has the features that I want without buying one. Were you able to export your notebooks as pdf?
I have the earlier version and you can export to pdfs
So I was wondering when saving notes to something like onedrive, google drive, dropbox, etc. Is it like the remarkable 2 in the sense from my understanding it just uploads a pdf of the note and if you make any changes it uploads another copy of the note as a different pdf in the root folder?
Trying to decide if I should get the supernote or rM2 because cloud syncing functionality would be a nice to have.
To be completely honest, cloud syncing is something I have not played with much yet. I'll add that question to my list of things to potentially cover in a future video.
@@geolessel Awesome I look forward to it! Currently still playing around with my RM2, the cloud sync leaves a bit to be desired :)
I’m deciding between those two and it’s very important for me to be able to search notes by the word (so text recognition is required), I know that Boox can do it, but could you please let me know if Supernote can do it? so like if I have a notebook open is there a search button?
Additionally I’d like to use it for work and there’re some concerns with Boox uploading data to servers, is there any similar issues with supernote? or do you consider is save for sensitive notes?
I saw a video where you can choose what server to save your notes to. US, UK and other that I can’t remember
How about a review of supernote a6x2 vs boox go 10.3 please.
Boox air 3 or the Nomad?
Should live demo the writing w/ these devices!
Over the course of the videos I have done brief writing on all of them but so far no dedicated writing comparison.
Great videos man! I was running into a similar issue deciding between the 3, 3C and Kindle Scribe. Ultimately I returned the 3 and 3C because I liked the pen feel and the snappier kindle books on the scribe. I haven't tried the Supernote, but would be interested to hear your thoughts on the differences between that and the Scribe.
Thank you! Unfortunately I don't have access to a Scribe and will likely not purchase one. I can't remember the specifics off the top of my head, but when I initially started this E-Ink journey, it was on my list. Slowly devices dropped off and the Scribe dropped off near the end. Again, I can't remember the exact thing it didn't have that the other devices did, but there was _something_ 😆.
@@geolessel Possibly no marketplace for apps? That was a big one for me at first, but I ended up just using my ipad for those & any color requirements
@@user-wd9cd5le5y Yeah, maybe. But the Nomad's marketplace simply adds what the Kindle Scribe comes with. 😅 I may have to take another look.
@@geolessel I'll keep an eye out in case you end up doing a video on one👍
from what i have heard you can side load apps with android debug bridge
My only issue is the size. I dont write small so is this to tiny for larger writers. Seems like there simply isnt enough room on the screen. If the screen did auto scroll, that would help
Yeah, if you are a person that has large handwriting, this may be too small for you.
@@geolesselI have a Boox Nova 3 Color atm, but the size is indeed my main problem; I need to use too many pages while taking notes during a meeting.
I'm mostly curious of the feature experience between the Supernote and Boox
@@boy19801 I pretty much cover my thoughts on features in the video. I'm not a power user of either one (yet!) and since this is my first device of this type, there are likely some things I just don't know about yet.
@@geolessel yes, that's why I like your video's, just as a user which gives a lot of value
Man I bought the color e ink tablet and almost never used it
Apps. At a minimum, Kobo and Libby and Pocket (or Resdwise or similar). I mean, why even bother with Kindle if you don't include those others. Bizarre.
I don't really like the fact that is yet another closed device
I returned the Boox Note Air 3C (and ate $100 in the process). The writing experience was crap and the device was just too heavy. (And the battery life was poor, though that wasn't the deal killer.) The Note Air 3C felt like writing on a dry erase board. For a guy who writes copiously ... It was just awful. I look forward to trying again with an eink device when the A5X2 comes out.
Thanks for letting me know of your experience. Writing on a dry erase board is an interesting way to describe it (and I can't disagree)!