Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C Review

On past trips, I’ve struggled to find precious real estate in my carry-on for my Kindle, reMarkable 2 tablet, and my 15-inch MSI laptop. To avoid yet another game of luggage Tetris, I needed an all-in-one tablet—so when I got the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet, I jumped at the opportunity to condense my devices into one portable powerhouse for travel.

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C should be your go-to travel tablet.

Unlike many of the best tablets on the market, the Tab Ultra C skips OLED, opting instead for an anti-glare 227ppi display. It’s a welcome change, since the Kaleido 3 color integration feels easier on my eyes than OLED and even Apple’s Liquid Retina technology. The display can show over 4,000 colors; for students who are using this gadget for study sessions, this integration is a huge perk for color-coded note-taking and more.

Wellbots

Screen size: 10.3-inch | Display: E Ink Carta | Operating system: Android 11 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 128GB | Processor: Qualcomm Advanced Octa-core | Front Light: Yes

Like its black-and-white sibling, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra, the Tab Ultra C comes with a warm light setting—a gentle front light that makes the screen easier to read in certain lighting situations. However, it took me a while to figure out how to adjust it. Compared to my Kindle Paperwhite (which I live on after work), not having an easy warm light setting feels like a major oversight. However, being able to adjust the screen to a cooler or warmer color spectrum does make does make my experience better.

Because it runs on the Android 11 OS, I could download my favorite apps via the Google Play Store, including Kindle, Google Docs, Discord and more. Paired with the keyboard folio, the HD color ePaper screen flips and turns into a portable mini PC, making it great to take my work on the go. So great, in fact, that I typed this entire article on the Tab Ultra C. Could the Boox have been improved by running the newer Android 13? Probably. But at the same time, I bet that most people won’t even notice that it’s Android 11.

The tablet offers a plethora of distinct display refresh rates: HD, Ultrafast, Fast, Balanced and Regal. While some rate settings are designed for watching videos, others reduce the refresh rate in favor of showing finer display details. While using Discord, some preset refresh rates detract from my messaging experience with severe ghosting. Other display settings keep up with the notifications and changing screen for Google Docs and Microsoft Office. It boils down to your own needs.

Despite the ghosting, I found that the portability, ease-of-use, and ability to condense all of my computing needs into one handy device made this worth it for me. It’s also one of the best writing tablets you can buy. It’s on the expensive side at $600, but considering it’s bundled with a keyboard and pen, the price feels more reasonable. The tablet is a worthy investment for on-the-go workers and students.

Forbes Vetted regularly covers all types of consumer electronics and then reviews and recommends the best products. Here are some other articles you might enjoy reading: