In a market filled with tablets trying to do everything, the iFlytek AINote Air 2 takes a more focused approach – and it shows. Rather than being a jack-of-all-trades, this e-ink tablet chooses to master a specific set of tasks: notetaking, recording, transcription and summarisation, with AI capabilities baked right in. The result is a smart, efficient and productivity-focused tool that does just enough to appeal to professionals, students and anyone who lives in meetings or interviews.
A Purpose-Built Device for Thoughtful Notetaking
At its core, the iFlytek AINote Air 2 is designed for writing and recording. It combines the quiet beauty of an e-ink display with intelligent features that take the pain out of organising and retrieving your notes. During a meeting or interview, you can record audio while taking notes (which are timestamped to sync with the audio and transcription). This makes revisiting specific parts of a conversation as simple as tapping a note.
The AI transcription engine launched with support for real-time speech-to-text across 14 languages, with translation in seven, and that’s since been increased to 15 and 10, respectively. iFlytek has also added smart markup symbols: for example, a symbol next to a note can automatically create a to-do item or flag something as important. You also get automatic summaries after each session, saving time on post-meeting admin. Similarly, notes, recordings and summaries can all be exported in various formats.
The notes provide a variety of templates, which can be changed on a page-by-page basis. There are also various pen style options, so you should find a combination to match most scenarios and give you a useful framework to work from.
Paper-Like Reading and Writing Experience
The 8.2-inch anti-glare screen offers a paper-like writing surface, helped along by 24-level warm and cold light controls and blue light minimisation. It’s a comfortable experience for extended reading or writing sessions. The included stylus is Wacom passive electromagnetic pen (so no battery is needed) and comes with replaceable nibs, offering a solid feel with dedicated buttons for erasing (on the back) and selection (on the side).
The handwriting recognition isn’t perfect, but not worse than competitors. It could make out most of my barely legible scratchings – mostly getting it wrong when my g’s weren’t closed or lines running between letters in a semi-cursive scrawl – with minimal editing required after it had turned the handwriting into text. Where it understandably struggles is if you tend to take notes in a more haphazard way across the page.
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- Front and Back
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- Customisable lock screen
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- Handwriting to text
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- Apps at your fingertips
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- Ask ChatGPT
While the display lacks auto-brightness, its manual control is easy enough (including several presets), and the screen performs well regardless of lighting conditions. The size may be a touch small for users accustomed to A4 note-taking, but the trade-off is portability: it weighs just 230g and is easy to carry in a small bag or large pocket.
Hardware and Performance
With 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, performance is smooth for its intended uses. However, with no expandable memory options, power users who record a lot of long meetings or want to use a lot of data-heavy apps may bump up against storage limits.
Battery life is excellent, as expected from a low-power e-ink device: iFlytek quotes 108 days on standby and around six hours of continuous audio recording. I was generally going a week or 10 days between needing to charge it.
The device also includes a 5MP camera intended mainly for OCR scanning of physical documents, and four microphones that not only pick up audio well but can triangulate speaker position — a handy feature for interviews or roundtable discussions (and you can tag speakers to enhance the transcription). There’s a built-in speaker which is useful in a pinch, but its quality is poor; Bluetooth headphones are recommended for playback.
Smart Software and Security
The AINote Air 2 runs a customised version of Android and supports installation of apps from its own app store, Google Play or APK Pure. That said, due to the grayscale e-ink screen and relatively slow refresh rate, dynamic apps (like video players or social media feeds) are not the best experience. However, having access to apps like Kindle, browsers, and productivity tools is a major plus.
The tablet also includes two helpful built-in shortcuts along the bottom bar – ‘Quick Note’ and ‘Ask ChatGPT’.
As noted previously, notes can be exported and shared via link or email, and there’s syncing with a companion mobile/desktop app.
Another key feature is the ‘Schedule’ section, which provides a calendar and to-do list. Unfortunately, these features don’t sync with other services (like your Google, Outlook or iCal), limiting their usefulness unless you live entirely within the iFlytek ecosystem. [Edit: Since posting this review, iFlytek has added sync support for Google Calendar and Tasks]
From a security standpoint, the device includes per-note encryption, and the device can be locked with a PIN and a fingerprint reader built into the power button, offering peace of mind for those handling sensitive content.
Constantly Improving
A promising sign for long-term users: iFlytek is invested in iterating and improving the Note Air 2. Frequent firmware updates have brought performance enhancements, bug fixes and new features, not something you can always count on from niche hardware makers.
Verdict
The iFlytek AI Note Air 2 isn’t the tablet for everyone, and that’s its strength. For those who want a focused, AI-powered writing, recording and transcription device with e-reader functionality, it’s a well-crafted, thoughtfully designed option.
The £479 base price (or £535 with case and extra pen tips) puts it in premium territory, especially compared to generic Android tablets, but it’s worth noting that there are no additional fees or subscriptions for any of the AI features, cloud sync, etc.
So, if you’re tired of your ideas disappearing into the void of unorganised notes and patchy recordings, the AI Note Air 2 could be the assistant you’ve been waiting for.
