A modest update to the cult favourite
In the end , the Boox Palma 2 is a morsel of a rummy product to judge . It does n’t really have all that much competitor , and those like products that do be have largely the same limitation . Still , for what it does it ’s a very fun machine to use .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The first Boox Palma became a cult hit gadget when it launched . Will the Boox Palma 2 have the same impact ?
The original Palma wasnn’t smartphone nor is the 2024 role model , but can it be a gimmick for those seeking a digital detox from their smartphones ?
As much as I love review thebest phonesandbest tablets , there ’s something fantastically charming about the Boox Palma 2 – even if it is n’t without issues .
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Design
So from that out of doors , you might look at it and call up – “ well that ’s just an E Ink smartphone ” . It ’s smartphone - shaped , it runs Android , and you’re able to set up apps on it . But , it ’s miss important earphone features – like actually have got a phone app for making regular phone calls .
It ’s also missing an headphone , so you ca n’t hold it to your ear if you make interpreter margin call via other platforms . There ’s also no NFC , so you ca n’t make contactless payments .
With that tell – you may mate Bluetooth earbuds or headphones . And you may instal communication apps like WhatsApp or Telegram . Both of these have the choice to make voice call , so it ’s not completely impossible to use them to speak to people . But you ’re reliant on a Wi - Fi connectedness to make that happen .
So really , it ’s more of a mini tablet with an vitamin E Ink display than a phone . But it might still comprise a piddling haven . A tranquil desert island away from the domain of full - color , attending - hogging , optic - straining smartphones .
If smartphones are bustle about cities full of high rises , bustling with crew of people and instant convenience – with sempiternal object of fascination vie for your tending – the Palma 2 is a quiet rural hamlet with a exclusive store , a chapel and a fish and potato chip shop that still sells soda you have n’t see since the 1990s .
A office where you have to be more purposeful to observe something to fill your care . It ’s your retirement away from the helter-skelter stress - inducing populace of unremitting pinging and doom scrolling .
For those familiar with the first Palma , very little of annotation has change . Even from a strictly artistic or aim standpoint , it looks and find much the same .
The back has this strange textured cultivation which oddly makes me think of the rough , wan , textured midland wall finish you ’d probably find inside the British home in the 70s and 80s .
The plus side of this finish , is that it ’s grippy . Combined with the rigid plastic frame around the exterior , this is a machine that never feel like you take to be precious over it . You do n’t really require a case for it , although you could get folio suit that treat the presentation , and then machine - stir up the gimmick when you open it .
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There ’s a USB - C porthole on the bottom and a customisable shortcut push button on the left side . you could position it to do several preset undertaking like refreshing the concealment or taking a screenshot , or localise it to launch any app . As always with any shortcut cay , I use it to establish Shazam and tag a vocal .
Then there ’s a wake / sleep button with a built - in fingerprint reader just above the volume rock ‘n’ roll musician . It ’s pretty tedious and unreliable from my experience , a bit of a pain in the end . It ’s certainly something to improve on .
Features
The set phrase “ less is more ” is used often to defend a signified of restricting quantity , lot or mass , in favour of a quality experience . And it sort of enforce here .
This confinement is all down to the fact the equipment has an tocopherol Ink exhibit . No matter how good eastward Ink has become , it still is n’t anywhere as bright , vivacious , colourful or fast to refresh as the LCD or OLED display on the best phones and the upright pad . And that means it’sabsolutelyterrible for watching videos or act games .
But that ’s the delight of this equipment . You ’ll never get stuck in those endless recommendation feeds on TikTok , or pass hours lost in YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels . You could try , but you ’d soon get fed up and give up on it .
It almost makes the decision to base the software on Android counter - visceral , but again , that ’s also a good thing . We ’ve seen equipment like the Kindle or ReMarkable ’s paper tablets lock away into a custom operating organisation where you ca n’t really instal anything extra , with this equipment you could have any apps you want installed . Well , almost any .
vitamin E Ink is idealistic for anything school text based . So you’re able to establish any written document editing apps , and it ’s great for that . Plus , you may install Kindle , or any other popular ebook read library service , where an existent Kindle will restrict you to just the Kindle Store unless you ’re happy to go through the scuffle of download and sending document one by one to your Kindle subroutine library .
It does n’t have to be Kindle either . you’re able to have Barnes and Noble ’s app on there , or apps like Libby and Borrowbox – so you’re able to get at ebooks for free from your local library , helping support those , and not needing to hand over any cash to big technical school company like Amazon .
So if you wish reading on your commute to work , you may just take this with you and take , listening to podcasts or music at the same prison term , without being perturb by any societal video feeds in the process . The limitation of E Ink doing wonders at keeping you from being distracted . Keep your actual sound in another pocket , locked away , and avoid societal medium . It ’s bliss .
In my time using it , it was mainly a equipment for register books on the Kindle app . But at the same time , I had WhatsApp and Telegram installed so I could stick around in touch with close friends and family using popular messaging apps . I even had Chat GPT installed to do some basic enquiry , and for the most part it work well , but it ’s not the truehearted experience .
The interim between poignant , tapping or swiping on the display and getting a response from the interface is still quite noticeable . I could still type pretty quick and accurately on the Google keyboard , so it did n’t hinder too much , but I do n’t see any major amphetamine or reply improvement over the last poser . It ’s still an E Ink twist after all .
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Still , Onyx – the company that name the Boox – enounce it has a new octa - center processor , but probably more important is that it runs Android 13 , which is an old – by not quite as old as Android 11 – software by advanced tablet and smartphone standards .
It does have a camera too , although this is just there for those uncommon occasions where you might require to scan something quick . If you just postulate a digital written matter of a physical document , or you require to run down a QR computer code , it can do it , but it ’s not much good for anything else .
Still , because it ’s quite limited , that does mean that there ’s not a vast amount that can be done hardware - wise to upgrade on this experience . So if all you want is something lowly and portable to read on , this will do that , for long time .
Screen
There are two very substantial welfare to eastward Ink as a display case . Despite its obtuse refresh , it ’s majuscule for two things : legibility and battery life .
If you ’re in a bright environment , it utilise the ambient light around you to make the display visible . So you’re able to read distinctly whatever is on the presentation without using any back or front ignition at all .
The brighter the surroundings , the clearer the screen is . It ’s opposite to LCD or OLED in that regard , which scramble to stay on as understandably visible when you ’re in really undimmed environs . It ’s perfect for reading .
As I ’ve already bring up , it ’s not great for more visual material . specially invigoration , which are janky and stuttery . But at the same time , because it ’s a greyscale display , even look at images and photos is specify because of the difficultness in showing the contrast between the different shades of Second Earl Grey that all colour become .
Anything high demarcation is marvellous – and it ’s why text on a blank Thomas Nelson Page solve so well – making the Palma 2 complete for study on the go . But anything even slightly graphically rich will not show all that clearly on this display . mayhap it ’s time for a colour E Ink display on this small form divisor , like some of Onyx ’s bigger tablet models and theKindle Colorsoft .
It does have lighting for those moments where you might need it too – reading at night in bed for example . you may adjust the brightness and adjust the warmth , like to how Amazon ’s Kindle Paperwhite 2024 will allow you to clear and warm the light .
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And because it only really uses power when you move around pages , or squeeze it to refresh to exhibit new character or graphic , it does n’t enfeeble the battery quick at all .
It ’s not quite as long - lasting as a handsome twist like the Kindle , but it ’ll still get me through about 5 24-hour interval on a full charge .
Should you buy it?
I do really take account that the Boox Palma 2 extend a small recital machine that can well steal in a pocket – and allow for me to read without too many distractions .
While some calling apps can be installed , the lack of some basics means this is n’t a true viable phone replacement .
Final Thoughts
In the end , the Boox Palma 2 is a bit of a weird Cartesian product to guess . It does n’t really have all that much contest , and those similar products that do exist have largely the same limitation .
There is the TCL NxtPaper phone – which use an LCD control panel to mimic an E Ink display at the pic of a transposition – but because it is essentially just a normal smartphone with a color display , it ’s not going to keep you away from your habit-forming TikTok feeds .
So while it could be sound , specifically around feeling faster and more responsive and feature a more modern version of Android so that it stays secure and up to particular date for longer , it is still likely the best example of what it ’s trying to reach .
I ’d love for it to have a phone capability , to bolt down my SIM in and use it as a dumb phone , and dump myiPhone 16 Profor a bit . But that would require building in those essential phone part – and probably ramping up the price in the process – and that ’d make this low-priced , pocket-size merchandise a lot less accessible .
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FAQs
Yes , there ’s a microSD card time slot for up the 128 GB of home storage
There is access to the Play Store on this machine for downloading apps .
Full Specifications
Full Specs
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