Onyx Boox Palma Review: The iPod of Books

3 weeks ago

Key Takeaways

The Boox Palma is simply a compact e-paper scholar that tin easy fresh into your pocket, allowing for convenient reference connected nan go.
The instrumentality whitethorn look for illustration a mobile phone, but nan Palma contains nary LTE aliases 5G cellular connectivity.
Users tin download reference apps from nan Google Play Store, making it versatile for accessing a wide assortment of books.

The iPod successfully put euphony successful people’s pockets. A 1000 songs neatly stored connected a instrumentality nan size of a wallet turned retired to beryllium a immense deal. In that aforesaid vein, nan Onyx Boox Palma is attempting to shove an infinite number of books into that aforesaid pants-sized pouch for moreover much accessible reading.

Current eReaders shrink a room of books into a azygous device, but almost nary of those tin gaffe into a mini pocket. For group eager to bring a book pinch them everywhere, this e-paper scholar mightiness beryllium nan champion solution. The iPod for books, you could say.

Onyx Boox Palma

This mobile e-paper device combines cutting-edge performance with an E Ink display and a phone-sized design, allowing you to effortlessly slip it into your pocket and carry it on the go.

Screen Size 6.13" HD Carta 1200 surface

Processor Qualcomm Octa-core + BSR GPU

RAM 6GB (LPDDR4X)

Battery 3,950mAh

OS Android 11

Weight 6oz (170g)

Connectivity Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz) + BT 5.0

Dimensions 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.31in (159 x 80 x 8.0mm)

Ports USB-C Port (Supports OTG aliases usage arsenic an audio jack)

Buttons Power Button, Volume/Page-Turn Buttons, Customizable Function Button

IP Rating Splash resistant

Pros

Pocket-able size
Nice surface for reading
Can download reference apps from Google Play Store

Cons

Camera is only for scanning docs (drives up instrumentality cost)
Page-turn buttons don't activity universally

The Design of a Palm-Sized EReader

button and sd paper tray connected nan onyx boox palma

The Boox Palma whitethorn not revolutionize nan literate manufacture nan measurement nan iPod changed nan early of music, but I do deliberation its shape facet is important. I’ve utilized plentifulness of eReaders, but fewer of them near nan location often because they were still excessively large to stash successful a pouch quickly. I loved nan Kobo Libra 2, but moreover that minimal merchandise was excessively large arsenic a companion instrumentality to return connected each random outing.

The Boox Palma comes successful astatine 6.3 inches gangly and 3.1 inches wide—with a 6.13-inch screen—so I often stuck it successful my backmost pouch erstwhile heading retired nan door. I had it pinch maine a batch during testing. As a result, I utilized it more.

It clicked pinch maine correct away. But nan Palma is besides nan size of a phone, which group already carry, and already gives them entree to reference apps for illustration Kindle, Kobo, Libby, and truthful on. Do you spot wherever I’m going pinch this? The biggest competitor to nan Palma is nan smartphone that’s already successful someone’s pocket.

I get it. In that regard, trying to show personification they request to bargain 2 devices and transportation some of them is simply a reliable sell. I person publication books connected my phone, and it’s surely doable, but, again, 1 of nan reasons this merchandise clicked pinch maine was its expertise to only beryllium a reference device, pinch awesome visibility successful nan sun. It allowed maine to attraction connected reference books, alternatively than get swept distant pinch different things.

So beyond conscionable being an incredibly portable size, its compact quality besides functioned well. The Palma is really a one-handed reader. Two measurement buttons connected nan correct broadside tin beryllium utilized arsenic page-turn buttons. Since nan Palma is palm-able, nan page-turn buttons are either straight nether your scale digit aliases your thumb, depending connected which manus you’re holding it with.

A left-side fastener tin beryllium customized, but, by default, is group to refresh nan surface erstwhile pressed. All these items worked together good to shape an ultra-compact reference device. If nan width feels excessively narrow, you tin clasp it sideways and fto nan matter rotate. I utilized this layout occasionally and recovered it adjuvant for definite styles of penning which had longer sentences.

Boox Palma Software: A Small E-Paper Tablet

The Boox Palma isn’t conscionable an eReader. It’s really a computing device—an iPod Touch, if you will. That comes successful useful being capable to usage Google Play to download reference apps, but it doesn’t ruin nan reference experience.

Thankfully, Palma’s monochrome E-Ink surface isn’t absorbing capable to beryllium a full-featured tablet moving Android 11—at slightest it wasn't for me. I ne'er felt compelled to group up my email. I didn’t effort and tally Slack. I didn’t usage it for Spotify. Even its expertise to scan documents pinch its built-in camera was lackluster capable not to beryllium tempted. The acquisition of trying to move quickly done an interface hampered by surface refresh times is usually achy aft a mini magnitude of time.

All these things are imaginable if you want them severely enough. I’m happy they’re disposable to reside a wide scope of people’s needs. Importantly, though, those things didn’t get successful nan measurement of nan Palma being a solid, Wi-Fi-connected eReader for me.

Is nan Boox Palma a Phone?

comparing nan onyx boox palma to nan size of nan samsung postulation s22 ultra

The Boox Palma (left) is astir nan size of nan Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra.

Even though I ne'er thought of nan Boox Palma arsenic a tablet and didn’t want to usage it arsenic a monochrome computer, it’s undeniable that it looks for illustration a telephone pinch an e-paper screen. It moreover has a microSD paper slot for retention that intimately resembles a SIM paper slot for cellular connectivity.

To beryllium clear, nan Palma has nary cellular relationship and can’t beryllium utilized arsenic a phone, but it’s not acold off. Nearly each different portion of a telephone is successful place. It’s difficult to ideate that Onyx doesn’t effort to make a mobile telephone astatine immoderate constituent successful nan future. The company’s website moreover calls it a “phone-like” device.

You could astir apt get adjacent to faking it arsenic a phone—did anyone other usage an iPod Touch arsenic an iPhone successful nan early days? It will support Skype and different calling apps complete Wi-Fi. The Palma has 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a Qualcomm Octa-core CPU. Minus nan E-Ink surface refresh times, nan instrumentality performed tasks pinch capable velocity that capacity wasn't a deterrent.

I work together pinch Onyx that it is phone-like. But, ultimately, to get nan astir worth retired of it, you should conscionable deliberation of it arsenic a compact eReader.

Boox Palma Battery Life

The Boox Palma's artillery life will alteration heavy depending connected what you’re utilizing it for. As an eReader, it should get you location betwixt 7 and 9 days of use. With much Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and different app usage, that will astir apt spell down to conscionable a mates of days. I ne'er felt for illustration I had to show nan artillery level excessively closely. If you do want a changeless gauge, an estimate of nan magnitude of clip remaining for artillery powerfulness is disposable successful nan settings.

Palma Price and Availability

The Boox Palma is disposable now successful achromatic aliases achromatic for $279.99. It comes pinch a free silicon case. Of nan fewer e-paper Boox devices successful nan 6-7-inch range, nan Palma is nan astir expensive. It comes successful conscionable supra nan Boox Page. In this case, smallness is simply a characteristic that costs a premium.

Should You Buy nan Boox Palma?

The infinitesimal I saw nan Onyx Boox Palma, I had hoped that this recently sized eReader could lick my problem of not reference arsenic overmuch arsenic I wanted to. I was optimistic that its compact framework would let maine to bring it on to much places.

After immoderate clip pinch nan device, I do deliberation it’s helped my problem—a small bit. I do bring it much places, but conscionable not everywhere, each nan time. Its size does person nan imaginable to thief definite group publication more. But frankly, nary matter an eReader’s size, there’s thing that will get you reference much than a bully book. (So walk clip uncovering a bully book.)

If you already person novels you’re trying to excavation into but consciousness trapped by circumstances that only let you to publication astatine home, past I deliberation you should snatch up nan Palma correct away. The eReader felt versatile and much portable than immoderate different 1 I’ve tried before. It was wonderful.

An iPod-like revolution, this eReader is not, but its size is simply a existent activity of caller air. It's surely nan type of reference instrumentality I deliberation needs to beryllium retired successful nan world.