I’ve Tested the Boox Palma: A Promising Concept, but a Disappointing Fusion of a Phone and E-Ink Screen Reader

I wasn’t expecting a super high-end experience, but I certainly expected better.

August 20, 2024, 19:30 ET

Alba Mora

In April, I came across the news about the release of the Boox Palma, a mobile device by Onyx featuring an e-ink screen. It caught my attention for two main reasons.

It reminded me of the YotaPhone, a past experiment from many years ago introduced by a Russian manufacturer that wasn’t very successful in the market.
I wondered if the idea could work well as a secondary device for times when I just want to disconnect and enjoy some quiet time.

It was actually the second reason that made me ask my colleague Enrique Pérez if he could get a Boox Palma press unit, which he managed to do. (He always does!) Now, a few months later, I’m reflecting on a bittersweet experience.

The concept. I thought something like the Boox Palma could be useful for trips to the beach, weekend getaways, full days away from home, or even for an entire vacation in a familiar place.

The Boox Palma is a device that won’t be too distracting due to its outstanding 6.1” screen, which is designed for reading, even in the sun. It serves as a tool for disconnection (it doesn’t support a SIM card, only Wi-Fi + Bluetooth) and also aims to encourages more reading.

Image: Xataka

The reality. Upon receiving the Boox and starting to use it, I quickly realized that the experience wasn’t as enjoyable as I had anticipated.

To begin with, I’m accustomed to using a Kindle Oasis, so I’m familiar with top-notch e-ink devices. The Boox doesn’t quite measure up to that standard. While I understand that the Oasis is exceptional, I had higher expectations given the Boox’s price of almost $300. For the same price, there are smartphones with excellent LCD panels and better specs.

Left: Boox Palma. Right: Kindle Oasis. Almost identical height, different width. The Boox is much more portable. Image: Xataka

It’s rather slow. The Boox feels sluggish and lacks fluidity. Some tasks are cumbersome and require multiple attempts while switching between tasks and navigating the menu can be challenging.

Additionally, it doesn’t support certain common smartphone gestures due to the nature of its screen. That’s understandable, but it hampers the user experience.

The screen isn’t any better. While it should be the device’s standout feature, it falls short of expectations. In addition, while it performs well for reading, and it’s especially better than any phone in bright outdoor settings, its overall image quality is disappointing.

Image: Xataka

Text appear sharp, but the panel struggles to completely eliminate remnants of the previous screen, resulting in distracting shadows between the text.

Here’s an example: Traces of the characters from the previous page remain visible. Image: Xataka

Here’s another example: In the space occupied by the two items in the list, there was a graphic that’s still visible. Image: Xataka

The battery is also disappointing. I understand that always-on connectivity can affect autonomy, but I expected the e-ink display to provide good battery life. However, this isn’t the case. Using it as a “standalone phone” requires almost daily charging. The idea of using it during a weekend trip without needing to bring a charger will only be possible if you use it sparingly.

Using it as a “standalone phone” means using it much less than you would normally use your regular smartphone. You can’t take pictures and access social media platforms, browsing is frustrating, and most apps are of little use. While it’s true that you can install apps from the Play Store, many of them aren’t well-optimized for this device. The only useful ones are the ones you would expect, such as Kindle.

Other apps aren’t user-friendly and, depending on the app, the experience can be poor. It’s understandable that games are difficult to play (since this phone is clearly not intended for gaming), but its slowness and mediocre display make using any app a last resort for emergencies, nothing more.

Regarding the scanner, the tiny rear camera (the only one in the Boox) isn’t designed for taking pictures, only for scanning documents. This is one of the device’s weakest points.

Image: Xataka

The remaining apps are (unsurprisingly) not optimized and, depending on which ones you use, the experience is poor. Although the phone isn’t intended for gaming (you shouldn’t buy this one if you want to use it to play games), its slow performance and mediocre display make using any app difficult, serving only as a last resort for emergencies.

The scanner. The only camera in the Boox Palma is a small lens located on the back. It’s not meant for taking pictures, only for scanning documents. This is one of the device’s weak points.

The Boox Palma’s humble 16 MP camera with specialized OCR software, according to the manufacturer. Image: Xataka

I attempted to scan a sharp DIN A4 document at the minimum distance to fit the entire sheet in the viewer, but only the title of the document was legible. The text, even at a font size of 16, was impossible to distinguish.

You can barely see anything. Image: Xataka

I had to bring the camera very close to the page to make the text visible, but doing so resulted in cutting off half of the page.

Scanning needs to be at a very close distance to be legible, but you’ll likely not feet a full paper sheet. Image: Xataka

By the way, despite the screen being e-ink, the device runs on Android, specifically Android 11, released in 2020. This means that screenshots are exported in color, not black and white.