It’s shaped like a smartphone, runs on Android, but it’s not actually a phone. Instead, theOnyx Boox Palmais a cool and compact eReader with extra features and a bit of an identity crisis. The Palma isn’t the first eReader to have this particular size or software, but it’s certainly a breath of fresh air. It also makes reading on the go a bit easier.
The Boox Palma is $280 or €300, which means it’s a lot more expensive to get in Europe. The purchase covers the device, a charging cable (but no adapter), documentation, and a protective case. You’ll also get access to 10GB of cloud storage space so you can easily push books and other content to your device.
Onyx Boox Palma
The Boox Palma is a smartphone-sized eReader with a great 300ppi screen. The Palma runs on Android so you can use this device for more than just reading your favorite novels, allowing you to install a wide range of apps from the Play Store. It features 128GB of storage, but you can add a microSD with up to 1TB of space for all those extra files if needed.
The Tech Side of Boox Palma
Most eReaders come in book size, which means they’re not too large and they fit into your bag just fine. They’re also not exactly heavy either. The Boox Palma, however, fits right into your pocket since it’s only 6.13-inch—about the same size as the Apple iPhone 15 or the Samsung Galaxy S23. The device measures 6.3" x 3.1" x 0.31" and weighs approximately 170g.
Instead of a screen with a billion colors, however, the Palma features an E-ink HD Carta 1200 display with 300ppi resolution suitable for fast page turning, but not so much for playing video or games (something Boox claims you can do).
The screen is flush with the bezel, so you could use a case to go with it for extra protection. Thankfully I received one with the review unit, so when my puppy got tangled in a hanging cable from my desk and swiped everything off it, the Palma survived without issue.
On the right side of the unit, there are buttons for power on/off and volume up/down. The left side also features a button, which is handy to have if you decide that swiping the screen isn’t the way you want to go about turning pages. In fact, all buttons can be programmed for various tasks, including scrolling articles. The left side also hosts the microSD card slot.
At the bottom of the eReader there’s a USB-C port so you may charge it up and a speaker. There’s also a microphone located there, with a similar grill for symmetry’s sake. There’s a secondary speaker located at the top of the screen.
On the back of the Boox Palma, you’ll find a 16MP camera, which you may use to transform documents into digital format. There’s an integrated flash so you can enhance the clarity of the document scans. It can also double as a flashlight when you have to look for your slippers without turning on the light after you’ve finished that “one more chapter” before bed. That “chapter” took hours to finish, didn’t it?
Under the hood, the Onyx Boox Palma features a Qualcomm Octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and a solid 128GB of storage space. You can add a microSD of up to 1TB if you need more storage space.
There’s also a 3,950mAh battery which should be good for a couple of weeks, depending on how much you read and what other apps you use.
An Android-Powered eReader
The Boox Palma runs on Android 11 and fully supports Google Play Store. This means you can download pretty much any of your favorite apps, from games to Google Books, Spotify, or Maps. Of course, you can also download the preferred ebook reading tools like Kindle, Kobo, Nook, or Hoopla, which gives you access to your regular library—or even Goodreads so you can keep track of what you’re reading and what else is on your list.
The device features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you can connect to your home network and your wireless headphones to listen to audiobooks or your favorite music. You can also record your screen or screencast whatever you’re watching. A bonus purpose for the Palma is to use it as a voice recorder device.
Since this is an Android device, you can drag the top bar to access the Control Center, where you can make various adjustments. For instance, you can turn auto brightness on and off, change the color temperature, control the volume, turn on Airplane Mode, or make the screen automatically rotate when you turn your Palma sideways.
One thing you’ll notice among the pre-installed apps is the presence of BOOXDrop. This is the default tool you can use to send files to your device. This process is super easy as you need to set up an account, sign in, and pair up your device. Once that’s done, you can send off ebooks, set up RSS feeds, save webpages to easily load them to the Palma, and so on. This same app allows you to manage any of the files on the device in case you want to remove anything (through Library), or manage notes.
When you’re in the home screen view, you’ll notice the action bar at the bottom features a few more options than your regular Android device. This is where you can easily refresh the page in case any images or text is glitched. Also, it’s where you can access additional screen configurations. Besides adjusting the contrast levels, you can choose one of the available screen Refresh modes. There are five different options, gradually increasing the screen’s performance based on what you want to do. If you only want to read books, HD will work just fine, but if you want to play some videos, go for Ultrafast or Royal.
The Onyx Boox Palma also allows you to automatically set the refresh mode based on what app you’re using. So, you can pick one speed for Audible, another for Kindle, another for the browser or the clock, and so on. So you can optimize your battery consumption as well as how well your handheld eReader’s screen reacts.
For those who have kids, there’s also a Kids Mode you can activate if you want to pass off the Palma to your children. The mode allows you to control when and for how long they can use the device, as well as which apps and content they can access. One of the first things you do when enabling this mode (aside from setting up a password) is to choose which apps you authorize them to use. The Kids Mode interface is cleaner, grouping the content into two categories - Library and Apps.
Reading on the Boox Palma and More
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Right? Well, not this time. The Palma is shaped like a smartphone, runs on Android, but it’s not really a phone. In fact, this is an unapologetic tiny Reader, and that’s pretty awesome in itself.
The screen is on par with almost any Kindle and is well-lit. The brightness adjustability is slick too, and unless you have specific preferences, you’re usually good to allow the Palma to set its own values.
The high refresh rate means there’s little to no ghosting when reading books. Kindles, for instance, automatically refresh the screen every few pages, but that’s not something I’ve noticed on this Palma. No matter if the screen was set on HD or Ultrafast Refresh Mode, the transitions were smooth, and I didn’t notice any lingering text or any actual page refreshes.
The Onyx Boox Palma reader app is easy to use and there’s no need for any extra apps unless you need access to otherwise inaccessible libraries. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll notice your progress, and if you tap at the top of the page you’ll get access to extra features. For instance, you can turn on Text-to-Speech and listen to the book instead of reading it. The voice is quite robotic, however, as is typical with any non-AI text-to-speech tool, so it takes some getting used to it.
The app also allows you to enable auto page-turning, change font size and bold level, switch fonts, adjust spacing between words or lines, and so on. If your book has loads of pictures, you can also make sure they’re sharpened or that watermarks are bleached out. Everything you’d expect to find in an e-reader app is here, thanks to Boox’s many years of development and experience.
When reading, you can easily get lost in the words. Even though you could get a similar experience—that is, reading on a smaller screen— with your smartphone and an eReading app, the Boox Palma is superior because of the quality of the screen. E-ink screens are so much easier on the eyes than any smartphone display. The portability of the Palma is definitely an advantage for those who want to be able to shove their eReader into their pocket and go. While eReaders aren’t generally massive, there’s something to be said about having one that’s the same size of your most used gadget.
Another thing to note is that you’re able to set up screen gestures to operate the device. For instance, you can enable up and down swipe gestures on the left area of the screen to adjust the volume and on the right area of the screen for brightness levels. Also, you can enable moving forward and backward by swiping left and right from the edges of the screen. If it’s more convenient for you, remember that you can also program the buttons to do your bidding, so you have more options.
Beyond Reading
When it comes to other apps you want to run on the Palma, you’ll have to consider the limitations of the screen. Can you run YouTube on this Android device? Sure you may, technically. But would you want to? Not really. The framerate isn’t ideal for this, even on the Regal setting. Reading articles online works perfectly fine, however, and so does reading emails, for instance. You have to remember that E-ink screens have a very specific purpose, and trying to push beyond that will leave you disappointed.
Ultimately, it’s all about being realistic. You will not be able to use the Palma for everything you use your smartphone for, even though they may share the same operating system. Read your emails, read your news articles, check your calendar, browse Reddit, and listen to or read books, but don’t expect to play anything beyond Sudoku or word games. Even with these pretty basic game formats, you’ll likely get annoyed by how the screen reacts.
Ultimately, this is perfectly fine. If you wanted to read books on your smartphone, you could do just that. But if you want a screen that won’t tire out your eyes, you’ll need a proper eReader.
Should You Get the Onyx Boox Palma?
If you want an eReader in a smaller format, then the Palma is a solid option with some great features. On the other hand, this is a pretty expensive device. At $280, this is a lot more expensive than the 2022 Kindle, for instance. This Amazon device is slightly wider in size than the Palma, but it’s a bit lighter. With comparable sizes, the 2022 Kindle is $100 without any discounts, but it’s been available for as little as $75.
Ultimately, it depends on what you’re looking for and if you really need or want the extra features of Android.
