Onyx, the company that produces it, defines it as “the first Mobile ePaper” with a 6.13” E Ink screen. But more than the screen size its aspect ratio is striking, similar to that of a common smartphone.
A phone-shaped ebook reader with 16 MP camera
The screen has a resolution of 824 x 1648 pixels (300 PPI) and is an E Ink Carta 1200 in shades of gray. The finish is matte, therefore it does not generate reflections, and the Palma has “dual-tone” front lighting, i.e. with the hot and cold temperature which can also be used simultaneously.
It uses Boox Super Refresh technology, so the panel refresh speed can be adjusted based on the app you want to use, because the Palma has Boox OS as its operating system but it is based on Android 11, and also has the Play Store.
The processor is an unspecified octa-core Qualcomm from Onyx, it has 6 GB of RAM plus 128 GB of storage expandable with a microSD, and can install apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive from the Play Store. It supports 24 document formats, including PUB, MOBI, TXT and CBR.
The novelty compared to a traditional eReader, in addition to its shape, is the presence in the Palma of a 16 MP camera with LED flash that is mainly used to convert paper documents into digital text.
The battery should be 3950 mAh, and obviously there is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection.
The Palma is certainly a courageous device, because in fact it focuses all its interest on portability, given that it can end up in your pocket like any smartphone, but of course it cannot replace a telephone. So there must be both in your pocket or bag.
After all, even those who use a traditional ebook reader are forced to find a place to put it, if they move with it, and a phone-shaped eReader could help in this sense, but penalizing reading ability.
Palma could find its raison d’être among a certain type of commuter studentbut it remains a “courageous device” because its use is necessarily limited to a niche of users.
Boox Palma is available for pre-order from today on the official Boox store at the list price of 299 euros with free magnetic case.
