The BEST Mini e-Reader Ever | Onyx Boox Palma Review

Just extraordinary. There's not much to say outside of watching the review.
This has it all, and essentially takes the reigns away from Hisense.
Google play, SD card, dual speakers, and much more
Check it out and let us know what you think !
#ereader #onyxboox #ebook
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[@erick-gd7wo]

I think with some future feature as a sim card, one can use this phone to do digital detox while having access to Internet when one really has to.

[@tahirahmed33]

Wi-fi

[@RELFIR]

if only it had data...would have been an instant switch from my regular phone

[@kosztaz87]

Exactly. I have been waiting since like forever for a phone with an e-ink display, proper e-reader features, that has google play and all Google services. Why is there no such device on the market?

[@QuickQuips]

​@@kosztaz87Yotaphone and a different Chinese company have them iirc.

[@tahirahmed33]

​@@kosztaz87Hisense A9 / A7Cc / hi reader pro

[@alaaji2]

@@kosztaz87 Have you never heard of the HiSense A5?

[@madmanmadlad2876]

you go with Hisense A series

[@Helintonricardo]

To tell you the truth, I liked everything you managed to show. Even with many differences in relation to current cell phones, I would definitely love to use the Palma as my main cell phone for the rest of my life. Something that I found curious was the moment you zoomed in, the zoom is much improved. It is possible to see all the advances in this screen technology through this video.

[@swanben11]

Honestly, a SIM card and a stylus(Preferably housed internally) and I’m 100% sold.

[@tarik9864]

Look for the Hisense a9.

[@gilbertpillbrow6978]

A SIM card would completely ruin it

[@swedneck]

@@gilbertpillbrow6978 just don't use a sim card?

[@Grr8jon]

@@gilbertpillbrow6978 yeah I'm afraid people will just keep wanting more and then it ends up being what we all have: a smartphone.

[@VinnyUnion]

​@@gilbertpillbrow6978 who cares when it's potential is to be the future. The insane battery life is justified.

[@sn5669]

I have been usung this device for just over a week now. It does what I expect to this kind of device to do pretty well except for one major problem. It drains battery like crazy when Wi-Fi is on. Mine, in particular, the battery is drained 5% every hour regardless of whether it is connected or not as long as Wi-Fi is on. When Wi-Fi is on but not connected, the problem worsens. When I take this device outside with Wi-Fi ON, it actually heats up and drains battery badly. May be the device is trying to "look for" a connection but this had never happened with Kindle, Hisense A5, or any other smartphones I have. I wonder if anyone experienced similar issue.

[@CyrilJap]

I’ve been using it for almost a week. It’s great. Still some bugs, but overall the product is very satisfying. It’s even faster than I thought.

[@SciMoTeAr]

What bugs. So it's a crap

[@tahirahmed33]

​@@SciMoTeAreven apple has bugs 🪲 and Google pixel 8 pro / 8 and Samsung s24 etc .... what doesn't have bugs 🪲?

[@LanceCSTCuddy]

A month later, how have you found the battery life?

[@CyrilJap]

@@LanceCSTCuddy pretty good, no complain about it

[@tintintintin]

Can you run Facebook and Instagram on it? And Messenger?

[@jaylh2001]

$279.99 + $49.99 Shipping and handling. Little too pricey for this kind of device I think. At this price range there are a lot of bigger and better options available.

[@TheScogg]

Oh wow, that shipping and handling is outrageous. My wife would love this for Christmas but seeing that gives me pause.

[@User-45456-hurtfh]

Right, too damn expensive

[@queeniegreengrass3513]

For a normal phone that's not outrageous. But it's is an e ink device, so I'm not sure what to make of that.

[@BobGarrett66]

Not a chance. Saying it is a little pricey is very kind. This is a $75 - $100 device, TOPS! It seems that the post Covid world of “inflation” continues to be out of control.

[@LetBBB6345789]

For some, it not being big is the whole point. And with exception of certain games, photos, video, one can use it for pretty much anything one uses a phone for (while connected to wifi).

[@Studio-Ezee]

This was perfect for my Bluetooth keyboard which has a crank for putting tablets on it . I use it to write notes in obsidian . This form factor has truly been a game changer wonderful love it love it!

[@JPBVideo]

Love it but for that price I would have expected at least pen support if not including an actual pen.

[@slydog7131]

Been using it for a few days now. It is very impressive. Would be even more so if they used a K3 panel and allowed notes. I'm always jotting things on paper pads, and being able to do that on the Palma would be great. This is their first foray into this form factor, and Onyx will learn from this. Future versions will be even more amazing.

[@bencrystalofficial]

Is there any way to use a stylus or to take notes? That was the main thing that drew me to this-- I just want to leave my phone in my bag as much as possible and other than that this seems like my ideal device!

[@slydog7131]

@@bencrystalofficial Unfortunately, no. But you can install a note app and either type in notes or speak your notes using speech-to-text input, though that might require a wifi connection (not sure.) What can also be done is to write your note on paper and then take a picture of it with the camera. I read a comment by one person who does that, but I'm not sure I would. Perhaps a later generation will include some improvements such as stylus support and note taking.

[@bencrystalofficial]

Ahh thank you for the heads up. Even with just typing it's still on my radar-- I want to be able to send it PDFs of sheet music and be able to mark it up with a stylus as well as writing lyrics in a nontraditional format but more than anything I just need a less vibrant device 😅@@slydog7131

[@oshiage_]

​@@bencrystalofficial​ I think those capicitive styluses will work, since they just simulate your finger touching. But those may not be what you are looking for

[@Phanlix]

What's the battery life like? I've been kinda wary of android ereaders as that just seems like a ton of software to... read books. I rather liked the lightweight old school sony ereaders cause the battery lasts weeks and through a half dozen books. Even Kindles are usually good for 2-3 books even with the LED.

[@Kaienhere]

Woahhh I'm so glad I found your channel!!! People rarely talk about eink readers these days this channel is a blessing!

[@SkepticalCaveman]

Impressive, the small screen size can be mitigated by using it in landscape mode, choose fit to width and then page down instead of scrolling, I used to do it all the time with my old "Nook Simple Touch" making it very usable to read PDF files despite it's small screen and low resolution.

[@xomm]

I'm surprised that scrolling menus are still a thing on e-ink devices, it feels like it would be better paginate them on a low refresh rate display.

[@ilkeryoldas]

This looks a little small and expensive for my needs. Will you do a comparison video of Meebook M6 vs Poke4 lite? If not, which of those two would you recommend?

[@cckcoffee]

Using Palma these days, what just I can say is satisfied very much. Speed is a key. Finally available e-ink device can be compared to a regular mobile phone recently for several years. And also the aux physical key helps to refresh the display. And Google Play store support works well. 128GB ROM to put all my books. I am happy to use this e-ink device. And hope we can have a color e-ink and cheap device in the future.

[@Sb129]

It is like everything I ever wanted in an E-paper device~

[@jackbauer2698]

Is that back coating that rubbery crap that goes sticky after a year? Also I'm thinking at that size you might as well just read on your phone? For comfortable reading I'd go with something a bit larger.

[@g43s]

Its incredible to me to go back and watch the last pebble smartwatch and see how their display looks extremely fluid and the way they used the animations to account for the low refresh rate. in comparison with these new e-paper devices that all look choppy.

[@majdnemkocka]

The Pebble watches used a different kind of display tech: it has been called "ePaper" sometimes, but in reality it was a Memory LCD module from Sharp (it has faster refresh but needs a very smal lamount energy to retian the picture).

[@claucaro5]

Does it work with the hoopla and Libby app?

[@westleys.2372]

amazing video ! Hisense hireader or Boox palma ? Can you do a comparison video please?

[@raskarl]

This looks like an awesome device. I am very tempted to buy. Perhaps for Christmas.

[@vesselinkrastev]

I don't care for the form factor, but it does seem like the user experience is fairly painless. Last time I looked into Boox devices my impression was that they were more trouble than it's worth. I'm still concerned about software support in the long term. I'll continue to hold on to my Kindle while it works, but I'll keep an eye on these Android e-ink devices.

[@VICTHEREALEST]

honestly if they made this a phone i would buy it

[@Phanlix]

Hisense A7 is literally the phone version of this. There's also the Hisense a7 color version which uses color eink.

[@elamd]

@@Phanlixyeah but then you have to deal with Chinese software and zero updates to the OS.

[@hogleripley]

Thanks for this! Have been interested in that notepad for a long time. Appreciate your detailed review.

[@goodereader]

Thank you very much. Very much appreciated

[@texasfirst3991]

Can you use this as a wired second display? Even if you can only do this wirelessly with an app, that still means you can use this to mirror your phone's display. Compared to the Dasung Link, which is more expensive and cannot be used by itself, this seems like an overall better device.

[@goodereader]

Any Android device anywhere can be used as a wireless display, not necessarily wired All you have to do is download the same specific app on two different Android devices, and there you go, you have a wireless display

[@TheArtisticBiker]

It's not a phone, and i don't need it to be. The win for me is that i can install kindle, nook, google e-reads, libby... i cant do any of that with a kindle or nook, and this costs about what it would to buy both. AND i can install notion, duolingo, readle and access google docs. To top it off, no disturbing blue-light at the end of the day. Total win

[@BryanStupar]

Thanks for the video. Can this device do text-to-speech in the kindle or reader app?

[@TG-Maverick22]

Great review. Does this have dark mode?

[@Clownconspirator]

I definitely don't need a camera on an ereader. The size is perfect though.

[@PlaydatePlayer]

With the Google store and the USB C, surely this could be a nice word processor? I wonder how the lag is during the typing experience?

[@lanzelet7386]

On my older Boox device (model name escapes me, but it's a 10" from 2 years ago) the typing experience is just fine. A faster refresh setting gives faster typing of course, but given the improvements that have been made both in specs and the Boox OS that my device just doesn't have, I can imagine typing works well on this thing.

[@laurenstein007]

There is no way I can install external dictionary on this device. Dictionary app does not recognize files transferred to the dicts folder. On my Boox Note it works fine and installed dictionaries are seen in the app.

[@kuemagecollector]

My onyx boox nova getting so slow now. I'm really considering getting this for reading books and manga.

[@amberwiley822]

Do you know if parental control apps (specifically the Stayfree app) and the "Minimalist Phone" app would work on this devise?

[@deRykcihC]

I wish this has a sim support, would use this as my phone, but I think they cant bothered with bands localization

[@marcdunlap7414]

Is there a 'larger' format of the same build, specs, and features?

[@owd200]

Gorgeous device. Really, really, really want a SIM-enabled version of this.

If you want something similar, the Hisense A9 is almost identical but you do have SIM support. You lose microSD and gain a 3.5mm mini jack for headphones.

[@goodereader]

They have tons of eink smartphones A5, a5 pro, a5c, a5 pro cc, a7, a7cc, a6, a6L, a9, a9 pro, etc But the Onyx is not a smartphone so we compared it to a non-smartphone

[@AlejandroGarcia_elviejo]

​@@goodereaderof all those models only the A5 supports Google Play.

[@afgh1408]

​@@goodereaderi was interested in the A9 but somehow your review of a PHONE doesn't cover battery life, signal strength, or call quality lmao

[@inakidb]

With phone or at least data via sim, could be the perfect companion for business

[@jamesjennings8574]

I'm struggling to find the use case for this device? I already have the Kindle app on my iPhone. What are the benefits of using this over my phone?

[@riaz8783]

7:10 Those margins look quite big to me. It's making a 6 inch device probably closer to a 5 inch readable. Is there a way to reduce those margins in the Kindle app?

[@TayMont217]

Thank you for the review! I got a kindle recently and love it but hate dragging it around due to size, but one of those people that it bothers me using a phone for no reason 😂.

[@chubbygirl958]

It's so cool and rare because omg in the palm of you hand!!! So small and i love it!!! 😱😱👏👏

[@alanspence1716]

I’m getting one. On many trips it’ll replace 2 devices - bigger ereader and power bank for my phone which I won’t need as I’ll use phone much less, using Palma instead.

[@TGBahr]

Works well for me so far. My only issue so far is, that I can't seem to get my volume buttons to page turn withing Kindle, even though that's how I specifically have assigned the buttons to, specifically for the app and also in the main menu. Does anybody know if there's a workaround?

[@magnuswahlund3662]

What type of usb standard does the usb-c support?

[@alec_online]

Been debating getting one of these as a productivity tool for work/class. Might have to pick one up….

[@goodereader]

We got to say it, they missed the mark on the tab ultra C They were late to the party on the tab mini C The page is just a leaf 2 for 50 more dollars.. But they hit the nail directly on the head with this Palma Directly

[@alec_online]

@@goodereader Oh definitely. They have a really strong marketing presence on social media right now for it too, I’m wondering if that will pull a lot of people in. I do feel like there’s been a bit of a “digital minimalism” trend going on lately with devices like the light phone or punkt devices, and with the more industrial design of this, I could see people gravitating towards the Palma as a sort of “detox” device too. I’m hoping they have a model with cellular eventually if the Palma proves to be a good moneymaker. I would have also loved for a sort of S-Pen type of stylus with a silo on it though, would be great for little notes and sketches/document markup on the go!

[@graphosxp]

Two sad reasons I can't use this. One, I have butter fingers and will drop it, so it needs an "otterbox" level case.🤪 And two, I have several excellent translation dictionaries in mobi\PRC format that only work on the Kindle.😭One question: how many update versions of Android will Onyx provide into the future?

[@slydog7131]

Onyx devices (as well as those from other companies) use Android 11. That does include all the available security updates for A11, but that's it. There will be no more, though the firmware is updated periodically. The specific Qualcomm processor that is used is only licensed for Android 11, and Onyx is stuck with that until they start using a more recent processor.

[@chillnacho]

How's the battery life?

[@radiologistanonymous2353]

Can we use for calling via whatsapp or other calling app?

[@rainbull1]

So, I'm trying to understand the appeal of such a device. Does it have any other advantage apart from a small form factor? Since it's not going to replace my phone, I see more sense having a nomal size eBook Reader costing half the price as my secondary device.

[@slydog7131]

The appeal is indeed in the small form factor that allows it to be easily taken with. I usually leave my Kindle at home because it doesn't fit my pocket, whereas the Palma does easily. But it is also very easy to hold and that works well even at home.

[@TamNguyen-mz7se]

Because it's phone size, it's actually appealing to me. It makes reading feels frictionless

[@AlejandroRamirez-le2vv]

Exactly. On my phone I tend to spend more time on social media and KZbin vs on my Book tablet. Now having the ability to bring this small e-ink devices with me as I do with my phone it will be easier to spend less time on my phone but still be able to do things like looking something up online but not get so distracted with social media and KZbin

[@petermrsandman]

Amazon should learn something from this

[@user-kr5zu8bm6c]

Did he talk about battery life? If not, how long could it go if you are only using it for reading e-books?

[@MrMultiHillo]

Is it good for writing with a bluetooth keyboard? And does it work with stulys pen well for writing as well? I'm looking for mobile e ink device for handwriting and keyboard types ng. Not wanting too large screen so that it doesn't come my entertainment system not to lose too much focus on writing.

[@goodereader]

Yes, this is an Android tablet, so any Bluetooth keyboard will work as long as the Bluetooth version is supported.

[@laughingvampire7555]

I got a kindle, but this one on the smartphone form factor looks a lot more appealing.

[@hosammansor6631]

Thank you Great review Great device .

[@DrTavaresChannel]

Fantastic review! Thanks!

[@MarkTheMagnificent]

Do any of y'all have personal experience using a phone-sized e-reader like this as their primary e-reader? I would love to try out something like this but I feel like the size would just throw me off and make me feel like I was just using something for the time being before I can get back to my "real" e-reader. Has this been the case for anyone here?

[@esziei]

I do. I use my iPhone to read books. My favourite is Books app, but sadly the Apple bookstore is very much restricted to certain countries only. So currently, Kobo is the primary reading app that I use-I also have a Kindle app, I’m not a fan of its UI, though. Tbh, the experience of reading on a smartphone is not bad. I’ve never used a regular e-reader, so I can’t compare what the reading experiences between those two devices are like. But I suppose going from a big screen to a smaller one might take some time to get used to for some people, especially if they prefer reading with large fonts. I enjoy reading on my iPhone purely because of the device size, as I read for a couple hours before bed and holding a small device is so convenient. The only gripe I have reading on my mobile is the screen-too glaring despite setting it to the lowest brightness. For the size, I’d choose Boox Palma. For the Libby/Overdrive integration, I’d choose Kobo Clara 2E.

[@irena7777777]

@@eszieiI read on my phone too. It’s just easier. My kindles take second place to my iPhone. I just like the Palms as it looks to have a better reading screen. Not as shiny with reflections etc. I might get one

[@keljo60]

Hi, do you still have this unit and use it? I've been reading of folks having issues with it.

[@MIKABL99D]

I really need this because I spend a lot of time reading on my phone but i keep on getting distracted by other apps 😭 it’s hell idk how to stop myself

[@markwayne7580]

I’m debating Hisense touch or box Palma

[@LostInACookieJar]

I will follow the debate

[@meowzic]

Does it have realistic talk to text for ebooks?

[@ashaylat7774]

Looks like a Christmas gift!

[@rideathome]

Why not phone and text enable?

[@carlostafur]

You can text to speech any e-pub book or only on Amazon Kindle app?❓❓❓🤔🤔🤔

[@bosscat4649]

Good question

[@leftoflibra]

I want a Palma even though I can’t afford it nor do I really need it

[@ArunWadhwa]

How is the battery life on this?

[@tom9380]

Only missing a proper Dark Mode !

[@warmdeepsound]

I love the size of poke 5 , I don't get it why they don't have these specs on poke 5

[@NN-hp2rn]

They are gradually updating the hardware of their devices, perhaps with the following Poke 6

[@berkayaktas8439]

I think I am in love with an e-reader

[@sr2291]

Does it have a twin speaker?

[@XtianApi]

This is finally the one. Pulling the trigger

[@infinitebirch]

they should have kept the camera black and white

[@MrVasaldo]

how do it compare to a hisense a5 ?

[@nazigol289]

I really appreciate the page turner bottons its great for speadreading. Would have been even better if it was color eink

[@hugopeko]

I need e-ink phone like this, but with a sim card slot for internet, any suggestion?

[@goodereader]

Eink phones have been around for 10 years, Onyx is only now getting into devices that "look" like them Anything Hisense will suit you :)

[@vidal9747]

What is the best pdf reader for the money? I am a poor college student who wants to read papers in an e-ink. I don't need something huge, just normal size, but that not sucks so much at reading PDFs like my kindle.

[@jeanproject5870]

boox is choice for pdf, file pdf converted from ppt.

[@CrescentRollCarl]

Make it a phone and I'll buy it immediately. I've been ready for a decent e-paper phone for years.

[@nerdicusx]

Onyx Boox, if you read this comment, please make a v2 that has a screen with the aspect ratio of your other e-reader. Same size as this but more like a mini e-reader! I want to read Manga on a little screen with out the white bars on the top and the bottom. I will buy it in a heartbeat! Also, please make a Yellow version!

[@Floridameerkat93]

If this was in color, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I hope they give it a color screen one day.

[@goodereader]

Hisense a7cc color kaleido EIKK has been out for years and does essentially the same thing as this and more as it is an actual play.

[@Floridameerkat93]

@@goodereader I wonder if that means they'll be releasing an updated version of it soon?

[@LawrenZza88]

really want to know your opinion this device compared with HISENSE A6L dual screen

[@goodereader]

Have to reserve judgement when Kobo sends us these devices.

[@LawrenZza88]

@@goodereader i have been using HISENSE A6L for awhile now. what i need is a better refreshed rate on the E-INK screen. which would you recommend?

[@naitamima8493]

Simply they can mix e-reader and smartphone. Just imagine a two sided device . One for phone other side for e-reader. It might be thick but I don't care.

[@elamd]

Have you ever seen a Yotaphone?

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

I just need a SIM slot. I will use this as a phone so quick 😂

[@Me-eb3wv]

I think they should provide 3 versions. A complete base variant only for E-Reading, a maximalist versions that has all the bells and whistles everyone wants (Data, calling & texting etc…) and this version, the best of both worlds. I’d personally get the super bare bones variant since that’s all I want and I already have other devices for consuming KZbin media and scrolling the web and checking emails

[@raspberryella]

can you install apks on here?

[@215mannyfigs]

The HD video was a vibe

[@JusttMarjolein]

As a millennial with ADHD I love the fact that your video's are so quick. It's basically like a movie trailer with ALL the specs in the shortest amount of time. Most channels are blabbering on about one spec or telling too little. So yeah thank you :D I also do own an onyx device because of this channel

[@boilroaming]

Does it has Aptx adaptive codec for bluetooth?

[@slydog7131]

No mention of that in the manual, so I'd say no.

[@monKEYfromUA]

How long it the battery life?

[@slydog7131]

Depends on usage, but ~12 hours or so with heavy usage (reading, videos, etc) is about right. In sleep mode using the clock face and perhaps the alarm, it will last about 5 days. My Pixel 4a does a little better than this, so battery life is not a strong point. That's the cost of the GPU which also gives it such good performance.

[@tahirahmed33]

3/4 days

[@adoraaabelle]

Can I use libby app also?

[@bosscat4649]

I hope they make a foldable one day

[@rustynail6819]

$280.00 +$50 shipping? You're out of your damn mind!!

[@PanoViews]

Still reading on a used Kobo from 2015...

[@zacharyariail134]

I thought it was a phone. The e ink android market is growing, not sure why they wouldn’t give it a connection. Especially could work for older people with eye strain.

[@missmarie1051977]

Can you use kindle and audible?

[@goodereader]

Yes, it's a tablet

[@ricky865]

If they ever do a color version of this device and don't remove the micro SD card I'll buy it no questions asked.

[@sandeshms2148]

A transparent OLED display above this would be awesome so that one can easily switch between OLED and Eink display

[@heidis2330]

Its cute but a little costly

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@weingonzalez7308]

I HOPE IT WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON IN PHILIPPINES TSK TSK...

[@goodereader]

We can hear you just fine :-) and yes, we ship this anywhere in the world

[@hollminator9382]

If it featured cellular this would have been the top noch detox phone

[@OlgaFyodorova]

Those margins look crazy on a narrow screen like this.