Boox recently added a new e-reader to its ranks.
Its called the Palma and boasts an eye-friendly ePaper display thats recently been making rounds online.
But Im afraid it didnt do justice to its price.
Photo:Dua Rashid
Boox Palma
It’s trying to do too much at the same time.
Pros
Cons
Order Book Palma on Amazon
Boox Palma Design
Easily stowable.
The most important thing you oughta know about Palmas design is that it feels like holding aniPhonein your hands.
Paper-like rear. Photo: Dua Rashid
This 2:1 aspect ratio differs considerably from the 8:6 ratio on aKindle.
I love how portable the Palma is.
Weighing only 170g, it feels nice and light in your tote bag.
Photo: Dua Rashid
It has a slim 8mm profile, a modest plastic body, and a sturdy exterior.
Even though my Palma shipped with a protective cover, I didnt use it with that.
Though tiny, the Palma feels pretty robust and doesnt need that extra protection.
Photo: Dua Rashid
The back of the gadget has a faux paper-like look, which I dig.
The company claims its e-reader is water-repellent, but it is not water-resistant.
The underside of the e-reader sports a jot down-C charging port and a pair of speaker grilles.
Photo: Dua Rashid
To my pleasant surprise, the speakers are excellent.
I liked putting the Palma on a shelf in my kitchen and listening to podcasts as I cooked.
If I ever consume content where I care about audio, Id switch to a good pair of buds.
Photo: Dua Rashid
Boox Palma Functionality
Outdated OS but huge storage.
Thankfully, the OS doesnt significantly impact the readers day-to-day functionality.
Amazons Kindle is 64GB, so the 128GB is immediately impressive.
The Palma at night. Photo: Dua Rashid
The 6.13 screen offers 300ppi and a resolution of 8241648 dots.
I know that the 6-inch size sounds a little too tall for an e-reader and a little too phone-like.
You also get a 16MP rear camera with an LED flash.
Palma’s OCR capabilities on Lost to The World by Shahbaz Taseer. Photo: Dua Rashid
However, the camera wont fulfill your photography needs.
It only exists for scanning documents.
The touch sensitivity isnt what you get on a smartphone or tablet, but its not bad.
To turn a page, I lightly tapped or swiped the right part of the screen.
Apart from Palmas e-reader capabilities, I believe it needs more processing power to perform other tasks efficiently.
One of the biggest issues with Palma is pixel persistence.
This is a very common problem that is pertinent to OLED displays.
In terms of gestures, I found the Palma very easy to get used to.
The Palmas battery life was excellent.
It took a little less than two hours to charge fully and then completely refused to die.
Boox Palma Verdict
Trying to wear too many hats.
The Palma tried to overperform in a number of areas and, as a result, failed in some.
Form factor-wise, it looks like its trying very hard to be a phone.
Functionality-wise, it wants to be a tablet.
I would have accepted the try-hard attitude, too, if it was cheaper.
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