The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
A versatile e-reader with an e-ink display, great battery life, but little improvement over its original version.What's good
- Long battery life
- Easy to carry (pocketable)
- Sharp e-ink screen
- Supports Android apps
- Improved fingerprint sensor
What's bad
- Little upgrade from predecessor
- Old Android version
- Fingerprint sensor issues
- Basic camera for documents
- Plastic finish not premium
Design
The design of the device combines a phone-like profile with a lightweight body. The plastic construction makes the device grippy and easy to handle even with one hand.
It's compact enough to fit in a pocket, weighing only 170g, and feels as "a quiet rural village" in the world of distracting smartphones, according to reviewers.
Although the extensive bezels make it feel larger than its display size, it compensates by providing a familiar and comfortable reading experience.
Screen
The Palma 2 has a 6.13-inch Carta 1200 monochrome screen, providing high readability with a crisp 300 PPI resolution. This screen excels in bright environments, harnessing ambient light for superior visibility—ideal for daytime reading.
Reviewers praised the adjustable brightness and warmth of the front light, which helps reduce eye strain during evening sessions. Trusted Reviews mentioned, "It's great for readability and battery life." The warm settings offer a relaxing experience without disturbing those nearby.
While the display enhances text reading, it struggles with rich graphics due to its grayscale nature, making detailed comics a challenge. It's tailor-made for those who immerse themselves in book reading, making it a uniquely satisfying experience for avid readers.
Storage
With 128GB of storage, you'll comfortably keep a vast collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and more.
This space supports thousands of ebooks, ensuring you never run out of reading material.
Reviewers found the storage "more than adequate for avid readers," allowing you to save various file types without hesitation.
Best of all, you can easily upgrade storage with the microSD card slot, eliminating space issues.
Battery Life
This device boasts outstanding battery life, aligning perfectly with your reading habits.
Reviews often highlight its remarkable ability to go weeks between charges when used primarily for reading, due to the e-ink technology that consumes power mainly during page turns.
"Across four days or so of use, reading for an hour a day, the battery dropped to around 50%," Creative Bloq writes, underscoring its efficiency.
Charging is via a USB-C port, making it convenient to use existing cables, ensuring you can easily top up whenever necessary.
Software & File Format Support
You'll appreciate the Boox Palma 2's full Android platform, which is a rarity among eReaders, allowing you to download apps not just from book providers like Kindle and Kobo but from any app store supporting Android.
You can send your own files directly to the device using the BOOXDrop app, making it easy to load various eBook formats including EPUB, PDF, and MOBI.
The wide support for file formats like CAJ, CBZ, HTML, and DOC suggests you'll face fewer hurdles attaining and reading different book types or documents.
As Trusted Reviews highlights, "It’s great for reading considering it can handle almost any reading/document editing app you throw at it."
Extras
The device comes with a flip-fold protective case designed to safeguard your ereader while providing easy access to its buttons.
For those who enjoy listening to audiobooks or music, Bluetooth connectivity pairs seamlessly with your favorite headphones or speakers.
Trusted Reviews mentions the ability to run communication apps, like WhatsApp and Telegram, making voice calls possible, although reliant on a Wi-Fi connection.
The Bottom Line
This device excels in reading comfort, thanks to its high-quality e-ink display and impressive battery longevity. It provides a distraction-free experience by minimizing access to typical smartphone distractions like vibrant social media apps. Users appreciate the device for reading and light tasks, but it lacks many essential mobile features like SIM card support. “Reviewers note, 'It is an accomplished e-reader but offers very little new compared to the original model,' highlighting limited differentiation from its predecessor.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Sharmishta Sarkar, TechRadarThe Onyx Boox Palma 2 is physically identical to its predecessor, which isn’t a bad thing as it makes it a very unique ereader thanks to its 2:1 aspect ratio, but an updated user interface gives it a fresh feel. However, the new processor hasn't enhanced performance, and the added fingerprint scanne...
- Sean Cameron, Creative BloqThe Palma 2 is an accomplished e-reader that ticks off all the basics and then some. It is comfortable to use, has great battery life and a high quality e-ink display. Its main weakness? The original is 5% cheaper and 99% the same, leaving the sequel without a clear reason to exist.
- Nathan, The eBook ReaderI really like the size and shape of the Palma for reading on the go, and it’s surprisingly responsive for an E Ink device thanks to the hardware upgrades and BSR, but it’s kind of a weird device that’s halfway between a phone and an ereader. It doesn’t feel as nice as most modern phones because the...
- Cam Bunton, Max Parker, TrustedReviewsIn the end, the Boox Palma 2 is a bit of a odd product to judge. It doesn’t really have all that much competition, and those similar products that do exist have largely the same limitations. Still, for what it does it's a very fun device to use.
- Jowi Morales, Make Use OfIf you’re a voracious reader or a bookworm, you’ll love the Onyx Boox Palma 2. With this device, you can keep your entire library in your pocket and conveniently bring it with you anywhere all the time. As a side bonus, its features, like the Android OS, rear camera, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity...
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