The new phone-sized Boox Palma ereader has turned up for sale on Best Buy’s website. So far they only have the black version listed, but it’s in stock and shipping. It’s good to see the Palma available from another reputable retailer; it’s always sold out on the B&H website, and Onyx still refuses to sell it from their Amazon store for some reason.
Unfortunately the price is still $279, which I feel is just too high for a small pocketable ereader, but the Palma seems to be pretty popular so not everyone is being deterred by the price.
I’ve been fasincated with the Boox Palma since it was announced. It has a 6.13″ E Ink screen, but it has a narrower ratio than standard 6″ ereaders so it’s quite a bit smaller and a lot more pocketable with its phone-shaped design.
Frankly, I think it’s overspecced for what it is, and that’s why the price is so high. It has 128GB of storage space, with 6GB of RAM and an octa-core CPU. It also has a microSD card slot, a 16MP rear camera, a rotation sensor, a frontlight with adjustable color temperature, and there’s WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity (it looks like a phone but it’s not a phone).
I’m hoping Onyx will release a less expensive “Lite” version at some point.
That’s one thing about Onyx’s strategy of releasing new devices every 6 months that kind of backfires on them. I feel less pressure to buy their products when I know there’s likely going to be a newer version coming out in a few months. The Palma was released in September so they’ll probably release a newer version by April of 2024—Onyx’s refresh frequency is like no other company.
Some people probably think I’m exaggerating, but look at the Tab Ultra. They released the black and white model in November of 2022. Then the color version was released in April of 2023, and then that was replaced by the “Pro” version in October. Onyx released three versions of one device in less than one year. It’s about time for a Palma Lite to come out…
Quick question for anyone who actually has one of these. Does it sync reading location, notes, etc with the eBoox app on Android or iOS?
I asked their tech support and got a complete non-answer. Shocking, I know.
Thanks.
“I feel less pressure to buy their products when I know there’s likely going to be a newer version coming out in a few months.” is right! I’m excited about this device, but since it’s the first release I’m waiting for the next version to come out so they have time to iron out all the issues and take user feedback into account (if they do that?)
The form-factor makes me tempted to ask if they’ll add a SIM card and GPS, but I know neither of those are straightforward and Onyx might not want to go there. The other option would be a device that’s cheaper and less powerful, but still more handy – the “Lite” version like you said!
I think it’s unlikely they’ll add phone functionality, and if they did they’d probably charge a fortune for it. But I think there’s a good chance they’ll release a Lite model because the name Palma Lite is in the FCC paperwork so it’s something they planned for ahead of time.
Oh, that’s great that they’re thinking of a Palma Lite already! If I was shelling out for the Palma at its current price I’d like full phone features, but a cheaper version (at least cheaper than or comparable to the Poke series) would be well worth it.
I look forward to its release 😀