When Onyx first released the Boox Palma in 2023, I thought we’d finally start seeing more pocketable ereaders hitting the market, especially considering the fact the Boox Palma appears to be one of Onyx’s most popular models over the past two years. In fact, it just might be their best selling model in terms of sales numbers.
The Boox Palma 2 does currently have the highest number of sales on Amazon during the past month compared to other Boox models. Onyx has three separate listings for it on their Amazon store, with sales numbers of 500+, 400+, and 200+ during the past month. The new Go 7 Color and Note Air 4C both have listings with 500+ and 100+ sales so it looks like the Palma is beating both of those models.
And yet other companies still haven’t caught on to the popularity of the Palma and the convenience of a truly pocketable ereader.
Bigme is the only other relevant company that has released a new device like the Palma. In fact, they’ve released at least three different phone-shaped ereaders over the past year, and unlike the Palma, they can actually be used as phones.
But none of the major ereader companies have gotten the memo yet about people wanting phone-sized ereaders that easily fit in a pocket. The trend in recent years has been to make ereaders larger. The Kindle Paperwhite had a 6″ screen for 4 generations over 9 years, and then in 2021 Amazon decided to increase the screen size to 6.8″, and now the latest Paperwhite has a 7″ screen.
The latest basic Kindle still has a 6″ screen, and it’s fairly small and pocketable, but it’s still over an inch wider than the Palma, and that makes a huge difference when it comes to sticking it in a pocket.
I reviewed the Boox Palma 2 earlier this year and I really liked the form factor for reading on the go, and I like the fact you can use the volume buttons on the side as page-turn buttons. The only thing I really don’t like about the Palma 2 is the high price. At $300, it’s a lot more expensive than most 6″ and 7″ ereaders with black and white screens.
Hopefully some other companies will see the success of the Palma and start releasing their own versions of it. Of all the new E Ink devices to come out since 2023, the Palma is the most underrated of them all. Color E Ink is the current trend, but I’d rather see more pocketable ereaders getting released than color ereaders. Speaking of which, I’m surprised Onyx hasn’t released a color version of the Palma yet.
I don’t get the appeal of the Palma at all. I purchased it at the very beginning, and quickly sold it. I read a LOT, and it’s just too small for that. Why not use one’s phone? I have several older model phones and if I didn’t want to use the battery on my regular phone, I could use the old phone (which doesn’t have a number/plan).
Also, many clothes for women don’t have pockets. Unless I’m running to get groceries, my kindle goes everywhere with me.
I wonder if the Palma users lean towards men, who don’t carry purses and who have pockets.
I honestly don’t get the Palma. The PW is a perfect size for me.
I came here to comment but…Mary says it all! Thank you, Mary!