Minimalist ‘Boox Palma 2 Pro’ color mobile ePaper
Using the Android operating system, the Boox Palma 2 Pro fits in your pocket, but it's not a real phone.
The e-reader market just got its first major color refresh, with Boox launching the “Palma 2 Pro” in the US. The smartphone-sized device, priced at $399, marks the first time that color E Ink technology, Android 15, and a data-only SIM slot, the gadget provides the barest minimum without the perpetual video allure and feed.
It has reached the mainstream American market in a truly pocketable form factor. For readers tired of monochrome screens but unwilling to sacrifice battery life for tablets, this could be the breakthrough they’ve been waiting for.
The maturity of color E Ink has definitely arrived. The Kaleido 3 panels offer soft colors for recognizing icons, reading maps, and allowing users to move beyond the monochromatic standard while maintaining the relaxed, reflective paper texture that makes E Ink recognizable. This visual tone is essential; it softens the everyday hyperstimulation that pours into current app and interface design.
The first-gen Palma launched last year, earning fans who saw it as a way to read and access some apps without the full spate of distracting smartphone experiences.
These E Ink screens do show colors, but they’re not as vibrant as what you get on an LCD or OLED. In the case of the Palma 2 Pro, the screen is also less sharp in color mode. The touchscreen display is 824 × 1648 in monochrome, but turning on color cuts that in half to 412 × 824.
What it actually offers
Imagine a compact smartphone with a restrained design. You get a 6.13-inch Kaleido 3 color E Ink screen, Android 15, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, stereo speakers, a fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a front light. Most importantly, there’s a SIM card slot for cellular data, so messaging and navigation work even without Wi-Fi.
There’s no traditional dialer, but calling through apps like WhatsApp, Signal, or Google Meet will satisfy most basic needs. It runs the full Android operating system with Google Play; you keep all the authenticator apps, password managers, and banking tools – features that are often privileged on more restrictive “dumb phones.”
E Ink only uses power when it refreshes, so it uses little power in standby mode. With light to moderate use—texting, reading, using maps—you can expect to get a charge in just a few days. It won’t be as good as a regular e-reader, as the cellular radio remains active, but with similar performance, it will last longer than most OLED phones.
Where it truly shines?
Sure, a regular phone would work perfectly as an e-reader, but there’s something really nice about colored E Ink in such a small body.
For commuters, parents, and knowledge workers, the equation is simple: correspondence, sorting emails, maps, boarding passes, authentication codes, and a little pocket reading.
Pros:
- Easy to read in one hand
- Good amount of storage for an e-reader
- Dual SIM/microSD tray works well
- Customizable smart button
- Faster refresh than original Boox Palma
Cons:
- Small screen can make reading comics difficult
- Pointless camera
- No place to put stylus
- Notetaking on small screen is difficult
Conclusion
I choose the Boox Palma 2 Pro over any other e-reader because of its compact design. It’s also not terribly expensive, considering the price of other popular, larger color E Ink devices. That said, before you spend $400 – the price of a solid budget phone – on a device specifically designed for reading, you need to know what size e-reader you want. But hey, if it encourages you to read more, then the device itself proves it.
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