Boox Palma review: specs, performance, cost

Boox Palma e-ink reader

In the ever-evolving world of technology, e-readers have carved out a special place for themselves, providing avid readers and book enthusiasts with a convenient way to carry their entire library in a pocket-sized device.

The Boox Palma is a newcomer to this niche, and it comes packed with features that make it stand out in a crowd. With its compact form factor, impressive screen quality, and other functionalities, the Boox Palma offers a unique reading experience in a pocket-sized package.

The Boox Palma is designed with portability in mind, so you can enjoy your e-books on the go without needing a bulky device. Its dimensions of 159 x 80 x 8.0mm (6.3″ x 3.1″ x 0.31″) and a weight of approximately 170g (6oz) make it incredibly easy to carry in your pocket, bag, or purse.

We adored the size of the Palma. It’s perfect for throwing in a bag or a back pocket and using anywhere you have downtime.

It’s significantly easier to whip out the Palma while on the bus or waiting at the DMV than an iPad Pro, and the e-ink screen is more comfortable to read on than an iPhone.

The Boox Palma goes beyond being just an e-reader. It’s equipped with a G-sensor for auto rotation, ensuring the content adapts seamlessly whether you’re reading in portrait or landscape mode.

The built-in 16MP rear camera with LED flash lets you capture documents, while the USB-C port lets you charge your Palma and connect external devices. The USB-C port can also serve as an audio jack, simplifying your audio needs.

The back camera can be used to capture documents

With a 3,950mAh Li-ion Polymer battery, the Boox Palma offers impressive battery life for extended reading sessions. You won’t have to worry about constant recharging, which is great if you’re the type of person who spends a lot of time reading.

As with all devices, battery time can vary greatly based on what you do with it. When used for reading in bright environments where you wouldn’t need to rely on the backlight, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to get several weeks of battery life.

Of course, using it to play audio or use productivity apps heavily, you’ll see a significant decrease in battery life.

We were mostly satisfied with the Palma as we could use it for about four days before needing to recharge it. This was largely because we used it to read for several hours at night and also to check and respond to emails when required.

The display of an e-reader is the most important aspect, and the Boox Palma delivers on that front. It boasts a 6.13″ HD Carta 1200 screen with a resolution of 824×1648 and a pixel density of 300 pixels per inch (PPI).

This means the text is sharp, providing an immersive reading experience, and the Boox Palma has a high-resolution screen that brings your content to life.

Unlike the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C, the Palma doesn’t feature color e-ink. However, as this device feels like it will primarily replace a Kindle or Nook, it doesn’t feel like it needs color, either.

The screen is easily readable in bright light

One of the standout features of the Boox Palma is its backlight color temperature management. You can adjust the warmth or coolness of the light to suit your environment and reading preferences.

We appreciated the ability to switch the light to a warmer color at night when reading in bed or keep it cooler for those dreary days.

The Boox Palma has a Qualcomm Octa-core CPU, ensuring your e-reading experience is smooth and responsive. With 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, you can easily multitask and switch between applications seamlessly.

The device also features 128GB of UFS2.1 ROM, which provides ample storage space for your e-book collection, music, and some of your favorite apps.

The Palma supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, allowing you to download new books easily or sync your reading progress. Additionally, you can connect wirelessly to headphones or speakers using Bluetooth 5.0, enhancing your overall experience.

The adjustable backlight makes it easy to read regardless of light

It uses the Google Play store — and while you won’t be playing the latest games on it, you’ll still be able to snag some of your favorite apps. We used it to import our Kindle library via the Amazon Kindle app and snagged our favorite productivity apps like Evernote and the Google productivity suite.

While it’s not as zippy as your iPhone or iPad, it also doesn’t need to be. E-ink is slower, but it won’t be a huge deal if you primarily use this for reading. Even browsing text-heavy websites in reader mode felt more than fast enough.

By this point, we’ve reviewed several Boox products, and this may be our favorite — with a caveat. If you’re just looking for an e-reader that can do a little extra, it’s hard to beat the Palma. It’s ultra-portable, has an extremely generous battery life, and is easy on the eyes.

However, if you’re looking for a more all-in-one tablet experience, the Boox Mini Tab C is probably a better bet.

• Long battery life
• Compact size
• Enjoyable e-ink screen
• Color-temperature management system
• Compatible with Android apps

• Not as fast as iPad/iPhone
• Not great for video watching

The Boox Palma is available from the Boox store for $279.99.