ZDNET Highlights
- The Boox Palma 2 Pro is available now for $399.
- With 5G and access to the Google Play Store, you have access to all the major ebook ecosystems in a smartphone-like form factor.
- Extensive note takers may find the screen too small, and the color display requires proper lighting to come alive.
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new and improved boox palma 2 pro The Onyx is the brand’s latest digital paper tablet, which retains its smartphone-adjacent look while introducing several new features: stylus support, a hardware bump, and, most notably, a color display.
Retailing for $399, the Palma 2 Pro also has a $100 price increase, has 8GB of RAM instead of 6GB, and is equipped with a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor for faster load times and better responsiveness. You also have 5G connectivity in the hybrid SIM slot that supports microSD cards.
Also: I found an E Ink tablet worthy of replacing my Remarkable, and it’s on sale
It’s still quite small for a digital paper tablet, and it still looks like a phone, but closer inspection reveals a unique, rough texture that resembles paper – or perhaps papier-mâché – something I haven’t seen on any other handheld device yet.
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It feels premium and solid, and the unique texture provides a tactile feel, though I have some concerns about how well this material tolerates moisture or dirt. This is one appliance you don’t want to have on a dirty table, otherwise that drop of marinara sauce will always be with you.
For that reason, I highly recommend getting the protective case, which doesn’t cost a ton at $22, and will keep it clean and the screen safe.
The 6.13-inch backlit Kaleido 3 color display has a light, natural palette that resembles a newspaper or print magazine, and it’s highly customizable with a range of preset refresh modes and color options.
Color displays are the latest trend for E Ink devices, visible in recent upgrades across the board this year. Although they certainly add value, I maintain that color does not – by itself – automatically “make it better”. Consumers still want crisp text, clean refresh times, and responsive UI, and no amount of color will make up for these features.
That said, the display on the Palma 2 Pro certainly looks good, with vivid (for an E Ink tablet) color tones and realistic, paper-like levels of saturation. The color range of the Kaleido display is easy on the eyes but still distinctive enough to enhance the experience.
Also: This Kindle has almost replaced my Remarkable tablet on display alone – but there’s more
Users will want to customize the display with the various presets offered in the menus, as text can appear small and faint, and without a backlight, it looks blurry. Ghosting is to be expected, but a quick refresh clears it up, which is easily done with the wide range of customizable quick actions.
The screen also has a noticeable depth, appearing slightly off the surface, especially around the bezels. This detracts somewhat from the “paper-like” experience and is something that clearly takes the Palma 2 Pro away from a premium user experience. However, ultimately it is a matter of personal perception.
Swiping down from the top of the screen will reveal the Control Center, where the most commonly accessed settings are located. The E Ink Wise menu allows you to adjust the refresh mode and color profile of the display, something you may want to tinker with, depending on what you’re doing.
For example, the HD mode allows for clearer images with more vivid colors, which is ideal for viewing graphic novels or magazines where you’re spending more time on each individual page, as it’s a little slower to load. Regal mode is best suited for e-books with clean text and minimal animations. You can also adjust the color modes here, with some presets or with the option to get grainy and bring up sliding scales for contrast and vibrancy.
Navigating the UI is made easier with the pen – Boox’ Ink Sense Plus – which is a good stylus in its own right but is limited by the device’s small size. The pen-to-paper experience is beautiful, with very little lag and a responsive feel, but the small display and even smaller floating toolbox in the Notebook app offers a limited amount of space for notes or sketches.
Also: A worthy successor to my favorite E Ink tablet – with upgrades in creative ways
Additionally, the tablet’s small size results in palm interference being unavoidable, and the quick button, which is placed directly at the point of the index finger, requires a learning curve to avoid accidentally activating it.
In that sense, I wouldn’t recommend the Palma 2 Pro for users who only want it for extensive writing or more detailed sketches – I’d recommend the reMarkable Paper Pro Move instead, as it’s more suitable as a first e-reader with its versatile toolkit and deeper well of software. That said, it’s perfectly capable of acting as a notepad for quick ideas.
Like Onyx’s other Boox tablets, the Palma 2 Pro runs Android 15 and, along with access to the Google Play Store, allows users to access any downloadable apps and their respective ecosystem.
This is one of the main attractions of the Boox line of products: from the wide range of customization to being unattached to any one ecosystem, users have seamless access to all the big e-book libraries out there: Amazon’s Kindle, Google Books, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Rakuten’s Kobo, etc. This little device can be all of those devices at once.
The Google Play Store is still the most diverse in offerings, and for anyone who likes to juggle between different apps (including e-book enthusiasts with support for Bluetooth earbuds), the Boox Palma 2 Pro has plenty to offer.
Also: How to turn your old, obsolete Kindle into the ultimate open-source reader
Additionally, the Palma 2 Pro supports 5G connectivity, but it is not compatible as a standalone smartphone, meaning you can’t make calls from the device on carrier networks, even with a SIM card. However, you can use Wi-Fi-enabled calling apps like WhatsApp.
This makes the 5G element necessary only for users who need reliable data internet connectivity, but certainly not for all – or perhaps even most – users.
In terms of battery, the 3,950mAh lithium-ion polymer cell is well-equipped for dozens of hours of usage time, though keep in mind that keeping it on Speed mode with the brightness on will reduce battery life significantly compared to a more modest refresh rate.
ZDNET’s shopping advice
boox palma 2 pro is a premium, clearly portable e-reader that gives users free rein on all major e-book ecosystems. It’s a significant upgrade from last year’s Palma 2 and the original Palma, making the device great while innovating in its use case.
Also: This Kindle has almost replaced my Remarkable tablet on display alone – but there’s more
Its compact size is great for those who want a one-handed device, as it works more like a smartphone and less like a Kindle or tablet. However, you’ll have to commit to the small form factor, as the screen may be too small for extensive writing or drawing with the stylus, and text may appear small and blurry if your settings aren’t optimized.
At $399, it’s not exactly cheap, but it’s not overly expensive either – especially considering its diverse hardware and comparison to competing devices.
