Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: the pocket-sized ereader now has color, stylus support and mobile data | Tech Radar

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The Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro is the phone-sized color ereader I never knew I wanted, but it won't suit everyone

This pocket-friendly ereader gets color, stylus support and mobile data, though the price still stings

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The Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro is a more capable and versatile take on one of the most interesting ereaders around. Its phone-like form factor is still the main appeal, but the move to a color E Ink screen, Android 15, extra RAM, stylus support and mobile data makes it feel much more versatile than the monochrome Palma 2. It’s not a clear upgrade for everyone, though, as plain text looks a little grainier, the price is even higher and the stylus and flip case cost extra. Still, if you want a pocketable Android ereader that can handle books, apps, light web use, color documents and occasional notes, the Palma 2 Pro is easy to like.

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The Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro is the kind of interesting ereader innovation I want to see more of, even if the biggest appeal is still just how unusual it is. My ereader expert colleague reviewed the original Palma and the newer Palma 2, but I have been able to use both of these devices as my main ereader, to ensure a good basis for comparison.

The Palma 2 Pro takes the same pocket-friendly, phone-like form of the Palma 2 and adds a color E Ink display, more memory, Android 15, SIM support and stylus compatibility. The Palma is already somewhat of a niche ereader (and a niche we are big fans of), so these new features are quite ambitious.

The 6.13-inch, 2:1 screen is still the main reason to consider the Palma. It looks and feels more like a smartphone than a typical ereader, and comes complete with a speaker, dual microphones, side buttons, a rear camera and now a hybrid SIM tray. But rather than an LCD or OLED display, it uses an e-paper display that means it’s a much nicer experience for long reading sessions.

Another new advantage is stylus support — like some of the larger models, the Palma 2 Pro works with a compatible stylus and enables note-taking directly on the device. Another great little extra is a combined SIM/SD card slot, which means you can upgrade the storage or add in a data SIM and access books (and the internet) when on the go.

The flip case can be folded back, making the Palma 2 Pro easy to use without removing it. (Image credit: Future)

Physically, the Pro is very similar to the Palma 2, though there are a few useful changes that show how the design has progressed more than just changing to a color display. The power button (that also houses the fingerprint reader) is still on the right edge but the volume/page-turn buttons now sit on the left with the smart button — a layout that feels a lot more intuitive.

The SIM/SD card tray is on the bottom and the body is a little thicker. At 172g bare on my scales (Boox lists it as approximately 175g), it’s still easy to carry around, and even with the soft case from my review package fitted, it remained pocket-friendly enough for daily use, plus there’s an excellent magnetic flip cover.

The biggest change, of course, is the screen. The Palma 2 Pro uses a Kaleido 3 color E Ink panel, whereas the Palma 2 has a Carta 1200 monochrome display. The upgrade to color immediately makes the interface, book covers, comics, web pages and some apps feel more engaging and useful than they do on the black-and-white Palma 2. To be clear, it’s not bright, glowing color like you get from a phone or tablet, or glossy like a magazine — it’s closer to soft pastels on paper.

While the black and white part of the display has the same resolution and DPI as the Palma 2, the Kaleido 3 color layer gives the screen a slightly grainier look, with grayer whites, compared to the sharp Carta display on the Palma 2.

While reading on the Palma 2 Pro is still great, it does mean the Pro is not an automatic upgrade for everyone. For pure monochrome text, the Palma 2 still has a clearer, more paper-like display, with better perceived contrast and cleaner whites.

That means the Palma 2 is still a solid choice, while the Palma 2 Pro is at its best for those who will actually make use of the color screen.

The Palma 2 Pro works with the Boox stylus, making quick notes and sketches easy. (Image credit: Future)

The Pro has had a slight bump in spec, which in turn makes the user experience a little slicker. An upgrade to Android 15 (the Palma 2 runs Android 13) gives the Palma 2 Pro a more current interface, while 8GB of RAM (up from 6GB), Android 15 and updated software tuning help it feel slightly smoother when opening apps, scrolling through menus and using gesture navigation.

It’s still an E Ink device, so you won’t mistake it for the responsiveness of a smartphone, but third-party apps such as Kindle, Kobo and Google Play Books work well, and Google Play Store support gives it far more flexibility than most ereaders.

I also found the fingerprint scanner accurate and very handy on the Pro. It’s quick to set up and, in daily use, it rarely failed to unlock the device. In comparison, the Palma 2 doesn’t unlock quite as reliably.

The stylus support worked well, and the Boox stylus is easy to start using — no pairing is needed. Handwritten notes can be made in compatible apps, like Boox’s Notes app, or on your ebooks with Neo Reader. The small screen means it takes a little getting used to and it’s not as capable as a larger note-taking device, but it is a nice little extra for those who like to jot down handwritten thoughts.

Making it slightly less appealing though, is that buying the Boox stylus adds around an extra 10% to the price, and there’s no neat way to carry it with the flip cover.

The Palma 2 Pro continues some of the little niggles that felt out of place considering the price of the Palma 2. The body still feels plasticky rather than premium, the camera is more useful for quick scans than for taking photos, the speaker is basic and performance is on the low end compared to a phone. The Palma 2 Pro is also considerably more expensive than the regular Palma 2 and other mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

Still, I like the Palma 2 Pro for the same reason I like the Palma 2: it’s compact, versatile and something genuinely different. The color screen won’t suit everyone, but if you want a pocketable Android ereader that can handle books, apps, light web use, color-rich documents and the occasional note-taking session, it’s a great upgrade to one of the most interesting ereaders around.

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Price & availability

Available now directly from the Boox Shop and select retailers

The Palma 2 Pro is a much more expensive device than the regular Palma 2, with current pricing sitting at

On the plus side, that higher price does give you a tasty set of new and updated features. The Palma 2 Pro adds a Kaleido 3 color E Ink display, 8GB of RAM, Android 15, a hybrid SIM slot with mobile data support and compatibility with the Boox Ink Sense Plus stylus.

While these are all great additions, they won’t all matter equally to every reader, so the best value proposition is only going to apply to a smaller subset of potential buyers. If you mostly want a pocketable device for reading typical ebooks, the regular Palma 2 is still the better choice.

The Pro starts to make more sense if you’ll actually use the color display for book covers, comics, web pages, documents or apps, or if mobile data support is important to you.

The Boox website has a range of compatible accessories available. For the Palma 2 Pro, stylus support helps it feel more useful beyond reading, though it’s worth noting that the Boox stylus is sold separately and is priced around

The standard box includes the Palma 2 Pro, USB-C cable, card tray eject tool, quick start guide and warranty card. My review package also included the Magnetic 2-in-1 protective flip case, which is another

Compared with mainstream 6-inch ereaders, the Palma 2 Pro is expensive, and it is on par with a mid-range smartphone. In fact, you could buy almost three Amazon Kindle or Kobo Clara BW ereaders for the price of the Palma 2 Pro, but they also don’t offer the same Android flexibility, color E Ink display, large storage capacity or phone-like form factor.

That said, I could better stomach the price if the Palma 2 Pro came with the stylus and case as standard, but as it stands, it only really offers decent value if you truly need the unique form factor and will actually use the full set of features.

300ppi B/W (824 x 1648 dots); 150ppi color (412 x 824 dots)

300ppi B/W (824 x 1648 dots); 150ppi color (412 x 824 dots)

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, data-only SIM support, A-GPS

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, data-only SIM support, A-GPS

The Palma 2 Pro mostly sticks to the Palma 2’s design, but the small changes do make it feel a little more polished in daily use. It’s still unmistakably a Palma, with the same tall, phone-like shape, rear camera, speaker, dual microphones, USB-C port and compact footprint, but it’s slightly thicker at 8.8mm (up from 8mm) and a little heavier at 172g on my scales, up from the Palma 2’s measured 166g.

The button layout has changed too. The power button with fingerprint scanner now sits on the right edge, while the volume/page-turn buttons have moved to the left with the smart button. The hybrid SIM tray is on the bottom beside the USB-C port, while the microphones have shifted closer to the speaker.

None of these changes dramatically alter how the Palma 2 Pro feels, but I think the layout is a bit more intuitive than the Palma 2 as volume buttons on the left mean they sit under a forefinger, rather than under a thumb on the right.

If you don’t use the volume buttons for page turning (or you are left-handed), then the smartphone-like layout on the Palma 2 might be preferable.

Left side view of the Palma 2 Pro (top) vs the Palma 2 (bottom) showing the new volume button location.(Image credit: Future)

Right side view of the Palma 2 Pro (top) vs the Palma 2 (bottom).(Image credit: Future)

Top view of the Palma 2 Pro (right) vs the Palma 2 (left).(Image credit: Future)

Bottom view of the Palma 2 Pro (right) vs the Palma 2 (left) showing the new SD / sim slot location. (Image credit: Future)

Rear view of the Palma 2 Pro (right) vs the Palma 2 (left) showing the colour difference.(Image credit: Future)

Aside from the colour, the grippy textured surface on the rear of the Palma 2 (left) and Palma 2 Pro (right) are very similar. (Image credit: Future)

Build quality is very similar to the Palma 2 — it’s a little plasticky, and the rear panel has a rough, grippy texture. The Pro is white rather than cream, and the surface of the plastic is a matte gloss, rather than being purely matte, but isn’t slippery.

Unlike the silver buttons on the Palma 2, the Pro uses the same shade of white on the buttons and the body, giving a sleeker, understated look. While most ereaders use a lot of plastic, the build certainly doesn’t feel as premium as its price suggests.

While I didn’t run into any issues of the surface staining like my colleague experienced in her Palma 2 review, it’s still plastic, so even with the flip case, I wouldn’t leave it loose in a bag with keys or other sharp objects. Like a phone, it is best kept in a protected pocket of a backpack, and while the glass screen feels reasonably tough, damage is still worth guarding against.

My review package included the magnetic flip case, which is a big upgrade over the flip case that came with the Palma 2. It has a cloudy-clear flexible shell that clips around the device, plus a detachable flip cover that connects magnetically. The shell is the part with the magnets, not the Palma 2 Pro itself, and it also carries through Mag Safe-style support so it can be attached to a compatible stand.

This makes it very easy to keep protected when on the go, but also allows it to be instantly pulled out from the flip case for more relaxed at-home use.

The Palma 2 Pro flip case protects the display and makes it much less likely to be damaged in a bag or pocket. (Image credit: Future)

The flip case has a magsafe compatible ring on the back, so it can attach to stands and other accessories. (Image credit: Future)

While the rear is more exposed, the front of the flip case protects the entire screen. (Image credit: Future)

The Palma 2 Pro has a soft cover that attaches magnetically (and is Mag Safe compatible) to the flip part of the cover. (Image credit: Future)

The soft case has a Mag Safe compatible magnetic ring, so can also attach to other accessories. (Image credit: Future)

The case doesn’t give heavy-duty protection, but it’s an excellent compromise between a bulkier folio and a slim shell. The flip cover attaches easily but stays secure, the fake-leather material feels well made and there are no sharp or rough edges. It also adds good grip without making the Palma 2 Pro feel too big, and in fact I wish I could get this style flip case for my phone.

Sadly the new flip case is only available for the Palma 2 Pro, which feels like a misstep from Boox, as there is a Palma/Palma 2 flip case with magnetic attachment available, just in the older style. This means either of the outer, magnetically attached parts of the case could work fine with either device, but you can’t buy the actual shell with the magnets separately, which is needed due to the changed button locations.

Pocketability is still one of the biggest reasons to buy the Palma 2 Pro as it feels much closer to carrying a phone than a conventional ereader. Even in the flip case, it’s still easy to slip into a jacket or pants, and it is the right size to work with phone-specific bag pockets, or even accessories like waterproof pouches.

The display is where the Pro version will pique a lot of new interest over the Palma 2. It uses a 6.13-inch Kaleido 3 color E Ink screen, with the same 300ppi black-and-white resolution as the Palma 2, but color content is displayed at 150ppi. That’s normal for this kind of color E Ink panel, and it means the Palma 2 Pro can show book covers, comics, web pages, app icons and more in color but still give a crisp black and white e-paper experience for text.

Palma 2 Pro screen close up showing the fine detail and color the display is capable of. (Image credit: Future)

Palma 2 (left) compared to Palma 2 Pro (right) with the backlight off, showing how the Pro's colour screen is noticeably darker. (Image credit: Future)

Palma 2 Pro screen close up, showing the slightly grainy texture. (Image credit: Future)

Palma 2 text close up, showing improved clarity and cleaner whites. (Image credit: Future)

The Palma 2 Pro icons are in colour, but it's not the vibrant or glossy look you might be used to with a phone. (Image credit: Future)

The Palma 2 monochrome icons are clear but look plain without color. (Image credit: Future)

From left to right – the Palma, Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro, showing the different in white with the backlight set to the coolest color temperature. (Image credit: Future)

From left to right – the Palma, Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro, showing the different in white with the backlight set to the warmest color temperature. (Image credit: Future)

A close up of the Palma 2 (left) vs Palma 2 Pro (right) with the colour temperature at the warmest setting. (Image credit: Future)

There is a trade-off, and overall clarity suffers somewhat. The color layer sits over the monochrome layer and adds a fine grid-like texture, so plain text doesn’t look quite as crisp or contrasty as it does on the Palma 2, and blank areas have a slightly grainy, screen-door-type look.

It’s still very readable, and I had no issue using it for long sessions, but the monochrome Palma 2 has cleaner whites and better contrast if all you care about is text.

Color on the Palma 2 Pro also shouldn’t be confused with color on a phone or tablet, or even a magazine print. It’s muted and pastel-like rather than glossy and bright, but that works well for an ereader.

The small touches of color throughout the OS make the device feel nicer to use, and switching back to a black-and-white ereader feels rather limiting, despite offering a better display for reading text.

Album cover art displays fairly well on the Palma 2 Pro(Image credit: Future)

Colour icons add depth the the interface. (Image credit: Future)

The colour range is good, but has a muted tone compared to a phone screen.(Image credit: Future)

You can select a range of writing / drawing colours in the Boox note taking app(Image credit: Future)

Touch response is similar to the Palma 2. Page turns are quick enough, menus respond well enough and the touchscreen is accurate, but there’s still noticeable lag compared to a phone if you drag items around.

Screen refreshes can also look slightly fuzzier on the Pro because the color screen shows a little more ghosting, though if you tweak the settings to your own preferences, it produces a fairly clean image overall.

As with the Palma 2, the 2:1 aspect ratio won’t suit everyone, but it’s still the standout part of the design. It makes the Palma 2 Pro a very good fit for people who already read on their phones and want something easier on the eyes, while still keeping the same portable feel.

Boox describes the Palma 2 Pro as water-repellent, with protection against daily exposure such as spills, splashes and light rain, but it’s not waterproof and doesn’t have an IP rating. That’s fine for normal use, but I wouldn’t treat it like a waterproof ereader and take it in the bath.

That extra control is part of the appeal. You can adjust refresh behavior, navigation, power-saving settings, app optimization and reading layouts in far more detail than you can on a Kindle or Kobo. It can feel like a lot at first, but in daily use, the Palma 2 Pro gives you useful control over how much speed, clarity and battery life you want to prioritize.

Getting your documents and ebooks onto the device is quite easy. Boox Drop is a good starting point — it lets you transfer files from a phone or computer over Wi-Fi. If you are in the Google ecosystem, you can use the Drive app (or other Android app of your choice) and wired transfers over a USB cable on Windows just require plugging it in.

The Android to Mac experience isn’t as simple, and Apple requires its users to install third-party apps such as Mac Droid to connect to an Android device.

USB-C OTG support also worked seamlessly, and like the Palma 2, the Pro will happily read files straight from a USB stick. For most users, though, Boox Drop or cloud storage is probably still the simplest option.

The Palma 2 Pro runs Android and has access to the Google Play Store, so you can download and use a wide range of apps. (Image credit: Future)

While the two devices are very similar, in my testing the touchscreen is a little better on the Pro compared to the Palma 2, but it still doesn’t feel anywhere near as responsive as a phone. Light taps are occasionally not picked up and swipes don’t always give enough instant feedback to help show you are doing it right.

Once I adjusted and used slightly slower, more purposeful touch interactions, it worked just fine, but there is a little recalibration compared to the haptic feel of a smartphone.

I didn’t have a lot of patience for Navi Ball, Boox’s floating shortcut tool that opens when tapped. The idea is useful, but in practice it often sat over text or stopped pop-up buttons like confirm and cancel from working correctly and had to be moved before those buttons could be used. You can move it around easily enough, but I eventually stopped using it, as it added more friction overall than convenience.

The Boox Ink Sense Plus stylus is very capable, with 4,096 pressure levels, tilt support, a shortcut side button and replaceable 0.6mm tips. It’s also an active stylus, so it needs charging via USB-C, unlike the passive pens used by some note-taking tablets.

I found it great for quick annotations, short notes and rough sketches, but the small screen size makes sustained handwriting impractical. The Notes app can also convert handwriting to text, but I didn't find this useful due to the limited amount of writing I did.

If writing is important to you, check out my colleagues' reviews of the 7-inch color display Boox Go Color 7 Gen II, the monochrome 7-inch Boox Go 7 or the 10.3-inch Boox Note Air 5 C.

The Boox Ink Sense Plus stylus works well despite the small display (Image credit: Future)

While Boox hasn't noted any hardware changes, the fingerprint scanner feels slightly improved on the Pro. It is easy to set up, and in daily use, I found it rarely failed to register and unlock on the first go. That makes it feel far more usable than it did on the Palma 2, where the sensor needed more careful finger placement.

Audio is still best judged by ereader standards compared to the surprisingly good results from some smartphones. The built-in speaker is fine for audiobooks and podcasts, but Bluetooth headphones or a small speaker are still the better option if you care about sound quality.

I had no issue with pairing Bluetooth devices, but using your favorite music streaming app needs a little setup to get it to work correctly. For example, with You Tube Music, I had to unfreeze the app and adjust power settings so Wi-Fi and Bluetooth weren’t turned off when the device slept.

Video playback works, but only in the loosest sense, and it does not give a very watchable result. That said, music videos can be oddly pleasant if you lean into the low-resolution, low-frame-rate, pastel-color look.

The same is true for many mobile games — anything where high resolution or non-glacial framerates matter won’t be much fun, but some titles are perfectly playable.

The E Ink screen is not generally great for video. (Image credit: Future)

Games are playable on the Palma 2 Pro, but expect a lot of ghosting(Image credit: Future)

The extra flexibility of being able to install and use regular apps is great overall, but despite the color screen, the Palma 2 Pro is much better thought of as a reading-first device that happens to handle audio playback and other light Android tasks better than most ereaders.

Faster than the Palma 2, but still limited by E Ink

Thanks to extra RAM, Android 15 and software tuning, the Palma 2 Pro is slightly faster than the Palma 2 in daily use, though it’s not the kind of spec upgrade that changes what the device is good at.

It’s still an E Ink ereader first, so the improvements are more about smoother user experience than enabling phone-like usage.

Boox doesn't specify the exact processor, but CPU X identifies the chipset as QTI SM6350, with two cores running at 2.07GHz and six at 1.71GHz, plus Adreno 619 graphics.

That's the same class of hardware as the Palma 2, but the Pro pairs it with 8GB of RAM rather than 6GB. Android 15 and Boox’s software tuning also help the Pro feel smoother in daily use.

The color screen makes viewing web pages a lot nicer. [Palma 2 left vs Palma 2 Pro right] (Image credit: Future)

In Geekbench 6 benchmark testing, the Palma 2 Pro scored 632 for single-core, 1,586 for multi-core and 835 for GPU, compared to the Palma 2’s 519, 1,211 and 723 respectively.

That puts it 22% ahead in single-core testing, 31% ahead in multi-core and 15% ahead for GPU, giving the Pro a measurable advantage even if the real-world difference is a bit more modest than the numbers might suggest.

In real-world use, page turns feel slightly faster and smoother than on the Palma 2, but the difference is small. App launching and multitasking are a little better too. Apps open a touch quicker, menus feel more responsive and gesture navigation is noticeably easier to live with than it was on the Palma 2.

You still need to allow for the usual E Ink delay, but the Pro feels a little less hesitant when jumping between apps or digging into settings.

As with the Palma 2, gaming on the Pro is also workable, as long as you keep expectations realistic. Simple games like Alphabear 2 and Two Dots run fine, while more visually involved games such as Monument Valley 2 and Sky: Children of the Light are playable in a way that feels odd, but not unpleasant, on the E Ink screen.

The color display does help here, though the muted tones and lower refresh rate mean this is still more of a novelty than a device you’d pick for gaming.

From left to right: Palma, Palma 2, Palma 2 Pro, with the backlight off, showing that the color screen is noticeably darker. (Image credit: Future)

Battery life is a little lower than the Palma 2, which isn’t surprising considering the better performance. The Pro uses the same 3,950m Ah battery capacity as the Palma 2, and overall endurance is still very good.

The color screen itself does not use any extra power when it isn’t being refreshed, and even refreshes only use slightly more. The bigger impact comes from usage: when displaying a lot of color, the lower reflectivity means you tend to have the front light set slightly brighter than when reading plain text.

With conservative settings and around an hour of reading a day, I’d expect about five to six weeks from a charge, whereas the Palma 2 will do a week or two longer. If you’re using more apps, streaming audio, browsing the web and making use of wireless connections, two to three weeks is a more realistic expectation of battery life.

Charging speed will still depend on what you plug it into, but the Pro tops up quicker than the Palma 2 does in the same test. Using a wall adapter, the Palma 2 Pro went from 20% to full in around two hours, while charging from a laptop dock took it from 25% to 71% in an hour.

Overall, the Palma 2 Pro is a modest but useful step up in performance. Responsiveness is still limited by the lower-end hardware and E Ink display, but it feels smoother, handles Android better and has more than enough battery life to work well as a daily ereader.

It’s an expensive ereader, and while the color screen, stylus support, Android flexibility and pocketable shape help justify the price, it’s only worth it if you will use all the features.

It’s an expensive ereader, and while the color screen, stylus support, Android flexibility and pocketable shape help justify the price, it’s only worth it if you will use all the features.

The phone-like design remains excellent, and color E Ink gives extra appeal. Text isn’t as crisp as on the Palma 2, though, and the device itself still doesn’t feel premium.

The phone-like design remains excellent, and color E Ink gives extra appeal. Text isn’t as crisp as on the Palma 2, though, and the device itself still doesn’t feel premium.

Android 15, Google Play access and Boox’s customization make this more flexible than a Kindle or Kobo, though it still takes some setup to get the best from it.

Android 15, Google Play access and Boox’s customization make this more flexible than a Kindle or Kobo, though it still takes some setup to get the best from it.

The upgraded memory and software make it feel faster than the Palma 2, but it’s still an E Ink device that’s best suited to reading.

The upgraded memory and software make it feel faster than the Palma 2, but it’s still an E Ink device that’s best suited to reading.

The Palma 2 Pro is an even more versatile take on one of the most interesting ereaders around. It’s still expensive, but the color display, stylus support and compact Android design make it easy to like.

The Palma 2 Pro is an even more versatile take on one of the most interesting ereaders around. It’s still expensive, but the color display, stylus support and compact Android design make it easy to like.

The Palma 2 Pro keeps the unusual phone-like shape that makes the Palma line so appealing, but adds a color E Ink screen. That makes it better suited to reading comics, web pages and color-coded documents than the standard Palma 2.

Like its predecessor, the Palma 2 Pro is one of the most compact ereaders on the market. Its phone-like size means it can be carried around in your pocket or slipped into any bag, and even with a case fitted, it’s more appealing to take on the go than a typical ereader.

You want a pocketable ereader for quick handwritten notes

The Palma 2 Pro’s stylus support gives it an extra use beyond reading, letting you jot down notes in compatible apps or mark up ebooks in Neo Reader. The small screen means it’s not a replacement for a larger note-taking tablet, but it works well for quick thoughts, drawings and annotations when on the go.

The Palma 2 Pro is far more versatile than a basic Kindle or Kobo, but it’s also much more expensive. If you only want to read books, you can save a significant amount by choosing a typical 6-inch ereader.

The color E Ink screen gives the Palma 2 Pro more flexibility, but it also adds a fine texture over the display. If you love the form factor but sharp black-and-white text is your main priority, the standard Palma 2 is still the better option.

The Palma 2 Pro is easy to carry, but its narrow 6.13-inch display won’t suit everyone. If you use larger font sizes, read a lot of PDFs or want more room for comics and notes, a 7-inch or 8-inch ereader will be a better fit.

The Palma 2 Pro sits comfortably in hand. (Image credit: Future)

There aren’t many direct rivals to the Palma 2 Pro, which makes recommending alternatives a little tricky. Its phone-like shape, color E Ink display, Android flexibility, mobile data support and stylus compatibility put it in a very small category. Devices like the Bigme Hi Break Plus/Pro have very similar features, but we have not been able to test one yet, and they are harder to buy plus not as well supported as a known name like Boox.

Ultimately, most buyers will be choosing between the Palma 2 Pro and a more conventional ereader, or deciding whether the regular Palma 2 is enough. I’ve included the closest practical options below, covering the standard Palma 2 and two mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

For even more options, check out our guide to the best ereaders.

If you like the Palma shape but don’t need color, mobile data or stylus support, the regular Palma 2 is the obvious alternative. Its monochrome screen is nicer for plain text, it has the same compact size and storage capacity and it costs quite a bit less than the Pro.

The latest entry-level Kindle is a much simpler device, but it’s also much cheaper. It’s a good fit if you mostly buy books from Amazon and want a compact, easy ereader without Android apps, expandable storage or color.

The Kobo Clara BW is still one of the best basic ereaders you can buy. It has a sharper-feeling Carta 1300 screen, waterproofing and built-in Over Drive support in select countries, making it a better choice if you want a straightforward reading device rather than a pocketable Android one.

Sideloaded e Books, music and other files via Boox Drop, cloud, email and USB

Downloaded Android apps for benchmarking, reading, streaming, browsing and light gaming

I began by following the on-screen setup process, connecting the Palma 2 Pro to Wi-Fi, activating Google Play and adjusting the main Boox settings for refresh rate, power-saving and system navigation. Like other Boox devices, there are more customization options here than you’ll find on a Kindle or Kobo, so I spent some time tuning the setup before using it as my daily ereader.

I used Boox Drop to transfer ebooks and music files, then tested other transfer methods including Google Drive, email, OTG and wired file transfer.

I downloaded Android apps from the Play Store, including Geekbench 6, CPU X, Google Play Books, Kindle, Kobo, Chrome, You Tube Music and a small selection of games. The reading apps were used to check page turns, refresh behavior and display optimization, while the music and browser apps were used to test how well the Palma 2 Pro handles more general Android tasks.

For most of the eight-week testing period, I used the Palma 2 Pro daily as an ereader. I also used it for web browsing, local music playback, You Tube Music streaming, audiobooks, light gaming and occasional video playback to test where its E Ink limitations stood out.

To compare it directly with the Palma 2, I used both devices side by side for reading, app use, navigation, scanning, sample photos and benchmarking. That comparison was especially useful for checking whether the color display, extra RAM and Android 15 made a practical difference in daily use.

Lindsay is an Australian tech journalist who loves nothing more than rigorous product testing and benchmarking. He is especially passionate about portable computing, doing deep dives into the USB-C specification or getting hands on with energy storage, from power banks to off grid systems. In his spare time Lindsay is usually found tinkering with an endless array of projects or exploring the many waterways around Sydney.

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3I adored Mouse P. I. for Hire’s ‘engrossing rubberhose-style animation’ and Doom-inspired gameplay, but its performance on Nintendo Switch 2 just isn’t good enough

4 Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, May 6 (game #1563)

5NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, May 6 (game #794)

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