Verdict
The Onyx Boox Palma is a small, versatile e-reader with a high-quality design and so much going for it. Its display is obvious and simple to learn, has glorious battery life, a cushty slot in hand, supreme pocketability and reams of versatility because of Android – however there are questions on long-term software program assist.
Professionals
- Sharp display
- Sturdy, comfy design
- Can set up Android apps
Cons
- Outdated software program
- Interface points on some apps
- No point out of long-term software program assist
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Compact phone-style type issueThe Onyx Boox Palma is one among only a few e-readers that resembles a smartphone. -
Lengthy battery lifeThe E Ink Carta Plus show is exceptionally battery environment friendly, lasting weeks on a single cost with sporadic use. -
Entry to Google Play RetailerYou’ll be able to obtain a plethora of e-reader apps from Google Play with Android 11 put in, permitting for complete studying freedom.
Introduction
As soon as predicted to interchange the paper ebook, e-readers haven’t fairly matched the promised ranges of public adoption we had been instructed they may after they had been first launched. As an alternative, we see a gentle trickle of choices come onto the market annually from the likes of Amazon and Kobo, none setting the world alight however usually pleasing those that purchase them.
With the choice to learn on a cellphone or pill, there’s much less purpose to personal a tool devoted to at least one job, as with the MP3 gamers of yesteryear. That hasn’t stopped Onyx, a Chinese language agency, from going all-out on e-paper as a show tech, releasing e-readers of all sizes and styles.
The Palma is one among its newest fashions, and its main promoting level is its measurement. Sporting a 6.13-inch display, the emphasis, because the identify suggests, is on being ‘palm-sized’. The show additionally has a excessive refresh fee (for an e-reader) and is paired with 128GB of expandable storage, 6GB of RAM and a bunch of different options together with entry to the Android 11 OS. It’s an e-reader that aspires for use for greater than studying.
At $279/£226, it isn’t low-cost nonetheless, with the Kindle Paperwhite retailing for round 35% much less. So, does the Palma do sufficient to earn a spot in your pocket? Learn on for the complete assessment.
Design
- Smartphone-like design
- 8mm thick
- Weighs 170g
E-reader design hasn’t precisely come a good distance previously decade. On condition that they’re particularly a alternative for bodily books, their modus operandi is to be considerably comparable however higher total. Meaning they’re usually flat, mild and inconspicuous for probably the most half, and that describes the Onyx Palma completely.
Smaller and lighter than many standard e-readers, it has a profile extra harking back to a smartphone than your mom’s Kindle. That stated, the smartphone in query would seemingly be from 2018 or earlier, for the Palma has bezels by the dozen.
Put extra delicately, its 6.13-inch show is flanked by a significantly thick border on either side. Which means that, though it’s comparatively diminutive, the Palma feels extra vital than it truly is. At 170g, it’s mild regardless of its measurement, and because of this, it’s comfy to carry.
Crucially, it’s 8mm thick, which doesn’t make it the slimmest gadget in the marketplace, however it is sufficient to make it simple to pocket and use one-handed. It’s a little smaller than an iPhone 15 Professional Max, however appreciably lighter.
By way of construct high quality, it feels solidly constructed and, opposite to most trendy smartphones, it doesn’t throw itself off each out there floor with wild gleeful abandon. That may be a consequence of the plastic used all through its development and the textured vegan leather-based (plastic leather-based) rear. At no level will it persuade you that you’re holding one thing constituted of leather-based, however it improves grip significantly.
Across the body, there’s an influence button, a quantity rocker and a USB-C port, with a 16MP digital camera on the rear and no equal on the entrance. Once more, that is an e-reader; the presence of the digital camera in any respect is the exception slightly than the norm.
In comparison with the Kindle Paperwhite, the Palma is smaller, lighter, and extra fascinating from a design perspective. The Kindle’s profile isn’t dramatically bigger, however it does permit for a better studying space. Whether or not that issues to you’ll rely closely on how a lot you worth pocketability.
There are an incredible many baggage and pockets that the Palma will match into over the Kindle, so when you plan to apply it to public transport, it could be the higher selection.
Display
- 6.13-inch E Ink Carta Plus show
- 848 x 1648
- MOON Gentle 2 entrance mild
For any typical ‘sensible’ gadget, the display is the metric by which it finally lives or dies, a mantra that’s no much less true for an e-reader. Nonetheless, what makes a superb e-reader display differs drastically from what makes a wonderful smartphone or pill display. Whereas normally there shall be phrases like ‘OLED’ and ‘excessive refresh fee’ bandied about, with the e-reader, there’s ‘sixteen shades of gray’, which appears barely much less thrilling on the floor.
In actuality, for an e-reader, the Onyx has a superb show. It sports activities a 6.13-inch E Ink Carta Plus show, and whereas at 824×1648 pixels it doesn’t have an simply classifiable decision to go by, it’s over 720p, which makes it sharp sufficient for studying – essential given the use case.
There isn’t a lot to say about color steadiness, on condition that it’s monochromatic, and brightness is an fascinating query. Firstly, it undoubtedly will get dim sufficient for simple bedtime studying, once more essential for the use case, however the tech used makes sunshine legibility a given.
E Ink, the tech that drives the show, works considerably like common paper usually utilization. This implies it doesn’t turn into exhausting to see in sturdy daylight, however as a substitute achieves the other. The extra daylight there may be, the extra legible it turns into.
What’s extra, there’s the choice to dynamically change the color temperature of the show on the fly in response to your preferences, making it simple to keep away from eye pressure when studying for lengthy intervals.
What you gained’t get is the power to observe video (not that you need to ever purchase an e-reader for this objective) or an expertise that feels as clean as utilizing a normal smartphone.
The tradeoff is in decreased eye pressure, and the battery-efficient nature of e-paper. When it’s static, there’s no power draw, solely when refreshing the show. Meaning when you use the likes of the Palma for a few hours a day, recharging turns into doubtlessly a weekly prevalence slightly than a every day chore.
Cameras
- 16MP rear digital camera
- LED flash
The Onyx Palma, a lot to my shock, sports activities a digital camera, and a 16MP sensor at that. It sits on the rear, together with a flash, with no equal sensor on the entrance – although that is to be anticipated.
So the producer clearly expects that you just’ll be taking images of one thing together with your e-reader, however fairly the way you obtain that could be a little obscure. The primary complication lies in missing something that may qualify as a digital camera app. As an alternative, there’s a device known as ‘DocScan’ which, unsurprisingly, means that you can scan paperwork.
It really works rapidly, and advantages from together with Onyx’s writing detection software program. In concept, you may write your notes on a web page, scan it, after which have the Palma recognise it as textual content, which you may copy and paste. Nonetheless, my scribbledigook scratchings weren’t recognisable as phrases within the English language, so your success will rely on how a lot consideration you paid to cursive classes in main faculty.
If you’re fairly mad, it’s doable to put in a digital camera app on the Palma, which is strictly what I did. Open Digital camera, as soon as put in, didn’t take pleasure in its life, nonetheless. Autofocus was exceptionally sluggish, and utilizing an e-reader for a viewfinder was not a nice expertise.
So, although it is likely to be apparent, the digital camera is a pleasant additional, however you shouldn’t purchase an e-reader for its images expertise.
Efficiency
- 2GHz octa-core processor
- 6GB of RAM
- 128GB of expandable storage
Although it may not appear needed on the floor, because the Onyx Palma runs Android, it wants some first rate {hardware} to maintain issues operating easily. With that stated, beneath the hood could be discovered a 2GHz ‘octa-core’ processor (no phrase on producer or mannequin) paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
For common use, i.e. studying, it’s greater than ample. The sunshine interface created by Onyx presents no difficulty for the processor; webpages load rapidly, and apps put in work nicely. You gained’t be gaming on this (save for one thing like Phrases with Buddies), so the query turns into redundant. If you’re operating PUBG on an e-reader, there are different points at play.
With the comparatively beneficiant allocation of RAM, it was simple to maintain a number of apps open within the background, and the 128GB of storage means you possibly can simply hold a library’s value of books in your pocket with out difficulty. That’s additionally expandable, because of the inclusion of a microSD card slot.
I did, after all, benchmark the Palma. It achieved a single-core rating of 333 and a multi-core rating of 1104 in Geekbench 6, which confirms that it’s no powerhouse.
Software program
- Runs Android 11
- Customized Onyx interface
Past the show and the design, there’s a key function that differentiates the Palma from different e-readers: it runs Android. The gadget comes with a full-fat model of Android 11 pre-installed, with a lightweight interface designed by Onyx.
This understandably focuses on pushing you in the direction of studying, with a ebook retailer, dictionary, doc scanning service and extra proper on the entrance web page. A swipe to the left reveals a model of the OnePlus ‘shelf’ with a customisable listing of widgets that may be added or eliminated to your coronary heart’s content material. New apps set up on the best display, and swiping up does nothing.
It’s a clean, no-nonsense interface that matches the temporary of what an e-reader ought to have. Operating Android is a vital benefit too; the place the likes of the Kindle and Kobo are restricted by their software program, you possibly can set up something you want.
This lets you set up a spread of e-reader and comedian apps not normally doable on a Kindle or Kobo. Plus, you possibly can add productiveness apps if you want, making it simpler to learn paperwork despatched to you. There’s an entire world of prospects.
Onyx does what it may possibly to try to mitigate among the weirdness that may ensue, however there’s solely a lot that may be carried out. The Palma doesn’t like apps with a darkish mode sometimes, and typically apps with frivolously colored interfaces render unusually. These points are to be anticipated, nonetheless; most apps aren’t designed for use on e-readers.
Help for a bunch of file sorts provides the Palma the identical versatility because the Kobo, and with the Kindle app put in, it really works equally nicely as Amazon’s personal gadgets with out the file sort restrictions it imposes. It’s a powerful benefit for the Palma over a lot of the competitors.
Battery life
- 3,950mAh battery
- No quick charging
Good battery life on an e-reader differs considerably from that of a smartphone. The place the latter may hope to final a second day, some e-readers can final a second month.
As defined earlier, it is a consequence of the E Ink shows. As soon as a web page is rendered, it takes no energy to show. When the gadget is asleep, there’s additionally no energy draw, so it’s simple to eke out weeks of use with out an excessive amount of difficulty.
That is undoubtedly true of the Palma. It was charged to 100% on a Sunday, and with a few hours of studying every day, I used to be at 74% 5 days later. That’s with e-mail on within the background and several other different apps pulling in notifications. The Palma works nicely as a ‘newspaper’ within the morning, too.
In case you use it much less, you’ll get longer. When you have solely studying apps put in, that determine will enhance but once more.
There’s nothing to say about quick charging as it’s a capability that the Palma doesn’t possess. Plugging into the wall sees energy prime up at the usual 5W fee, and a full cost takes roughly two and a half hours.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You need an easy-to-pocket e-reader
The Onyx Guide Palma is sufficiently small to slot in a pocket or bag simply.
You need prolonged software program assist
The Onyx Guide Palma comes with Android 11 out of the field and with no phrase on future software program updates.
Closing Ideas
Onyx has been fairly forthright with its merchandise, looking for niches and makes use of for e-ink past the standard scope of the e-reader. The Palma is its newest try to reinvent expectations for what an e-reader could be. With the shape issue of a cellphone, it’s simple to slide into your pocket, lasts for weeks on a cost and may double as a helpful productiveness gadget, a bit of like a PDA.
Whereas it is a superb e-reader and e-mail machine, it isn’t nice as a smartphone-lite gadget, however that’s the purpose. If you’re available in the market for a companion to your commute and love studying, the Palma is a superb selection.
How we check
We check each e-reader we assessment completely. We use the gadget over the assessment interval. We’ll at all times inform you what we discover, and we by no means, ever settle for cash to assessment a product.
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FAQs
No, it costs at 5W.
It runs Android 11 with Onyx’s simplistic e-reader-focused pores and skin.
