5 Alternatives To The Phone-Sized Boox Palma Ereader

Over the years, the electronic ink (e-ink) reader segment has exploded far beyond the Kindle stronghold. Some brands even went beyond the monochrome panels and introduced color e-ink readers, while others experimented beyond the traditional dairy format. Among those brands is Onyx Boox, and the most standout device in its portfolio is easily the Boox Palma.

Think of it as an e-reader, but one that is as pocketable as a phone, but with the added flexibility of Android. I've had the Palma ever since its launch, and have used it more extensively than any Kindle. The biggest benefit, of course, is the palm-friendly build and the lightweight profile. It even has a camera for scanning documents. 

Another standout aspect of the Palma is the thoughtful UX work. There are far more display customization options than with a Kindle, from contrast and refresh rate levels to color temperature and light filter strength. Moreover, the pre-installed Neo Reader offers even deeper customization, and it is one of the most fleshed-out applications of its kind, especially for devices aimed at reading enthusiasts. It is, however, not without its flaws. The build is not what you would call premium by conventional definitions. Moreover, it doesn't offer cellular connectivity support. Some might even argue that a price tag close to $300 is a bit high for a device that is essentially a pocket-sized e-reader in a phone's garb.

If you're looking for alternatives, here are some of the best.

If you are enticed by the idea of a pocket-sized reading device, but wish the Boox Palma was a bit smaller, the Moaan inkPalm E-Reader is the right device for you. It offers a 5.2-inch HD glare-free screen, tagging alongside the convenience of temperature and brightness adjustment.

You get to choose from 32 levels of display calibration presets and 32GB of onboard storage, going from bright white for daylight reading to a soft warm tone that is suited for night-time reading. Tipping the scales at just about 0.25 pound, the Mooan inkPalm 5 is one of the smallest e-readers out there. It offers a physical home and function key array, which is always good news, especially for fundamental tasks like page turning.

The underlying software is based on Android, which means you can load any app of your choice. The only hurdle is that the Moaan inkPalm doesn't support Google Play Services out of the box. But if you are okay with the lack of Google tools available on a typical Android-based device, there are plenty of user posts on Reddit about installing launchers and getting a more flexible UI situation with sideloaded software.

There's a 1,400mAh battery fitted inside the Moaan inkPalm 5, and it comes with a choice of dark grey and green colors. In case you want more storage, a Pro version is also available with 64GB of onboard memory. The Amazon availability is rather hit or miss, but you can import it from AliExpress around the year.

A device that looks and feels every bit like a phone, should ideally act as a phone. If you've ever wished the Boox Palma could take in a SIM card and allow cellular connectivity for calling and internet access, the Bigme HiBreak e-ink smartphone could just be what you are looking for. It's priced lower than the Boox Palma, so there's that advantage. Looks aren't standout here, thanks in no part to those thick bezels, but there's a cool trick. Instead of the black-and-white panel on the Boox device, you get a color e-ink panel on the Bigme phone. 

Up front is a 5.84-inch display with automatic anti-ghosting tech for a smooth visual experience. Bigme says it developed an in-house rapid refresh rate system to ensure that UI interactions are fluid, unlike the slow and ghosting-ridden interface of many e-ink devices out there.

The front light offers a 36-level adjustment facility, alongside dedicated one-click presets for sunlit and, night-time reading modes, among others. Android 11 handles things on the software side, with full Google Play Services access. There's a 13-megapixel camera at the back, while a 3,300mA battery keeps the lights on. An octa-core keeps things the Bigme phone ticking, working in tandem with a generous 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard expansion. In case you need more space, you can also pop in a microSD card of up to 1TB capacity.

Hisense is a fairly well-known name in the consumer electronics segment, but the brand has been hawking palm-friendly e-ink devices long before the Boox Palma started making waves. The company makes e-readers, music players, and even music readers armed with an e-ink panel, in color as well as monochrome flavors. One of the best e-ink devices in the brand's portfolio is the A9 Pro, a full-fledged smartphone.

A fairly sleek device that only measures 7.8mm across, the Hisense phone offers a 6.1-inch e-ink Carta 1200 screen (824 x 1646 pixels) front-lit display with a temperature adjustment facility in tow. Users can pick between 27 levels of viewing presets as they shift between white and amber color tones. This one draws power from Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 662 silicon, which is paired with 8GB of RAM ( the highest in a device of its kind) and 256GB of onboard storage.

The Hisense A9 Pro also offers a 13-megapixel HD camera at the back and offers a bigger 4,000 mAh battery, as well. It even throws a fingerprint scanner into the mix, and allows dual-SIM functionality. Notably, it's a hybrid slot, which means one of the SIM cards can be swapped out with a microSD card for storage expansion. However, keep in mind that cellular connectivity is limited to 4G (LTE) on this one. In case you need 5G, you can check out the Hisense A7 e-ink smartphone.

When it comes to e-readers, there is a legion of fans who swear by physical controls. A button for something as basic as turning the pages is a highly desirable trait. What if you get the whole set of navigation buttons and menu controls dished out as physical buttons on the bottom lip, just like the Kindles from over a decade ago? If that sounds appealing, the Woxter Scriba 195 S will serve you well. It is also the cutest e-reader out there, especially in cherry red.

This one offers a 4.7-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale adjustment. The resolution figures are not exactly astounding at 960 x 540 pixels, but for reading books, the panel is still plenty sharp. The company assures that even under direct sun, users won't run into glare or fatigue issues. You only get 4GB of storage and a small 800 mAh battery. Needless to say, this is a device with retro design appeal that is intended strictly for reading books, and not much else.

Think of it as a modern revival of vintage Nintendo consoles, which are now all the rage in the form of gadgets like the Analohgue Pocket. Woxter claims that the Scrib 195 S is the lightest e-book reader out there. The biggest challenge here is getting a hold of the device, even after you've set aside the cash. You either have to get it shipped from the Woxter website, set up an Amazon availability alert, or rely on third-party sellers like Good E-Reader and Ubuy, and pay a premium.

Arguably the most interesting option on the list, but one with a few clear distinctions. Do you absolutely need a paper-like display? The TCL NXTPAPER 50 5G will offer just that, in both color and black/white formats. But the underlying tech is not e-ink, so there's that. This is a phone first, but with a unique matte finish screen that imitates the look as well as the feel of paper.

The best part about the NXTPAPER tech is that, unlike the sluggish e-ink screens, this panel offers a 120Hz refresh rate, technically matching the display fluidity of top-tier devices like the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPad Pro. The bezels are the slimmest of all the devices listed above, and you get 6.8 inches of screen real estate with anti-glare, low-blue light certifications as additional perks.

There's a dedicated physical NXTPAPER slider on the right edge that switches between full-color and monochrome display modes. It even lets you switch between dedicated ink paper (similar to an e-book reader interface) and color paper (for comic and magazine reading) viewing formats. The rest of the package is also the most powerful out of the bunch.

The triple rear camera array is led by a 108-megapixel snapper, while an 8-megapixel camera handles selfies and video calls. It runs Android 14 (commitment up to Android 16), while the processing duties are handled by MediaTek's Dimensity 6300 SoC, running the show alongside 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage, which is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card slot.