BOOX Palma 2 Pro – a color e-reader shaped like a phone (with 5G)

You open your phone to read one chapter of a book. Twenty minutes later you’re watching a stranger restore a rusty shovel. The book is still on page 41.

The BOOX Palma 2 Pro is a phone-shaped e-reader with a color E Ink screen, full Android and a SIM slot for mobile data. It looks like a phone, it fits in your pocket like a phone, and it’s terrible at everything that makes a phone addictive. I mean that as a compliment.

What is the BOOX Palma 2 Pro?

BOOX (the brand of Onyx, the e-paper company from China) made the first Palma in 2023: an e-reader shaped like a phone, for one-handed reading. The Palma 2 Pro, released in late 2025, is the third one and the first in color.

The screen is 6.13 inches of Kaleido 3 color E Ink. Black-and-white text is sharp at 300 ppi, while color runs at 150 ppi and, according to BOOX, about 4,096 colors. So book covers, comics and highlighted notes look nice. Movies do not. It’s still e-paper, with a front light you can set from warm to cool.

Inside it’s a small Android 15 tablet: 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD slot, a 3,950 mAh battery, a fingerprint reader, a 16MP camera on the back and a programmable smart button on the side. It weighs about 175 grams (6.2 oz), which is lighter than most phones.

How does it work?

It runs the Google Play Store, so you install the reading apps you already use: Kindle, Kobo, Libby, Audible, whatever. BOOX’s own reader handles EPUB and PDF files. A refresh mode lets you trade image quality for speed when you scroll.

New for the Pro is a hybrid SIM slot that takes a 4G or 5G data SIM. That means you can download a book or a podcast on the train without tethering. It does not make phone calls or send text messages, but app calls like WhatsApp work. It also works with the InkSense Plus stylus (sold separately), so you can scribble notes in the margin.

The good and the not-so-good

What I like:

• It’s a book in your pocket that doesn’t do push notifications unless you install them. You can, of course. Please don’t.
• Notebookcheck found that the stylus works well on the matte, paper-like screen and that the stereo speakers are loud enough for audiobooks and podcasts.
• Mobile data on an e-reader is rare. Library loans on the go, no hotspot dance.

What could be better:

• Color E Ink screens are darker than black-and-white ones. Parkablogs found you need the front light on almost all the time.
• It’s E Ink. Expect ghosting and a bit of lag when you scroll.
• It’s not water resistant like a Kindle. BOOX calls it water-repellent but not waterproof.
• About 400 bucks is a lot for willpower in a box. And the review at overkill.wtf sums it up nicely: 5G and color, but it’s still a Palma. If the original never clicked for you, this one won’t either.

Who is the BOOX Palma 2 Pro for?

Readers who always have a phone in their hand but want it to be a book. Commuters who read on the subway. People who want Kindle and Kobo and Libby on one device without picking a camp. It’s a great gift for the friend who says “I used to read so much” every single time you see them.

Skip it if you just want to read Kindle books. A Paperwhite is cheaper and waterproof. If you want a big screen to write on, look at the BOOX Note Air or the Kindle Scribe. And if you want to quit the smartphone altogether, we’ve rounded up the best minimalist phones.

Where can I buy the BOOX Palma 2 Pro?

BOOX sells it on its own shop and through Amazon, in black or white. On Amazon it was about 400 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026). The stylus costs extra, so check the bundles if you want to write on it.

Page 42. Finally.