Boox Palma 2 Review

The Palma 2 keeps the phone-style form factor that made the original boox palma stand out. It is light, one-hand friendly, and easy to carry everywhere, which is the whole point of a reader shaped like a phone rather than a slab. The plastic build feels practical rather than premium, but it survives daily pocket use.

The 6.13 inch e-ink display uses a Carta-class panel with a warm and cool front light, so you can read comfortably in bright sun or in bed. Text is crisp at the phone-sized dimensions, and the paper-like surface avoids the glare and eye strain of an LCD phone screen.

As a pure reading tool the Palma 2 is excellent. Page turns are quick for an e-ink device, the physical size encourages long sessions, and the lack of a data plan or notifications means fewer reasons to stop reading. It is closer to a paperback replacement than a tablet.

There is no stylus and no writing layer, so this is not a note-taking device in the way larger Boox slates are. If handwriting matters to you, the Palma 2 is the wrong model. For reading, highlighting, and light annotation through app tools, it is more than enough.

The device runs Android with the Boox launcher, which is its biggest strength and its biggest source of friction. You can install reading apps from an app store and open a wide range of formats including EPUB, PDF, MOBI, TXT, and comic files like CBZ and CBR. That openness is rare on dedicated readers.

The trade-off is that Android on e-ink is not always smooth. Some apps expect a fast colour screen, so you may need to adjust refresh modes per app to reduce ghosting. Once configured, most popular reading and audiobook apps work well, and the built-in Neo Reader handles local files cleanly.

Battery life is strong when you treat the Palma 2 as a reader. With the front light low and wireless off, a charge stretches across many reading sessions, easily lasting a week or more of normal use.

Heavy use of Android apps, syncing, and audio playback drains it faster, closer to what you would expect from a small tablet. Charging is over USB-C, and topping up between sessions is quick.

Pricing sits above a basic Kindle or Kobo, which is worth weighing against what you gain. You are paying for the open Android ecosystem, the pocketable shape, and format freedom rather than for the cheapest possible reading screen.

The Palma 2 is ideal for readers who juggle multiple apps and libraries, who want a device that is not tied to one store, and who value carrying a real e-ink screen everywhere. Buyers who only read from a single ecosystem and want the lowest price will be better served by a standard e-reader.