The Next Boox Palma Is a Mini Digital Notebook

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Since its release 2023, the Boox Palma e-reader—and its successor, the Palma 2—has sown confusion. It’s the same size and shape as a cell phone and it has an e-ink screen, but it isn’t an e-ink phone, because it doesn’t have a SIM card slot or eSIM. Well, today Boox’s parent company, the Chinese device-maker Onyx International, announced the new Palma 2 Pro, and things aren’t getting any less opaque.

As I wrote about last month when the new device was first rumored, the Palma 2 Pro does have a SIM card slot, but it still isn’t really a phone—while it can handle mobile data (meaning browsing the internet, streaming video, reading email, or downloading books and other media), it still can’t take calls like a traditional Android phone. (You can download a voice-over-internet app like Google Voice or WhatsApp, but that’s not really the same thing.)

That said, the Palma 2 Pro does offer a few choice upgrades worth discussing—as does the Boox Note Air 5C, the next in the company’s line of full-fledged color e-ink notebooks.

The Palma 2 Pro adds a color screen and stylus support

If calling capability was the most-requested Palma feature on the Boox subreddit, then a color screen and support for note-taking were tied for second, and the new Palma will have both, turning it into a mini digital notebook along the lines of the reMarkable Paper Pro Move.

In its announcement video, Boox revealed that the device will add the same Kaleido 3 color e-ink technology found on the Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) released last year, and like that device, it will also support writing on the screen. While the Go Color 7 could be purchased with Boox’s own “InkSense” stylus—a USI 2.0 pen that I found rather disappointing when I tested it last year—a Boox spokesperson promised an improved writing experience from the Palma 2 Pro’s “InkSense Pro.” (Given my mixed reaction to USI 2.0 styluses across other devices I’ve tested, I’m withholding judgment there.)

While those are the headline changes, the Palma 2 Pro offers a few decent if not dramatic upgrades (which is probably why the company isn’t calling it the Palma 3). It’s still available in either black or white, but it runs on Android 15 (versus the Palma 2’s Android 13), and has 8GB or RAM over the Palma 2’s 6GB. Otherwise, it has the same basic form factor (the new device is .8mm thicker and 5g heavier) and features (including a 16 megapixel rear camera, 128GB of storage, an adjustable front light, and fingerprint unlock), but it still isn’t fully waterproof.

A big price increase

All those upgrades do come at a significant cost—the Palma 2 Pro retails for $399.99 in the U.S., a full $100 more than the already-pricey-for-an-ereader Palma 2. It’s unclear how much of the price increase can be chalked up to tariffs on Chinese-made products, but for what it’s worth, the device will be sold for $20 less in other parts of the world.

The Palma 2 Pro is available for pre-order now on Boox’s website, with a scheduled ship date of Nov. 7.

The Boox Note Air 5C is a less dramatic upgrade

The Palma 2 Pro wasn’t the only product Boox announced today. The U.S. is also getting the next iteration of the Boox Note Air, though its far less flashy an upgrade. In fact, that features and specs listed on the Boox product page are a virtual copy of those for the Note Air 4C released in 2024. It has the same look and form factor (to within 1mm, according to the specs on the Boox website), the same Kaleido 3 color screen, the same 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and virtually the same weight.

Aside from a similar upgrade from Android 13 to Android 15 for the OS, the biggest difference seems to be the addition of pogo pins to support for Boox’s new magnetic keyboard cover, which turns the device into something resembling an e-ink laptop. (Boox also makes a keyboard cover for its larger Note Max and Tab X C tablets, and I’ve been pretty pleased with it.) It also comes packaged with an upgraded Boox Pen3 stylus, which I’ve yet to try out.

The same price as the Note Air 4C

Befitting the minimal upgrades, the price for the Note Air 5C remains $530 in the U.S., the same as last year’s model, and you can already order it on Amazon.

A good time for discounts on older Boox devices

To be honest, these new product announcements aren’t exactly what I was hoping for. The Note Air 5C is barely an upgrade, and given how successful it has been in helping me reduce my use of enraging and addictive social media apps, I really would love it if the Palma could replace my phone. Moreover, I don’t find the addition of a color screen that compelling, since color e-ink makes black-and-white material look worse, and I think the Palma’s 6.13-inch screen is too small to write on comfortably (even the 7.3-inch reMarkable Paper Pro Move is pushing it in that regard).

On the plus side, the launch of new models does mean decent discounts on the older versions: You can now pick up the Palma 2 for $270, $30 less than the previous price and the same low it hit during recent Prime Day sales. Meanwhile, the Note Air 4C is $500, a $30 price cut.