We don’t know how popular those smartphone-sized e-readers are, but there seems to be an actual market for them, which is why we’re continually seeing new models every year. The latest to be announced is the Boox Palma 3, which gets a few notable updates over its predecessor.
While the third-generation Palma uses the exact same screen as the last model, it does get a more premium build, along with a smattering of new functionality that should make it a whole lot useful. The biggest of these is the all-new stylus support, essentially turning it into a pocket notebook you can use to jot down notes, apart from consuming various reading materials.
The Boox Palma 3 has a 6.13-inch screen, making it roughly the size of a modern smartphone. Like the last generation of the e-reader, it uses an E-Ink Carta screen with 824 x 1,648 resolution, 300 PPI pixel density, and multiple grayscale shades, allowing it to reproduce clean-looking, paper-like text and images. There’s a dual-tone front light to make reading easier during low-light situations, which you can switch to either warm or cold, depending on your preference, while a light sensor allows it to detect how much front lighting is necessary at any given time. We’re not entirely sure why you will need a camera on an e-reader, but this one gets a 16.0-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash, so you can use it to take pictures if you want. Maybe it can be useful when you’re manually scanning physical documents or something.
Unlike previous versions, this e-reader supports the outfit’s active stylus, so you can now use it as a note-taking device, instead of just a book reader. This should make it especially handy for folks who don’t want a dedicated digital notepad. The most noticeable change for this generation, though, is the build. Instead of the plastic casing on previous models, this one has an anodized aluminum frame, complete with a paper-like fiberglass backplate. That makes it so much more premium-looking than previous versions of the Palma, although it mostly stays the same under all that new body.
Inside, the Boox Palma 3 houses an eight-core CPU that’s tuned to work the outfit’s Boox Super Refresh (BSR) technology, a specialized algorithm that allows the device to minimize ghosting, lag, and latency, which are the most common problems with E-Ink displays. You can also customize what level of refresh mode you want it to perform, so you can strike your desired balance of image clarity and refresh speed. It comes with 6B of RAM, so it should load most any type of book without any issues, while coming with 128GB of onboard storage, which you can expand via the microSD card slot (supports up to 2TB).
Other features include a 3,950 mAh battery (which should last you days between charges), dual microphones for recording voice memos, a built-in speaker, a fingerprint reader on the power button, and a light weight of just 6.9 ounces. It runs Android 16, which is just one generation behind the current version of the OS, so you get access to all sorts of updated apps.
The Boox Palma 3 is listed as “available soon.” Price is $319.99.
