Early exploration: Yota and Hisense’s stumbling journey
E Ink (electronic paper) phones are not new. As early as 2013, Russia's Yota launched a smartphone with dual screens (LCD on the front and E Ink on the back). After launching three generations of the series, it declared bankruptcy in 2017. Subsequently, Chinese manufacturer Hisense also entered this field, launching the A2 to A9 series of E Ink mobile phones since 2017, and even took the lead in launching color e-paper models. However, the series was announced to be discontinued in 2023. It is worth mentioning that Hisense unexpectedly restarted the A9 high-end version in 2025, showing that the brand has not completely given up its exploration of E Ink applications.
Lost in the market: the dilemma between technical bottleneck and functional positioning
Although the attempts of these two brands were eye-catching, they failed to gain a foothold in the market. The reason for this is, on the one hand, that the refresh rate and interactive performance of E Ink technology at the time were limited, and on the other hand, that the product positioning was unclear: it was not significantly better than professional readers in terms of reading experience, nor could it compete with mainstream mobile phones in terms of communication and multimedia functions. As a result, these products have mostly become marginal players in the market.
Turning point: Palma puts reading experience into mobile phone appearance
The turning point comes in 2023. E-reader brand BOOX has launched a new product called Palma in overseas markets. At first glance, Palma looks like a smartphone, but in fact it has completely removed the communication module and is clearly positioned as a "mobile reader." After Hisense's previous failure, the market was once reserved about this product. However, not only was the first batch of pre-orders of Palma sold out on the day, but subsequent sales and reviews also performed well, successfully opening up a new product type in the e-paper market.
Palma’s success is no accident. Its biggest advantage is that it combines the advantages of two products: continuing Onyx's consistent high-quality reading experience (such as being equipped with Neoreader reading software), while maintaining the lightweight size and portability of a mobile phone. In addition, Palma is equipped with a dedicated GPU, which significantly improves refresh efficiency, making it practical when surfing the Internet, searching for information, and even browsing social media. In other words, Palma takes "reading" as its clear main axis, and other functions as auxiliary, successfully creating a new reading tool with clear priorities and clear positioning.
A new trend is emerging: Reader phones are becoming a new favorite in the niche market
Such product performance has also stimulated the interest of other brands in the market, which have tried to invest in this type of products. For example, Bigme launched the HiBreak/Hibreak Pro series (full-function E Ink mobile phones), and iReader recently launched a similar mobile phone pure reader Tango. Without exception, these products all continue Palma's design philosophy, avoiding the competitive ocean of traditional smartphones and instead delving into the niche market of reading and focused use, with a clear distinction between primary and secondary functions.
In summary, the E Ink mobile phone industry has repeatedly failed due to unclear technology and positioning, but the emergence of Onyx Palma proves that when products focus on core values and respond to real needs, even technologies that have been neglected by the market may regain vitality. The future success of E Ink devices will depend on whether brands can continue to make clear and differentiated choices in "usage scenarios" and "user experience".
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