Big hands, small mobile: we analyze the Palm Phone, the mini-smartphone that helps you disconnect

Although a year has passed since its official launch on the market, it has been during these last months of 2019 that the Palm Phone has begun to be seen in our country, especially thanks to the update of rates of the two operators that market it in Spain as well as MediaMarkt.

When users are increasingly sensitive to the so-called technological disconnection, a proposal as unique as Palm’s is appreciated. We tested a different mobile than anything we have seen so far: compact, sophisticated, and minuscule in size. A smartphone that, in turn, has little of a smartphone. Let’s see why!

The best of the Palm Phone

Construction and design

The Palm Phone “grips with pleasure. ” Thanks to its small size, one experiences the indescribable sensation of being able to enclose the device with the fist, something that, for us to understand each other well, is a real joy. And is that the terminal is surprisingly robust, and although it has a noticeable weight despite its size, the device feels comfortable and balanced. In addition, the details that Palm has wanted to take care of in the device’s construction must be added to the experience, focusing on a minimalist aesthetic and sober elegance. All this makes, in principle, one of those terminals that you can use quietly without a cover. And although Palm makes available to users a whole series of accessories to maximize the user experience, personally, I do not find the covers as a basic necessity for the Palm Phone.

About its size, yes, it is as tiny as it looks. Constructed of aluminum and high-resistance glass (incorporating Gorilla Glass and IP68 resistance to dust and water), the Palm Phone barely weighs 62 grams and a half. A ridiculous figure compared to the almost 160 grams of the Huawei P30 Lite or the 175 grams of the Samsung Galaxy S10 +. To understand us, the Palm Phone reduces by almost 40% the usual size of the average smartphone, being approximately the size of a credit card.

Also, on the outside, and partly due to its “simple smartphone” characteristics, the Palm Phone only has a USB-C connector and a single button, the power button. On the back, we only find the brand logo and the camera, with the lens and the flash almost in perfect symmetry. As you can see, its construction is at the service of its minimalism.

Maximum functionality in “mini” size

One of the most pleasant surprises that I have had has been to realize how, in just a couple of minutes, the Palm Phone is capable of defying any expectation or preconceived idea about its size, putting in place a “big man” like This server. It handles especially well with one hand. As long as you keep a very basic use of the terminal, the experience will be highly satisfactory; in addition, it must be borne in mind that with Google Assistant and certain quick actions, the experience improves even more. Regarding its unlocking, as it does not have a fingerprint reader, the easiest thing, leaving pin and patterns aside, is to use the easy unlocking of the device itself, which is quite comfortable in most situations(it’s no Face ID either).

“A mobile capable of everything but with a very specific objective

Going into something else, except that sometimes you notice something hotter than normal (especially when watching content or playing games), the Palm Phone more than meets the fluidity requirements. We can ask for mobile of your style and price. And while it does justice to its 3GB of RAM and the Snapdragon processor, keep in mind that it only has 32GB of internal storage, and no, the Palm Phone does not have room for a microSD card.

At this point and given our experience of use, we must make a note to clarify that the Palm Phone is not a normal mobile. Although it may be contradictory, it is important to remember that it is a device designed to be used little. And I emphasize this aspect because if you are thinking of using it as a normal mobile, it is likely that you will end up scalded. We speak of “maximum functionality” within that specific use for which the Palm Phone is designed.

In that sense, one is really aware of the small size of the Palm Phone (3.3 inches) and its shortcomings precisely when trying to “raise the bar.” The Palm Phone is not the mobile you are looking for if you plan to consume audiovisual content without moderation (Netflix, YouTube), joke more than necessary (audios do not count), or give Mario Kart Tour a shot for more than two bus stops. For the rest, yes, it is a small, very small mobile, but if you are part of that audience for which the Palm Phone is intended, you really won’t even notice.

And what about their cameras? Well, a few lines below, you will find a very small sample of their capabilities, but as you may be imagining, they are nothing to write home about. The Palm Phone has a 12MP main camera with flash and an 8MP front camera … and little else (be careful, it’s not necessary either). With a single main lens and no portrait mode, the Palm Phone’s camera has as its strong point a simple and practical interface, aligned with what you would expect from a device like this.

Regarding its performance, personally, I have noticed, of course, a leap back when comparing it with the camera of the Pixel 3a, my current device. If we ignore that the front camera suffers somewhat more than it should in unfavorable conditions, I am not at all dissatisfied with the results, especially if I think about the diminutive size of the Palm Phone and the dull skies of Galicia. However, and especially if the light accompanies, the results are quite decent, achieving in some cases a sharpness that manages to surprise for good.

The worst of the Palm Phone

A hard price to fit

The Palm Phone is a highly peculiar mobile that occupies a somewhat complicated place in the current mobile market, halfway between the feature phone and the smartphone, so its official price, much bulkier than its size, does not play exactly in his favor.

The Palm Phone has indeed been sold in Spain for only a few months, but considering that a year has passed since its international presentation, 350 euros is a lot of euros for a device with 2018 specifications. Unless you’re willing to pay for the premium disconnect lifestyle that the new Palm seeks to offer, the price is something to choke on.

“After a year with us, the price of the Palm Phone plays against

The worst of all is that being a unique smartphone, the comparisons, even if they are not fair, do not leave the Palm Phone in a good place. At one extreme, we find, for example, the new batch of basic Nokia mobiles, which offer better disconnection and autonomy at ridiculous prices. They are mobiles of 5 inches or less that can fulfill a mission similar to the Palm Phone in different ways and with different price ranges. And at the other extreme, to have a secondary smartphone as functional as elegant and discretionary, we find options of all kinds: from the Xiaomi Redmi Go to the Sony Xperia XZ 2 or even the [iPhone SE].

Its battery can be improved.

Although Palm advertises its device with a stand-by autonomy of up to 3 days, in my case, it has not been more than 2 days without having to charge it. And that’s when I haven’t put it to use. A rather short time, especially if we consider that one of the selling points of the Palm Phone is its use as a secondary terminal. Therefore, if you plan to have it in a drawer all week to take it on Friday when leaving work, keep in mind that yes or yes, you will have to go through an outlet a couple of hours before.

Night. Of course, in defense of the Palm Phone, it must be said that the device is fully charged in more than acceptable times: thirty minutes for half the battery and just over an hour to reach 100%. On the other hand, if we stick to how long the battery lasts with a normal activity that includes calls, a daily ratio of Twitter and WhatsApp, the odd game that is not too demanding, and two or three news apps, the mobile will hardly last until the end of the day.

Final reflection, do you use your mobile less if it is small?

This is probably the main question that one has to ask oneself to assess whether or not to bet on this little boy. Indeed, one of the reasons for the Palm Phone and its small size is that it is a tool to disconnect, but, based on my personal experience, I have not noticed that the Palm Phone has facilitated a more analog lifestyle. But rather the opposite. Which is good news because it makes the Palm Phone a 100% functional smartphone, but it may not be the best option for users looking to reduce their nomophobia.

In my case, I have not noticed that I used the mobile less because it had a small size, so I have been doing the same as always but leaving the odd diopter on the way. Basically, if, like me, you have a strong dependence on your smartphone, perhaps the Palm Phone is not the best option to disconnect, especially if we compare it with non-smartphones or with devices specifically designed for it, such as This is the case with the LightPhone 2.

If, on the other hand, you are someone who can perfectly control the use of your main device, the Palm Phone will undoubtedly help you disconnect more and better, especially if you are one of those users who uses the smartphone on rare occasions throughout of the day.

On the other hand, where the Palm Phone is strong, in part, is in its service as a secondary device, especially for those who cannot put aside their main mobile phone during working hours. In that sense, after a few days with quite a few frustrations, I decided to give the Palm Phone a second chance as a second device (worth the redundancy), a choice that slightly changed my experience with the phone, allowing me to enjoy it a little more.

In my case, thanks to the Palm Phone, I was able to park my main mobile phone during the weekends to enjoy a couple of days more disconnected than normal. And frankly, it is a real joy to walk around the city or do the odd excursion carrying a device in your pocket that is almost as if it did not exist. This use as a secondary terminal can be especially interesting combined with the Vodafone OneNumber service. The operator, in addition to being one of the few that offer the Palm Phone in Spain, allows you to connect all the data from your main device to the Palm Phone without having to change the number or SIM.

Finally, if you are interested in using the Palm Phone to disconnect, you will like to know that the device includes a “disconnection” mode called Life Mode, which completely disconnects and silences those apps and functionalities of your choice until you turn on the screen.

Price and where to buy the Palm Phone in Spain

At this time, the Palm Phone can be purchased in Spain through two official channels, through operators such as Movistar or Vodafone, or Amazon. If you want to buy it at Movistar, they offer the Palm Phone for 329 euros, subject, yes, to the hiring of a fee. For its part, in Vodafone, you can find it at 342 euros, also closing portability with them or contracting Vodafone OneNumber. If you want to use the Palm Phone as a second device by registering a new line, its price will range between 324 and 445 euros depending on the rate.

On the other hand, as we pointed out before, the Palm Phone is also available on Amazon at a free price of 349 euros.