It isn’t on daily basis that you just come throughout a smartphone that options an E Ink show. Solely Hisense has been the only real participant on this phase, and now, Bigme is raring to have a chunk of the pie. It isn’t that the phase is gigantic, however what can also’t be denied is {that a} devoted consumer base likes to have an e-paper smartphone as a substitute of the traditional ones with LED or LCD panels. It’s this group that Bigme desires to handle with its HiBreak. How? The HiBreak is the primary smartphone to characteristic a Kaleido 3 color e-paper show. All this makes us desperate to unravel all of the gadget presents. So, let’s dive proper in.
Type and construct
It’s a little bit of a disappointment right here for one thing that’s presupposed to be a trendsetter. There may be nothing particular concerning the seems to be. As an alternative, it seems to be dated, with its thick bezels, much more so for the chin and the brow. The comparatively thick bezels make the 5.84-inch show look all of the extra smaller. The show has a 720 x 1440 pixel decision, translating to a B/W and color decision of 275 and 91.9, respectively. The show additionally has a 36-level adjustable entrance gentle for optimum studying expertise.
When seen from the entrance, the Energy and Quantity Up and Down buttons are on the suitable, whereas on the backside lies the USB-C port flanked on both aspect by a pair of mics. On the left lies the reminiscence card, SIM card slot, and a particular E Ink button for fast entry to a number of options. The highest has been left clear. It measures 76.8 x 154 x 8.6 mm and weighs 170 grams, making it helpful and comfy to carry and function along with your palms.
The highest bezel accommodates the entrance digicam and the earpiece, which additionally doubles because the speaker. Whereas an earpiece/ speaker combo unit is a superb design characteristic, keep in mind to be cautious of the sound ranges you’ve gotten set for the notifications. If that’s set excessive and a notification streams in when, say, you might be talking on the cellphone, and it’s held near your ears, you’ll have a nasty sound byte hitting your ears.
The rear presents a leather-like really feel on the plastic floor with the corporate emblem etched on the heart. On the prime left nook lies the digicam bump, which incorporates the LED flash. The rear sample doesn’t entice fingerprints and presents a non-slippery floor to carry the cellphone. Additionally, whereas nonetheless on cameras, the rear has a 13 MP unit, whereas the entrance will get a 5 MP shooter.
As a smartphone
As already acknowledged a number of instances, the HiBreak is a smartphone that turns into one after getting inserted the SIM card into the slot and turned the ‘Use Sim’ toggle swap to the On place. With that achieved, the connection supplier’s title can be proven on the prime, together with the sign on the left, as with all standard smartphones. You may make cellphone calls or use mobile knowledge to do belongings you often do on a smartphone. That features browsing the online, doing on-line searches, and so forth. You possibly can activate Wi-Fi or use the gadget as a Hotspot.
Consumer Interface
The cellphone runs Android 11 and behaves like some other Android gadget. So, if you swipe down from the highest, the acquainted notification bar is displayed. The notification bar is a slim strip alongside the suitable for a change and a welcome one. You’ve all the same old stuff right here, together with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cell knowledge, Airplane mode, and so on.
There may be additionally the Torch button and buttons for location companies, display recording, screenshot, battery, solid settings, and e-paper settings. You may also set the quantity and glow gentle slider controls in response to your choice by swiping down from the highest.
Whereas all settings are acquainted and self-explanatory, the E Ink Middle deserves particular point out. Right here, you’ve gotten entry to all of the cellphone’s e-paper options. A number of pre-set show settings exist, together with Default, Magazines, Comedian, Video, and Customized. You’re presupposed to activate the actual show characteristic relying on the content material you might be viewing or set it by yourself utilizing the Customized button.
As well as, there are the Anti-shake and Auto-clean toggle switches, in addition to the Refresh mode, Colour adjustment, and Full refresh frequency controls.
Beneath Refresh mode, you’ve gotten the next settings – HD 256, Regal, Quick, and Excessive in ascending order of velocity, although every larger velocity setting results in deteriorating picture high quality. So, you’ve gotten the quickest show when set to Excessive, although that comes at the price of picture high quality. However, that’s the setting to be invoked if you want an expertise closest to what you’ve gotten with a traditional smartphone.
Discuss with the video evaluate beneath to higher perceive the totally different velocity modes or options like anti-shake.
Many have qualms, and rightfully so, about E Ink telephones, contemplating that these have refresh charges a lot slower than the slowest that LCD/ LED shows are able to. Nonetheless, with the choice to pick out particular refresh charges, with every refresh price having a direct bearing on the picture high quality, you possibly can go for the setting that you just really feel is apt for the content material you might be viewing. If it’s video content material, the best choice is the Excessive setting, although it received’t be comparable to traditional smartphones.
When studying e-books, you would possibly as properly go for the HD 256 setting for the very best picture high quality. Go for any middleman settings when viewing comics, magazines, and such. As already acknowledged, you received’t have the identical really feel as standard telephones. Nonetheless, the obvious benefit is the glare-free show with markedly much less blue gentle emission, making the cellphone eye-friendly.
Beneath Colour Alter, you’ve gotten controls for adjusting Distinction, Vivid enhancement, and Colour brightness. Relying on what you might be viewing, you possibly can select the setting that most accurately fits you.
Lastly, there may be additionally the floating button on the show, which will be shifted round. When pressed, it reveals a round array of buttons for fast entry to totally different features. These will be House, Again, Screenshot, and so forth.
Studying expertise
Manga
The 5.84-inch show is of course too small for viewing manga. It could be okay to learn e-books the place a small portion of the guide is rendered on show every time. Nonetheless, issues are barely totally different with manga or different graphic content material, which you’ll be able to’t view in parts. As an alternative, it’s essential to view your entire web page to really feel the entire thing. Fortuitously, the color e-paper show makes issues rather more vibrant and vivid.
Additionally, a pleasant factor right here is that the quantity management buttons can function page-turn buttons. The one factor that applies extra to manga or comics from Google Play Books is that quantity controls may also be used to broaden speech bubbles. This makes it simpler to learn and can prevent from having to zoom out and in of your entire factor every time it’s worthwhile to learn what’s within the speech bubbles.
e-Books
When studying e-books, it’s much like what you’d anticipate from an e-paper gadget. Issues can be pretty much as good or dangerous because the app you utilize to learn. As an Android gadget, you possibly can set up any app you need for studying. Nonetheless, it’s worthwhile to alter to the smaller and quite longish show. Additionally, the quantity buttons will function the web page flip buttons, which you will have extra usually, contemplating {that a} comparatively small chunk of studying content material will get displayed every time.
Nonetheless, as applies to color e-paper show, the background won’t ever be white. As an alternative, owing to the color array filter, you’ve gotten a grayish background with black textual content. This could be okay when seen in isolation, although you’ll instantly know the distinction when set in opposition to one thing genuinely white. In any other case, the studying expertise is correct on top of things. Additionally, it’s a smartphone that you’re prone to have with you always; you possibly can at all times proceed studying virtually wherever and anytime. That’s the fantastic thing about an e-ink smartphone.
Audiobooks
Neglect about listening to audiobooks by way of the native speaker, because the sound output is horrible. The quantity is simply too low, and the voice high quality isn’t on top of things. As an alternative, use Bluetooth audio system or headphones, offering a greater expertise.
E Ink button
You possibly can set the little button on the gadget’s left to carry out totally different duties. Right here is all that it might do.
For lengthy press motion, you possibly can set it to the next features:
- None
- Again House Display screen
- Again
- Screenshot
- Multitasking switcher
- Clear cache
- Full Refresh
- E Ink Middle
- Earlier web page
- Subsequent web page
For the one click on motion, you possibly can set it to carry out features that embody:
- None
- Again House Display screen
- Again
- Screenshot
- Multitasking switcher
- Clear cache, and so forth.
Conclusion
The HiBreak is a game-changer of a tool. Since 2015, there was just one producer to occupy the e-ink smartphone market, Hisense (2019 to 2023)
The Darkish Moon R9 tried and failed.
The Gentle Cellphone 2 was only a cellphone.
The Kyocera Docomo was only a cellphone.
Onyx tried for 2 generations however solely had prototypes.
Hisense and its 12 fashions are the one model and line of units to fulfill individuals’s want for a smartphone with an e-paper display.
So right here comes Bigme to the rescue, but once more, it appears. This unit contains a SIM card slot, which modifications the dynamic of “mini e-readers.”
Which means you need to use cell mobile knowledge, ship textual content messages, use location and GPS companies, and make cellphone calls. This does every part a smartphone can do but has all the advantages of an e-book reader.
It’s preloaded with many color modes, velocity modes, microphones, two cameras, a flash package deal, a proprietary e-ink button on the left, and USB-C.
The again contains a black premium leather-based simulated plastic cowl with a large digicam bump, giving it a variety of persona.
The unit can play video video games, watch films, watch Netflix, or use any social media utility you would like, as that is loaded with GPS and placement companies and satisfies each stipulation of licensed utility necessities.
That this unit is lower than $220 is an absolute godsend.
There are solely two downsides. One of many main
- The unit from the entrance presents zero stylistic properties in any respect and is totally devoid of any character or design to any diploma
- The audio is horrid on this gadget.
The primary downside with the audio scenario is that it doesn’t have audio system. The audio comes from the earpiece speaker pack; every part is shared by the identical module. If you’re on a name and your notification quantity is larger than your name quantity, a blaring media blast might injury your ear drum.
Outdoors, the audio is quiet, tinny, devoid of base, and one of many lowest high quality we’ve heard in years.
Nonetheless, this unit is 90 % good and solely 10 % flawed.
Bigme HiBreak Cellphone
$244.00
Execs
- Google Play
- GPS
- SD + 4G
- Turning off animations makes cellphone smoother
- Colour E INK Cellphone
Cons
- No headphone jack
- No heat gentle
- No Contact ID
- Solely has Android 11
- Software program Bugs
With a eager curiosity in tech, I make it a degree to maintain myself up to date on the most recent developments in expertise and devices. That features smartphones or pill units however stretches to even AI and self-driven vehicles, the latter being my newest fad. In addition to writing, I like watching movies, studying, listening to music, or experimenting with totally different recipes. The movement image is one other side that pursuits me quite a bit, and I am going to doubtless make a movie someday sooner or later.
