Palm Phone Review: A Phone Lighter than an Apple Watch

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In an era where everyone is used to the idea of having a 7 ounce bulk in their pants pocket, and another 2 ounce bulk wrapped on their wrist, Palm is challenging us to remember the good ol' days when phone manufacturers were lightening the burdens by making phones increasingly smaller.

The race of the miniature phone crossed the finish line for me with the Panasonic A100, which was roughly the size of a hotel soap. But since the iPhone revolution, the race started running backwards and people no longer minded bigger and bigger phones as long as the screen size also got larger and the hardware got more powerful. Phones these days can weigh up to 7.76 oz (240 grams) like the Asus ROG Phone II, or the iPhone 11 Pro Max which tips the scale at 7.97 oz -finally hitting that half a pound mark!

The folks at Palm are challenging this trend with its latest offering - carrying the hidden message: "We'll make phones small again!" They are not doing this only as a novelty, but behind it is the philosophy: "Don't let your screen time control your free time." When the phone and screen is this small, it encourages the user to look away from phone, and 'smell the roses'.

During the time I spent with the Palm phone, I explored this idea, but not before first evaluating the feasibility of using one of the smallest fully functional smartphone on the market right now to satisfy my daily connectivity needs.

Freedom from the pocket brick

For me, there is a part of me that misses the tiny phones that was so small I could hang it comfortably off my neck. Though I did find a safe way to dangles this phone off a lanyard, when I pocketed the Palm phone, I realized that I could barely feel the phone there, even if I run with it.

What I eventually realized is that the Palm phone is not only small, it's also light. It's so light in fact, when I compared it to the smartwatch I'm wearing: an Amazfit GTR, the phone felt even lighter than the watch! (Which I later confirmed with a scale). As the title of this review suggests, the miniscule 62.5 gram weight of the Palm phone is also around 10% lighter than the 42mm yellow gold edition of Apple Watch which weighs 69 grams.

If someone wanted to be completely free from carrying around a half-pound brick all day, Palm's unique offering could very well be your one and only choice that allows you to do that while having a fully fledged Android OS.

Flagship grade construction

Other than the size, Palm compromised nothing in their phone build when compared to current market leading devices. From the aluminum chassis, Gorilla glass on both front and back, to having a USB-C charge port, the Palm phone feels like a flagship product.

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(Photo from amazon.com)

The quality of the camera was also a surprise to me. For some reason I didn't expect a tiny phone to be decked out with a proper camera. A part of me probably still felt this is just a novelty phone, which normally are notorious at getting the cameras wrong.

But not the Palm, which actually makes total sense with its design brief: to make a phone that encourages the users to live life instead of living in the screen. Since a big part of living life these days is to capture it with a camera - the Palm team made the right decision to include a respectable camera setup. It has 12MP + 8MP on its rear and front respectively, with auto-focus that has a good depth-of-field, as well as good dynamic range. It is surprisingly good for something in such a small package.

The 3.3 inch screen is obviously smaller than a typical phone, but it's well compensated by the very sharp looking 445 ppi resolution on the screen (As a comparison iPhone 11s have 326 ppi displays). The custom skin on the Android 8 operating system runs a Apple Watch-esque zooming scroll cage that makes it easy to select apps. You also get the option to navigate using the capacitive home button to maximize the screen space, or alternatively you can also enable on-screen buttons. (Fun fact: The original iPhone actually only had a 3.5 inch screen, at roughly twice the weight of the Palm phone)

But can I type on it?

This was one of my greatest concerns when looking into the Palm phone. With a phone that can fit lengthwise into my palm, how can I type on it, let alone fit my two thumbs side-by-side onto the virtual keyboard?

Upon trying the phone out for the first time, the issue surprisingly became a non-issue. Though the keys on the virtual keyboard are much smaller than the tips of my thumb, unexpectedly, the correct keys registered nearly every time. I tested it out immediately by replying an email and sending out a few texts: It has a satisfying clicking sound whenever a key is pressed, and because of the minuscule distance my thumbs had to travel, it actually felt faster than typing on my normal phone.

Coming out of the box the Palm phone has Fleksy installed as the default keyboard, which I compared by installing Swiftkey and found that the typing experience and the accuracy of the typing was better on the Fleksy. It suggests that perhaps the great typing experience has more to do with the software.

Either way, it was a good surprise that proves the Palm phone can be a decent phone even for replying business emails and texts.

Batteries that can be managed

To get this much great hardware and software into such a small package, something has got to give. And as you might have guessed it, the battery is probably the weakest link in the Palm phone design. If I keep its full functions running, the battery drains at a speed where I can actually observe the percentage ticking down while using the phone.

What I did find however is that though the battery depletes at a speed I was not used to, it also recharges at the same fast speed, where I can see the percentage going up while its plugged in. The fast consumption and top-up of the battery is most probably due to the fact that the battery is only 800mAh in capacity.

Other than keeping a powerbank handy (Mind you, your typical 10,000 mAh bank will now recharge the Palm phone for more than 10 times!) there are two other ways to manage the battery life on the Palm phone:

1. To follow what the doctor ordered - use your phone less. One of the designated way to use the Palm phone is to enable the 'Life Mode', which silences all alerts and notifications while the screen is off, and only shows them when you turn on it on. This will drastically increase the battery life, as the phone will be on standby mode most of the time.

2. Use a battery-powered case - My Palm phone actually came in a bundle, together with a Mophie Juice Pack battery case, which does make the phone a little chubby, but then gives it a comfortable full day use. The Mophie Juice case also adds the ability to wirelessly charge the phone, which I always welcome, like I welcome the USB-C connector (#USBCEverything).

Who is the Palm Phone for?

If you find yourself using your phone too much, that it is negatively impacting both your social life AND the back of your neck (That's most of us!), the Palm phone is a great way to detox your screen addiction as it forces your eyes on life while still keeping you connected.

But I actually think this is a phone that is more appealing to those who want to back the 'War on big phones'. Using the Palm phone has reminded me how much I enjoy not carrying a brick around, while using a phone that stands out from the crowd. Having a small phone is so rare these days that I have actual started conversations with strangers on the train while using this phone!

If you like something different, but not quirky; something that looks and feels premium and wouldn't make you lose style creds with the executive crowds - Palm phone is a unique product on the market that you can literally hold in your palm, right now.

David is a tech enthusiast/writer who is often on the move and is on a mission to explore ways to make his overhaul flights more enjoyable. This is a contribution to an ongoing IBTimes review series on gadgets for Business Travellers.

You can find out more about the Palm Phone here

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