Review Cellular strives to provide unbiased, comprehensive, up-to-date smartphone and cell phone plan reviews. We use our extensive knowledge of the marketplace and user feedback across the web to provide valuable insights. Let us do all the digging so you can make an informed decision.
Disclosure: Review Cellular is reader supported. When you buy through links on this site, we will earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for your support.
The Palm phone is a small Android smartphone with a new approach to limiting screen time and keeping your interactions with smartphones to a bare minimum. A quarter the size of your regular smartphone, it can be used as a stand-alone device or as a companion to your primary smartphone. We think it’s a smart idea: rather than lugging around your big, bulky phone everywhere, you can carry a compact phone like Palm.
Palm has designed the device to give you a new perspective on your phone and create an opportunity for less distractions in your life. The goal is to limit screen time and, at the same time, keep you connected to the real world. With the support of Android, it has unique, customizable features with limited apps to best suit your needs. Learn all about how this tiny device can benefit your everyday life in our detailed Palm phone review.
The Palm phone arrives in elegant black colored packaging. It has the device’s picture on the front and basic information on the back. The device box is inside the packaging.
Opening the box reveals the black colored Android device with gold edges. A transparent film protects the screen. Under the phone are the quick start guides, product safety manuals, and warranty brochures. The SIM ejection tool, wall charger, and USB Type-C cable are housed under the product guides.
YouTube content on this site is displayed using an Elementor Pro Video Playlist widget under YouTube Terms of Service https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms. Trademarks, copyrights, brand names and images displayed in this embed are the property of their respective owners, and are for identification purposes only.
First off, you’ll notice Palm’s lightweight design and how adorable it looks in your hands. The device resembles the Apple iPhone X with an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass 3 protection on both front and back. It is available in two designs – Silver and Gold. While the phone remains black, the color difference is seen on the edges of the device and camera. We received the Gold version, which looks as premium as a flagship phone. The small size allows the device to easily fit in your pocket.
The design is also well suited to outdoor use since it is IP68 rated. You can carry the device to the beach, rides or hikes and treks. The display on the front has thick bezels both at the top and bottom. A selfie camera is located near the top-right edge. The back of the device hosts the primary camera with an LED flash. The palm logo is centered on the back of the phone. There is just one physical button on the Palm, which is the power button. It is situated on the right edge of the phone, along with a SIM card slot.
Whether you’re at the park, at an event, or just having fun with friends, Palm’s camera system is ready to capture every moment with ease. It features the following two cameras:
Even though the Palm’s camera system wasn’t designed to replace your primary phone, it still takes decent pictures if you’d like to leave your main device behind. The 12MP rear camera captures decent photos in daylight with good color and detail. The camera app also features HDR, which you can turn on to improve image quality under low light.
With an 8MP camera on the front, you can capture group selfies and record videos with friends and family. The front-facing camera on the Palm phone also supports facial recognition, meaning you can unlock your device using just your face. For convenience, we recommend using the Palm camera when you wouldn’t want to lug around your heavy phone.
Featuring a 3.3-inch display with a pixel density of 445ppi, the Palm phone ensures that all content on the screen looks good. Palm phone resembles the size of a credit card, thanks to the small display. It makes the device more portable and comfortable to carry around.
The display responds seamlessly to touch, and the interface feels fluid. Because of the small screen size, typing with both hands might be tricky. Instead, we recommend using voice commands as Palm supports Google Assistant to reply to texts on your behalf. With stunning color saturation, this vibrant high-contrast display is also fit for outdoor use under direct sunlight.
The device offers 3 hours 20 minutes of talk time, 5 hours 30 minutes of music streaming, and 3+ days of standby time on a full charge. Palm’s Life Mode is the key to increasing battery life on this device. Turning Life Mode on extends battery capacity by limiting power usage system-wide, allowing you to go all day without worrying about recharging the device. Palm claims that you can charge 50% of the battery in 31 minutes and 100% within 68 minutes. In our opinion, Palm’s battery life should be adequate for use as a secondary phone.
With a storage capacity of 32GB, Palm can store all of your music, movies, photos, or other media files. For a smartphone like Palm, which is intended for minimalists, the 32GB internal storage seems adequate. If you are using this light phone as a standalone device, you always have the option to choose cloud storage for storing more images, videos, and other data.
Small, lightweight, and powerful, that’s the perfect way to describe the Palm phone. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor and 3GB RAM, you’ll enjoy quick processing speeds. Since the device has limited apps, everything feels fluid. It runs on the Android 8.1 operating software. A straightforward and unique interface distinguishes the device from usual Android phones. Both the lock screen and the home screen are pretty neat. In fact, it feels more like a wearable, such as a smartwatch.
Everyone deserves a break – it’s one of the reasons the Palm phone includes the Life Mode feature. It is a core technology behind the product. If you feel the constant buzz of notifications distracts you, consider using Life Mode to silence incoming calls and notifications when the screen is off. When you wake up the screen, Palm will instantly sync all important notifications. You can customize which notifications get to you when Life Mode is turned on. From text messages to phone calls to Instagram DMs, prioritize which apps get your attention and which can wait.
Among the device’s other unique features are Quick Actions. Many of your favorite apps support Quick Actions. Simply hold the app icon on your home screen for instant access to create an event, send an email, or play your favorite playlist. As part of the device’s mission, you will be able to lower your screen time and focus on what matters most to you.
Palm is built on a foundation of simple, popular needs. It gives you more control over your experiences with the digital world. It looks good, can be used as wearable, and syncs with both iOS and Android devices. All built-in sensors, the ones you generally find in fitness trackers today, are integrated into the Palm phone for added convenience.
Palm is a new class of smartphone designed to enhance your mobile lifestyle. Manage critical functions like calling, texting, and the internet when needed, without constantly needing to be online. Minimalists, athletes, and families may find it to be the best choice. Overall, this small phone can be an excellent companion device to a primary phone.
Palm is a minimalist phone that runs on Android. It can sync to your primary phone and be used as a companion. It can even be used as a standalone device.
Yes, Palm is an IP68 rated device, which means it can withstand water, dust, and dirt.
No, Palm does not have a headphone jack.
Although Palm can work as a standalone Android phone, we advise you to use Palm as a secondary phone.
Palm runs on Android 8.1 Oreo.
The Palm phone was released on November 2, 2018.
Carrier | Verizon Prepaid Phones, Verizon Smartphones |
---|