For such a tiny device, Palm's got a heavy lift. On the face of it, the self-titled first product from the new startup with a familiar name isn't too radical a departure from the smartphone set. In fact, the device resembles nothing more than a diminutive iPhone, right down to the camera placement on the rear.
But the new Palm wants you to rethink your relationship with your devices. When the product was first pitched to me, a few days before I finally saw it in person, a PR rep told me the device was something new. It wasn't a smartphone, exactly, and not quite a wearable. It was, rather, something in-between.
Palm was created to be your phone away from phone. It's the 3.3-inch device you carry around when you don't have space for a phone that's double the size — be it the gym or a trip to the corner store. It's a device that slips snuggly into the change pocket of your jeans or straps comfortably to your arm when going for a run.
It brings more standard smartphone functionality to the table than a smartwatch, with a screen size that's roughly double that of the largest Apple Watch. It's a product for those who can't quite be away from their smartphone for long enough to justify the cost of an LTE watch.
The hardware is solid, and you can't really argue with product design that's essentially a shrunk-down iPhone. At 3.3 inches, the screen is a hair smaller than the first iPhone's 3.5. Of course, smartphone design and component manufacturing have come a long way in the intervening decade. The current screen-to-body ratio means a device that can, as advertised, fit pretty comfortably in the palm of most hands.
Of course, the small body is going to come with certain sacrifices. We've already come to accept many of these on our smartwatches, though based on application and form factor, we generally have entirely different expectations with regards to what the product can and can't do.
The Palm, on the other hand, is simply a small phone. And yet, there are things you either can't do — or simply wouldn't want to — with the product. Among the more surprising omissions here is the inclusion of one physical button (power). Palm has made the most of this by including shortcuts — you can tap twice to trigger the camera, for example. But the absence of a volume rocker is pretty glaring. When I needed to adjust it, I found myself clicking through several screens, into the settings. So much for convenience.
The display itself is 720p, which is going to be a tough transition, if you use a flagship device as your daily driver. The colors also look washed out when placed up against a pricier device. I wouldn't recommend consuming much media beyond the occasional quick YouTube video.
Aside from the tiny screen, attempting to listen to music or talk on the phone will make you hyper conscious of the limitations of an 800mAh battery. On my first day with the device, I unplugged it at 7AM. By noon, it was dead, in spite of some fairly light usage.
The camera, meanwhile, while resembling the layout of the XS, is a single 12-megapixel lens, with the second spot housing the flash. It'll work in a pinch, but you're going to want your main phone for most photos, particularly in low light.
