Palm Revives the Tiny Smartphone—You Might Like It

While the rest of the world is moving toward ever-larger mobile phone screens, Palm is taking a step back—literally. The company’s new “ultra-mobile” phone is hard to describe in words; it’s better to see it in action. The main goal of this device is to create a clear distinction between smartphones and smartwatches. The startup behind the product draws on various design elements from miniature devices, from Samsung to Frog Design. Still, the device most closely resembles an iPhone shrunk down to a 3.3-inch display. For reference, the first iPhone had a 3.5-inch screen—but a lot has changed in 11 years.

The most important thing is that this device fits perfectly in your hand. And, after all, “Palm” means “hand.”

Something Between a Smartwatch and a Smartphone

However, an attractive appearance alone may not be enough to convince a wide audience to spend $349 on a product category they’ve never seen before. There are a few challenges. For starters, in the United States, this is a Verizon-exclusive device, which means its wider adoption could be limited.

For everyone else, the revived Palm offers freedom from 6-inch “shovel” phones. Considering the growing popularity of smartwatches, it’s fascinating to wonder where the next mobile device trend will take us. Personally, I’d be happy to swap my “plus-sized” phone for something smaller. As older folks say, “as long as it makes calls.”

The Palm runs Android 8.1 out of the box. It’s also water-resistant to the IP68 standard and comes with an 800 mAh battery—which isn’t much, but don’t forget the screen is small, so it should last a full day. The specs also include 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 435 processor. For a smartphone, that’s pretty modest, but for an “ultra-mobile” device, it’s just right. After all, this category didn’t even exist until now.