Dual-screen phone with e-ink? bigme's bold gamble
Forget the endless scroll – Bigme, a relatively unknown Chinese firm, is attempting to disrupt the smartphone landscape with a device that marries a traditional LCD screen with a color E-Ink display. The HiBreak Dual, currently shrouded in mystery on the company's website, is a provocative proposition: could it be the antidote to our screen-addicted lives?
A second screen for sanity?
The concept is deceptively simple. Imagine a vibrant LCD for your usual smartphone tasks—gaming, video streaming, the usual suspects. Then, flip the device over, and you're greeted by a color E-Ink panel designed for reading, notification checking, and, crucially, significantly reduced eye strain. This isn't a new idea entirely; YotaPhone experimented with a similar dual-screen approach back in 2013, and Hisense has offered phones with monochrome E-Ink back panels. However, Bigme's twist—a color E-Ink display—is what sets this apart.
E-Ink Technology, familiar to Kindle users, mimics the appearance of paper, sips power, and proves far gentler on the eyes than OLED or LCD screens. The limitation, of course, is the refresh rate. Fast-moving visuals are out of the question, but for static content like comics, magazines, or color-coded notifications, it’s a genuine improvement. The HiBreak Dual is reportedly leveraging E-Ink’s Kaleido 3 Technology to achieve this color rendition, a leap forward from previous iterations.
Red flags and chinese distribution
Before you rush to pre-order, a dose of reality is in order. Bigme hasn't released any concrete specifications, pricing details, or a firm launch date. The fact that they're soliciting user guesses about the processor and Android version isn't exactly inspiring confidence. More concerningly, Bigme’s historical software performance has been a consistent point of criticism. Clunky and unreliable have been the recurring themes.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle is distribution. Bigme's products have a near-exclusive presence in the Chinese market. Don’t expect to find the HiBreak Dual at your local carrier anytime soon—or anywhere outside of China, for that matter. The HiBreak Plus, their recent single-screen color E-Ink phone, already carries a $249 price tag and necessitates a direct import from China, complete with limited global support.
A concept worthy of a major player
The HiBreak Dual’s ambition is commendable. The sheer volume of screen time consumed by the average user has become a documented societal concern. A device designed to actively mitigate that—by offering a gentler, more readable alternative—is an intriguing proposition. Samsung, Google, or Xiaomi, with their resources and established global distribution networks, could truly capitalize on this concept and create a product that resonates with a wider audience. Until then, the HiBreak Dual remains a fascinating experiment, a tantalizing glimpse of what could be—but likely won’t be—available to most of us.