Nearly two years after the last update to Boox’s smartphone-sized black-and-white e-reader, the company has announced the Palma 3 with a sleek redesign, new functionality, and a handful of other small updates, but at a significant price bump.

While the Palma 2 launched in 2024 for £279.99, the Palma 3 will be £339.99, a 20% increase. The Palma 3 looks like a significant upgrade to the Palma line, even if under the hood you’ll find more of the same. The pocketable e-reader is powered by a Qualcomm Q-6690 octa-core processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage expandable with a microSD card. It also includes a 3950mAh rechargeable battery, a 16-megapixel camera on the back, and a fingerprint reader in the power button.

The most obvious upgrade for the Palma 3 is the hardware itself. It still features the same 6.13-inch, 300ppi E Ink Carta screen as its predecessor, but it’s wrapped in a new anodized aluminum frame with a paperlike fiberglass backplate. The Palma 3 also ships with Android 16, which is just one generation behind the latest version of the OS, helping it feel more modern.

The new Palma 3 supports the Boox InkSense Plus active stylus, allowing users to use the e-reader as a digital notepad with their preferred note-taking app. However, the stylus is an optional upgrade that will add another £46 to the cost of the Palma 3, pushing it closer to the price of premium e-notes like the Remarkable Paper Pure. The original Palma and the Palma 2 came with Android 11 and Android 13, respectively.

For those who need the latest in digital note-taking, the Palma 3 might be worth the investment. But for those who are content with the functionality of the Palma 2, the upgrade might feel like overkill.