BigmeColor E-Ink Screen Mobile HiBreak, 6G+128GB Android 11 Smartphone, 36-Level Front Light, USB-C, 3300mAh Battery, 5+13MP Camera - Black

First off, to answer questions I had prior to purchase:1. Yes, it has gps2. No, it doesn't work with Cricket3. Yes, it works with T-MobileActually it works fine with Cricket, but they don't allow it to access their network. So I had some Internet connectivity (DNS worked), and I called their support line with it. Actually I tried to call my daughter and it just called Cricket's folks instead. So they helpfully insisted the phone I was using to call them, via their network, was not compatible with their network. Okay.T-Mobile's IMEI checker said it didn't work. I went into a store, and it worked anyway. So there's that.The screen is great. Colors are a little washed out, giving a kind of semi-steampunk flavor, especially in videos, but that's fine with me.This screen is truly excellent in direct sunlight. Which is what I wanted it for.The home app it came with is not so great. Not very customizable, and actually lost a couple of app icons. So as soon as I'm done with this review I'm gonna go look at others.You know what? This is long enough. I want to play with my phone.

I have a BOOX Palma, BOOX Color Go 7, BOOX Tablet Note Air 4C, and several Kindle Paperwhites and I'm a tech geek so I'd say I have some understanding of what I'm talking about. I bought the BigMe Hibreak Color because I really love e-ink displays and ever since the BOOX Palma, I wanted one that had a SIM card slot so I could use it as a phone. Unfortunately BOOX has not made one yet and I decided to buy my first BigMe device. I figured even if it didn't work well as a phone (because of the cellular band limitations) I would just use it instead of my BOOX Palma since this one is in color.Cellular Service:This works fine as a phone on T-Mobile. You're only getting 4G LTE but I had great coverage for calls and data. Other carriers I don't know. I'd check on Reddit. Any carrier piggy-backing off T-Mobile's network (like GoogleFi) should work fine.Display Issues:Sadly, the display on the Hibreak is absolutely terrible. Even using it for black and white text on some apps it was hard to see some of the lighter text or links. Even using the option to enhance the text only made it a tiny bit better but still not good. For regular reading like in Kindle, it was fine. As far as color goes? It may as well be in black and white. The backlight washes out the colors so much that at a distance it's sometimes hard to tell it's not in black and white. Even after updating the firmware that was supposed to improve the colors a bit, I couldn't tell that it did anything. Honestly the only time the colors looked good was when the backlight was turned off, but then it's obviously hard to see without good lighting. I have other color e-readers so I know how they are and have never experienced color done so wrong.Battery Life:It's about the same as your cellphone. People expect that e-ink devices should have great battery life but Android is a huge drain as is cellular data, and of course color e-ink displays are more power hungry. I did not use it with cellular data off. Why would I? That's why it has a SIM card. I did keep Wi-Fi off and Bluetooth off when I wasn't using my earbuds. I also turned the screen light off completely when I had good lighting to conserve battery. I'd say you'll probably be charging it at the end of the day.User Interface and response:The BOOX Palma has a much better interface and the e-ink center is also much better on the Palma. The Hibreak does a poor job of displaying notifications. I found them by accident and even after clearing them I still had the same 20 notifications from YouTube music. You will want to set the side key to a manual refresh because the ghosting is pretty bad on this device and it does a poor job at faster refresh rates.Hardware:It has a heavier feel than the Palma and fits nicely in the hand (I actually prefer the lighter weight of the Palma). It's a pretty bland design but that wasn't one of the reasons I bought this. The device felt very sluggish in general to me.Overall:If you wanted this as a minimalist phone, it works (provided you have coverage in the US on the limited bands). I think there are better options for a minimalist phone (which this really isn't). It really doesn't do anything very well. Not even as an e-reader. It's a shame that the color is so terrible on this device because I would keep it if it wasn't, and just use it without cellular data. Personally, I'd recommend waiting until Palma makes a cellular e-ink device or maybe try out the new Hibreak Pro (currently only in black and white). If you're buying this to replace your smartphone... I don't even know why you're here. You're not going to watch videos, play games, or do much of anything on this device that isn't reading focused. It's an e-reader with Android, cellular data, and bad battery life. This is a really niche device and needs improvement.I hope BigMe can improve on their color display on the Hibreak Pro because this one is just awful.

It is a really cool phone. I loved the screen and the feel and I especially loved all the settings that can be changed-- but after playing with it for about 2 hours it got stuck on "standby mode" (the lock screen). Plugging it into a charger will snap it out, but as soon as it goes back into that mode it gets stuck again. The fix isn't really something one can do while out and about so I returned it. I did search online for another fix (found one other person with the same problem and no fix) but found nothing useful. Bigme's support wasn't much help either.

Works as it should. It does not get service where other cell phones normally would. I'm guessing it does not support all bands as phone designed for the US market would. Helps reduce phone dependence and distractions.

I know a lot of folks have mixed opinions on this device, but as someone who has used a dumbphone on and off for years, this is my dream phone. It seems to be working well on Verizon in the Mid-Atlantic, but not sure you would get service in rural areas. First off, for the price, even as just an ereader that you can install apps on, this phone is excellent. Don't expect vivid, bright colors on the display, but as someone who was using an inkpalm 5..the refresh rate is far superior and i can actually read webtoons (yes, I'm garbage) on this device. This phone has everything you need, and nothing you don't. Would I put any sensitive information on this device (like banking apps, etc)? No. Probably not. I honestly would avoid putting sensitive info on your phone in general, but that's just me. Would I use this to watch videos? No. If you love reading and hate eye strain, this phone is going to change your experience. I can now comfortably read articles on my phone without feeling like my eyes will fall out of their sockets. I give this phone a 10/10, but if you are looking for a regular smart phone...this ain't it y'all. If you love reading, this phone is a dream.