Bigme B6 B&W version, First Impressions and review with some comparisons
I got the Bigme B6 Black & White version a couple of days ago. I wanted to give a quick review for people who may be considering it.
Overall, I love the device!
Some Backstory:
My main ereader is the Tab Mini C which you see to the right. I love that device to death. But I really wanted a smaller light weight ereader for bedtime use, speficially when laying down. The Tab Mini C gets too heavy to hold after a long period unless I'm leaning it against something. Nowadays I use it with a tablet stand and micro 8bitdo and it's perfect.
But still, I wanted something smaller. I tried the Boox Go 7 B&W and while its a great device, it wasn't really all that much smaller than the Tab Mini C, so I returned it. I also am not a fan of page turn buttons. I much prefer to just tap the screen. I considered the Go 6, but I didn't like that it only had 2GB ram and only android 11. I heard it's very sluggish. So then recently I discovered the Bigme B6 B&W (middle) and decided to give it a shot! I also decided to try out the Palma 2 Pro (Seen on the left), to see which of the two devices I liked better.
Bigme B6 Review
The Bigme B6 is a really nice tablet! The screen is carta 1300, which Bigme doesn't advertise on their website for some reason, but if go searching, there are many sources that state it's 1300. It's 4GB ram, Android 14, 64gb onboard storage, with sd card slot.
Speed: It's sufficiently fast! One issue I had with my Tab Mini C is when reading kindle books in HD mode, the pages would turn so slow. Kindle app in HD mode on the Bigme B6 is so much faster!
Front light: Front light seems very even to me. I'm used to Boox software, so how the frontlight works is a bit different, but I've gotten used to it. There have been reports of light leakage on the white body of the Bigme B6 for both the color and B&W versions. And yeah, if you're in a pitch black room with the light all the way up to 100% you can see it, but like, who uses that much light in the dark anyway? I tested the light in many different settings, and since it's a B&W device, I never have the frontlight up enough to see that leakage. This may be different story for the color Bigme B6 since you have to use the front light more on kaleido 3 devices.
Dark Mode: This device has dark mode, however, there is some white lines around the edge of the screen when in dark mode, that I believe is what people call the "haloing" effect that happens on white bodied ereaders. I personally never use dark mode on my ereaders, so I don't care. A note tho, there is a lot more ghosting in dark mode, so something to consider if you're planning to get his device.
Button Bar: Some people complain about this bar for some reason, but I love it! The buttons are touch buttons (under the glass), so they don't have any travel to them. You can program them to do whatever you want. I have some programed to refresh, some to open kindle or moon plus reader, I have one programmed to page turn, another programmed to open the eink-center. If you don't want to use the buttons at all, then you can disable them. They are not backlight, which I personally prefer, since it would annoy me when reading in the dark. I just remember where the buttons are, but some people might have trouble with it, I dunno.
Speaker: This device has a single loudspeaker. It's actually pretty good! I read in my bedroom that has several fans going and I can hear just fine over it. Sound seems clear enough an not muffled. I also like that the speaker is on the top of the device and not on the bottom, so that it doesn't get blocked when I lean the device on my lap or hand, and also barely feel any vibrations. Palma 2 Pro has dual speakers so it's louder, but it vibrates quite a bit which I absolutely hate feeling even when the volume is turned down. Gives me the ick. Palma 2 Pro speakers also sound more muffled, tbh.
Body: This is one thing I don't like about this device. It's a block, with harsh edges. It is not comfortable to hold without a case. I wish it had more rounded edges and then it would be perfect. It weighs about 176 grams. The Palma 2 Pro I believe was 172 grams? My kindle paperwhite 11th gen is 205 grams, and my Boox Tab Mini C is 305 grams. So the bigme b6 is very light!
Conclusion: I really like this device! I'm going to be returning the Palma 2 Pro. I also know that Boox is coming out with a Poke 7 soon, which specs aren't announced yet. I have considered returning the Bigme B6 and waiting for the new Go 6 / Poke 7, but honestly, it's very likely not going to have a speaker which is one of the things I love about the Bigme B6. Also, I really like the touch button bar, which I already know the Poke 7 will not have. So this Bigme B6 is likely going to be a keeper! I have a few more weeks to decide.