This Android phone is more Kindle than Pixel, and that's intriguing

When it comes to smartphones, there's a huge choice available out there and across a range of budgets too. But while they might differ in price and capabilities, they mainly share common ground in terms of general design – most come with some sort of metal frame and a touchscreen LCD or OLED display.

The Bigme Hibreak Pro brings something different to the budget smartphone market. Taking cues from the Boox Palma 2 – a device that lunched in October last year – the Hibreak Pro has a Kindle-like black and white E Ink screen. However, it adds a better processor and dual-SIM 5G capabilities to the mix, which is something you won't find on the Boox.

What is the Bigme Hibreak Pro all about?

Under the hood of the Bigme Hibreak Pro, you'll find a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 2.6GHz processor, supported by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It's the same processor that powers the Samsung Galaxy A34, as pointed out by The Verge, so while it is no Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, it should make the Android 14 interface useable.

We're not talking the same experience as the Pixel 9, of course, but it does more than Amazon's Kindle.

The 6.13-inch E Ink display uses the company's SSS fast refresh technology. This means it is only capable of 21 frames-per-second, which will render certain smartphone functions fairly unenjoyable. Scrolling won't feel anywhere near as smooth as a traditional smartphone, for example, while gaming is an absolute no-go.

But, there's a good chance you wouldn't be considering this device if that was what you were looking for in a smartphone. Instead, the Bigme Hibreak Pro has access to the Google Play Store so you can download your favourite apps, and the E Ink display has a 300ppi like Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite making it a great reading device.

There's a 4,500mAh battery, too, which should last longer than normal smartphones as E Ink displays don't consume anywhere near the same amount of power as conventional screens.

Elsewhere, the Bigme Hibreak Pro has a 20-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera and also has a microSD slot and fingerprint reader within the lock button.

So, if you want a budget smartphone that breaks the mould a little and offers fewer distractions – let's face it, TikTok and Instagram will be nowhere near as tempting on this device – the Bigme Hibreak Pro is available to pre-order for £353.99 in the UK or $439 in the US.