GoKawiilTL;DR Bigme has launched the HiBreak Dual smartphone, which it previously teased as a world-first dual-screen phone.
The phone has a color E-Ink screen on the front and a tiny, circular LCD panel on the back.
We expected the phone to offer a full-sized LCD screen on the back.
E-Ink device manufacturer Bigme teased the arrival of a dual-screen phone last week. The firm said it would be the world’s first phone with both a color E-Ink display and an LCD screen. The HiBreak Dual smartphone is now official, and I’m rather disappointed.
When Bigme first revealed that it would launch a dual-screen phone with a color E-Ink display and an LCD screen, I immediately thought that it would have two full-sized screens. After all, devices like the YotaPhone series and Hisense A2 Pro both took this route over a decade ago, featuring a full E-Ink screen on the front and a full-sized LCD panel on the back.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
The Hibreak Dual indeed features a full-sized color E-Ink display, but eschews a full rear LCD panel in favor of a watch-sized rear screen. You can use this circular rear display to view the time, notifications, music playback info, call details, and the weather. An official promo video also shows that you can use this rear display to interact with a virtual pet and preview selfies. You can also use any app on the rear screen, although the promo clip reveals that apps like Gmail have significant black borders.
My biggest reason for wanting a full-sized LCD screen on the HiBreak Dual is because video playback and gaming isn’t a smooth experience on most E-Ink screens (color or monochrome). However, the aforementioned video clip shows that you can still view YouTube and TikTok videos via this rear panel. Why would you want to watch videos via this tiny rear screen? I have no idea. What makes things worse is that the screen seems to have a choppy refresh rate, resulting in juddery videos and camera previews.
Bigme HiBreak Dual: Hot or not? 12 votes Hot 25 % Not 75 %
... continue reading