If you've ever wished your phone could double as a Kindle without actually being one, a small Chinese company might be about to make that happen. According to a new report, Bigme is teasing the "HiBreak Dual," which it claims is the world's first smartphone to combine a color E-Ink display with a traditional LCD screen in one device.
A phone with two very different screens
The concept is pretty simple: one side of the phone has a standard LCD for everything you'd normally do on a smartphone, like watching videos, scrolling social media, and playing games. Flip it over, and you get a color E-Ink panel built for reading, checking notifications, and generally being way easier on your eyes.
Recommended For You
E-Ink (or E Ink), if you're not familiar, is the same screen technology used in Kindle e-readers. It looks like actual paper, sips battery power instead of gulping it, and is far more comfortable to stare at for long stretches than any OLED or LCD. The downside? E-Ink screens refresh slowly, which makes them awful for video or anything with fast movement on screen.
The color part is what makes this different
The Bigme HiBreak Dual is currently posted as a tease on the Bigme website. | Image by Bigme
Dual-screen phones with E-Ink aren't a brand-new idea. The YotaPhone tried this back in 2013, and Hisense has made several phones with a monochrome E-Ink display on the back. But those older attempts used black-and-white E-Ink panels, which limited what you could realistically do with them beyond reading plain text.
Recommended For You
Bigme's spin on it is that the HiBreak Dual uses a color E-Ink panel, likely based on E-Ink's Kaleido 3 technology. That means it could handle things like comics, magazine layouts, color-coded notifications, and web pages in a way that actually looks presentable. It's still not going to compete with your phone's main screen for vibrancy, but it's a real step forward from what we've seen before.
Don't expect this at your local carrier anytime soon
Here's where I'd pump the brakes. Bigme hasn't shared any specs, pricing, or a release date for the HiBreak Dual. The company is literally asking people to guess what processor and Android version it'll ship with, which doesn't exactly scream confidence.
Bigme's track record raises some flags too. The company makes solid E-Ink hardware, but its software has been consistently called out as clunky and unreliable.
Aditionally, if you're in the US or Europe hoping to snag one, you should know that Bigme's products almost never launch outside of China in any real capacity. Even their recently released HiBreak Plus, a single-screen color E-Ink phone, costs $249 and ships from China with limited global support.
What would actually get you to reduce your phone screen time?
The concept deserves a bigger stage, though
The frustrating part is that the idea behind the HiBreak Dual is genuinely great. Phone addiction is a documented problem, and we've seen people try everything from flip phones to dedicated e-readers just to escape the constant pull of a bright screen. A dual-screen phone with E-Ink could push that idea even further.
Samsung, Google, or even Xiaomi could grab this concept and turn it into something people actually buy. However, until one of them does, I'm watching the HiBreak Dual with interest, but I wouldn't hold my breath, especially if you're outside of China.
Johanna 'Jojo the Techie' is a skilled mobile technology expert with over 15 years of hands-on experience, specializing in the Google ecosystem and Pixel devices. Known for her user-friendly approach, she leverages her vast tech support background to provide accessible and insightful coverage on latest technology trends. As a recognized thought leader and former member of #TeamPixel, Johanna ensures she stays at the forefront of Google services and products, making her a reliable source for all things Pixel and ChromeOS.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: