Palm Phone Review: Small But Mighty

     I’ll skip the history lesson on the Palm name if you’ve been into technology for a while chances are that you’ve heard of it and know that it’s synonyms with fantastic for the time small phones. If you’re younger or haven’t been into mobile phones, just know that Palm is back and is still making small fantastic phones. Without further ado, I give you the Palm… And yes that is the actual size next to a credit card.



(photo: TLR Technology)

     When I show the Palm to people for the first time they all say it looks like a mini iPhone, I’ll take that as a compliment. The Palm is a beautifully designed device that comes in 2 colors. Titanium or Gold. I chose the Titanium and TLR chose the Gold, honestly, I’m not a fan of gold normally, but I’d be happy with either color. As you can see below the color is added tastefully to the outer edges and around the very small camera bump.


(photo: TLR Technology)

      Here both phones are next to Ridge compact wallets, you have to really experience the palm to understand just how small it really is.

     Enough about the size though, what you need to understand that this is a full-size phone in a mini package. The quote from Spiderman comes to mind and will help me explain the Palm.

” With great power comes great responsibility”

     This quote is a fantastic definition for who should buy and use a Palm. Yes the palm runs a full version of Android Oreo, yes you can install any app that you want, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

     If you want to have a pleasant experience with Palm you should install a minimal amount of apps. I installed Google Allo, Spotify, Wear OS, Google Pay, Gboard and Google calculator. It comes installed with all of the staples that you’d expect from an Android device such as Google Drive, YouTube, Photos, Gmail, Duo, Play stores etc. That’s right in 2018 I have a new phone and only installed 6 apps, that’s nuts but it makes sense, let me explain.

     The Palm comes with an 800mAh battery, for comparison, the pixel 3xl that we’re testing has a 2915mAh battery that’s 3.65 times larger than the Palm. Yes, that’s a HUGE difference in capacity, and if I used the palm like I do the Pixel and received as many notifications the battery would for sure be dead by lunch and that is OK because the Palm wasn’t designed to be used like the Pixel… Like I said above just because I have the great power to run any app, it is my responsibility not to.

     The Palm was created to be a supplementary device like a smartwatch, in fact, Verizon charges $10 a month to mirror your main phone line. So, did I really just say the Palm is a phone for your phone… Well yes, yes I did; but if you think about it all smartwatches these days are basically phones that you strap to your wrist that run minimal apps and get notifications.

I hear you thinking “I have a smartwatch already, why do I need a Palm”.

    Well first, you don’t need a Palm, in fact, you probably really don’t need anything more than a cheap flip feature phone in case there is an emergency BUT… let’s face it you wouldn’t be caught dead with one of those icky things.

    So we have established we all have things we don’t Seriously though I also own a smartwatch and for notifications it’s fantastic, its also great at tracking my fitness and the weather, and maybe controlling music. It’s not great at cycling through emails, sending money, checking accounts, texting replies, or talking on if someone calls, its also hard to search for any info that might be relevant at the time. The Palm does everything that my smartwatch does and more in a package that doesn’t weigh that much more or take up much more space. The Palm is a lifestyle device in the truest sense.

Let me give you an example:

     On the weekends I play in a disc golf league. I used to take my Pixel 2 XL and fight it into a pocket on my golf bag that is just barely large enough to fit a mobile phone despite being made for a phone. If I needed to use it for anything I’m fighting it back out again. Sure I could keep it in my pocket, but when you’re being active a large phone in your pocket is like jogging with a brick in your pocket so that sucks. The other option when I swapped to a golf cart was shoving it into a large pocket with my car keys and other objects that I’d really like to keep far away from my phone. The Palm solves this. I use the silicone rubber case with the small lanyard. I can loop the Palm phone and lanyard around a belt loop and drop the Palm easily into my small key pocket and I literally can’t feel the phone… Yes, an actual phone in your pocket that you can’t feel. The Palm phone allows me to do what I need to do fully if I need to and enjoy my outdoor activities with no restrictions to movement. Sidenote: The palm has an IP68 water and dust rating. (on par with flagship phones)

palm acc

(photo: Palm)

“But I don’t do outdoor activities…”

     Ok well, maybe you are more of a concert goer or someone that likes to go out on the town. Palm also works well there too. Install Uber, Maps, etc and go. Palm has accessories for you, Lanyards so the Palm can be worn around your neck, A Kate Spade Wristlet, or armbands.

palm lan

(photo: Palm)

palm spade

     Let’s pull it all together, the Palm is a lifestyle device that can be useful for a large number of people. It’s a phone for the times when carrying a bulky flagship phone just doesn’t make sense, the gym, a run or bike ride, a night on the town, or maybe you just don’t need all the distractions that come with larger phones. The Palm is a device that allows you (using Life Mode) to silence the constant notifications and phone calls while just enjoying life. The Palm is in essence freedom of movement, freedom from notification anxiety and freedom from separation anxiety when taking a large phone is just annoying. If I’m walking the dog, going for a run or to a movie the Palm is what I’m grabbing. If I’m going to be playing games, watching YouTube or Netflix, using it heavily like playing games or taking tons of pictures I’m choosing my Pixel.

    There really is room for both phones along with a smartwatch in the lives of many people. I say give the Palm a try if you’re a Verizon Wireless customer. The phone cost $350 or $15 a month along with the $10 plan to number share and mirror your main line. So $25 a month, that less than what some people spend on coffee or junk food in a few days.

    The screen is HD, the power connector is USB-C and works to connect what you’ve come to expect from USB-C. The USB-C earphones from the Pixel 3xl worked great, so did the 3.5mm Dongle from the Pixel 2xl I use in my vehicle.

   Here are a couple of photos that were taken and unedited with the Palm if you were wondering about the photo quality.

(photo: TLR Technology)


Screenshot 2018-10-15 at 11.59.24 AM



     This phone is really intended to be a secondary phone and can only be connected if you have a primary line with Verizon already. If you don’t heed the advice I’ve given you’ll likely hate this device, constant Facebook alerts, massive consistent group chats, constant alerts from slick deals, etc will wreck the battery. Using the Palm with the minimalistic approach, going to Facebook in the chrome app for example where you aren’t getting alerts will extend the battery. I’ve gotten all-day battery life every day since day one. That’s using it to accept and make a few phone calls, playing music through Spotify and the USB-C jack with the screen off, putting into “Life Mode” when I’m near or carrying my main phone and I’ll sometimes plug it up if I’m in the car just because I can, not that it needs to be… With that said the battery charges in about 68 minutes from zero, so 15 minutes gives you 25% or more of charge. Just keep the apps that need to be constantly connected to a minimum and turn off notifications for apps that aren’t important and you’ll be happy with the Palm like I am.

Buy TLR Technology a cup of coffee or energy drink.




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