Bigme’s HiBreak Dual pairs a 6.13-inch E Ink display with a secondary LCD screen, aiming to create a distraction-free reading device which also offers the functionality of an everyday smartphone.
Smartphone screens are constantly becoming brighter, faster, and more capable. Bigme’s belief is that this isn’t necessarily a good thing; rather, it’s more distracting, and less comfortable for extended reading.
The company has taken a slightly different approach with the HiBreak Dual, building on its earlier devices like the HiBreak S and HiBreak Pro. Rather than totally replacing traditional displays, Bigme is attempting to make the two display technologies work in tandem: E Ink for reading and longer tasks, and the LCD screen for notifications and short bursts of dynamic content.
The HiBreak Dual’s 6.13-inch E Ink panel serves as its primary interface, offering 300 PPI in black and white (150 PPI in color) with the usual glare-free, sunlight-reading benefits that make it well suited for reading, browsing, and note-taking.
The rear 360 x 360 LCD panel is an attempt to address some of E Ink’s limitations around responsiveness and color. It handles your notifications, music controls, and quick widgets, letting you check updates without interrupting your workflow on the main display.
Beyond the displays, the HiBreak Dual is built to work as a complete smartphone. It supports a 4,096-level pressure-sensitive stylus for note-taking and sketching, and is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It runs Android 14 with Google Play, supports NFC payments, and comes with built-in AI tools like OCR and voice-to-text.
Bigme also claims improved responsiveness via its “SSS” fast refresh tech (up to 53 FPS), building on earlier advances in E Ink performance we’ve seen across the category.
On the hardware side, the HiBreak Dual keeps things grounded, and doesn’t try to chase flagship specs. It features a 20-MP rear camera and a 5-MP front-facing camera. This works well for scanning documents, video calls, and quick snaps.
A 4,500-mAh battery, paired with E Ink’s low energy consumption, should translate to longer usage between charges – especially if you’re doing a lot of reading-heavy tasks. At around 213 g (7.5 oz), it’s fairly lightweight. It has everything it needs to be a viable primary device: 5G dual SIM support, GPS, and NFC for payments – though as with all E Ink displays, you’re not going to get the same caliber of color and refresh rate as you would with mainstream smartphones.
The HiBreak Dual sits in an interesting niche between smartphone, e-reader, and productivity tool. Its core idea is simple: reduce distractions without sacrificing functionality. We’ve seen this ethos explored before in earlier E Ink phones and tablets, but Bigme’s dual-screen approach has made it that little bit more practical.
Pricing starts at around US$359 on pre-sale tiers, with that figure rising based on configuration. The HiBreak Dual probably won’t replace a traditional smartphone for most people, but the addition of the secondary LCD makes it more approachable for people exploring E Ink devices for the first time.
Product page: HiBreak Dual
