Bigme’s HiBreak Dual 3 Puts a Snap-Off LCD on the Back of an E Ink Phone

E Ink phones have always asked you to give something up. You get a screen that’s easy on the eyes and sips battery, and in exchange you squint at photos, wait on sluggish scrolling and keep a “real” phone in your bag for maps and video.

Bigme’s new HiBreak Dual 3 tries to cut that compromise in half, literally. The front is a 6.13-inch E Ink display. The back carries a 5-inch color LCD that attaches magnetically and comes off when you don’t want it. Preorders opened Sept. 29, and Bigme expects to ship in early to mid November.

What makes the Dual 3 different

The headline feature is the detachable rear screen. Leave it on, and you’ve got a color display for the things E Ink handles badly: camera previews, video, a quick look at a map. Pull it off, and the phone gets slimmer and goes back to being a distraction-resistant reader.

Bigme also claims this is the first E Ink phone that can refresh at up to 85 frames per second, according to Android Central and Gizmochina. That number deserves some skepticism until reviewers test it, since E Ink speed depends heavily on refresh mode and ghosting trade-offs. Still, if scrolling feels even close to an LCD’s, it would fix the biggest everyday complaint about this category.

The rest of the spec sheet is solid midrange hardware, per Notebookcheck’s breakdown:

• Chip: MediaTek Dimensity 8300
• Software: Android 16
• Front display: 6.13-inch E Ink, 300 ppi in black and white, 150 ppi in color
• Rear display: 5-inch LCD, 720 x 1280, magnetic and detachable
• Memory: 12GB/256GB or 16GB/512GB, plus microSD up to 2TB
• Cameras: 50MP rear, 5MP front
• Battery: 4,450mAh with 30W charging
• Extras: 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, stereo speakers and stylus support on the E Ink side

How much it costs

Pricing depends on memory, whether the E Ink panel is black-and-white or color, and whether you take the LCD. Notebookcheck listed these preorder prices:

Reports don’t line up perfectly. Android Central quoted $589 for the E Ink-only model and $649 for the dual-screen bundle, while Gizmochina pegged the early-bird dual-screen price at $629, which it noted is $70 below the HiBreak Dual 2’s $699 Kickstarter price in June. Check Bigme’s store for the exact configuration you want before you commit.

The fine print for U.S. buyers

This isn’t a phone you’ll find at a Verizon or T-Mobile store. Bigme sells direct, and none of the launch coverage spelled out which U.S. 5G and LTE bands the Dual 3 supports. Before paying, confirm band support with Bigme and check it against your carrier. Without that, your new phone could end up a very nice Wi-Fi e-reader.

Software is the other open question. Android 16 out of the box is good news, but small brands rarely publish long update commitments, and there’s no word yet on how many Android versions or security patches the Dual 3 will get. If you plan to keep it for years, factor that in.

And remember what the price buys. At $629 for the dual-screen version, you’re in the same territory as the Pixel 10a and Galaxy A57 5G. Those phones have better cameras and conventional displays. What they can’t do is turn into an e-reader that lasts for days.

Who should preorder

If you already carry a Boox or Kindle alongside your phone and wish you didn’t, the HiBreak Dual 3 is the most convincing attempt yet at a single device that does both. The snap-off LCD is a smart answer to E Ink’s blind spots, and the specs are respectable for the money.

Everyone else should wait for reviews. An 85fps claim, uncertain U.S. network support and an unknown update policy are three good reasons to let early adopters go first.

Sources: Android Central, Notebookcheck, Gizmochina. Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash.