Shenzhen, China, April 16, 2026, 06:14 (China Standard Time)
Shenzhen-based Bigme has unveiled the HiBreak Dual, a 5G Android phone with a 6.13-inch E Ink main screen and a small circular LCD on the back, with preorder pricing starting at $359. The company says the handset is the first smartphone to pair a color E Ink display with an LCD screen, though it will also sell black-and-white E Ink versions.
That matters because E Ink, the paper-like screen technology used in many e-readers, is easier on the eyes and uses less power than a regular phone display, but it refreshes more slowly and tends to struggle with video or games. Bigme is trying to fix that by offloading quick tasks to a second screen, reviving a form factor that had mostly disappeared.
Bigme’s store shows 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB versions in either black-and-white or color E Ink, with optional case and stylus bundles. The company wrote on X that preorder slots on April 16 U.S. Eastern time will start at $359 for the first 120 buyers, before moving to $389 and $409 tiers.
The phone runs Android 14 with Google Play, uses a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip, carries a 4,500 mAh battery with 18W charging and packs a 5MP front camera and 20MP rear camera. Bigme also says the display can hit 53 frames per second, a measure of how smoothly the screen redraws, and supports a 4,096-pressure-level stylus.
The design revives a niche once occupied by YotaPhone and Hisense handsets, which paired standard displays with monochrome E Ink panels. Bigme still sells the HiBreak Plus and HiBreak Pro Color in the same lineup, while the Dual adds the rear LCD and stylus support.
Initial coverage focused on the size of the second screen. Liliputing wrote that the rear panel was not the full-sized display some readers expected, while Android Authority argued the watch-sized screen would be less useful for media or apps than a true two-sided phone; Bigme pitches it instead as a quick-glance hub for notifications, music, weather and selfie previews.
The backdrop is tougher. IDC said global smartphone shipments fell 4.1% in the first quarter, and senior research director Nabila Popal said the sector had entered “one of its most challenging periods” as memory shortages drove up parts costs and lifted prices by as much as 40% to 50% in some emerging markets. IDC
For Bigme, the question is whether eye-friendly displays and a small LCD are enough to widen demand beyond dedicated E Ink users. That may be a hard sell in a weakening market: IDC research director Anthony Scarsella said the first-quarter drop was “just a sample of what’s to come” as the memory squeeze deepens. IDC
