BigMe has launched the HiBreak Dual 2, a smartphone that tries to do two very different jobs at once: act like an easy-on-the-eyes reading device on one side and a normal Android phone on the other. It is already up for preorder on Kickstarter, with pricing starting at $700 for the standard version and rising to $900 for the special edition.
The pitch is simple, and a little cheeky: why choose between battery-friendly E Ink and a fast LCD if you can just carry both? That dual-screen idea is not common in phones, which is exactly why BigMe is leaning so hard on it.
Two screens, two very different jobs
The front of the HiBreak Dual 2 uses a 6.13-inch color E Ink display. BigMe says it is meant for reading, note-taking, and long sessions with less strain on the eyes, which is the whole point of E Ink: slow, calm, and practical rather than flashy.
On the back sits a 5-inch LCD panel for video, apps, and anything that needs quick refresh rates. That makes the phone more flexible than a typical E Ink device, but it also turns the design into a compromise machine: one side for focus, the other for speed.
Dimensity 8300, 5G and Android 16
Inside, BigMe has fitted MediaTek’s Dimensity 8300 chipset with 5G support, and the phone runs Android 16. That gives the HiBreak Dual 2 far more mainstream muscle than the average niche E Ink gadget, which often feels like a science project in phone form.
The stylus support also matters. A device like this is clearly aimed at people who want to read, annotate, and work for longer stretches, not just scroll until their battery gives up and everyone pretends that is normal behavior.
HiBreak Dual 2 pricing and specs
The pricing tells you exactly where BigMe thinks this belongs: not in the mass market, but in the hands of readers, students, and productivity fans willing to pay for the novelty. At $700 to start, the HiBreak Dual 2 is already in premium territory, and the higher tiers push it firmly into ”better really like the idea” money.
- Standard version: $700
- Special edition: $900
- 6.13-inch color E Ink front display
- 5-inch LCD rear display
- MediaTek Dimensity 8300 with 5G
- Android 16
- Stylus support
The open question is whether buyers want a phone that doubles as a reading device badly enough to tolerate the compromises. If BigMe can make the software feel polished, this could become the rare dual-screen concept that is more than a curiosity; if not, it will join the long list of clever ideas that looked better in the Kickstarter pitch than in a pocket.