I Took the Bigme Hibreak Pro on a Bikepacking Trip Across Italy – Here’s How It Held Up

I just got back from an epic bikepacking adventure across Italy, and there’s one piece of gear that seriously surprised me: the Bigme Hibreak Pro, an e-ink smartphone.

Bigme Hibreak Pro with its 6.1″ 300PPI screen

I wasn’t gentle with it. The phone was:

• Mounted to my handlebars.

• Exposed to wind, dust, and a few rain showers.

• On all day for maps, notes, and occasional messages.

Bikpeacking across Italy using Bigme Hibreak Pro as the navigation

And despite all that? It survived. More than that-it performed surprisingly well.

🔷 Why Test an E-Ink Phone on a Real-World Adventure?

I wanted to find out if an e-ink phone could actually replace a traditional smartphone on the road. Could it handle:

• Navigation?

• Battery demands from all-day GPS?

• Messaging, email, banking, and payments?

Bigme Hibreak Pro using Komoot app is a great combo for navigation

I took notes every day and ran a few tests to see just how far this phone could go when put through its paces.

Spoiler: It has flaws (which I’ll cover), but for the right person, this could be exactly the kind of smartphone you’ve been looking for.

🔷 Battery Life – Surprisingly Excellent

Once we get past the pricing, the question I heard most often was: “How’s the battery life?” The short answer: significantly better than your average smartphone.

Real-World GPS Test

On my bikepacking trip across Italy, I kept the Bigme Hibreak Pro mounted on my handlebars, running the Komoot app with GPS enabled from start to finish. I began riding around 8–9 AM at a full charge, and by 4–5 PM-after about eight hours of continuous navigation-I still had 20–25 percent battery left. To put that in perspective, my regular Samsung would’ve needed at least one recharge (if not two) over the same period. GPS is notorious for draining batteries, so this level of endurance is quite impressive.

Battery life on Standby mode is really good when compared to typical smartphones.

E-Ink Navigation Performance

Contrary to what you might expect, navigation on an e-ink screen worked smoothly:

• Minimal glare, even under bright sunlight

• Quick-enough refresh rate to keep up with my movements

• Responsive zooming and map interactions

Bigme clearly optimized the experience for on-the-go use.

Bigme Hibreak Pro’s advantage is almost no glare in direct sunlight when compared to standard smartphones.

Standby Endurance

With the phone idle-cellular service on and background apps running-I measured roughly 2 percent battery loss over eight hours. Extrapolated, that’s about 400 hours (nearly 16½ days) of standby on a full charge. For comparison:

• Galaxy A36 (5,000 mAh): ~370 hours standby

• iPhone 16 (~3,300 mAh): 2–3 days

Despite its slightly smaller 4,500 mAh battery, the Hibreak Pro matches or exceeds many competitors.

Reading Sessions

I also tested battery drain during prolonged reading using the default xReader Pro app, turning one page every 20 seconds to simulate real use:

– Low-Impact Settings (Brightness off; Wi-Fi and mobile signal on): ~2.5 percent drain per hour

Battery life text when reading with low impact settings. Very impressive.

– High-Impact Settings (Brightness and warm light at max; other settings unchanged): ~4 percent drain per hour

Battery life text when reading with high impact settings. Great result!

Even with maximum front light, the drain was modest-far less than I expected from other e-ink devices.

Bottom line: if you value all-day GPS navigation, weeks-long standby, or hours of reading without frequent charging, the Bigme Hibreak Pro’s battery life is a clear standout in its price range.

🔷  Design and Build Quality

The Bigme Hibreak Pro isn’t trying to win any design awards-and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It leans more into practicality than polish, which actually makes sense given its niche focus.

One area for future improvement for Bigme is to reduce the bezel size

Solid, Sturdy, and Purpose-Built

• The phone has a smooth plastic back that feels durable in the hand.

• It’s noticeably chunkier than most modern smartphones.

• The thick bezels around the screen make it look a bit dated-less like a sleek flagship and more like a rugged utility device.

Front comparison between the Bigme Hibreak Pro and smartphones.

Think of it more like a tool than a toy. And in many real-world scenarios, that works in its favor.

Practical Features That Stand Out

Two things that really impressed me:

• Fingerprint Reader: Fast, reliable, and secure. No complaints here.

• Custom Side Buttons: These are a huge win. I used them for quick navigation while riding, and they worked perfectly-even while wearing gloves.

I like the custom buttons on the side that allow you to use the device even in thick gloves.

These thoughtful hardware touches made the phone noticeably easier to use in motion and on the go.

Room for Improvement

While the phone is sturdy, there are a few details I’d love to see improved in a future version:

• Large Bezels: A more compact body or larger screen would make the phone feel more modern.

Bigme Hibrek Pro

• Display Fit & Finish: There are small gaps around the screen edges that break the seamless look. A tighter fit would elevate the visual appeal.

Small gaps around the edges of the device may catch dirt or debris

• Speaker Grill Design: The current design has tiny openings where dust and debris can collect, especially during outdoor use. It also feels a bit cheap compared to the rest of the build.

Speaker grill could be improved and has little gaps that could be reduced.

🔷 Your Questions

Let’s dive into some of the questions you asked in my First Impressions video. You had some great ones, so I want to go through them one by one.

Question: Do you miss having a color screen?
Honestly, no. For how I use this phone, color isn’t necessary. If it were a color e-ink display, we’d get lower contrast, slower refresh speeds, and an overall darker screen. And since I’m not watching videos or browsing colorful images on this thing, black and white is just fine. Sure, there are places where color would be nice, but not at the cost of sharp text and a responsive screen.

Using Duolingo worked flawlessly even without having the color

Question: Does it connect to your Garmin without issues?
Yes, it does. I tested it with my Epix 2, and syncing worked just as fast as it does on my Samsung. If you’re using Garmin Connect, I’d recommend switching to the light theme. Dark mode looks a bit rough on e-ink displays-text becomes harder to read-but switching themes is easy inside the app settings. Everything else functions just like a regular smartphone.

Dark theme within Garmin Connect is harder to hear so I recommend switching to light theme.

Question: Is there any light bleed at night?
Yes, the Hibreak Pro does have some. You’ll notice it more when using dark mode or the color inverter setting.

Light bleed from the top could be an issue in darker environments.

The light tends to leak from the edges of the screen and even from small gaps between the bezel and the phone’s frame-especially near the top. I’m not an engineer, but it feels like something that could be improved with better isolation in the design.

Light bleed from the top could be an issue in darker environments.

Question: Aren’t e-ink phones supposed to be minimalist?
That’s a fair point. Someone said e-ink phones were meant to be ultra-low-power and simple-not full-featured smartphones. And they asked, “Who wants to watch YouTube on a low-res screen?” I get it. But I think companies are still figuring out what users really want. Some people do want something basic with great battery life. Others want Android, NFC, apps, and a camera-just like this device offers. I don’t think it’s about watching YouTube, because video still isn’t great on e-ink. But there’s definitely room for this kind of hybrid approach, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Using ChatGPT worked fine too in all capacities; audio, text, and voice recording

🔷 Random Things

Now, I also want to point out a few random things that came to mind while using the Hibreak Pro.

Everyday Smartphone Features
This phone actually has a lot of features you’d expect from a regular smartphone. I installed apps like Duolingo, Telegram, Audible, ChatGPT, Chess.com, Garmin Connect, and more-everything worked just fine. You can access Google Drive or Dropbox, use banking apps like PayPal and Revolut, make calls, send messages, scan QR codes and documents, navigate with maps, and even pay with Google Wallet via NFC. I tested all of that, and had zero issues.

NFC worked great during the trip. You can use banking apps and link your virtual card if needed.

For Text-Heavy Tasks, It’s Great
You can read e-books and PDFs, browse the web, and even watch a video if you really need to-though it’s obviously better suited for reading, writing, or light social media. The screen isn’t built for video, but for anything text-focused, it does a fantastic job.

Text displayed on Bigme Hibreak Pro is crips and clear with good amount of contrast.

Software & Interface
The Hibreak Pro runs Android 14, but it’s layered with Bigme’s own launcher-similar to what they use on their tablets. You get features like ball navigation, split-screen multitasking, and an “e-ink center” that lets you tweak the refresh mode depending on what you’re doing. I actually found the interface pretty clean and easy to use.

Navigational ball is part of Bigme launcher layout. Really like how it works.

Reading on the Go
If you’re a reader, this thing is a dream. It’s not as large as a dedicated e-reader, but the text looks great, and the screen is easy on the eyes. Perfect for a commute or a coffee break. Even if you leave your Kindle or Kobo at home, you can still read comfortably using their apps or importing books directly onto the device.

Text is crisp and clear due to 300 PPI B&W screen

Small Nitpick: The Menu Bar
One thing I didn’t love is the menu bar that drops down when you swipe from the top right. It feels too tall and takes up too much of the screen. I often ended up tapping the volume setting by mistake when trying to close it. You can shrink it a bit by removing some of the quick access icons, but you can’t customize it much beyond that-not even to remove things like duplicate brightness sliders. It’s a small thing, but I wanted to mention it.

Control Center allows you to have quick access to main features and brightness settings

🔷 Conclusion

Overall, the Bigme Hibreak Pro genuinely surprised me with how well it performs as an e-ink smartphone. Battery life is incredible, the build is sturdy, and it runs all the essential apps you’d expect. It’s definitely not for everyone-and no, it’s not winning any beauty contests next to the latest iPhone-but if you’re like me and crave a distraction-free, eye-friendly experience without giving up the core features of a smartphone, it’s a solid choice.

Using third-party apps like Chess.com works well due to Android 14 OS

🛒 Thinking of buying BIGME HIBREAK PRO?

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