The Technology Presentation Was so Poor That the Company Apologized.

When you serve a niche market like e-reader enthusiasts—people who can name five different e-ink devices besides the Amazon Kindle—you need to listen to your customers and respond accordingly. That’s exactly what Chinese tech company Bigme had to do this week: the announcement of its latest smartphone was so poorly received that the company apologized.

In case you somehow missed the storm in this particular teapot, a few weeks ago Bigme announced a new device , calling it the “world’s first” smartphone with two color displays: e-ink and LCD. It seems most Bigme fans imagined the device exactly as you imagine it: a phone with a full-size LCD screen on the front and a full-size e-ink screen on the back. But when the company unveiled the so-called Hibreak Dual last Monday, it looked, er, very different .

Technically, the Hibreak Dual features both an e-ink display and an LCD, but the latter is a strange, circular 360×360 pixel screen. Instead of covering the entire side of the phone, it looks like a sticker a teacher slapped on the back for their efforts. Bigme’s attempts to highlight its functionality (whether it’s displaying notifications, taking selfies, or, say, creating an interactive AI pet) weren’t well received by the core r/Bigme subreddit.

Here are just some of the responses this news has received (and I promise I’m not picking out only the negative ones):

• “If Bigme were a big company, it would become a meme and the subject of ridicule to the extreme.”

• “They look like garbage, it would be nice if they made a half-square screen, but this one is a tiny round one. I bet they won’t sell much of it. I just don’t see the point.”

• “They likely bought out contracts to produce round displays from a company whose project had been canceled. Then they randomly tried to develop a new product based on those displays.”

• “The idea of ​​a phone with two screens was damn good, all they had to do was put a full-size screen on each side and they ruined it.”

• “I’m glad BigMe is trying something, and I support them. But a round screen on a phone with a terrible camera is just a marketing gimmick.”

• “Is there a tech equivalent to the Golden Raspberry Awards, since this is a nominee?”

The reviews were so overwhelmingly negative that Bigme released a lengthy statement today apologizing for the mishap and promising improvement, while also defending the controversial design.

Bigme’s apology letter regarding its dual-screen smartphone

The statement begins with a rather frank apology: “We recently launched our new dual-screen smartphone, featuring a main E Ink display and a secondary LCD display, and received a significant amount of criticism and suggestions. First of all, we want to thank you for your enthusiastic feedback on this new product. We have carefully read and recorded every comment. We sincerely apologize for any disappointment or dissatisfaction this may have caused you.” The company then lists all the device’s strengths, but most of them are simply technical specifications related to the E Ink display side of the device, including an improved refresh rate, 5G connectivity, stylus functionality, support for typical phone features like Bluetooth and NFC, and the option to pay extra for additional RAM. All of this is well and good, but I don’t think many users had a problem with the concept of a feature phone with an E Ink display.

The part of the statement defending the truly inexplicable design decision—that circular LCD screen—is less convincing (and a bit defensive): “Regarding the secondary LCD screen, it may not always be needed, but when you do, it’s right there. Despite its small size, the secondary screen offers a wealth of functionality… it helps and entertains, while the main screen remains true to the principles of e-ink, easy on the eyes. One device, two screens, each beautiful in its own way.” If you think so. Was this statement necessary? Probably not—buyers who don’t need the Hibreak Dual may simply not buy it. But it shows that the company is listening to its most critical fans, which is probably worth something. And it seems those loud voices were indeed heard: “As a brand, we have deeply analyzed our shortcomings,” Bigme wrote. “Going forward, before launching any new product, we will conduct more thorough market research and engage more closely with users to better understand and meet your real needs. Regarding the “e-ink + LCD” smartphone, “The dual-screen smartphone that many of you have been eagerly awaiting is now officially included in our R&D program, and we will do everything possible to push it forward.”

As for the Hibreak Dual, if you really want to buy one (maybe you’re that guy ?), pre-orders are now open on the Bigme website .

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