November 2, 2018 (US) December 6, 2018 (UK, Spain, Germany) 2019 (Other European countries) January 20, 2019 (Hong Kong) April 4, 2019 (US, standalone) April 24, 2019 (Japan)[2]
The Palm phone, or "Palm companion device", "Palm Palm", "TCL Palm",[4] codenamed "Pepito" with model number PVG100[5][6] is a smartphone running the Android operating system, announced on October 15, 2018, and was first available in the United States from November 2, that year.[7]
Palm is developed, designed, and marketed by Palm Ventures Group, a San Francisco-based start up founded by Dennis Miloseski and Howard Nuk. Palm Ventures is financially backed by Chinese electronics company TCL that owns the Palm trademark, originally of Palm, Inc.[8][9] The phone is manufactured by China's Tinno Mobile as an ODM for TCL.[10]
With a 3.3-inch screen and 62.5 g weight that is noticeably smaller and lighter than other smartphones released at the same time, the Palm was initially marketed as "an ultra-mobile companion" device that is meant to be used in conjunction with a regular smartphone—positioning it as a cross-over between a wearable and a smartphone, and originally could only be used by pairing the device with another phone on the Verizon network.[11][12] However, the restriction was subsequently lifted for new buyers as well as oversea markets, which make it also possible to use the device as a standalone phone.[13]
It is the first "Palm"-branded device on the market since 2010 (Palm Pre 2).[14]
The Palm companion phone comes with a pre-installed SIM card (4FF), a non-removable 800-mAh battery, a wall adapter/USB cable/USB connector, a quick start guide, important consumer safety information and a product safety and warranty brochure. The Palm companion phone has a width of 1.99 inches and a height of 3.8 inches. [15] It is also IP68 dust and water resistant.[16]
The Palm was initially launched on November 2, 2018, exclusively on Verizon in the US as a companion device in a bundle with a phone. Since December 2018 it has been available on Vodafone in the UK, Spain and Germany. Vodafone has secured a 6 months exclusivity deal for Europe. Since January 20, 2019, the device has been available in Hong Kong.[7][19][20][21] It was released for sale as standalone device in the US in April 2019.[22]