There was once a time where all critics were fawning over the Palm line of smartphones. Rightfully so. The way Palm handled elements such as multitasking and user interface was far ahead of anyone else in the market, save for Apple.
Things change in the smartphone industry, and they change fast. Palm went from being one of the most revered smartphone brands to essentially a nonexistent name in the pantheon of greats, toppled by tech heavyweights the likes of Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Google.
There's been a sort of comeback campaign for failed smartphone brands. Nokia, now operated by HMD, is releasing Android smartphones again after folding a couple of years back. Blackberry, now operated by TCL, seems to be doing the same. Next up in the comeback roster is Palm, reports say.
Palm Staging A Comeback With The Help Of TCL And Verizon
Verizon may launch a brand-new Palm smartphone by the second half of the year, according to an anonymous source, as Android Police reports. It backs what a TCL executive said back in August, when he confirmed to Dutch publication Android Planet that the company is planning to launch a Palm handset this year.
Beyond those rumors, details about the phone remain thin. There's no hitting at what its design would be, let alone its specs and features, but suppose TCL aims to compete with premium-tier flagship lines, it probably would need to outfit the phone with current smartphone trends, including a nearly bezel-less design, dual cameras, perhaps even wireless charging, and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Add a sizable amount of RAM and local storage, plus a decent selfie camera, and that phone will probably find an audience.
The phone is expected to run Android, of course, and TCL will reportedly call on Verizon to sell the phones. The carrier sold Palm phones back in the day.
The Smartphone Comeback Trend
TCL seems to be at the forefront of this comeback campaign, which it's also doing for BlackBerry, as mentioned. The company is surely milking early smartphone users' nostalgia by reintroducing the old brands for modern audiences. That's easier said than done, of course, especially with the smartphone market being toxic, tough, and crowded. TCL is facing a tall order trying to break into the market by relying on beloved brands, but as Mad Men's ad genius Don Draper once said about nostalgia: "it's delicate, but potent."
Would you buy a modern Palm-branded smartphone? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
