Xteink has launched the X4 Pro, an upgraded version of its popular tiny e-readers, now featuring a touchscreen and front light. The Chinese hardware maker addressed user feedback, making the pocketable device more viable as a main e-reader, despite some software and charging quirks.
Xteink's X4 Pro is an ultra-compact, credit card-sized ereader (72g) with a 4.3-inch display, page turn buttons, and front light. At $99, it supports DRM-free ebooks via USB or app, aiming for distraction-free reading, though it uses magnetic charging and has limited library compatibility.
The author reviews the Xteink X3, a $80 pocket-sized e-ink reader that magnetically attaches to iPhones like a Pop Socket. Over two weeks of testing, they found it helped read more during idle moments but requires deliberate effort to change social media habits. Drawbacks include clunky default firmware, no USB-C port, and incompatibility with library ebooks from Libby or Amazon. The author recommends the optional $9 magnetic case.
The Xteink X4 and X3 are excellent alternatives to Kindles and Kobos if you want an e-reader that's as easy to slip into your pocket - just not out of the box. Both devices come with stock firmware that's clunky, limited, and occasionally confusing, but that can be easily fixed by plugging them into a […]
