Search Everything in One Place

Explore the web, images, videos, news, and more – all in one place.

Lifestyle

Xteink's tiny pocket eReader now has a touchscreen and front light

Xteink's tiny pocket eReader now has a touchscreen and front light
Xteink's tiny pocket eReader now has a touchscreen and front light

The X4 Pro can even stick to the back of your phone.

You might not have heard of Xteink, but it's shaking up the eReader world through the miniscule size of its devices: you can fit them in your pocket so that you're more likely to read your favorite book than your Instagram feed. The Chinese brand is capitalizing on this by releasing the X4 Pro, a similarly tiny reader that adds some heavily-requested features.

The X4 Pro has a 4.3-inch E-Ink display like the regular X4, but adds a touchscreen that makes navigation more intuitive. An adjustable front light also makes the eReader far more usable for nighttime reads, while the much larger 1,100mAh battery (up from 650mAh) allows for weeks of use. It charges through magnetic pogo pins instead of USB-C, which might be worth noting if you prefer a more universal power source.

As before, the back is magnetic. You can put the X4 Pro on the back of a Qi2- or MagSafe-equipped phone like the Pixel 10 or iPhone 17, or even your fridge. You won't have to stuff the eReader into a bag to keep it safe.

Software remains a selling point. While there's no support for Amazon Kindle books or direct integration with library platforms like Libby, Xteink touts unlocked firmware with "zero third-party restrictions." It handles common EPUB purchases, though, and also supports MOBI as well as general media formats like PDF, TXT, JPG, and PNG.

You'll find 16GB of storage in the X4 Pro with up to 256GB expansion available through microSD cards. You can transfer books through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi if you don't have the included microSD-to-USB adapter on hand.

Xteink X4 Pro price and release date

Should you buy an X4 Pro over a Kindle?

The X4 Pro is available now for $99 through the Xteink website and currently includes a free magnetic case, although you don't get to choose the color.

Whether it's worth choosing the X4 Pro over major alternatives like the Amazon Kindle depends on how and what you read. The allure, of course, is having a pocketable eReader that can save you from doomscrolling. It can also save space in your carry-on bags during a flight. It might be ideal if you tend to buy EPUB books or dip into public domain eBooks.

You'll want to pass if you rely on Libby or other library systems that use encrypted formats for borrowing eBooks, not to mention comic books and manga. And if you have a sizable library from Amazon or other proprietary stores, you're better off buying a compatible eReader or using the relevant app on your phone.

A small eReader like this also won't make sense if you mainly read in bed or on the couch, where portability isn't an issue. As you have to hold Xteink's reader closer, you'll want a larger-screened rival if your vision isn't what it used to be.

The size might work in the X4 Pro's favor even if the format support is limited. You can have eye-friendly ePaper for your purchased books, and your phone for everything Xteink doesn't support.

Read full story on HowToGeek

Related News

More stories you might be interested in.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos called Amazon’s customer service to prove a point but waited in silence for more than 10 minutes — ‘It was really long’
Barchart·14 hours ago

Billionaire Jeff Bezos called Amazon’s customer service to prove a point but waited in silence for more than 10 minutes — ‘It was really long’

Numbers can tell a story. Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos believed they could also tell the wrong one. When customer complaints didn’t match what his team’s reports were saying, he decided there was only one way to settle the debate. Speaking on the Lex Fridman Podcast in December 2023, Bezos recalled an early Amazon meeting where executives revie...

Top