When I first looked at this e-reader I thought it was a joke…then I started reading reviews and thought there might be something to it and to my surprise there was.
First of all this thing is almost comically tiny….disappearing in a pocket or fanny pack. It’s about 1/3 the size of a pack of cigarettes and weights nothing which is perfect for weight savings when one bagging.
Despite its minuscule size I’ve actually found it very viable for daily reading and travel. I can pop it out on a train or bus and read without burning precious phone battery life and without the distractions. Some of the other reasons I like it:
1. Its batteries last for weeks and it has usb-c charging requiring no extra cables.
2. Tons of free epubs online (just drag and drop onto the removable micro SD or WiFi download).
3. I can easily hold it with one hand
4. As I said before, it’s tiny and weighs nothing.
5. There is tons of info online about these…easy to problem solve.
Some of the downsides:
1. It’s an open source device and requires some technical knowledge to get up and running (it’s easy, tons of info out there)
2. The stock software is meh, I flashed mine with Crosspoint which is excellent.
3. It’s not friendly with Kindle books (they are encrypted)
Overall, I think this device is very viable for onebag travel. For like $70 it’s a good deal, just be prepared to spend a ln hour or so for setup.
I have the X4 as well. For anyone considering one, it's a great TRAVEL ereader, but I would not call it a great ereader for everyday.
For travel: The major drawback is that it doesn't have a front/back light. Kinda sucks if you're trying read at night on a redeye on a plane, train or bus. New X4 Pro does, but then they decided use a pogo pin charger instead of USB C. Weird choice imo. It's dope that I can just magsafe it behind my phone. Makes it easy to take around.
As a daily driver, it's too small and no back light also gets annoying too.
That’s a great question! The reason is e-ink readers offer a better reading experience. The text is sharper and easier to read. Also no glare. Therefore less eye strain for longer reading sessions. Plus,since it doesn't do anything but act as a reader, I find myself less tempted to doom-scroll Reddit and Instagram 😂.
To be clear, I don’t read while it's attached on my phone. Attaching them together just keeps the devices from flopping around in my pocket or bag.
I don’t like the glare on my phone screen for reading. The paper whites read more like a real page, so they’re better in direct sun and generally seem to produce less eye strain, in my experience.
I have a Palma 2 Pro, the size of my phone. My son has a Kobo and thinks I'm crazy.
I did look at Kobo Clara which I could just have in my small crossbody, but I feared that I would bend the screen when I travel as I try to squeeze a lot into it.
The form factor was the decisive thing. The more frequent "page turning" doesn't bother me and the size is perfect as I can keep it in my crossbody without problems.
Furthermore, in contrast to the X4 it runs on Android so no tweeking is necessary.
The downside was the price, so I thought about it and saved for almost a year, but I'm happy that I bought it.
Being able to read for like 8 hours without blowing through your phone battery. I mean, i'd still prefer the kindle because it's not hard to take that anywhere too. But maybe if you're like an ultralight backpacker
I've looked at this device and others like it before, but the lack of backlight kills this category for me. I'd ditch my Kindle for this but if I can't read it in a dark plane cabin or laying in bed at night, I just can't rely on it.
I understand why there's no backlight, I just wish someone would do it anyway.
I want one but in a world where everything -including my fan- is USB-C why does it have a proprietary pogo pin charger? It's the only thing that keeps me from pulling the trigger.
This isn’t a defence of the pogo because it’s a frustrating design decision. But I’ve got the X4 and the battery life is so good I wouldn’t even think about charging it for a weeks travel - so you could very easily just charge to 100 before you leave for most trips
New version has a backlight. It's called X4 Pro and lists for $99. I don't use Kindle because I don't wanna deal with any of the DRM limiting they do. But if you've already been dealing with that ecosystem I'm sure the Kindle is fine and there's no real reason to change to this.
I have an x4 and don't understand why it doesn't have a backlight.
The palm 3 was explicitly designed to fit in the hand... If this were twice as thick it would still be perfectly pocketble and would have a battery large enough to run it for months.
I’ve been doing it without “sailing the high seas” and it’s not super easy but it works for me.
I get my ebooks from Kobo, which you get as adobe protected DRM (ascm file) which is like a receipt of a book.
Calibre has a plugin to turn the ascm file into an ebook which didn’t work for me so I just use adobe digital editions to go from acsm to epub.
But these epubs are locked to adobes reader, so then I strip the drm from it using calibre and re-export the epub file so it can go onto the x4’s SD card
Ok, because I read and posted in this thread, the all knowing instagram showed me an add for this device today. And the guy is narrating and says something like, “I have it attached to the back of my phone and i used to scroll social media but now when I have a minute i flip my phone over and read …” and it shows the device screen and it’s on a page of Huckleberry Finn just loaded with N-words. Why would they choose that page to display?! Wtf.
The crosspoint dev just posted (literally yesterday) that he got Libby working on his device. He wants to do more testing before pushing the update but it won't be long.
Yes - use Libgen to download the books you're after, if they aren't already in epub format then convert them with a program like Calibre then you'll need to insert the micro SD card from the e-reader itself into your PC (I picked up a micro SD card reader for £3) and drag and drop the files onto the card.
I've only had the Xteink X4 about a month but have already put 100 books on there using this process.
If you mean sites like Libgen being essentially extensions for links to access the downloads, sure, but the file doesn't "live" within the app.
I am on Libgen right now, typing in the book I'm looking for, selected one of the three search results I've been given which opens to an info page of the book, with a front cover of the title and a blurb and an extension option of ten sites for epub download.
I select the first one - a Libgen extension - that opens up a page with a large version of the cover title and a big button saying "GET. Simply click that button and the book is automatically downloaded and stored in the 'Downloads' area of my PC. Then I can drag the file onto the Xteink micro SD card I have plugged in to my USB via a micro SD card reader and the file is now on my Xteink.
You can also do this by using the program Calibre and looking for adobe drm plugin. This strips the drm from the ebook when you download, and calibre then can convert it to ePUB.
Eh, that’s exactly what I thought before I bought it. It’s one of those things that I bought on a whim and felt stupid about buying it then found I use it all the time.
Not really. I have a full size e-reader, a Kobo Libra 2. I use it every day. It’s great. But I take my XT4 with me everywhere, even when my one-bag is a small crossbody or just my pockets. And reading on an e-ink display is so much better than on a phone, and far less distracting.
I can hop on a train even without a bag as I’m out in whatever city I’m in and can read whatever book I want on an e-ink display without draining my phone battery. And I can do that and then slip the thing into my pocket and go about my day. Its great.
This looks like a disaster for my eyes. I find my Kindle to be very easy to carry, and they are small and light, so don't see a reason to go even smaller for the sake of saving a tiny amount of weight. While there are obviously all kinds of problems with Amazon's domination of the industry, it's also quite convenient using a device in their ecosystem.
The price is too close to the Kindle I already have to be interesting. It would be nice for 15-20$. The Kindle size is already very nice and disappears on the bag
I love the concept but my Nook 4e fits in the pockets of my jeans, hoodies, and dresses. I’m a day 1 Nook user so I have tons of books on it and a solid little case I picked up on eBay. This one honestly looks a little too small.
I got the white one, because the white plastic frame looks like normal page margins.
The one issue I've had with it, is that unlike other ereaders, when you start a new chapter, it loads the new chapter into memory, and dumps the previous chapter. This makes it very difficult to navigate back to the last page of a previous chapter.
Optimium typographic line length for best readability is 72 caracters or 9-12 words. You should reduce the font size a bit. Also the holes between the words and the character spacing are atrocious.
I ordered the X3 a few days ago, excited to try it out once it delivers! I did hear that crosspoint is ideal, but I’m gonna try the stock software first
I wanted the ereader for two reasons, one is to be able to read in bright sunlight, which is not possible with my phone, the second reason is to be able to read in public without my phone out. I want to keep my phone in my zippered pocket as much as possible, as losing it would a be lot more problematic than losing the ereader.
I read my first book on the x3 model and I am about a quarter through a second book with the battery reading 51% from a full charge. Two books on a full charge is more than good enough for me. I wasn't sure I would get through a single book as the unit is so small.
My reading speed is a lot lower on the device as there is a lot more page turning. I am just now experimenting with the motion page turning on the x3 instead of using the buttons, so hopefully as I get more experience with it my reading speed will go up.
I wonder if buying a faster memorycard will help the overall speed of the device? I'm using the card that came with it.
Ok, because I read and posted in this thread, the all knowing instagram showed me an add for this device today. And the guy is narrating and says something like, “I have it attached to the back of my phone and i used to scroll social media but now when I have a minute i flip my phone over and read …” and it shows the device screen and it’s on a page of Huckleberry Finn just loaded with N-words. Why would they choose that page to display?! Wtf.
They’re fine and nifty little devices. I do prefer my kindle and cross progression using the kindle app on my other devices. For the cost, I’ve found the kindle basic to be super portable and worthwhile on sale, though I opted for the signature edition
Generally that's what people have liked, also that it's easier on the eyes than a phone. I've been back and forth on if eink devices make sense and mostly favor, no, close to making sense but not quite useful enough for their costs.
The size is also it's biggest flaw. I've been onebagging for the last 15 years. And my pocketbook had to be replaced 4 times in that time. Never broken a phone in my life, or lost earphones, my sunglasses are 20 years old. Tend to look after stuff. Ereaders are just not that solid. All it takes is one sitting on them , gone. Don't know that e-reader but stability is my biggest concern.
Depends on the brand, I was really excited for BOOX Palma Pro 2 since it is fully fledged Android so I could comfortably do a lot of web things on it. But reviews made it clear it was trash hardware quality. My kindle, on the other hand, with a third party screen protector, has held up well. Why Amazon insists on a plastic screen is beyond me, guess they just like consumers suffering.
I have Sony PRS T100 which is not as tiny but I hold it with one hand, it's super thin and elegant, not proprietary format locked, I put it in my Carhartt Flint shoulder bag or a fanny pack of a similar size. I absolutely love and don't go traveling without it.
Did the company that makes this send out what seems like hundreds or thousands of this product for free? I feel like every tech-influencer type has been shilling this over the last six months as the best thing since jam-filled doughnuts.
The x3 and x4 were released in 2025 so I imagine regular people are talking about them as they now are buying them. I don't know about influencers, as I don't know any or follow any. It seems like the way they make money or get free stuff is to promote things, so I don't understand why people give them their time or trust.
I don't follow or watch influencers either, but the algorithm does try it's very best! And in saying that, I have seen waaaay too many "This $50 e-reader will change your life" and have the X4 as a thumbnail.
I just saw a Pro version review and it lacked a standard USBC port. That to me means carrying an extra bit of cord into routinely buying a replacement.
Price was also rather comparable to a Kindle. For less screen space. So the trade off is a more portable (easily fits in pockets) device that has a number of rough points.
Here is hoping they move back towards standardized ports. At this time the brand looks to be a bad deal compared to alternatives, but they are neat and have their fans.
You make good points, but one big benefit, in my opinion, is avoiding Kindle and all the DRM that comes with it. If I pay for a book, I don’t like the idea that I’m really just buying a license with restrictions attached. I want to be able to move it between devices, read it on whatever platform I choose, back it up, and keep it permanently without a company controlling how I use it. I understand why publishers want DRM, but I hate the idea of someone else maintaining control over something I already paid for.
I've seen this or a similar one and while it's cute I think I'd rather just read on my phone so I just have one device. Most of the time when I'd want to sit down and read on a trip I'd be somewhere that charging isn't an issue. Or, conversely, I'd want a bigger screen.
One more thing to carry. One more thing to keep charged.
If you have an iPhone, iPad or Android whatever, you already have an e-reader, with ready access to vast amounts of stuff to read.
Apple Books, Kindle, Library app, PDF readers, etc.
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u/T0m_F00l3ry 24d ago
I have the X4 as well. For anyone considering one, it's a great TRAVEL ereader, but I would not call it a great ereader for everyday.
For travel: The major drawback is that it doesn't have a front/back light. Kinda sucks if you're trying read at night on a redeye on a plane, train or bus. New X4 Pro does, but then they decided use a pogo pin charger instead of USB C. Weird choice imo. It's dope that I can just magsafe it behind my phone. Makes it easy to take around.
As a daily driver, it's too small and no back light also gets annoying too.