by Xteink tiny e-readers have it went viral among book lovers on social media, and for good reason: what could be more delightful than an e-reader that can fit in your wallet? Xteink has the answer. The Chinese hardware manufacturer has now improved its existing e-readers with the Xteink X4 Proa quick response to the extensive feedback from users who really wanted a touchscreen and a front light.
If you haven’t seen Xteink’s existing X3 and slightly larger X4, let’s bring you up to speed: they’re probably the smallest e-readers you can buy, small enough to magnetize to the back of your phone or toss in your pocket on your way out the door. Ideally, having this device on hand will help you read a few pages of a book instead of scrolling through Instagram while waiting in line at the store. Although the X3 and X4 were promising enough to cultivate a cult following, I wouldn’t call them user-friendly – their button-based navigation is difficult. However, the idea of a pocket-sized magnetic e-reader was so promising that I couldn’t wait to see what Xteink would do next.
Fortunately, the wait for a fix wasn’t long. The addition of the touchscreen and front light makes the Xteink X4 Pro more viable as a device that you can use as your primary e-reader, rather than just an on-the-go companion to your Kindle. At 72g and 5.95mm thick, the X4 Pro is about the same size as the X4.
Every night before I go to bed, I turn off the lights and read on my Kindle until I’m sleepy enough to close my eyes. But with the added front light, the X4 Pro has become firmly integrated into my nighttime routine—during the review period, I read almost exclusively on the X4 Pro before bed, using the front light on its lowest setting (which is still a bit brighter than I’d like for bedtime reading), with the color temperature slightly warm. I’ve since gone back to my Kindle just because I’m re-reading the Odyssey, and let’s face it, reading poetry with line breaks on a 4.26-inch screen would be pretty annoying.
When I read with the X4 Pro before falling asleep, I feel like I’m mimicking my old bad habit of rolling over in bed. You can interpret this as either good or bad. On the one hand, this shows how comfortable and easy it is to read on the X4 Pro — you can turn pages either by tapping the side of the screen or using the side buttons, which gives you more flexibility in how you want to hold your X4 Pro. But also, like a phone, the e-reader is so small that you have to hold it closer to your face to read than you would a Kindle. I’m worried this might affect my sleep, though it’s still much easier to fall asleep after looking at a dimly lit e-ink screen than an iPhone.
Like other e-ink devices, the X4 Pro has very long battery life — I’ve been using my device most days for about three weeks and my battery is only at 60%. Of course, the light means the battery will run down a bit faster than its predecessors, but I barely notice the difference. What people will notice, however, is that the X4 Pro charges using a magnetic pogo charger, whereas the X4 had USB-C. This isn’t a big deal for me since the device needs to charge so infrequently, but if you’re really passionate about the universality of USB-C, this could be a deal breaker.
The X4 Pro also comes with updated software, which is a big upgrade from previous models, but the device will also continue to allow users to load open source. The process of uploading content via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is doable, although it remains a bit awkward — I find it easier to just remove the micro SD card and use the included micro SD to USB adapter to add files from my computer.
If you’re used to more mainstream e-readers, it’s also worth mentioning that you probably won’t be able to read library e-books on the X4 Pro. Xteink can’t integrate directly with apps like Libby, and even if you borrow an e-book from the library, you won’t be able to add it to your X4 Pro (libraries use protected versions of .epub files that you can’t copy). But if you buy an .epub file from a publisher, you’ll be able to add it to your Xteink device without a problem. (Just don’t try to buy books on Amazon. It’s a walled garden, so you can only read Amazon eBooks on Amazon devices, even though you literally bought the book! Booooo!)
THE Xteink X4 Pro it costs $99 and at launch, it’s only available on Xteink’s website.
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