Xteink’s small e-readers there is it went viral among book lovers on social media, and for good reason: what could be more delicious than a wallet-friendly e-reader? Xteink has the answer. The Chinese hardware maker has now upgraded its existing e-readers Xteink X4 Proquick response to extensive feedback from users who really wanted a touchscreen and a front light.
If you haven’t seen Xteink available X3 and the slightly larger X4, let’s bring you up to speed: they’re likely the smallest e-readers you can buy, small enough to magnetize to the back of your phone or slip into your pocket on the 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 are promising enough to build a following, I wouldn’t call them user-friendly – their button-based navigation is difficult. Still, the idea of a magnetic, pocketable 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 a touch screen and front light makes the Xteink X4 Pro more reliable as a device you can use as your primary e-reader rather than as a companion to your Kindle on the go. At 72g and 5.95mm thick, the X4 Pro is roughly the same size as the X4.
Every night before bed I turn off the lights and read on my Kindle until I’m too sleepy to close my eyes. But with the added front light, the X4 Pro stuck to my night mode—during the review period, I read almost exclusively on the X4 Pro before bed, using the front light at its lowest setting (which is still a bit brighter than I’d like for bedtime reading), with the color temperature tinted slightly warmer. I’ve since gone back to my Kindle because I’m only 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 I go to sleep, I feel like I’m imitating my old bad habit. tossing and turning in bed. You can interpret this as a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it shows how comfortable and easy reading is on the X4 Pro – you can turn pages either by touching the edge of the screen or using the side buttons, giving you more flexibility in how you want to hold the X4 Pro. But at the same time, like a phone, an e-reader is so small that you have to hold it closer to your face to read than a Kindle. I’m worried it might affect my sleep, although it’s 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 a pretty great battery life – I usually use my device for about three weeks and my battery is only down to 60%. Of course, the light means that the battery will run out a little faster than its predecessors, but I hardly notice the difference. However, what people will notice is that the X4 Pro charges with a magnetic charger, while the X4 has USB-C. It’s not a big deal to me since the device rarely needs to be charged, but if you’re really into the versatility of USB-C, it could be a bargain.
The X4 Pro also comes with updated firmware, which is a big upgrade from the previous models, but the device will still allow users to download the open source code. The process of uploading content via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is a bit fiddly, but doable – I find it easier to remove the micro SD card and use the supplied micro SD to USB adapter to add files from my computer.
If you’re more used to e-readers, it’s also worth noting that you can’t 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 a library, you won’t be able to add it to the X4 Pro (libraries use protected versions of .epub files that you can’t copy). However, if you get an .epub file from the publisher, you can add it to your Xteink without any problems. (Just don’t try to buy a book from Amazon. It’s a walled garden, so even if you buy the book, you can only read Amazon ebooks on Amazon devices! Booooo!)
The Xteink X4 Pro It costs $99 and is only available on the Xteink website when it goes on sale.
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