This tiny e-reader is so small it would get misplaced in your pocket

The enchantment of Amazon’s Kindle is that it is an inexpensive strategy to learn books, and for individuals who learn at a voracious tempo, a extra moveable strategy to do it, too. The success of the Kindle kicked off an explosion of E Ink units that led to the panorama of e-readers and E Ink tablets we’ve got at this time. And new units spring up on a regular basis, and loads of them in way more adventurous shapes than what Amazon presents.

One such various is the Xteink X4, an e-reader that is as low cost or cheaper than the Kindle, and radically smaller than the everyday paperback-sized units Amazon sells. In reality, the Xteink X4 is so small it might match on the again of some smartphones. The e-reader is greater than slightly quirky, however it’s shortly develop into one in every of my favourite methods to learn books, as a result of it is so small it is onerous to seek out excuses to not convey it with me.

The Xteink X4 is the dimensions of a MagSafe pockets

And the X4 has bodily page-turn buttons, too.

If the Xteink X4 hasn’t appeared in your social feeds or YouTube suggestions in its transient interval of viral fame, this is an introduction. The Xteink X4 encompasses a 4.3-inch E Ink show with a decision of 200ppi (notably decrease decision than the 300ppi of the Kindle Paperwhite). The system options one button on the entrance for going again or confirming menu objects, and one other for navigating the X4’s easy interface. On the aspect, there is a button to energy the system on and off, and one other that turns pages. And alongside the underside of the system, there is a USB-C port for charging and a microSD card on the aspect for loading e-book recordsdata.

The skinny, 5.9mm system e-reader contains Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas for wi-fi connectivity and comes with a 650mAh battery that lasts over every week on a cost, even with common use. The remainder of the X4 is decidedly barebones. Once you first activate the e-reader, you are greeted with a easy interface with simply 4 menu choices: Learn, which opens the final e-book you opened, Folder, which shows all of the recordsdata you’ve got added to the X4’s included microSD card, Settings, which helps you to alter what the X4’s buttons do and different choices, and Sync, the place you handle the system’s web connection and switch content material wirelessly. That is it. No retailer for downloading books, and no suggestions for what you need to learn subsequent. In case your predominant expertise with e-readers is coping with ads, that is already a fairly large change.

The opposite studying curve to cope with is navigating the X4 itself. The compact e-reader does not function a touchscreen, so any enter you wish to make has to occur with the X4’s skinny buttons. That may take some getting used to, however when you do, studying books with the little factor is a pleasure. The display screen has a decrease decision than the Kindle Paperwhite, however is nice sufficient for studying. Pages refresh pretty shortly, and higher but, the X4’s buttons are delightfully clicky, which makes the expertise much more tactile. You do not get the flamboyant formatting choices of different e-readers, but when all you care about is content material, it is a nice supply automobile.

The Xteink X4 is an ungainly system

This e-reader’s one trick does not fairly work.

A giant promoting level of the Xteink X4 is the very fact it might magnetically connect to the again of a telephone and act as a extra “enriching” various to scrolling in your telephone. Feeling distracted by no matter’s blaring at you out of your pocket-sized OLED display screen? Simply flip your telephone round and browse from a nice E Ink display screen for a spell. There are a number of issues with this concept because it’s at the moment executed, sadly.

At 4.3-inches, nestled under an iPhone’s digicam plateau, the X4 is definitely longer than most iPhones apart from Apple’s largest Professional fashions. The identical goes for some entry-level Android telephones, too, just like the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10. The alignment of the magnets within the X4 additionally implies that, no less than on my iPhone 16, it will not connect to the again of my telephone until it is horizontal, moderately than vertical, which defeats the aim of attaching it in any respect. Xteink contains adhesive magnetic rings that you would be able to follow the again of your telephone or case to bypass these points, and plans to handle magnet placement extra completely within the smaller X3 it’s going to launch sooner or later sooner or later. Nonetheless, the truth that the X4’s one particular function may not work in your telephone is disappointing.

Then there are the problems with e-book formatting. The best way the e-reader shows EPUB recordsdata is tough across the edges with out customization in an e-book administration app like Calibre. Not unreadable by any means, however you will lose among the customized chapter headings and different stylistic touches which can be seen on a Kindle or Kobo. Add within the studying curve for really utilizing the X4, and the expertise is unquestionably not as easy as a Kindle. For $69, you are paying for a novel expertise, not essentially a sophisticated one.

Xteink’s system might be viral sufficient to final

Fortunately, there’s already a small group of individuals making an attempt to assist the Xteink X4 that fill within the gaps the place the system’s creator got here up quick. There are web sites dedicated to finest practices for utilizing the e-reader, customized instruments for changing EPUBs into XTC recordsdata, a file kind that appears to protect extra e-book formatting on the X4’s diminutive display screen, and 3D-printable equipment.

Decision

220ppi

Storage

32GB (from included microSD card)

Model

Xteink

Display Dimension

4.3-inch E Ink

Xteink’s X4 is a compact, 4.3-inch e-reader with bodily buttons that is designed for use by itself or whereas magnetically hooked up to the again of a smartphone.

The Xteink X4 is way from good, however these initiatives make it enjoyable to tinker with. Past that, a small E Ink display screen that simply slips in a pocket or a jacket is simply enjoyable to maintain in your particular person. Anybody who has their very own assortment of ebooks could have quite a lot of enjoyable making an attempt it out.