Xteink’s tiny e-readers went viral last year for their extremely pocketable form factor and ability to magnetically snap onto the back of your smartphone. The X4 was marketed as an easy way to read more while out and about—all you have to do is attach it to your phone and flip it over to get reading.
This week, Xteink announced the X4 Pro, an e-reader that’s more or less exactly the same as the original X4, with the addition of some premium features. The X4 Pro retails for $109, a $40 bump over the X4, though it’s currently listed at $99.
The major update here is an adjustable-warmth backlight; last year’s model had no backlight, making it unusable in dark environments without an outside light source. This was a major drawback for the device, given that pretty much every popular e-reader these days has a backlight of some sort. It’s also got a 1,100mAh battery, a significant boost over the X4’s 650mAh battery. Much of the X4’s design remains here: it’s a similar size (a 4.3-inch screen, weighing in at 72g), though it does now offer a touchscreen.
The Xteink X4 Pro won’t be for everyone, though. The new e-reader has done away with USB-C charging, for some reason, swapping in a pogo-pin charging port instead. A very strange choice, given that USB-C is pretty much standard across e-readers (and other electronics) these days. And a definite detractor for anyone who doesn’t want to contend with a bespoke charging cable for their e-reader.
Xteink’s reading experience isn’t exactly up to par with industry standards, either. The screen maxes out at 219 ppi, where even the most basic Kindle comes in at 300 ppi. Xteink’s software has been finicky at best in the past, and though the company says it’s been improved for the X4 Pro, it certainly won’t be as user-friendly as the software running on Kindles and Kobos, for example.
Where the Xteink does stand out is in its size. Truly pocketable e-readers are harder to come by than more standard, book-sized e-readers. Popular ones like the Boox Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro come in at triple or even quadruple the price of the X4 Pro (though they do come with much more advanced features to match this price point). And, to be fair, the Palma series is quite a bit larger than the X4 and X4 Pro.
Xteink has carved out a pretty unique space for itself in the e-reader market: a very tiny device at a price point that hovers around $100. Maybe it’ll convince bigger industry names to offer something similar.
