A touchscreen and light make the new X4 Pro the best version of Xteink’s tiny e-readers

If you’ve been undecided connected which Xteink instrumentality to get, the caller X4 Pro is it.

The familiar story with Xteink’s tiny e-readers plays retired erstwhile again with its caller X4 Pro: upgraded hardware held backmost by frustrating software. The company’s latest tiny e-reader adds a touchscreen and lighting, truthful choosing it implicit a Kindle oregon a Kobo feels similar little of a compromise — until you usage it. The caller interaction controls and immoderate invited bundle updates bash negociate to marque the X4 Pro easier to use, but frustrations inactive abound. There’s a happier ending to the communicative this time, however, arsenic the squad down the fantabulous CrossPoint Reader software program to person their alternate firmware acceptable for the caller instrumentality astatine its launch. If you’ve been considering 1 of Xteink’s e-readers, the X4 Pro is the 1 to get, adjacent if it’s the astir costly yet.

The X4 Pro is disposable for acquisition contiguous through Xteink’s online store for $99, making it somewhat much costly than the company’s $79 X3 and $69 X4 models. That besides brings the X4 Pro person successful terms to the $110 entry-level Kindle featuring Amazon’s polished e-reader acquisition and on-device entree to a well-stocked integer bookstore. The X4 Pro lacks some of those things, but with a 4.26-inch, 800 x 480 E Ink screen, it’s different highly pocketable instrumentality from Xteink that’s somewhat smaller and thinner than the company’s archetypal e-reader, and considerably smaller than Amazon’s 6-inch Kindle.

That bladed illustration means you’ll request to beryllium prepared for a large compromise: There’s nary longer an existent USB-C port. You tin inactive payment from USB-C functionality but volition request an adapter to woody with an uncommon magnetic pogo-pin connection. The adapter is included, but I’d inactive opt for a somewhat thicker instrumentality with an existent USB-C port.

On the backmost of the X4 Pro you’ll erstwhile again find embedded magnets truthful you tin connect it to compatible smartphones similar a wireless battery. The magnets consciousness stronger, but inactive not beardown capable to marque maine assured the e-reader is going to stay stuck to my telephone portion jostling astir successful my pocket. The X4 Pro’s size besides makes the tiny e-reader awkwardly widen past the bottommost of my iPhone 16 Pro erstwhile attached, and astatine this constituent I deliberation Xteink should conscionable wantonness promoting this functionality. Its e-readers are amended arsenic standalone devices.

The added touchscreen allows for a overmuch simpler fastener layout connected the X4 Pro, and I’m gladsome the institution inactive includes dedicated leafage crook buttons connected each broadside successful summation to being capable to pat the edges of the screen. There’s besides a power/wake fastener and, for the archetypal time, a interaction fastener connected the beforehand of the e-reader beneath its surface for jumping backmost to the e-reader’s homescreen. 

There’s been immoderate debate astir whether oregon not these tiny e-readers really request a touchscreen, but aft investigating the X4 Pro for implicit a week I deliberation it’s a invited upgrade for these devices. Even aft months of use, navigating the company’s different e-readers utilizing conscionable buttons has ne'er felt intuitive oregon easy, and it’s held maine backmost from wanting to transportation them everyplace I go. Navigating the X4 Pro utilizing surface taps (like we bash with the remainder of our mobile devices) yet makes it consciousness similar I’m not warring the e-reader to marque it bash what I want.

But the X4 Pro’s touchscreen doesn’t consciousness arsenic delicate oregon responsive arsenic a Kindle oregon Kobo erstwhile tapping connected the screen, and fractional the clip it feels similar I person to repetition a pat with a small much unit for my finger to beryllium detected. I’m hoping that’s thing that tin beryllium improved done aboriginal bundle updates.

The added surface airy is an fantabulous upgrade, and adjacent though it’s a spot uneven and decidedly a small brighter astatine the apical of the display, you tin set its strength and colour somesthesia utilizing sliders that look erstwhile you swipe down from the apical of the screen. There are nary automatic adjustments oregon scheduling disposable yet, but being capable to yet usage this e-reader successful furniture without having a lamp connected is simply a crippled changer, and I can’t spot myself going backmost to Xteink’s older devices that deficiency lighting.

Xteink has made a batch of improvements to its bundled bundle and UI to accommodate the X4 Pro’s touchscreen. The menus person been streamlined and are easier to navigate with touch, and accessing speechmaking settings by tapping anyplace connected the leafage present feels much intuitive. There’s besides much flexibility with adjusting substance spacing and layout, but retired of the container you’re erstwhile again constricted to conscionable a azygous font successful 2 antithetic sizes unless you privation to leap done hoops to instal your own. But you don’t person to endure with Xteink’s unpolished software.

Of each the X4 Pro’s improvements, the astir compelling crushed to get Xteink’s latest e-reader is that the easy-to-install CrossPoint Reader software volition beryllium disposable astatine launch. It’s a escaped firmware alternate that vastly improves the UI and speechmaking acquisition of Xteink’s devices. When I tested Xteink’s past e-reader the squad down CrossPoint Reader wasn’t definite erstwhile enactment for the X3 would beryllium released, but Justin Mitchell has since taken implicit arsenic the halfway maintainer of the bundle and told The Verge that X4 Pro enactment volition beryllium disposable “before immoderate customers are capable to bid and person theirs successful the states.” CrossPoint Reader is besides present a portion of Mitchell’s new Free Ink project that counts Xteink arsenic 1 of its hardware partners, truthful the firmware should beryllium compatible with each of the company’s aboriginal devices astatine launch.

If you’ve been connected the obstruction astir grabbing 1 of Xteink’s e-readers, adjacent with a proprietary USB-C connector and a $99 terms tag the X4 Pro is the 1 to get if you prioritize portability. It won’t lucifer the Kindle oregon Kobo acquisition adjacent aft installing CrossPoint Reader, but adjacent with its limitations it’s inactive the champion tiny e-reader you tin bargain and a instrumentality I already won’t permission the location without.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge