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The familiar story pinch Xteink’s mini e-readers plays retired erstwhile again pinch its caller X4 Pro: upgraded hardware held backmost by frustrating software. The company’s latest mini e-reader adds a touchscreen and lighting, truthful choosing it complete a Kindle aliases a Kobo feels for illustration little of a discuss — until you usage it. The caller touch controls and immoderate invited package updates do negociate to make nan X4 Pro easier to use, but frustrations still abound. There’s a happier ending to nan communicative this time, however, arsenic nan squad down nan fantabulous CrossPoint Reader software scheme to person their replacement firmware fresh for nan caller instrumentality astatine its launch. If you’ve been considering 1 of Xteink’s e-readers, nan X4 Pro is nan 1 to get, moreover if it’s nan astir costly yet.
The X4 Pro (right) is somewhat shorter and thinner than nan original X4 (left).
The X3 (left) is overmuch smaller than nan X4 Pro (right), but nan caller e-reader is still highly pocketable.
The X4 Pro is disposable for acquisition coming through Xteink’s online store for $99, making it somewhat much costly than nan company’s $79 X3 and $69 X4 models. That besides brings nan X4 Pro person successful value to nan $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 pinch 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 nan company’s first e-reader, and considerably smaller than Amazon’s 6-inch Kindle.
Instead of a USB-C port, nan X4 Pro features a magnetic pogo-pin connector connected nan back. It functions for illustration a modular USB-C port, however, and an adapter (you won’t want to lose) is included.
That bladed floor plan intends you’ll request to beryllium prepared for a large compromise: There’s nary longer an existent USB-C port. You tin still use from USB-C functionality but will request an adapter to woody pinch an uncommon magnetic pogo-pin connection. The adapter is included, but I’d still opt for a somewhat thicker instrumentality pinch an existent USB-C port.
The magnets connected nan X4 Pro consciousness stronger than connected nan company’s different e-readers, but it still doesn’t doesn’t connect to nan backmost of your telephone arsenic securely arsenic magnetic powerfulness banks do.
It should fresh larger phones, but erstwhile attached to nan backmost of my iPhone 16 Pro nan X4 Pro awkwardly hung disconnected nan bottommost by astir half an inch.
On nan backmost of nan X4 Pro you’ll erstwhile again find embedded magnets truthful you tin connect it to compatible smartphones for illustration a wireless battery. The magnets consciousness stronger, but still not beardown capable to make maine assured nan e-reader is going to stay stuck to my telephone while huddled together astir successful my pocket. The X4 Pro’s size besides makes nan mini e-reader awkwardly widen past nan 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.
Xteink isn’t abandoning beingness buttons altogether. The X4 Pro still has 4 successful total: 2 page move buttons, a reset button, and a power/sleep button.
On nan apical of nan X4 Pro you’ll besides find a microSD paper slot truthful you tin grow its storage.
The added touchscreen allows for a overmuch simpler fastener layout connected nan X4 Pro, and I’m gladsome nan institution still includes dedicated page move buttons connected each broadside successful summation to being capable to pat nan edges of nan screen. There’s besides a power/wake fastener and, for nan first time, a touch fastener connected nan beforehand of nan e-reader beneath its surface for jumping backmost to nan e-reader’s homescreen.
The X4 Pro has a touch-sensitive fastener located beneath its screen, making it very easy to jump backmost to nan device’s homescreen.
There’s been immoderate debate astir whether aliases not these mini e-readers really request a touchscreen, but aft testing nan X4 Pro for complete a week I deliberation it’s a invited upgrade for these devices. Even aft months of use, navigating nan company’s different e-readers utilizing conscionable buttons has ne'er felt intuitive aliases easy, and it’s held maine backmost from wanting to transportation them everyplace I go. Navigating nan X4 Pro utilizing surface taps (like we do pinch nan remainder of our mobile devices) yet makes it consciousness for illustration I’m not fighting nan e-reader to make it do what I want.
But nan X4 Pro’s touchscreen doesn’t consciousness arsenic delicate aliases responsive arsenic a Kindle aliases Kobo erstwhile tapping connected nan screen, and half nan clip it feels for illustration I person to repetition a pat pinch a small much unit for my digit to beryllium detected. I’m hoping that’s thing that tin beryllium improved done early package updates.
There are nary automatic adjustments for nan X4 Pro’s surface light, but you tin manually set its strength and colour temperature.
The X4 Pro’s surface tin beryllium group to a very lukewarm tint to trim your bluish ray vulnerability while reference astatine night.
The added surface ray is an fantabulous upgrade, and moreover though it’s a spot uneven and decidedly a small brighter astatine nan apical of nan display, you tin set its strength and colour somesthesia utilizing sliders that look erstwhile you swipe down from nan apical of nan screen. There are nary automatic adjustments aliases 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 package and UI to accommodate nan X4 Pro’s touchscreen. The menus person been streamlined and are easier to navigate pinch touch, and accessing reference settings by tapping anyplace connected nan page now feels much intuitive. There’s besides much elasticity pinch adjusting matter spacing and layout, but retired of nan container you’re erstwhile again constricted to conscionable a azygous font successful 2 different sizes unless you want to jump done hoops to instal your own. But you don’t person to suffer pinch Xteink’s unpolished software.
Of each nan X4 Pro’s improvements, nan astir compelling logic to get Xteink’s latest e-reader is that nan easy-to-install CrossPoint Reader software will beryllium disposable astatine launch. It’s a free firmware replacement that vastly improves nan UI and reference acquisition of Xteink’s devices. When I tested Xteink’s past e-reader nan squad down CrossPoint Reader wasn’t judge erstwhile support for nan X3 would beryllium released, but Justin Mitchell has since taken complete arsenic nan halfway maintainer of nan package and told The Verge that X4 Pro support will beryllium disposable “before immoderate customers are capable to bid and person theirs successful nan states.” CrossPoint Reader is besides now a portion of Mitchell’s new Free Ink project that counts Xteink arsenic 1 of its hardware partners, truthful nan firmware should beryllium compatible pinch each of nan company’s early devices astatine launch.
If you’ve been connected nan obstruction astir grabbing 1 of Xteink’s e-readers, moreover pinch a proprietary USB-C connector and a $99 value tag nan X4 Pro is nan 1 to get if you prioritize portability. It won’t lucifer nan Kindle aliases Kobo acquisition moreover aft installing CrossPoint Reader, but moreover pinch its limitations it’s still nan champion mini e-reader you tin bargain and a instrumentality I already won’t time off nan location without.
Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge
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