Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader

I got an X4 (slightly larger model) less than 2 months ago and I already finished 9 books on it. It is always in my pocket and I started reaching for it instead of my phone during tiny moments of boredom. Sometimes it's just a few paragraphs when I'm waiting for a train, but it is also surprisingly good for longer reading sessions.

There are 10+ comments here praising a third-party firmware, so I think it deserves mention that this might (?) no longer be possible for new devices,

https://www.theverge.com/tech/921552/xteink-x3-x4-e-reader-t...

> "But now buyers report Xteink is blocking [CrossPoint Reader], which might depend on where you live and where you purchase its devices. [...] Instead of being offered a replacement, they received a statement they shared to Reddit explaining that recently shipped devices from Xteink now come with firmware flashing disabled."

it's hard to complain about this device, but here are my random ones:

1. yes, it is small and wonderful to one-handed read with, but _everyone_ around you notices you have a unique, small ereader in your palm. granted, maybe just reflects my self-consciousness. but until these are more ubiquitous, you'll be getting looks on the train/plane.

2. the whole "stick it on the back of your phone" idea is super silly and a bit of a gimmick at least:

2a. I don't want to make my expensive phone larger by volume and weight

2b. I do struggle to not fool around with my phone, and simply using "the back of the phone" is about the equivalent of being given a cigarette upside down as if that will stop me from smoking it.

3. after 14 years of Kindles, it's obvious how much better the eink tech is in premium devices (not a game changer at all, at most a nitpick)

yeah it's a super great device. I got it when prices were a bit lower a few months ago and it was a no-brainer. if you're really into reading and being thrifty/resourceful to get your ebooks, I'd check it out.

I have an X4. I've read about 15 books on it so far, and I carry it everywhere.

I used to read books on my phone (Moon Reader), but it wasn't as compelling. I think it was a combination of the screen and the fact that I'm used to using the phone for other things. But I can't really pin it down more than that.

Things I like:

Flashable firmware. If they disable this capability, I wouldn't buy it. I'm using Crosspoint Reader ATM.

Lightweight.

Good battery life. You can get through a novel on a charge.

USB-C. They sell models with a proprietary connector, best avoided. If they drop USB-C, I wouldn't buy it. I'm not carrying another stupid proprietary charger on trips where I could lose it and render my device useless, and one that's certainly not cheap and trivial to replace.

uSD slot. Plenty of room.

Crosspoint integration with Calibre. Crosspoint lots of features. They just added offline dictionary support but I haven't tried it.

Narrow screen. It's like a newspaper column. Somehow I enjoy this more than a wide screen.

Lanyard attachment point. I don't use this, but it's a neat detail they added to the case.

Magnetic phone attachment. Sticks to the back of my pixel 9 case, or whatever metal you have handy.

Things I'm neutral about:

My model doesn't have a backlight. I make up for it with a front light. :) Sometimes I miss it, but other times I feel like books were meant to be read without a backlight.

Low resolution screen. It's visibly lower than my other e-readers, for sure. Get it under a loupe and... wow. But I don't mind it.

No keyboard. There is a software keyboard, but lack of touch makes it clunky to use. Luckily my needs are rare.

Only DRM-free EPUB support (and TXT). This is HackerNews; you know what you're doing.

Things I don't like:

There's a weird quirk where a screen that's exposed to direct sunlight won't render correctly after a page turn. It fades. I have to turn the screen into shadow before turning the page.

The case is weak. I don't want a cover for it because I stick it to my phone, but dropping the device will result in divots on the case edges.

It generally feels plastic. The buttons (which haven't failed me) don't have a solid feel to their action.

Xteink folks, if you're listening:

Allow firmware flashing, or I won't recommend it.

Keep USB-C, or I won't recommend it.

These are two of your killer features for a device that is a little bit overpriced.

Much to my wife's chagrin I never have anything on my wishlist since I'm not a huge fan of (receiving) gifts in general, but I did put the X4 on my list a couple of months ago, since my decade+ old Kobo is getting long in the tooth, and I don't enjoy the manual syncing.

I wanted it mostly due to this: https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader

Has anyone tried it out?

I have an X4 and use it as a writer deck with microslate firmware[0]

I heavily customized the source code with llm so I can use emacs style keybindings and search.

[0]: https://github.com/Josh-writes/microslate-firmware

I had only heard about these things on HN, and thought they were primarily popular as a toy for people to hack on. I didn't realise they are so popular amongst "normies".

I have no current need for one as I am happy with my cheap second hand Kobo but it's great that they exist, especially with the open source alternative firmware. Hopefully they don't clamp down on that in future.

Where are people getting DRM free epubs for theirs? I have a bunch that I've gotten through various Humble Bundles that I'm working through now, but I'm wondering where I should go if I want to look for something specific

I got the X4 just before my summer holiday and put "War and Peace" from Project Gutenberg on it as my only ebook.

Five weeks later, I'd finished it, all 360 chapters, 1400 pages.

Apart from finding War and Peace a totally engrossing read, one of my favourite books of all time, I give the credit to the X4... I'd never have finished it if reading the physical book (too large to carry around) nor if reading on my phone (too many distractions).

So thank you xteink!

Every time people talk about e-readers I have to wonder whether I'm an outlier. I've been e-reading for over 20 years now. I've been reading on my Nokia 6230 by using an ebook to J2ME converter. I've been reading with AlReader on my HTC Tytn. I'm still reading on my Android phone now. Sure, e-ink is superior, but it's a bit like with cameras: the best one is the one you have on you, not the one you left at home -- and I personally won't be hauling two devices if I can avoid it. If you want to read on the go, you'll find a way that fits you.

I guess more sensible than Yotaphone. Still annoyed we got 3rd screen on foldables before eink.

E: also waiting for this formfactor to get optimaxxed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL05zoHBGwA

Little eink dogtag that flips through one sentence at time.

I really didn't think I would, but I really enjoy using my X4. The only thing I wish it had was a backlight. It seems Xteink is hellbent on including pogo connectors on all their other models, and that the original X4 with USB-C was an unfortunate outlier in this regard.

I recently got an X3 (on a sale £58 with shipping) after deciding between X4 and X3 for a long time and I think I made the right decision. I fits perfectly in my wallet and I don't think about it.

Carrying my regular 6" ereader around feels like I'm taking something with me, it feels like extra weight. I have to either carry it in my hand which is inconvenient or take a rucksack with me when I go for a walk. X3 is so small that it doesn't feel like I'm carrying anything, but it's always there. So when I go for a long walk and decide to take a short break I take it out and read for 10-20min. Same on my commute, I replaced reading the news on my phone with reading for 25-30min on the train.

First think I did was flash Crosspoint on it, because it's lightweight and preserves the battery much like original OS. Battery feels great, I love that it's not touchscreen. Buttons take getting used to, but overall I'm impressed!

New version of the X4 if you don't care about the light. It does have the pogo pins most people seem to hate.

https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4-classic-pocket-ere...

As someone who actually started reading more with bigger screen sizes[1], this article is really not jiving with me and is light on details. I still don't understand why I'd prefer this to a Kobo. Other than the size, what is the benefit?

[1] I read more with a 7" than a 6" and even more with an 8".

If you don't need an ebook gadget right now, Boox is about to release the Boox Picco as a direct competitor to this. It's in between the X3 and X4 in size, but has a front-lit and potentially higher resolution screen.

I have an X4 Pro (219 ppi) and I use 14pt font because letter widths are pretty uneven at 12pt and on a screen this small I wish I could use my preferred tiny font size. Other than that, it's great.

$70 in the US, 90€ ($105) in Europe :3 https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x3

I guess West Coast shipping from China is much cheaper

For $50, I like this one even better. https://www.seeedstudio.com/reTerminal-Sticky-p-6861.html. Seems to scratch a similar itch

I got X3 because it was on the ads all over my internet. My idea was that I can stick it to my phone when I go out or commute and don’t want to bring my standard Kobo reader, so I can read more instead of doomscrolling

So far, my impression:

- it’s a fun piece of tech, but it’s also a super simple one. Idk the price of a eink screen like that, but it’s basically a screen + esp32 + battery, so $70 might be a bit too much, and just includes all the ads budget, which is clearly huge

- CrossPoint firmware is neat and OSS, so you can for and DIY whatever you can imagine

- it’s still so much more convenient to read on a bit bigger reader. Even my Kobo Clara BW with Koreader, which is still quite portable, has way better UX. And it’s just about x2 more expensive

- magnet is not strong enough to sit firmly on my phone

- I got a epub rendering issue with one of my books

- I don’t read a lot on it and still prefer my Kobo, so it failed the main objective for me personally

- it’s still fun how much esp32 in such a tiny enclosure can do :)

Mine's screen cracked in a month. Didn't drop it or mishandled it. Be aware that is it much more fragile that a Kindle.

I want an e-reader that can handle narration. Actually immersive reading - https://storyteller-platform.dev - without paying Amazon. This is possible on a kindle running KOReader, but it's very slow loading for large books (have the last generation Oasis). I ordered a Boox 7 because it should have a lot more raw power (CPU, ram). Plus it has physical buttons. Why would you want to put oil from your hands on the screen you read on? If you're into small screens, you probably have a phone in your pocket that you could run an e-reader app on.

I have one and am very happy with it. I vibe coded a bilingual ebook reader, which is what I bought it for. However a Kindle is a way better deal and is much better as far as screen quality etc. But I like how small my XTEINK X4 Pro is.

I got one and it is a neat fun device.

And it's pretty hackable, with an open firmware, bunch of community involvement in developing third party alternatives for the default software.

I have even vibecoded random software to run on it.

I have an x3 and love it. It’s so small I don’t think twice about taking it everywhere. I have the crosspoint firmware on it, and I sync it with calibre.

Not me reading the Hackernews front page RSS on an X4 coming across this post.

Great little device. There's a custom firmware that adds some nice to haves including the RSS reader. Downloads the linked HTML page for offline viewing and formats it nicely.

https://github.com/zakerytclarke/crosspoint-reader-apps

I love my Xteink. It’s so small and lightweight I can take it anywhere. It runs fully on free software, and I paid close to nothing for the Chinese version on AliExpress.

I’ll use a bigger e-reader at home, and carry it to continue reading my book on the go. I have it for close to two months and charged it only once.

My favorite thing is that simply having it nearby showing the book cover is an invitation to read.

The only reasons I bought the X4 once I saw the ads

- the price

- the custom firmwares

Once they kinda dropped the ball by making it harder to flash if bought elsewhere than their store, I started looking elsewhere. If I had to buy a similar device right now, I'd choose the reTerminal Sticky since it starts with customizability in mind.

Obviously Amazon missed the mark with their Fire phone years ago, but I recall thinking I would have bought one if they had embedded their Kindle reader on back. This is a nice, but still inelegant solution. I want an iPhone Air with one of these integrated on the back and easily manage the device via a phone app.

It’s interesting that this device is having a moment. It’s not, strictly speaking, new; I had something called “Oaxis InkCase” around 2013. It was designed to accompany a smart phone.

This could never have been invented in SV. You cannot show large bright colored advertisements on it!

for me, the killer feature of the little xteink readers is _no touchscreen_. This is important because you can hold the device as you would a paper book, thumb on the page itself without accidentally turning the page or triggering some menu system.

As someone that mainly switched to e-readers because of bad eyes, this is way too small. Even the bigger x4 seems too small for the font size I feel comfortable with.

I have the x3, x4, and x4 pro. They're all great

I'm addicted to my X3. I hope they make a smartish-phone this size at some point. Just smart enough to run bank-apps, qrcode scanning.

The fact that you can use it one-handed is the killer feature for me, both for reading and as a generic dashboard/remote control for stuff in my home.

Anyone know why these have aliased fonts? My ancient Kobo with similar ppi has perfect rendering

Surprised I never heard of this!

Looking to pick one up, any recommendations on X4 Pro vs Classic?

You have to wonder why someone did not think of this form factor sooner. I have the original X4 and have been enjoying it a lot. My Kobo mostly lies unused because I do most of my reading in bed and the X4, even with a clip-on light, is so much easier on the wrists.

Dual core Arm CPUs, Android etc used by mainstream readers are a serious waste of resources. A microcontroller paired with the SD card is more than enough. And CrossPoint is a gem! The list of pros is long and the device recommends itself. But there is one con that you must watch out for:

The screen is delicate.

I love cases but hate screen protectors, and tend to use my devices with care. So it has worked out fairly well for me the past few months. But you might have a different experience.

"In a sense, it is that. Xteink sounds less like a real brand name than the kind of garbled text you’ll find in AI-slop memes."

I think it's a great name. To me it reads like "extend e-ink", crazy how perception can be so different.

The X3 seems nicest as it’s smallest and a good deal lighter.

After the x4 was marketed as having MagSafe that would work with a phone, while the magnet doesn’t align with MagSafe.

Neat little esp32 eReader with the standard bs around the company.

I'm tempted, despite being wedded to Kindle. I can search for and borrow a library bok on Libby in 30 seconds, then have it automagically appear on my Kindle; I doubt the experience is so seamless with Crosspoint, and of course the progress won't sync. But otherwise, an e-ink screen on the back of my phone is something I have always wanted. Hey Amazon, how about a Kindle counterpart to this?

FWIW my wife found one via some ads or a YouTuber idk but she loves hers. Uses it 10x more than her kindle.

I appreciate the attempt here!

> In other words, we need more gadgets like the Xteink: cheap, simple, and customizable.

> The best thing about the Xteink is not any one feature. It’s that this tiny e-reader is fun in a way so few gadgets are anymore. Despite all our advances, the consumer-electronics landscape of 2026 is predictable and banal. Our laptops, smartphones, and tablets are thinner and more powerful than ever, but that feels like a weak substitute for innovation.

Especially in the LLM age, devices that define the experience totally are, imo, under massive threat. The innovation is us. The innovation is being allowed to have fun with your device. The innovation is a return to Right of First Sale principles, a vibrant modifiability, an enduring FAFO-ness. Humanity longs for a return to something that lets human spirit and ingenuity in, and we have all new super powerful agents to help us explore & make our own new outposts on the frontier with.

This article does a more direct job than I would expect to see in print talking to something at least a bit as such.

way too expensive

but no usb-c port? Nooooooooooo!

NOBODY asked for a proprietary pogo pin usb cable. shame on you!!!!

The CEO of this brand once portrayed himself as a first-time entrepreneur, launching a small batch of products at extremely low prices, then raising prices and quickly rolling out new models. But earlier this year, one of his competitors publicly presented a series of allegations that were subsequently substantiated, including that he had actually been involved in multiple previous ventures with a highly questionable track record, and that some of the products' key specifications had been seriously misrepresented. The company later apologized for the inaccurate specifications, claiming that the misinformation was unintentional. However, it offered neither a recall nor any meaningful compensation to affected customers. Soon afterward, the brand launched yet another new product, only for customers to discover after receiving it that the promotional images were also misleading. At the end of the day, this brand's business model seems to be little more than assembling cheap off-the-shelf components and using aggressive social media marketing to convince people that they need its products.

[dead]

My cynical take: these cute little things still end up in landfills, and my 5+ year old phone runs the kindle app just fine.

I'm regularly charmed by the idea of e-readers, especially really small ones like this. But then I remember I already have a phone where I can comfortably read on for hours with an aggressive blue-light filter that turns the entire screen red and remind myself on the awful refresh rate that comes with e-ink that goes counter to me scrolling as I read line by line.