Xteink X4 - miniature e-reader, 2025
EDIT: Ok, besides the fact that I have over 45 ebook readers already, fuck it, I just ordered one of these. It's small, so just one more is fine, right?! :)
The Xteink X4 is a miniature e-reader from Xteink, a small hardware company based in Shenzhen, China. The company’s founder, Crusoe Hu, introduced Xteink to international readers in late 2025 at a price of $69.
The basic idea was simple: make an e-reader small and thin enough that people would actually carry it everywhere. Instead of competing directly with a Kindle as a primary home reader, the X4 was meant for short reading sessions during lunch breaks, appointments, bus rides, or other moments when people would normally reach for their phones.
The X4 has a 4.3-inch black-and-white E Ink screen with a resolution of about 220 pixels per inch.
It measures approximately 4.49 by 2.72 inches, is just under a quarter-inch thick, and weighs around 74 to 77 grams, depending on which company figure is used. That makes it noticeably smaller and lighter than a typical Kindle.
Its other major specifications include:
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ESP32 processor
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650 mAh rechargeable battery
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USB-C charging
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Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
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16 GB microSD card included
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Support for microSD cards up to 256 GB
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EPUB and TXT book support
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JPG and BMP image support
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Physical page-turn and navigation buttons
19 replies
No source code. No buy.
Only support hardware with GPL drivers and kernel support.
I got you fam. Not a lot my ereaders have the default OS on them. I hack them all, and will this one too. I just bought one of these today and I'll be putting this open source software on it: https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader
Heck, my fav thing when buying a new ereader, is seeing how much open source stuff I can put on it. Ever since OpenInkpot for an old BeBook (I love that reader!) that I have from years ago. :)
What I have really cut back on is buying stuff that I can't replace batteries on. All other ebook readers are made so that I can switch out the batteries. I made and exception for this because I wanna try it out.
+1 for crosspoint reader! i personally use crossink (crosspoint fork), but the point is that you can tinker around with the firmware no problem, and was in fact one of the main reasons why i decided to buy this. i'm not a frequent reader, but the x4 has really allowed me to fit in short bits of reading here and there where a full-sized e-reader would be cumbersome. not to sound like a shill, but i'm quite happy with it
So awesome to hear! I'm looking forward to getting mine in a few days!
What OS do you install on your kindles?
Older ones, none other than installing my own font some of them--which I can't remember how I did, but should be easy enough to research. The older ones don't have a lot of hacks available.
Newer ones, I went with KOReader. Which is what I also put on my Pocketbook.
45 ebook readers??
You know they aren't single use, right? /s
Yeah, I probably should explain. About 30 of them are Kindle 3s. I bought a whole crate for $1 each because they all had broken screens. I replace the screens, swap batteries when needed, clean them up, and get them ready to resell.
But the sad part, and I have no explanation other than laziness, is that I haven't bothered to actually list them. So I repair them, make them look shiny, then put on my shelf and go, "Wow, pretty!" 🤣 🤣
I've given some out as gifts and stuff to family, but I just like seeing a broken ebook reader, then fixing it, cleaning it back up. and having it turn on that first time.
I have no explanation for the feeling. It was something headed for the dump, and I brought it back to life. So even tho I bought the cheap, it's still a money loss, because I haven't gotten around to ever selling a single one! And the screens and batteries add to the costs, since I buy those new. So I have a shelf of working back-from-the-dead Kindles with brand new parts! LMAO
I feel like it's my "mission." But I don't now what that mission would be. Maybe I can donate to schools or something, but since they are older ones, the wi-fi network that Amazon used for them isn't in service anymore. They are easy to side-load via USB or Calibre, but who will want to do that, when they have their eyes on the latest tech?
So my mission appears to bring kindles back to life, so... they can set on my shelf.
My girlfriend calls me a hoarder. I prefer the term, e-hoarder!
But I'm no longer hiding! I'm sharing my love of ebook readers with Lemmy. Mama, I've made it to the big time!
For me, it’s a replacement for reflexively reaching for social media.
You have one? What do you think of it?
I was gonna get one, but I can get a Kindle Gen3, and rehab it with a new battery and new screen for same price as these, so I never got one. I don't like to carry stuff in my pockets, and I finally got down to 2 keys, razor-thin microwallet, and my phone. So I didn't want another device for my pocket.I just ordered one! :)
lol
Welcome to the club. It’s not a cult.
Disappointed to hear that! Guess we gotta start one!
I've seen so many images of people breaking these accidentally while on their pockets that I'm very hesitant about getting one.
I got the magnetic flip cover for mine. It's survived bouncing around in my backpack's main pouch for months.
I only carry stuff in my front pockets now, but I was wondering how durable they were.
A coworker of mine has one. He likes it.
I'm a little nervous since I don't have the best eyesight when it comes to text, so hopefully I didn't waste my time buying it. I bought on Amazon, so I'll open carefully in case have to return it. But I can read on my phone (don't like to, I prefer e-ink screens), so I'm assuming it'll be fine.
But I do like the idea of just having it in my pocket as I go to the park. I take my Kindle to the park now. Which isn't heavy or hard to do, but yeah, pocket reader will be awesome. And for doc visits and stuff. If I can actually read on it! lol
I have the X3 and it comes with a magnet ring you can stick to it, now I can literally stick it to the back of my phone, I love it. Although I really wish it had usb charging and not its own proprietary adapter. it also came with screen protector and sd card.
I literally had the X3 in my cart on Amazon, and just before I clicked "buy," I read about the proprietary adapter. So I took it out of my cart, and went with the X4, which is still usb. And looks like more hacking opps for the X4 since it's older.
What sucks tho is the X3 was gonna be delivered tomorrow morning. But for the X4, delivery is in 10 days for some reason. So ugh!!
The naming threw me off too. So the X3 is newer than the X4. I wasn't expecting that for some reason.