Xteink’s Subsequent Pocket-Sized E-Reader May (Virtually) Exchange Your Kindle

Xteink’s tiny e-readers went viral final 12 months for his or her extraordinarily pocketable kind issue and talent to magnetically snap onto the again of your smartphone. The X4 was marketed as a simple solution to learn extra whereas out and about—all you must do is connect it to your telephone and flip it over to get studying.

This week, Xteink introduced the X4 Pro, an e-reader that’s kind of precisely the identical as the unique X4, with the addition of some premium options. The X4 Pro retails for $109, a $40 bump over the X4, although it’s at present listed at $99.

The main replace right here is an adjustable-warmth backlight; final 12 months’s mannequin had no backlight, making it unusable in darkish environments with out an out of doors mild supply. This was a significant downside for the gadget, provided that just about each standard e-reader as of late has a backlight of some kind. It’s additionally obtained a 1,100mAh battery, a big increase over the X4’s 650mAh battery. Much of the X4’s design stays right here: it’s the same measurement (a 4.3-inch display, weighing in at 72g), although it does now provide a touchscreen.

The Xteink X4 Pro gained’t be for everybody, although. The new e-reader has achieved away with USB-C charging, for some purpose, swapping in a pogo-pin charging port as a substitute. A really unusual alternative, provided that USB-C is just about customary throughout e-readers (and different electronics) as of late. And a particular detractor for anybody who doesn’t need to cope with a bespoke charging cable for his or her e-reader.

Xteink’s studying expertise isn’t precisely as much as par with business requirements, both. The display maxes out at 219 ppi, the place even essentially the most fundamental Kindle is available in at 300 ppi. Xteink’s software program has been finicky at greatest up to now, and although the corporate says it’s been improved for the X4 Pro, it actually gained’t be as user-friendly because the software program operating on Kindles and Kobos, for instance.

Where the Xteink does stand out is in its measurement. Truly pocketable e-readers are tougher to come back by than extra customary, book-sized e-readers. Popular ones just like the Boox Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro are available in at triple and even quadruple the worth of the X4 Pro (although they do include far more superior options to match this value level). And, to be honest, the Palma sequence is sort of a bit bigger than the X4 and X4 Pro.

Xteink has carved out a fairly distinctive area for itself within the e-reader market: a really tiny gadget at a value level that hovers round $100. Maybe it’ll persuade larger business names to supply one thing related.