The $70 E-Reader That Puts Silicon Valley to Shame
Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader puts Silicon Valley to shame
The Atlantic's Saahil Desai spent 10 hours reading Robert Caro's 'The Power Broker' on the Xteink X3, a $70 e-reader the size of a credit card that magnetically attaches to the back of an iPhone. Despite its cheap, AI-slop-sounding brand and Temu origins, the device has become a favorite among TikTokers and YouTubers, and Desai argues it's the best piece of technology in years, shaming the overpriced gadgets of Silicon Valley.
The $70 Xteink X3 puts Silicon Valley to shame.
- peri-cl
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."
- beej71
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. […]
- jacek
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.
- larme
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.
- BSOhealth
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.
- croon
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?
- stevesimmons
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!
- maxglute
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.