{"id":4154,"date":"2026-07-21T14:19:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4154"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:19:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:19:35","slug":"xteink-e-ink-e-reader-x4-pro-touchscreen-light-hands-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4154","title":{"rendered":"A touchscreen makes Xteink\u2019s new X4 Pro a tempting Kindle alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The familiar story<\/a> with Xteink\u2019s tiny e-readers<\/a> plays out once again with its new X4 Pro: upgraded hardware held back by frustrating software. The company\u2019s latest tiny e-reader adds a touchscreen and lighting, so choosing it over a Kindle or a Kobo feels like less of a compromise \u2014 until you use it. The new touch controls and some welcome software updates do manage to make the X4 Pro easier to use, but frustrations still abound. There\u2019s a happier ending to the story this time, however, as the team behind the excellent CrossPoint Reader software<\/a> plan to have their alternative firmware ready for the new device at its launch. If you\u2019ve been considering one of Xteink\u2019s e-readers, the X4 Pro is the one to get, even if it\u2019s the most expensive yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The X4 Pro (right) is slightly shorter and thinner than the original X4 (left).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The X3 (left) is much smaller than the X4 Pro (right), but the new e-reader is still extremely pocketable.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The X4 Pro is available for purchase today through Xteink\u2019s online store<\/a> for $99, making it slightly more expensive than the company\u2019s $79 X3<\/a> and $69 X4 models<\/a>. That also brings the X4 Pro closer in price to the $110 entry-level Kindle<\/a> featuring Amazon\u2019s polished e-reader experience and on-device access to a well-stocked digital bookstore. The X4 Pro lacks both of those things, but with a 4.26-inch, 800 x 480 E Ink screen, it\u2019s another extremely pocketable device from Xteink that\u2019s slightly smaller and thinner than the company\u2019s first e-reader, and considerably smaller than Amazon\u2019s 6-inch Kindle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Instead of a USB-C port, the X4 Pro features a magnetic pogo-pin connector on the back. It functions like a standard USB-C port, however, and an adapter (you won\u2019t want to lose) is included.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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That thin profile means you\u2019ll need to be prepared for a big compromise: There\u2019s no longer an actual USB-C port. You can still benefit from USB-C functionality but will need an adapter to deal with an uncommon magnetic pogo-pin connection. The adapter is included, but I\u2019d still opt for a slightly thicker device with an actual USB-C port.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The magnets on the X4 Pro feel stronger than on the company\u2019s other e-readers, but it still doesn\u2019t doesn\u2019t attach to the back of your phone as securely as magnetic power banks do.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It should fit larger phones, but when attached to the back of my iPhone 16 Pro the X4 Pro awkwardly hung off the bottom by about half an inch.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On the back of the X4 Pro you\u2019ll once again find embedded magnets so you can attach it to compatible smartphones like a wireless battery. The magnets feel stronger, but still not strong enough to make me confident the e-reader is going to remain stuck to my phone while jostling around in my pocket. The X4 Pro\u2019s size also makes the tiny e-reader awkwardly extend past the bottom of my iPhone 16 Pro when attached, and at this point I think Xteink should just abandon promoting this functionality. Its e-readers are better as standalone devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Xteink isn\u2019t abandoning physical buttons altogether<\/em>. The X4 Pro still has four in total: two page turn buttons, a reset button, and a power\/sleep button.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On the top of the X4 Pro you\u2019ll also find a microSD card slot so you can expand its storage.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The added touchscreen allows for a much simpler button layout on the X4 Pro, and I\u2019m glad the company still includes dedicated page turn buttons on each side in addition to being able to tap the edges of the screen. There\u2019s also a power\/wake button and, for the first time, a touch button on the front of the e-reader below its screen for jumping back to the e-reader\u2019s homescreen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The X4 Pro has a touch-sensitive button located beneath its screen, making it very easy to jump back to the device\u2019s homescreen.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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There\u2019s been some debate about whether or not<\/a> these tiny e-readers actually need a touchscreen, but after testing the X4 Pro for over a week I think it\u2019s a welcome upgrade for these devices. Even after months of use, navigating the company\u2019s other e-readers using just buttons has never felt intuitive or easy, and it\u2019s held me back from wanting to carry them everywhere I go. Navigating the X4 Pro using screen taps (like we do with the rest of our mobile devices) finally makes it feel like I\u2019m not fighting the e-reader to make it do what I want.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the X4 Pro\u2019s touchscreen doesn\u2019t feel as sensitive or responsive as a Kindle or Kobo when tapping on the screen, and half the time it feels like I have to repeat a tap with a little more pressure for my finger to be detected. I\u2019m hoping that\u2019s something that can be improved through future software updates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are no automatic adjustments for the X4 Pro\u2019s screen light, but you can manually adjust its intensity and color temperature.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The X4 Pro\u2019s screen can be set to a very warm tint to reduce your blue light exposure while reading at night.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The added screen light is an excellent upgrade, and even though it\u2019s a bit uneven and definitely a little brighter at the top of the display, you can adjust its intensity and color temperature using sliders that appear when you swipe down from the top of the screen. There are no automatic adjustments or scheduling available yet, but being able to finally use this e-reader in bed without having a lamp on is a game changer, and I can\u2019t see myself going back to Xteink\u2019s older devices that lack lighting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Xteink has made a lot of improvements to its bundled software and UI to accommodate the X4 Pro\u2019s touchscreen. The menus have been streamlined and are easier to navigate with touch, and accessing reading settings by tapping anywhere on the page now feels more intuitive. There\u2019s also more flexibility with adjusting text spacing and layout, but out of the box you\u2019re once again limited to just a single font in two different sizes unless you want to jump through hoops to install your own. But you don\u2019t have to suffer with Xteink\u2019s unpolished software.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Of all the X4 Pro\u2019s improvements, the most compelling reason to get Xteink\u2019s latest e-reader is that the easy-to-install CrossPoint Reader software<\/a> will be available at launch. It\u2019s a free firmware alternative that vastly improves the UI and reading experience of Xteink\u2019s devices. When I tested Xteink\u2019s last e-reader<\/a> the team behind CrossPoint Reader wasn\u2019t sure when support for the X3 would be released, but Justin Mitchell has since taken over as the core maintainer of the software and told The Verge<\/em> that X4 Pro support will be available \u201cbefore any customers are able to order and receive theirs in the states.\u201d CrossPoint Reader is also now a part of Mitchell\u2019s new Free Ink project<\/a> that counts Xteink as one of its hardware partners, so the firmware should be compatible with all of the company\u2019s future devices at launch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you\u2019ve been on the fence about grabbing one of Xteink\u2019s e-readers, even with a proprietary USB-C connector and a $99 price tag the X4 Pro is the one to get if you prioritize portability. It won\u2019t match the Kindle or Kobo experience even after installing CrossPoint Reader, but even with its limitations it\u2019s still the best tiny e-reader you can buy and a device I already won\u2019t leave the house without.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Photography by Andrew Liszewski \/ The Verge<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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