Phrasemaker

The average Kindle reader will laugh at the sight and features of the Xteink X4. 4.3-inchs of E ink with no touchscreen, no store, no frontlight, and barely any software features. It looks like a toy. It’s even priced like one. But look closer and you’ll see it’s something magical. Somehow, through capitalist magic and Chinese engineering, Xteink have combined a pocket bible, a Labubu, and a Magsafe Wallet. And somehow it works. 

Quick Verdict

Now, if you’re the type of old that needs big words and simple controls, the Xteink X4 is not going to make you smile. Get a kindle and treat it like an electronic coffee table book or nightstand paperback. The X4 is too small for that kind of casual home use. Besides, a kindle is great. It’s the perfect place to start e-reading, and the biggest downsides are minor: it’s a little bulky in the pocket, pricey for a new one, and just kind of plain to look at. 

The Xteink X4 (with the coloured case of your choosing) looks like a detectives’ notepad or a chapbook filled with secret poems. You can add a string to make it a bag charm and change the power-off screen to a photo of your dog. It’s customisable in font, rotation, storage space, and more, making it perfectly adaptable, but it is a work in progress, and if you’re patient, the X3 is going to be the better choice.

Best for young, trendy, and all-the-time readers.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Xteink X4 Specs and Pricing

The Xteink X4 keeps things simple, even by e-reader standards, but the upgradeable storage is a unique bonus. 

Screen: 4.3-inch E Ink display
Resolution: 480 x 800, 220 ppi
Storage: 32GB microSD included, expandable up to 512GB
Battery: 650mAh, up to 14 days per charge
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and Bluetooth
Charging: USB-C
Weight: 74g
Thickness: 5.9mm
Dimensions: 114mm x 69mm
Buttons: A power button, 3 dual-use buttons, and a reset.
Supported formats: EPUB, TXT, JPG, BMP, and BIN (for fonts).

Box Contents

• 1 × X4 E-Reader
• 1× Quick Start Guide
• 1× MicroSD Card
• 1× Screen Protectors
• 2× Magnetic Stick-on Rings
• Plus, a Micro SD USB adapter for easy transferring (This isn’t listed on site, it’s a secret bonus they add to international orders after fans told them it’s more convenient).

Currently, the only official way to buy one is through their site, Xteink.com for $69.00 USD (the magnetic case is another 8.99, and a magnetic reading light can be added for another 9.99). Shipping was surprisingly quick too, under a week from China to Australia.

Design and Build Quality

Small and sweet, it’s made of solid plastic like any other ereader. Specifically, it feels a little stiffer, tougher than a kindle’s recycled PP, ABS probably. It’s a sturdy piece of kit, and with the case, it’s hard to imagine having any major issues with its lifetime. That said, the major difference between this and the kindle in durability is its waterproofing. A kindle is waterproof up to 2 meters, a X4 is splashproof. For most, it’s a minor issue, but on the bright side, it doesn’t get confused like a wet kindle’s touchscreen.

How’s the Case?

The case is magnetic, and a perfect fit (even has a gap for the buttons. Once in place, the back is immovable, yet the front opens like a hardcover book. It feels great to use and the front sticks to the back for easy reading. Technically, it’s supposed to survive up to 10,000 folds, but the major concern is general wear and tear. Pressing a fingernail on it will mark it, and though it looks nice (like a leather magsafe wallet), I can’t imagine it’ll hold up with heavy use. That said, it’s ten bucks– nine, even– so worst case, just buy a spare (besides, the different colours are quite cute). 

Display Quality and Reading Comfort

For such a small and inexpensive device, the Xteink X4 display is pleasant to read on. The default font size is about the same as your average paperback, and with better linespacing (looks like 1.5). There’s two sets of page turn buttons ( each long button doubles and a back and forth), which makes it easy to read in either hand, but it’s designed for left hands. That said, you can rotate the screen to flip the buttons, or read it horizontally instead. At 220 ppi, there’s no issues with reading clarity, and the power-off screens look good too.

The major issues are minor. The lack of backlight is why they offer a reading light in the accessories, but I’ve never found one necessary. That said, there is a dark mode to combat this a little (inverts the display from black on white, to white on black). The other minor issue is speed. It’s short on ram (16MB internal firmware flash). It’s not noticeable while reading, but opening a new book and fiddling with the settings can be just slightly slow.

Software, UI, and Firmware Limitations

Now the software and UI is still a work in progress. As of Jan 2026, clicking on the Upload from Phone setting gives you “Feature in development”, but they’re feverishly working on that and the rest of it. Read a review a little older than this and you’ll see them bemoaning a lack of dark mode, or the UI being only in Chinese. Even more exciting is their next model, which comes out next month, the X3¹.

But for the Xteink X4, my biggest complaint is the library UI. If you have more than eight books, it starts a new page. The books are ordered by the date you added them, and can’t be resorted or searched through. You also don’t get to look at the covers, just the titles. It’s fiddly and ugly, but not a major problem.

File Support and DRM Reality

The Xteink X4 only works with DRM-free EPUB and TXT files, Mobi is a work in progress. With Amazon recently implementing hard rules on DRM (no more downloads), your Amazon libraries can not transfer over.

For some, that’s no problem. Amazon’s walled garden is getting increasingly less fun to be trapped inside. Baen Books and Booktopia both sell EPUBs, and if you didn’t already know, a whole host of free books can be found online via sites like Project Gutenberg (which shares public domain ebooks like Frankenstein, Hamlet, and The Odyssey). 

Loading Books Onto the Xteink X4

Thanks to the bonus pack-in of a Micro SD to USB adapter (available for all overseas purchases, but not mentioned on site), it’s pretty easy to drag and drop files. They do need to be EPUBS, but using Calibre, you can easily convert whatever filetypes you have (even PDFs, but it’s janky).

The Wi-Fi method works too. It has you connect your Xteink X4 to a network, setting it up as a hotspot, and entering a specific URL in your browser to access a basic file upload page. Pretty simple, but not easier than plugging in your USB. 

Fonts, Formatting, and Styling Issues

Formatting is the biggest issue with reading on the X4. The biggest issue for the whole device. Even italics get messed up (from what I’ve seen, “read this” renders like “readthis”). Bold, underlining, and any other fancy formatting is likely to get lost in the petite device’s parsing too. It’s a real shame, and according to online programmers (who know better than I), it’s not an easy fix. The X4 doesn’t have enough processing power to render the more complex details of an EPUB file. I’ve seen people say that the XTC format or custom firmware could allow for italics etcetera, but that’s all over my head. 

Battery Life and Performance

Battery life and boot time is beautiful. Can’t complain about a machine you have to charge once a month or less. On the box they say the battery life is a fortnight of proper use, but chances are you won’t be reading this so much at home. It’s best as an on-the-go reader. In that case, the battery lasts forever (and it’s USB C, so you won’t lose the charger)².

Xteink X4 Pros and Cons

Final Verdict: Is the Xteink X4 Worth It?

The Xteink X4 is too cheap to really complain about its flaws. Yes, no italics sucks. Yes, its UI and QoL is a work in progress. It’s also half the price of the cheapest Kindle and that has built-in ads (it’s awful). The X4 could be a lot worse and still be worth it, but instead it’s a charming little device that fits a fun niche in the ereader market. It’s for people who want to read on the train without a Kindle bulking up their back pocket. For standing around in line for coffee. For gifting friends their first ereader and filling it with your favourite classic books. It’s a little ereader with a lot of potential, and the charm of being so cute yet versatile makes it exciting to see how Xteink will iterate on it. Give it two years and X3s could be stuck to the back of every reader’s phone like literary Labubus.

*This review is not sponsored, nor do we get a commission from purchases, but the product was generously provided by Xteink for an impartial review.

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/xteinkereader/comments/1pi6ezd/x3_is_coming_smaller_lighter_and_a_lot_more_fun/ ↩︎
2. I’ve seen people bemoaning the X3’s switch to a magnetic four pin pogo charger, claiming that it’s proprietary and a major minus to the device. If it was, I’d bemoan that change too, but a four pin pogo can be bought down the street. It’s non-proprietary and used by smart watches like Google’s and Huawei’s (Apple Watches do have a proprietary charger). ↩︎