The Xteink X4 Pro is a tiny ereader with more features than you might expect
If you love ultra-portable gadgets and favor DRM-free ebooks, this could become your favorite device.
Most people would probably look at something like the Boox Palma 2 Pro and assume ereaders don't get much smaller, but the Xteink X4 Pro makes that device look almost unwieldy by comparison. Xteink specializes in ultra-compact, distraction-free reading devices that aren't much larger than your credit card, and the X4 Pro is its latest iteration on the decidedly niche form.
Proudly pocket-sized, it measures just 5.95mm in thickness and weighs in at a mere 72 grams. You even get built-in magnets for attaching the ereader to the back of your phone if you like. That might sound absurd, but the slender frame means the X4 Pro is probably no more obtrusive than most battery packs.
Unlike the far larger post-Oasis Kindles of the world that it (sort of) competes with, the X4 Pro has page turn buttons, a retro iPhone-like circular home button and a touch screen interface. You also get an adjustable built-in front light for late-night reading. The 4.3-inch display means you're not going to be reading comics or graphic novels here, but the idea is that you can whip the X4 Pro out of your pocket on the subway and get through a chapter or two without the likes of X and Meta tempting you into their various doomscrolling hellscapes.
As for what you can read on the X4 Pro, it only supports the importing of DRM-free ebooks, which you can do wirelessly using the Xteink app or with a USB cable. That naturally means you can forget about transferring a Kindle library or most books you borrow on Libby, but it does allow you to read your DRM-free epub and mobi files. You can easily manage your library from the app once paired with your phone, as well as download wallpapers to the ereader and import custom fonts. Alternatively, this can also also be done via a USB connection.
The X4 Pro has a 1,100mAh battery, larger than some of its predecessors, but its slender proportions come at the cost of a built-in USB-C port. Instead you have to attach an included magnetic adapter to charge it. Built-in storage is 16GB, expandable up to 256GB with a microSD card.
At $99 it's dangerously comparable in price to a basic Kindle (which is often on sale), but unless you have very large pockets you can't take one of those everywhere with you without some kind of bag.