• 2 min read
Xteink X4 Pro adds touch and a light for $109
Xteink’s new 4.3-inch X4 Pro sticks to the back of your phone, adding a dual-screen E Ink display with a touchscreen and front light.
Image: TechRadar
Xteink has launched the X4 Pro, a 4.3-inch ereader designed to magnetically attach to the back of a phone and act as a second, more eye-friendly display for reading. At 111 x 69 x 5.95mm, it’s even smaller than the iPhone 13 mini, and close in size to the earlier Xteink X4.
The headline upgrades over the previous model are practical ones. The X4 Pro swaps physical buttons for a touchscreen, adds a front light for reading in the dark, and increases battery capacity to 1,100mAh, up from 650mAh. Despite that larger battery, it weighs slightly less at 72g.
Pricing and software limitations
The Xteink X4 Pro is available now from Xteink’s website for $109 / £84 / AU$159, with a launch discount lowering the price to $99 / £76 / AU$145. That makes it somewhat pricier than its predecessor, and it also drops USB-C charging in favor of a magnetic pogo charger.
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The bigger compromise is software. Like current Xteink devices, the X4 Pro does not support Android, so users can’t install the Kindle or Kobo apps and must sideload books instead. TechRadar notes that the upcoming Xteink S4 will support Android.
Xteink’s own software has received mixed reviews, but the developer edition of the X4 Pro allows firmware changes. That opens the door to third-party alternatives including the newly announced FreeInk, an open-source ereader platform listed as supporting the X3 and X4 among other devices.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via TechRadar
