TL;DR: The XTEINK X4 Pro is a tiny 4.3-inch black-and-white e-ink reader that went on sale July 21 for $99 on the maker’s website. Compared to the regular X4, it adds a touchscreen and a front light, along with a bigger 1100mAh battery. The catch: it drops USB-C for a proprietary pin connector, and the stock software still looks weak (though a Crosspoint version may be on the way). This isn’t a review, just a first look at the specs.
The X4 Pro at a glance
I saw the announcement go by: the XTEINK X4 Pro has been available since July 21 on the manufacturer’s website for $99 (plus shipping and any import fees, which can add up fast).
The big change over the regular X4 is mainly the arrival of a touchscreen and a front light.
The screen stays very close to before, with a 4.3-inch diagonal at 219 ppi. It’s still black-and-white e-ink.
The body shrinks a little, the buttons at the bottom are gone in favor of a capacitive “home” key, and the battery climbs to 1100mAh, up from 650mAh.
On the flip side, the USB-C port gives way to a pin connector, so a proprietary cable is now mandatory.
That’s a real drawback. USB-C has become the universal standard for phones, tablets, headphones, portable consoles and e-readers alike, so going back to a proprietary connector means yet another special cable to keep track of, and no reusing the cables you already own.
Two more reservations
I also have two other reservations after looking at the spec sheet.
First, the stock software, which I flagged in my review of the XTEINK X4. That software isn’t great at all, and I doubt the new “Pro” touchscreen version will do any better.
The good news: XTEINK and Crosspoint are now working together, so there’s a good chance a version of the Crosspoint software (which is much better suited, (see my review here) will soon be available for the XTEINK X4 Pro.
Second, touch layers and front lighting tend to drain an e-reader’s battery faster. That’s exactly why the battery got such a big bump. But we’ll have to see whether it stays this usable in real-world conditions.
Where to go next
For now, I don’t plan to test this new version, but for anyone interested in this kind of ultra-compact reader, I did review the XTEINK X4, the closest model:
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