A few months ago, I tested a small-format, affordable e-reader from Woxter (a Spanish brand), and on Reddit I discovered a whole range of mini e-ink e-readers with screens smaller than 4 inches.
These e-readers are distributed on e-commerce sites under brand names such as Onxy (not to be confused with Onyx), DLHifi or Fanmu.
They all share the same specifications, or almost:
- a small 3.52" e-ink screen
- 240 x 360 pixel resolution
- Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity
- 850 mAh battery
- USB-C port
- Support for ebook format: TXT
- Support for audio formats: MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, APE, WMA
- 32 GB of storage
- Weight: 88 grams
- Dimensions: 97.7mm x 61mm x 9mm
In short, these devices are tiny and fit easily in the hand or pocket.
The specifications reveal that they only support the TXT format for reading. This makes them very limited e-readers, far from the possibilities offered by major brands such as Kindle, Kobo, Nook or Pocketbook.
To read an EPUB file on one of these little e-readers, you'll need to use Calibre software and convert the ebook to TXT format (which is easy to do with the conversion options offered by the software).
The TXT file must then be transferred to the e-reader by connecting it to your computer and copying the file to its storage medium.
With more advanced audio compatibility (and Bluetooth), these devices are primarily designed for reading audiobooks or music files.
On the technical side, there's a 320 x 240 pixel e-ink screen. To the best of my knowledge, these seem to be small screens designed primarily for display purposes.
Resolution is therefore minimal, and text display will be rather complicated, but not impossible. Needless to say, the reading experience will be a far cry from what a true, more complete e-reader is capable of offering.
So why am I telling you about these mini e-readers?
Well, because the price is pretty impressive: you can pick one up for around $50 (sometimes less, depending on the brand) on a sales site like AliExpress. So, if you like minimalist and different reading experiences, this could be an intriguing and fun gadget to get your hands on.
Nevertheless, you can always get the Woxter Scriba e-reader on Amazon (reviewed on the site) for a few dollars more which will give you a much better reading experience - without audio capability though.
