The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader • Hacker News Board

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#11

Post by camel-cdr » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 5:57 PM UTC

WithinReason wrote: post #7

CrossPoint 1.4.0 came out 2 hours ago: https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader/relea...

I skimmed over the project a bit. It seems quite ambitious to aim to reimplement epub, considering that means supporting HTML, CSS, SVG and JavaScript.

Is there a ebook format that isn't just build arround the concept of a webbrowser?

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#12

Post by BeetleB » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 5:57 PM UTC

miohtama wrote: post #6

For those who can afford it, I can recommend the Boox Note for the ebook reader. It comes with full Android, so you are not limited to books but can read news, Hacker News, and other doomscrolling that fills the Internet. In a pinch, you can also connect it to a Bluetooth keyboard and use it as a development terminal. SSH terminal looks gorgeous on e-ink.

> It comes with full Android, so you are not limited to books but can read news, Hacker News, and other doomscrolling that fills the Internet.

That sounds like an anti-feature. When I first bought an ereader over 15 years ago, I intentionally chose one that didn't support Wifi for this very reason. I want it primarily for reading documents.

But then again, I guess Boox is meant more to be a tablet than an ereader.

Also, genuinely curious - does having Android reduce the time between recharges? As an example, I read a whole book over 7 days, and didn't need to charge my Kobo (and modern Kobo battery life is not great).

I want Kobo to release an 8" color, but don't know if they ever will. I was considering Boox as an alternative, but I worry about battery life and Android. I wonder if my worry is misplaced.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#13

Post by dgrabla » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 5:59 PM UTC

I love this thing and I use it a lot more than my kindle and my kobo (with koreader). I really like the form factor and the fact that goes out of sleep almost instantly and goes to sleep equally as fast. It seeps battery. It is perfect the way it is.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#14

Post by galleywest200 » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC

I love my X4. I throw it in my backpack or pocket when I take the dog to the park and read a few pages when we sit in the shade.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#15

Post by shorsher » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:01 PM UTC

As someone who has resisted buying an e-reader for years because I "prefer physical books", I finally purchased a Kobo Clara BW and love it. Even though I usually only read one book at a time, having my whole library in a small form factor is really wonderful.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#16

Post by nosioptar » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:03 PM UTC

The no USB flashing doesn't appear to be the case if you get it straight from OEM. It is a bit pricier than amazon.

https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#17

Post by imzadi » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:03 PM UTC

miohtama wrote: post #6

For those who can afford it, I can recommend the Boox Note for the ebook reader. It comes with full Android, so you are not limited to books but can read news, Hacker News, and other doomscrolling that fills the Internet. In a pinch, you can also connect it to a Bluetooth keyboard and use it as a development terminal. SSH terminal looks gorgeous on e-ink.

If you are looking for a more affordable option, I have a Musnap Ocean C. It's a little bare bones, but still pretty good. It's a color e-ink display and you can get an optional pen that lets you take notes. I only use it for books and documents, though. It's the best option under $300 that I have found if you want something that is color and can take hand written notes.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#18

Post by thenthenthen » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:03 PM UTC

Hijacking … i have some random e-ink displays (from a bought product)… there seem to be 6 lines to the mcu (or 7, havent measured). Any 2026 tips on approaches to reverse engineer this to run on an arbitrary hobby mcu like esp32? Oh the mcu seems to be a WinnerMicro W100 Series MCU (arm m3)

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#19

Post by crimsdings » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:04 PM UTC

Have the X4, the size is perfect - I always have it in my pocket and can read a view pages whenever I am waiting for something. Reduced my phone usage / doom scrolling nonsense with it. Best 50€ spent in a long time.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#20

Post by hxii » Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC

I’ve been looking at these for a while, hoping the custom firmwares for it will become more popular, as I was considering getting this for my six-year-old.

The disabled usb is certainly a bummer. I wonder how they disabled it though – is there a hardware difference?