After using and reviewing both the Xteink X4 and the Xteink X3 over the past couple of months, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could get along with using either of them.
The larger X4 fits my giant hands better (the last time I bought gloves they were XXL and they were still too small), and the position of the side page-turn button suits my grip better than the higher single buttons on the X3, but if I didn’t have the X4 I’d happily use the X3.
I’ve been saying for years there needs to be more small, pocketable ereaders on the market and it’s just good to finally have some options now.
That being said, if I had to use the stock software these devices come with they likely would’ve disappeared into my closet of doom for years without seeing any use. The fact that they can run custom software is their saving grace.
I’ll admit this comparison is kind of late at this point, and I thought about scrapping it entirely, but it looks like Xteink is going to be keeping the X4 around even with the new X4 Pro getting released so the comparison is still relevant for the time being, and rumor has it a new X4 Gen 2 might be coming soon with some minor revisions.
Xteink X3 vs X4 – Main Differences
Size: According to Xteink, the X3 measures 97.6 × 63.7 × 5.1 mm, and it weighs 58 grams. The X4 measures 114 × 69 × 5.9 mm, and it weighs 77 grams. According to my scale, the X3 weighs 57.7 grams and the X4 weighs 74.5 grams.
Screen: The X3 has a 3.7″ screen with 259 ppi. The X4 has a 4.3″ screen with 219 ppi. The screen on the X3 looks a little bit nicer, with slightly darker ink and a slightly lighter background (the difference is subtle). My X4 suffers from text fade when the screen is in direct sunlight, but my X3 doesn’t so the X3 gets the win on the better screen. That said, it’s not enough of a difference to sway me away from using the X4.
Buttons: They both have the same two rocker buttons below the screen that function as four buttons for navigating and turning pages. The X3 has single page-turn buttons on each side near the top, whereas the X4 has one rocker page-turn button on the right side halfway down for paging forward and back. On the X4, the power and reset buttons are on that same side, but they’re located on the top of the X3.
Gyroscope: The X3 adds a sensor for turning pages by tilting or shaking the device (this can be turned off).
NFC: The X3 adds NFC support.
Charging: The X3 has pogo pin connectors for charging and requires using a special cable that it comes with; the X4 has a regular old USB-C port (but the Gen 2 might switch to pogo).
Magnets: Apparently the magnets on the back of the X3 are better optimized for attaching the device to the back of phones. I don’t have a phone that supports that so I didn’t test this.
Other Differences
Apparently both colors of the X3 have a glass layer on the back of the device. My black X4 does not have that, but I guess the gray X4 does.
As noted by Sebrina on an earlier comment, the X3 has a clock and the X4 does not. Why that is, I do not know. I didn’t even notice.
If you know of any more differences between the two, feel free to leave a comment below.
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