It begins. Get ready for the market to get flooded with cheap mini ereaders from China, thanks to Xteink ereaders starting the new fad.
I’ve been ignoring most of them, especially the models that are chronically out of stock, but a bunch of new listings for Metalio ereaders have started turning up on Amazon, and they do look interesting, especially considering the latest version of CrossPoint added support for the Metalio E-Ink 4.
There are two different Metalio models available, the E-Ink 4 and the E-Ink 4 Plus. The latter has a 4.7″ E Ink screen with 297 ppi, which is larger than most “mini” ereaders, and it’s the first I’ve seen that has 297 ppi.
One complaint people have with these new mini ereaders is they have lower resolution screens than mainstream ereaders like Kindles and Kobo that have 300 ppi.
The smaller model, the Matalio E-Ink 4, has a 3.97″ E Ink screen with 235 ppi like the new Boox Picco. It has a touchscreen but it lacks a frontlight, and it’s a lot cheaper than the Picco at $79-$89 (depending on the vendor).
The larger Plus model does have a frontlight, with temperature control, and it’s priced in the $109-$119 range. Both models are ESP32-S3 based, and they have aluminum frames with a glass back panel, and physical buttons. The description states they come with a silicone protective case.
They have WiFi and Bluetooth, with support for audio, and they include a 16GB microSD card and support cards up to 256GB. I assume they have USB-C ports but I don’t see that specifically stated anywhere or any pictures that would confirm it (but it does say they support USB file transfer). There’s also mention of an accelerometer and haptics.
The E-Ink 4 Plus has a 2,000 mAh battery and the device weighs about 100 grams. The smaller E-Ink 4 has a 1,000 mAh battery and it weighs about 70 grams.
Apparently there’s a variant with 4G wireless and a 2MP camera, but it doesn’t look like it’s available yet.
These new Metalio ereaders are being marketed as open-source compatible, and with CrossPoint support already available (at least on the E-Ink 4) that’s a good sign moving forward, and they have some unique features not available on similar models
Leave a Reply