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For two years now, I've been obsessed with the Boox Palma for one primary reason: Because it has the form factor of a phone, it's easy to slip into my pocket and carry it with me wherever I go. This helps me read more and use my phone-shaped phone a lot less, which goes a long way toward justifying the $270 price tag. So of course I'm intrigued to learn that there's a new, even smaller e-reader on the market, and you can pick one up for around $50—or even less with a Cyber Week coupon if you buy one now through Dec. 4.
Like the Palma, the Xteink X4 is a Chinese-made gadget with an e-ink screen similar to the one you'll find on the Amazon Kindle. Unlike the Palma, which is loaded up with high-end features like a temperature-adjustable front light, a camera, an Android-based operating system with access to the Google Play store, and a ton of internal storage, the Xteink X4 is about as basic as it gets. There's no lighting, no touch screen, and the onboard software is so basic, calling it an operating system feels like an overstatement. There's not even any internal storage—instead, it ships with a 32GB SD card.
I love it.
The Xteink X4 is truly easy to carry with you—more so than even phone-sized e-readers. It even has a magnetic ring on the back that you can use to attach it to the back of your phone, provided your phone is large enough (don't be fooled by the pictures on the Xteink website that show it clipped to an iPhone; it's too big for my iPhone 14 and some research confirms it doesn't really align with the larger "Max" iPhone models either). But even standing alone—even in its tiny magnetic cover (an extra $9)—you'll barely notice the Xteink X4 is in your pocket, so you'll have no excuse not to carry it everywhere so you can read instead of doomscroll.
Just the basics
I should start off with a big caveat: Unless you're at least mildly tech-savvy and you enjoy fiddling around with gadgets, the Xteink X4 is not for you. While it's fairly easy to get up and running, it does come with a learning curve, because it's designed for basic functionality over a good user experience. I this this is kind of great, but I'm someone who reviews e-ink devices regularly, so I'm not exactly a neophyte. (In any case, the r/xteinkereader Reddit community is already thriving and can help get you started.)
With that out of the way, here are the details on this super simple device:
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a 4.3-inch e-ink screen (somewhere between the size of a credit card and a standard iPhone)
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220 ppi resolution
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32GB of storage via a microSD card (expandable up to 512GB)
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Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz & Bluetooth
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650mAh battery with USB-C charging (good for ~14 days on a single charge)
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114mm x 69mm, 5.9mm thick
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Physical power, navigation, and page-turn buttons
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74g weight
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compatible with: TXT, EPUB, JPG, BMP files; BIN fonts
And that's it. Even as e-readers go, the Xteink X4 is dead simple. Navigating around the bare-bones menus requires using the physical buttons on the right side and lower bezel. It will take you some time to get familiar with which button does what, and to figure out what the different options in the settings and e-book menus actually do, but once you've got it figured out, you'll realize that if all you want is an e-reader that makes it easy to read wherever you are, it does the trick.
Easy, that is, once the books are on the device.
Getting started
Actually getting your books onto the Xteink X4 can be slightly tricky, starting with the fact that you need to have a collection of e-books in DRM-free EPUB or TXT format to read anything at all.
Only DRM-free e-books will work
Many e-book retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, generally only sell ebooks with DRM (which stands for "digital rights management"), anti-piracy software designed to ensure you can only read books purchased legally. Though DRM can be stripped from your files with tools you can find online, it's technically illegal (stern frowny face emoji) so you'll need to either purchase books without DRM or download public domain titles from sources like Project Gutenberg.
Loading files is a bit fussy
Once you do have your files ready, you can get them on the device in a couple of different ways. You can remove the SD card, stick it into a card reader, and mount it to your computer (this wasn't an option for me, however, as my work laptop won't let me mount external drives). You can also transfer files via wifi by logging the Xteink X4 into your wifi, then setting it up as a hotspot, connecting your computer, and typing a specific URL into a browser window, which will open up some simple file-sharing options that allow you to upload books, fonts, and image files. (There's an additional menu option for "Upload from Phone" but when you select it, you get a popup that says "Feature in development.")
The reading experience
Once you've got your books loaded up, the reading experience is better than you'd expect it to be. At 220ppi, the screen is crisp enough to be easily readable, though as with a paper book, there's no lighting, so you'll need to provide your own (I recommend light bulbs, but the sun works well if you're outdoors during the day).
Your books won't look great—there are only two pre-installed fonts, and as of this writing, formatting options are extremely limited, so you won't be able to see any embedded images or use hyperlinks to jump from the table of contents to a specific chapter (there are workarounds for this in the e-book navigation menus, but they are pretty clunky). Also, text styling like paragraph indents, italics, bold, and underlining are currently non-functional, which can make some books tricky to parse, but the developers promise to do their best to continue making the software better via over-the-air updates.
Who the Xteink X4 is for
If you've got a huge Kindle library or you're the type of person who just wants their tech to work without a hassle, get an Amazon e-reader. If you own a lot of books from different sources and want to read them all on the same device, an Android-based reader like the Boox Palma 2 or Boox Go 7 will serve you well.
But if you're a minimalist, or a techie who likes fiddling around with weird gadgets, I think you'll find this little guy incredibly endearing. Though there are about 10 different e-readers scattered around my home and I've recently been reading everything on the $400 Boox Palma 2 Pro, all weekend I found myself reaching instead for the Xteink X4, and I'm already trying to figure out who I'm going to gift one for the holidays.
How to get the Xteink X4 at a Cyber Week discount
Currently, the Xteink X4 isn't sold via Amazon, but you can pick one up in two different ways.
Order from AliExpress
AliExpress is an e-commerce platform that largely sells items direct from China. It might look a little off, but it's a legit website, and it's the only third-party retailer where you can currently order the Xteink X4 for shipment to the U.S. Just make sure the product listing you're looking at is for the right device and at the best price—sometimes you'll see slightly different prices from different sellers, but if the price is ridiculously low, check the description to make sure you aren't just buying an accessory.
For Cyber Week, AliExpress is offering a coupon for $10 off of a $50 order, which means you can currently grab an Xteink X4 for around $41. The coupon expires on Dec. 4, so you still have a little time to grab one for yourself or as a gift.
Order direct
If you prefer, you can also order direct from Xteink, though you'll likely pay $15 to $20 more. On the plus side, you can easily add some cheap accessories to your order, including a magnetic cover, a magnetic clip-on reading light, and screen protectors.
Does Amazon have Cyber Week deals?
Yes, Amazon has Cyber Week sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Week?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Week shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Week deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Week still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and IFTTT
