This Tiny E-Reader Features a Backlight and a Touchscreen, and You Can Get It for Under $90 During the Prime Day Sale in October.
Over the past year, I’ve read 25 books, all on an e-reader with a screen roughly the size of a credit card. If that seems impossible, I’ll say this: don’t judge until you try it. Once you’re immersed in a book, you’ll realize it really doesn’t matter, and the convenience of being able to slip it into any pocket and forget about it means you’ll never have to be without it. If you’re someone who prefers the calming e-ink screen to the jarring distractions of a smartphone, this is a godsend.
The best miniature e-reader I’ve tested, the Xteink X4 Pro , is currently on sale as part of the October Prime Day sale (aka Prime Big Deal Days ). While it doesn’t have the official “Prime Deal” designation like other Xteink devices , it’s still $10 off the regular price of $99, bringing it down to $89 and possibly the cheapest backlit, touchscreen e-reader you can buy right now.
The X4 Pro is the latest and greatest e-reader from Xteink, the Chinese tech startup that turned the e-reader world on its head last year with the release of the original pocket-sized X4 e-reader . While the X4 Pro is the same size as the base X4 model, it features two major upgrades—temperature-adjustable backlighting and a touchscreen—as well as a faster processor and more storage. As a result, it costs a bit more, but you can currently get it for $10 off , bringing the price down to $89. (Even at full retail, the X4 Pro is $50 cheaper than the base Kindle model after a recent price increase.)
As much as I love them, these tiny e-readers aren’t for everyone. Some may find the screen too small (though if you’ve ever read a book on your phone, it’ll feel similar). Plus, they can’t download your existing Kindle book library; you’ll have to find e-book copies without digital rights management (DRM) software. But if you can overcome these obstacles , you may find it’s both the strangest and most beloved device you’ve used in years.