This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling

It was emotion astatine archetypal sight. It felt similar scouring the mall, dipping successful and retired of sprawling section stores successful hunt of a specific, elusive item, lone to yet find what you’re looking for. Only, I didn’t adjacent cognize I was searching for thing similar the Xteink X3, due to the fact that I ne'er dared imagination of thing truthful delightful: a tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink scholar that could connect to my iPhone similar a Pop Socket.

This was it. My beingness would alteration forever. I would get my hands connected the Xteink X3, and I would halt doomscrolling forever. I would work much books than ever before… which is saying something, since – brag – I work astatine slightest 50 books a year. But – not a brag – I astir apt walk adjacent much clip connected societal media than I bash reading. I cognize that I consciousness mostly little anxious erstwhile I bounds my societal media time, but alas, the siren opus of TikTok beckons me. What if alternatively of opening societal media, I could conscionable flip my telephone implicit and work connected a tiny, Kindle-like e-ink screen? Could this $80 gadget hole me?

I’ve tried speechmaking books (… oregon downloads from AO3) connected my phone, immersing myself successful a fictional world, alternatively than posts from the president successful which helium threatens to obliterate an full country. But thing astir looking astatine my phone, wherever I’m perpetually tempted to unfastened Instagram to spot immoderate Reel idiosyncratic sent me, doesn’t rather soothe maine the mode that a publication oregon an e-ink instrumentality similar a Kindle does.

I was truthful excited for my X3 to get that I perpetually refreshed the tracking nexus until finally, it was delivered. Even though I had meticulously compared the dimensions of the X3 to my iPhone 16, oregon my Pop Socket wallet, I inactive disquieted it mightiness not acceptable – the erstwhile model, the Xteink X4 (basically the aforesaid instrumentality but a small bigger) lone acceptable connected larger phones similar the iPhone Pro Max line. But definite enough, the X3 magnetically attached to the backmost of my telephone similar it was custom-made to fit.

My X3 came successful the message astir 2 hours earlier I had to permission to spell to a Phillies game, truthful I rushed to load books onto it, due to the fact that I thought it would beryllium truly comic to instrumentality photos successful which I work “The Power Broker” successful a crowded shot stadium. Behold, my handiwork:

The XTeink X3 watches arsenic the Phillies footwear disconnected a ten-game losing streakImage Credits:TechCrunch

For the archetypal respective days that I had the X3, I carried it with maine connected the backmost of my phone. This made maine a spot nervous, though, since I’m utilized to having a Pop Socket wallet, which means I’ve gotten successful the wont of leaving location without my existent wallet. But I recovered that I utilized the X3 conscionable arsenic overmuch erstwhile I carried it successful my purse oregon pocket, alternatively than attaching it to my phone. I’m inactive not definite if I’ll support this setup, oregon if I’ll commencement really utilizing a existent wallet truthful that I tin connect the ereader, but for now, that’s what has felt astir natural. Plus, my X3 shipped with a precise compact, cute, magnetic case, which perfectly protects the instrumentality and its surface and makes it a small easier to hold. At conscionable $9 for the case, I’d urge getting one. The lawsuit tin besides magnetize to your phone, though it feels a spot little unafraid than attaching your X3 alone.

Over my 2 weeks of testing, I did find that the X3 helped maine work more. If you’re successful enactment astatine a java shop, oregon waiting for the bus, you tin conscionable propulsion retired the ereader alternatively of opening Instagram. I didn’t find the tiny surface hard to work on, either. But conscionable buying the instrumentality won’t alteration your habits – you person to retrieve that you person a 3.7 inch surface successful your pouch that tin acceptable hundreds of books.

A Pop Socket wallet and the Xteink X3, broadside by sideImage Credits:TechCrunch

The Xteink X3 is beauteous adjacent to being the instrumentality of my dreams, but it’s not rather determination yet. The firmware that the instrumentality comes with is beauteous clunky – not unusable, but not precisely intuitive. I expected this, since the Xteink Reddit assemblage was buzzing astir CrossPoint, a community-made, free, unfastened root firmware. The process of downloading CrossPoint was a spot intimidating arsenic idiosyncratic who writes words, alternatively than codification – but with the instructions connected CrossPoint’s website (and a fewer videos), it was casual enough. I encountered immoderate difficulties astatine first, but past I realized it was due to the fact that I was trying to download the X4 firmware onto my X3, so… my bad. You astir apt won’t adjacent request the YouTube videos!

When you commencement loading books and unfastened root firmware onto your X3, you’ll announcement different divisive facet of the device: it doesn’t person a USB-C port, dissimilar the X4. Instead, it uses a magnetic charger. Yes, it’s annoying to person yet different charging cablegram specifically for this 1 device, but I don’t attraction that much. After 2 weeks of accordant use, my X3 has dropped from a 100% complaint to a 96% charge, truthful I can’t ideate I’ll beryllium utilizing that magnetic charger excessively often. You don’t adjacent request the cord to adhd caller books to your ereader – you tin transportation files implicit Wi-Fi from your telephone oregon machine (I wouldn’t telephone the process user-friendly, but I was capable to fig it retired without Googling anything).

Speaking of loading books, that’s different drawback. The bulk of what I work connected my Kindle comes from Libby, which is my favourite app (#notsponsored). The Libby app allows you to easy get ebooks oregon audiobooks from your room and nonstop them to your Kindle. But you can’t get those ebooks (legally) onto an Xteink ereader, since libraries usage protected versions of .epub files that deter users from copying them (you besides can’t work books you bargain from Amazon’s ebook store connected non-Amazon devices, due to the fact that capitalism). This deficiency of compatibility is simply a drawback, but it besides makes the instrumentality consciousness unsocial – it’s a “dumb” instrumentality that has nary apps and nary interaction screen, which feels startlingly refreshing successful an epoch of AI-enabled refrigerators.

You tin adhd your ain surface savers, which I person intelligibly had excessively overmuch amusive withImage Credits:TechCrunch

It’s not hard to find absorbing .epub files to load onto the X3, adjacent if you can’t entree your Kindle room oregon Libby. A batch of large books are successful the nationalist domain, which means that they’re nary longer taxable to copyright and tin beryllium downloaded for escaped (I’ve weirdly ne'er work “Pride and Prejudice,” truthful the clip is now). A fewer months ago, I bought the full .epub catalogs of sci-fi writers Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz arsenic portion of a foundation fundraiser, which should support maine engaged for rather a bit. If you wanted to, you could adjacent crook online articles oregon blogs into .epubs utilizing a escaped programme similar Calibre.

So, did the Xteink X3 hole me? Am I present a recently reformed pistillate who has a steadfast narration with societal media and has work a clump of classical novels that I ne'er work arsenic an English major, since I mostly took classes with ridiculous titles similar “Aestheticus Extremus: The Politics of Precarious Invention successful North American Poetry and Poetics”? It’s not that simple. But if you conscionable the X3 halfway and marque a concerted effort to usage it, past possibly you’ll spare yourself from a spot much brainrot.