XTEink X4 - Page 3

jago25_98 · 03-27-2026, 02:07 AM

There are now a lot of different firmware is available for this device. The main ones are The default one which comes with it. And cross point. There’s another one called Sumi which is quite popular, but crosspoint is probably the main one, even More popular than the default probably.

Crosspoint ads quite a lot of functionality to the EPUB reading.

To be honest, I don’t really understand all the variations of E pub yet.
I sometimes find that the books I’m reading don’t have the chapters marked out properly. I’ve tried to use calibre and an extension of which I forget the name to fix this but it didn’t basically. So, I’ve tended to read books which are well mapped and good files instead!

There has been another problem with crosspoint and EPUB though, which is that there’s been a few times with these broken files only where I’ve turned on the device to find that the Book is at the stage I was reading the previous time I read it so it hadn’t updated my my progress, Because those chapters aren’t working is a real pain in the neck to get back using the percentage navigation instead of chapters. So far this has been the main problem I’ve had with the device. However, I’ll work again on this a bit more and see if I can fix this kind of problems. The great thing about the this device is that the code is so small and with vibe coding and all that you can potentially get in there and fix these kind of problems.

Personally, I want to add auto syncing so that a child’s device can be updated when it connects to a Wi-Fi point automatically and get the latest books from a server of some kind. Actually, Bluetooth might work better. Sumi does Bluetooth really well that way. No need for an access point you can use a Bluetooth enabled browser on iOS to transfer false cross for example.

khalleron · 04-24-2026, 08:05 PM

XTEink has announced the S4 which has a lot of nice additions to the X4's features.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/xteink-s...ader-announced

No word on price outside of China.

Torgo · 04-28-2026, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khalleron

XTEink has announced the S4 which has a lot of nice additions to the X4's features.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/xteink-s...ader-announced

I'm more interested in this one, which addresses the biggest complaint about the X4 (the lack of lighting):

Quote:

... it is also teasing the "Xteink X4 v2," an updated version of the original device that adds a touch screen and lighting but keeps the buttons, the SD card slot, and the more basic internal components, including the low-power ESP32 processor.

andyh2000 · 04-28-2026, 05:34 PM

I bought an X4 as an experiment. I've been travelling on trains a lot recently and wondered if it would work to display my electronic tickets. I don't like fumbling with an expensive phone at the ticket barrier while towing a suitcase, and I'm always worried about the battery running out halfway through the journey. A small eInk device seemed the answer to both those problems. And I can confirm it works perfectly. I set a screenshot of the ticket to be the cover image and I don't even have to turn the X4 on. I've also just ordered an X3 to see if that would work as well while being even smaller.

Plus it's genuinely useful as an ereader - you can just shove it in your pocket and take it anywhere without thinking about it.

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boox · 04-28-2026, 10:23 PM

I have the X4 and I’m very happy with it. The screen is extremely clear—noticeably sharper than both my Boox Go 7 Color and the Bigme B6 Color. KOSync works well together with Crossreader++, which is my preferred firmware.

It’s especially great for reading outdoors. Battery life has been impressive so far—I’m still on my first charge after 10 days.

As for the S4, we’ll have to see how it performs. It will likely come with the usual Android drawbacks, such as higher battery drain and potential performance issues due to limited RAM. On the other hand, it does support Android apps, which could be a big advantage.

Time will tell whether it can truly compete with the X4.

kennyc · 04-29-2026, 05:41 AM

Just saw this on Good E Reader -

Xteink X4 is the first Non-Kindle e-reader on Amazons Top 10

https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...amazons-top-10

rantanplan · 04-29-2026, 01:34 PM

A front light would be nice but I’d prefer a non touchscreen version.

I’m running CrossPet by the way. It’s a fork of crosspoint that adds reading stats and you can raise a chicken by reading books. Like a Tamagotchi.

https://github.com/trilwu/crosspet

Gamification helps me staying motivated.

Gormagon · 04-30-2026, 09:25 AM

Looks like XTEINK will disable flashing of custom firmwares on future devices, which makes their gadgets undesirable.
Oh, and they released a statement that's full of corporate bullshit and doesn't clarify anything:
https://old.reddit.com/r/xteinkeread...scussed_about/
I really don't understand why even a rather small company just can't say: "Ha, suckers, from now on our devices can't be customised via firmware because we want to punish you for making the X4 a success." or something like that.

andyh2000 · 04-30-2026, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormagon

Looks like XTEINK will disable flashing of custom firmwares on future devices, which makes their gadgets undesirable.
Oh, and they released a statement that's full of corporate bullshit and doesn't clarify anything:
https://old.reddit.com/r/xteinkeread...scussed_about/
I really don't understand why even a rather small company just can't say: "Ha, suckers, from now on our devices can't be customised via firmware because we want to punish you for making the X4 a success." or something like that.

I shall be very annoyed if my X3 that is currently in the air between China and the UK can't have Crosspoint flashed to it.

readern4vi · 05-01-2026, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormagon

Looks like XTEINK will disable flashing of custom firmwares on future devices, which makes their gadgets undesirable.
Oh, and they released a statement that's full of corporate bullshit and doesn't clarify anything:
https://old.reddit.com/r/xteinkeread...scussed_about/
I really don't understand why even a rather small company just can't say: "Ha, suckers, from now on our devices can't be customised via firmware because we want to punish you for making the X4 a success." or something like that.

This is such dumb decision, I don't know why they did it. They're even claiming that the broken screens that people are posting about are due to the custom firmware...

The CFW is why the device is even popular to begin with!

andyh2000 · Today, 07:24 AM

Crosspoint reader website to the rescue. They have come up with a man in the middle solution that pretends to be the official firmware provider and lets you flash custom firmware over wi-fi rather than via USB.

https://crosspointreader.com/#unlock-tool

Edited to add: Mine just arrived direct from XTEink and was unlocked anyway.

Today, 07:24 AM	#41
andyh2000 Avid reader Posts: 904 Karma: 7143048 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 / Kindle Paperwhite / TCL Nxtpaper 14	Crosspoint reader website to the rescue. They have come up with a man in the middle solution that pretends to be the official firmware provider and lets you flash custom firmware over wi-fi rather than via USB. https://crosspointreader.com/#unlock-tool Edited to add: Mine just arrived direct from XTEink and was unlocked anyway. Last edited by andyh2000; Today at 07:54 AM.

03-27-2026, 02:07 AM	#31
jago25_98 Zealot Posts: 117 Karma: 3200000 Join Date: Dec 2005 Device: n35 p800 n30	There are now a lot of different firmware is available for this device. The main ones are The default one which comes with it. And cross point. There’s another one called Sumi which is quite popular, but crosspoint is probably the main one, even More popular than the default probably. Crosspoint ads quite a lot of functionality to the EPUB reading. To be honest, I don’t really understand all the variations of E pub yet. I sometimes find that the books I’m reading don’t have the chapters marked out properly. I’ve tried to use calibre and an extension of which I forget the name to fix this but it didn’t basically. So, I’ve tended to read books which are well mapped and good files instead! There has been another problem with crosspoint and EPUB though, which is that there’s been a few times with these broken files only where I’ve turned on the device to find that the Book is at the stage I was reading the previous time I read it so it hadn’t updated my my progress, Because those chapters aren’t working is a real pain in the neck to get back using the percentage navigation instead of chapters. So far this has been the main problem I’ve had with the device. However, I’ll work again on this a bit more and see if I can fix this kind of problems. The great thing about the this device is that the code is so small and with vibe coding and all that you can potentially get in there and fix these kind of problems. Personally, I want to add auto syncing so that a child’s device can be updated when it connects to a Wi-Fi point automatically and get the latest books from a server of some kind. Actually, Bluetooth might work better. Sumi does Bluetooth really well that way. No need for an access point you can use a Bluetooth enabled browser on iOS to transfer false cross for example.

04-24-2026, 08:05 PM	#32
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,701 Karma: 3605799 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: MeeBook, Kobo Libra Colour	XTEink has announced the S4 which has a lot of nice additions to the X4's features. https://lifehacker.com/tech/xteink-s...ader-announced No word on price outside of China.

04-28-2026, 05:34 PM	#34
andyh2000 Avid reader Posts: 904 Karma: 7143048 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 / Kindle Paperwhite / TCL Nxtpaper 14	I bought an X4 as an experiment. I've been travelling on trains a lot recently and wondered if it would work to display my electronic tickets. I don't like fumbling with an expensive phone at the ticket barrier while towing a suitcase, and I'm always worried about the battery running out halfway through the journey. A small eInk device seemed the answer to both those problems. And I can confirm it works perfectly. I set a screenshot of the ticket to be the cover image and I don't even have to turn the X4 on. I've also just ordered an X3 to see if that would work as well while being even smaller. Plus it's genuinely useful as an ereader - you can just shove it in your pocket and take it anywhere without thinking about it.

04-28-2026, 10:23 PM	#35
boox Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2022 Device: Leaf 2, PB Touch HD3, Kindle PW2+JB, Android cell with KOreader	I have the X4 and I’m very happy with it. The screen is extremely clear—noticeably sharper than both my Boox Go 7 Color and the Bigme B6 Color. KOSync works well together with Crossreader++, which is my preferred firmware. It’s especially great for reading outdoors. Battery life has been impressive so far—I’m still on my first charge after 10 days. As for the S4, we’ll have to see how it performs. It will likely come with the usual Android drawbacks, such as higher battery drain and potential performance issues due to limited RAM. On the other hand, it does support Android apps, which could be a big advantage. Time will tell whether it can truly compete with the X4.

04-29-2026, 05:41 AM	#36
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,933 Karma: 119747553 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2 & PW, Onyx Boox Go6	Just saw this on Good E Reader - Xteink X4 is the first Non-Kindle e-reader on Amazons Top 10 https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...amazons-top-10

04-29-2026, 01:34 PM	#37
rantanplan Weirdo Posts: 1,080 Karma: 12503116 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Wuppertal, Germany Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2, reMarkable PaperPro	A front light would be nice but I’d prefer a non touchscreen version. I’m running CrossPet by the way. It’s a fork of crosspoint that adds reading stats and you can raise a chicken by reading books. Like a Tamagotchi. https://github.com/trilwu/crosspet Gamification helps me staying motivated.

04-30-2026, 09:25 AM	#38
Gormagon monstrous mythical beast Posts: 123 Karma: 4504294 Join Date: May 2023 Location: Klopstokia Device: Tab Ultra C, Meebook P78 Pro, Viwoods AIPaper Reader, various NXTPAPER	Looks like XTEINK will disable flashing of custom firmwares on future devices, which makes their gadgets undesirable. Oh, and they released a statement that's full of corporate bullshit and doesn't clarify anything: https://old.reddit.com/r/xteinkeread...scussed_about/ I really don't understand why even a rather small company just can't say: "Ha, suckers, from now on our devices can't be customised via firmware because we want to punish you for making the X4 a success." or something like that.