Using a tiny Android mp3 player as very portable ereader

[Gormagon]

Recently I bought a tiny mp3 player with Android 13 as OS on Amazon for 63 Euro on sale, since Bluetooth isn't working as supposed to (more later) I eventually paid less than 48 Euro for it. I'm one of the rare persons who mostly avoids carrying a mobile phone (or the Viwoods Reader) with me when leaving the house. I find these devices quite large. So I was looking for something smaller. I've read about the xteink but that's not available in my country and I don't use credit cards, Paypal, Klarna etc. So my choices are limited and besides the xteink has some shortcommings that makes it unsuitable for me.

There seems to be only a handful of android based mp3 player with a 4.02" screen with fullfilment by Amazon. I think I found one of the better ones with 4 GB RAM and a screen resolution of 1136x640 px (1098x640 usable, there's a physical home button which takes away some space). The Mediatek MT6762V/WR is of course not the best SOC but the whole device is snappy enough for the reading apps Librera, Koreader and other apps like Fiio Music or Total Commander. The device is running Android 13, not the newest version and it won't get updates. But I just use it for reading and the apps working now will work as long as the battery will last. So there's really no need for updates. Plus I use it completely offline. The apk files I needed I downloaded on my computer via F-Droid, github or the websites of the appps (Fiio, Total Commander).

The device can even handle a 1 TB micro SDcard. I tried it with a 1 TB card with music files (mainly flac) and the Fiio App could scan all 10.000+ files and playing some of them via shuffle worked without problems. Since I have a few DAPs I won't use this device to play music. But you could, if you want. The sound with IEMs is ok, but a DAP with the same IEMs sounds better to my ears.
For my use I just stay with the 128 GB card that came with the gadget.

Librera has no problem listing the >2600 epub files in a folder namend "ebook" quite fast. KOReader on the other site took a long time to load. I then split the files into subfolder and KoReader loaded faster. KOReader is loading quite snappy when I chose the option "start with: last file".
GoldenDict as dictionary works well with Librera, GoldenDict can even use the same dictionary files that I placed in the KOReader folder.

I applied a matte screen protector. I cut out the form (more or less, it really isn't perfect but I'm happy that I after some struggeling could apply it without dust or bubbles) from a larger one I had left over for another device. The matte screen protector reduces reflections very effectively, although with very tiny font sizes (for the sidebar in KOReader or Librera) the font seems to look a bit washed out.

I could even play a BluRay rip in VLC with 1080p without problems, even subtitles appeared right on time. But it is really tiny and I just did it to test the device.

Bluetooth is a little bit odd on this device. It doesn't work with BT headphones (various models), a BT loudspeaker or a larger BT keyboard. Pairing sometimes worked but there wasn't any connection, sometimes there wasn't even a successful pairing. What worked straight away was a simple BT remote control (sold as something for TikTok scrolling, but it works as page turner in Librera and KOReader as well). So I contacted the seller about this and got a discount.
More recently I bought a very tiny BT keyboard (about the same as the Android device) and this one pairs and connects successfully. I can also use this keyboard for pageturning in my reading apps. So the BT connection thing is really odd on this device. You can see the tiny keyboard in both attached pictures.

All in all I really like my tiny new ereader. For less than 48 Euros I have a snappy ereader that's very portable. Specifically I bought the Diofox M12 but it just seems like a generic device without any "Diofox" branding on it, "Diofox" only appears on the boot up screen and the package of course.

The photos show Librera with using GoldenDict as dictionary and KOReader with the app included dictionary function plus the mini keyboard and a folding ruler for size comparison.

[LordOfCrypt]

Great experiment — and exactly the kind of "can it work?" thinking I appreciate.

I went in almost the opposite direction — for late-night reading, my device of choice is an Android TV. Lights off, remote under the blanket, screen across the room.

What surprised me was how few reading apps handle TV navigation gracefully — most were designed with touch in mind and the D-pad experience feels like an afterthought. KOReader has some TV support but it's rough around the edges.

Have you noticed any latency with page turning using the BT remote? On my setup it's one of the things I've had to work on.

[Gormagon]

No, I do not notice any latency when using Bluetooth for page turning. To me it seems like it's turning instantly after pressing the button on the remote or keyboard.

I bought another device, also sold as Android-based mp3 player, with a volume scroll wheel that also works as page turner in Librera and KOReader. The other device also has buttons for next and previous tracks which work in Librera as page turn buttons as well. Unfortunately I haven't managed to use these buttons in KOReader. But the scroll wheel is a nice option.
This device came with an empty battery (and I ordered it twice, both times it wouldn't start, I returned the first device) but did charge after a few minutes. I was able to get it for less than 30 Euros; the regular price was 70 Euros, which would be okay if the battery would've been charged when delivered. The OS is Android 13 which of course has reached the end of it's lifecycle...but just for reading and considering the price that's not a problem for me.
This one is from "YEOODOP" (YMP-A1) with a 4.7" screen. I really like to use this for reading in bed. It's not too tiny to read and light and small enough to hold it in one hand without getting tired. Since it has a metal frame and it's a little larger than the 4" device it is heavier of course. It also has cameras on the front and in the back, the back camera is flat and not protruding.
The "YEOODOP" seems to be sold out on Amazon everywhere right now though.

The DuRoBo Krono e-ink reader has also a scroll wheel, but since it's e-ink it's much too expensive with only Android 15, the wheel is on the wrong side for me and I'm not a fan of the protruding cylinder on the back. But I think more readers should feature a scroll wheel after trying one on the YEOODOP.