May 16, 2026
Small screen, huge opinions
A Tiny E Reader
This tiny e-reader has fans obsessed, critics grumbling, and everyone arguing about size
TLDR: A blogger’s impulse-buy mini e-reader won people over as a pocket gadget for quick reading, especially after swapping in better fan-made software. But the comments turned spicy fast, with fans praising the tiny size while critics blasted the company for restricting how some buyers can use it.
A blogger bought the XTEINK X4, a comically small e-reader, on a whim and ended up defending its very specific life mission: not for epic reading marathons, but for "idle reading" while waiting in line or, yes, even on the toilet. The writer loves e-readers because they make every book look consistent, which helps with mild dyslexia, and says this mini device becomes far more usable after ditching the default software for Crosspoint, which includes the OpenDyslexic font and other quality-of-life tweaks.
But the comments quickly turned this from "cute gadget" into a full-blown tiny-device culture war. One camp is absolutely smitten, calling the X4 the "perfect size" and cheering that it pushes back against bigger-and-bigger Kindles that some now see as oversized slabs. Another group is less interested in the adorable form factor and more annoyed at the company itself, with one commenter dragging the manufacturer for locking down some devices sold on AliExpress instead of embracing the fan-made software scene. That sparked the biggest side-eye in the thread: people love the gadget, but they do not love being told how they're allowed to tinker with it.
And of course, the internet being the internet, somebody immediately raised the stakes by linking an even tinier DIY e-reader, because no gadget discussion is complete until someone says, essentially, "nice toy, but a guy on YouTube made a smaller one."
Key Points
- •The author prefers e-readers to physical books because digital formatting can be standardized, which they say helps with mild dyslexia.
- •The article focuses on the XTEINK X4, a very small e-reader the author purchased after seeing it mentioned in a post.
- •The X4 is described as well built with glass and metal construction, though the author criticizes its dual-action button design.
- •The author uses third-party Crosspoint firmware instead of the stock firmware and relies on the OpenDyslexic font with larger text settings.
- •The X4 is used as a secondary device for short reading sessions, while the author keeps primary reading on a Kobo device.