this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2026
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Really appreciate your detailed write up. I mentioned elsewhere that some of these comments were swaying me towards trying one out, certainly more convincing than the article in my opinion. I appreciate the fact you outlined some pros and cons. I always have my phone, and anywhere I go for more than a quick chore I generally throw my ereader in a bag, so I understand I'm likely not the target audience, but I guess having more ways to read can't be a bad thing. The lack of backlight and proprietary charger are giving me pause for sure. I might still give it a week to mull it over, but your comment was super helpful and saved me a cursory search before really diving into comparison shopping. Glad to hear they are helping some people read more. Fingers crossed they keep improving them, even if they're not quite right for me.
For what it's worth I'm considering getting the X4 Pro for myself. I do like that they added a backlight even if it comes at the cost of the USB-C port, and even with the extra cost it's still cheaper than something like a Kobo (although also significantly less capable). For something quick and easy you can chuck in a pocket or a bag and make part of your EDC in a way that a Kobo or Kindle is too large and pricey for it sits in an interesting niche.
Look into the m5stack papermono lite. It has a back light.
There is also the seeed reterminal sticky without back light. Cheaper than xteink and usb c. I got one of those. But i do miss the back light.
Papermono Lite looks interesting. Really good price point. The only things I'm seeing I wish it had are physical face buttons and bluetooth support (for a page turn remote). Aside from that it looks like it has everything I could want, or is at least as good as the X4 Pro.