A new pocket e-reader is making a case for itself among travellers who count every gram. The Xteink X3, from a Chinese brand of the same name, is the smallest and lightest e-reader its reviewer had ever tested — and at $69, it costs a fraction of what you'd pay for most Kindle models.
The specs are genuinely striking. The X3's e-ink display measures just 3.7 inches, roughly the surface area of a playing card. It's 5.1 millimetres thick and weighs 58 grams — about as much as a chocolate bar, and less than half the weight of the lightest Kindle currently sold. Xteink says the battery lasts 10 to 14 days with an hour or two of daily reading; the tester couldn't run it flat in a couple of weeks of use. The device wasn't designed for hikers at all, actually — the pitch is that it slips into a pocket or magnetically clips to the back of your phone for screen-free reading during downtime — but its size and weight happen to suit anyone travelling light.
There are trade-offs, and they're worth knowing before you buy. There's no touchscreen, so you navigate with four physical buttons, which takes some getting used to. There's no front light either, so reading after dark in a tent means clipping on your headlamp. It's not waterproof or water-resistant, though it's small enough to toss in a zip-lock bag inside a pack without much worry. Transferring your own EPUB files proved quick and simple, but borrowed library books are the weak spot: the Libby app integrates neatly with Kindle, and there's no comparably easy route onto the X3.
The obvious question is why not just read on your phone, which you're carrying anyway. The reviewer's answer will resonate with anyone who likes disconnecting outdoors: phone batteries are best saved for maps, photos, and emergencies, and reading on a screen tends to pull you back toward notifications and scrolling. A dedicated device with a battery measured in weeks removes that temptation entirely.
So, gimmick or gamechanger? The verdict depends on your priorities. If you don't obsess over pack weight, a full-size e-reader offers a bigger screen and more features. If battery anxiety isn't a thing for you, your phone does the job for free. But for travellers who want to keep kit minimal, stay off their phone, and still have a few hundred chapters on hand for long waits and slow evenings, the X3 earns its 58 grams. That makes it interesting not just for backpackers but for anyone on a long-haul flight, a budget hostel stint, or a camping trip where charging isn't guaranteed.
If you're tempted, the practical checklist is short: side-load your own EPUBs, accept the button navigation, pack a headlamp for night reading, and keep it in a waterproof pouch. At $69, the barrier to entry is about as low as travel gear gets. — via Backpacker