The Xteink X3 Is an $80 MagSafe E-Ink Reader That Clips to Your iPhone and Actually Helps You Read More

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The Xteink X3 is a 3.7 inch e-ink reader that attaches magnetically to the back of an iPhone via MagSafe, essentially turning your phone into a two-sided device where one side is a tiny Kindle. The concept is genuinely clever for anyone who reaches for their phone out of boredom and wants to redirect that impulse toward reading rather than doomscrolling. At $80 for the device plus a recommended $9 magnetic case, it is a relatively low-cost bet on changing a habit that most people acknowledge they should change but rarely actually do. After two weeks of testing, the reviewer found it legitimately helped with reading more, particularly in those short-window situations like waiting in a coffee shop line or at a bus stop where the default behavior is opening Instagram.

The device is not without friction. The stock firmware is clunky enough that most users will want to install CrossPoint, a free open-source community firmware that is more intuitive, though the installation process requires following instructions carefully. The X3 uses a magnetic charger rather than USB-C, which adds yet another proprietary cable to your collection, though the battery life is exceptional enough that this barely matters in practice. The bigger practical limitation is book sourcing: the X3 cannot access Libby library loans or Amazon's ebook store due to DRM restrictions, meaning you are limited to DRM-free epub files, public domain books, and content you own outright. That is a real constraint for Kindle or Libby users accustomed to a seamless borrowing pipeline. Whether the X3 actually changes your relationship with social media depends entirely on whether you remember you have it and make the deliberate choice to use it, which is less a product limitation and more an honest assessment of how habit change actually works.

[kevin1]

The X3 turns your phone into a tiny Kindle via MagSafe and requires community firmware, a proprietary charger, and DRM-free epubs, the friction between you and reading is not fully eliminated.