This little magnetic e-reader can prevent you from doom scrolling

It was love at first sight. It was like wandering the mall, going in and out of the sprawling stores in search of a specific, elusive item, only to finally find what you were looking for. Only, I didn’t even know I was looking for something like Extinc X3because I’ve never dared to dream of something so exhilarating: a compact, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that can plug into my iPhone like the Pop Switch.

That was it. My life will change forever. I’ll get my hands on the Xteink X3, and I’ll stop scrolling forever. I would read more books than ever before…and that’s saying something, because – I brag – I read at least 50 books a year. But – and this is not to brag – I probably spend more time on social media than I do reading. I know I generally feel less anxious when I limit the time I spend on social media, but alas, the siren song of TikTok is tempting me. What if instead of opening up social media, I could just flip over my phone and read on a small Kindle-like e-ink screen? Can this $80 tool fix me?

I’ve tried reading books (…or downloading from AO3) On my phone, I immerse myself in a fantasy world, instead of the president’s threatening posts Survey an entire country. But something about looking at my phone, where I’m always tempted to open Instagram to see what someone has sent me, doesn’t calm me quite the way a book or e-ink device like a Kindle does.

I was so excited for my X3 to arrive that I constantly updated the tracking link until it was finally delivered. Even though I’ve carefully compared the X3’s dimensions to my iPhone 16, or my Pop Switch wallet, I’m still concerned that it might not fit the previous model, Extinc X4 (Basically the same device but slightly larger) It only fits larger phones like the iPhone Pro Max line. But sure enough, the X3 magnetically attaches to the back of my phone as if it was specifically designed to fit the phone.

My X3 arrived in the mail about two hours before I had to leave to go to a Phillies game, so I rushed to load books onto it, because I thought it would be really funny to take pictures of me reading “The Power Broker” in a crowded baseball stadium. And here is my handiwork:

The first few days I had the X3, I carried it with me on the back of my phone. However, this made me a bit nervous, since I’m used to having a Popocket wallet, which means I’m used to leaving the house without my actual wallet. But I’ve found that I use the X3 just as much when I carry it in my bag or pocket, rather than plugged into my phone. I’m still not sure if I’ll keep this setup, or if I’ll actually start using a real wallet so I can connect my e-reader, but for now, this is what feels most natural. In addition, the X3 shipped with a very attractive, compact magnetic case, which perfectly protects the device and its screen and makes carrying it a little easier. At only $9 a case, I recommend getting one. The case can also snap to your phone, although it seems a little less secure than attaching the X3 alone.

Over the course of two weeks of testing, I found that the X3 helped me read more. If you’re in line at a coffee shop, or waiting for the bus, you can just pull out your e-reader instead of opening Instagram. I didn’t find it difficult to read on the small screen either. But just buying the device will not change your habits – you have to remember that you have a 3.7-inch screen in your pocket that can hold hundreds of books.

The Xteink X3 is very close to being my dream device, but it’s not quite there yet. The firmware the device ships with is quite outdated – not unusable, but not exactly intuitive. I expected this, since the Xteink Reddit community was buzzing with the news Crosspointa free and open source firmware made by the community. The process of downloading CrossPoint was a little intimidating as someone typing words, rather than code – but with the instructions on the CrossPoint website (and some videos), it was easy enough. I had some difficulties at first, but then I realized it was because I was trying to download the X4 firmware to my X3, so… that sucks. You probably won’t even need YouTube videos!

When you start loading books and open source firmware onto the X3, you’ll notice another divisive aspect of the device: it doesn’t have a USB-C port, unlike the X4. Instead, it uses a magnetic charger. Yes, it’s annoying to have another charging cable specifically for this device, but I don’t care much. After two weeks of continuous use, the X3’s charge dropped from 100% to 96%, so I can’t imagine I’ll be using this magnetic charger very often. You don’t even need a wire to add new books to your e-reader — you can transfer files over Wi-Fi from your phone or computer (I can’t call the process user-friendly, but I was able to figure it out without having to Google anything).

Speaking of downloading books, this is another drawback. Most of what I read on my Kindle comes from Libby, which is my favorite app (#unsupported). The Libby app lets you easily borrow e-books or audiobooks from your library and send them to your Kindle device. But you can’t get these eBooks (legally) on the Xteink eBook reader, because libraries use protected versions of .epub files that prevent users from copying them (you also can’t read books you buy from Amazon’s eBook store on non-Amazon devices, because of capitalism). This lack of compatibility is a drawback, but it also makes the device feel unique — a “dumb” device with no apps and no touchscreen, which seems surprisingly refreshing in the age of AI-enabled refrigerators.

It’s not hard to find interesting .epub files to load onto your X3, even if you don’t have access to a Kindle or Libby library. A lot of great books are in the public domain, which means they’re no longer under copyright and can be downloaded for free (strangely, I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, so now is the time). A few months ago, I purchased the entire .epub catalogs of science fiction authors Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz as part of a charity fundraiser, which will keep me busy for a long time. If you want, you can also convert online articles or blogs to .epubs using free software such as .epubs caliber.

So, did the Xteink X3 fix me? Am I now a newly reformed woman with a healthy relationship with social media who has read a bunch of classic novels that I never read when I was an English major, mostly taking classes with silly titles like “Aestheticus Extremus: The Politics of Precarious Invention in North American Poetics and Poetics”? It’s not that simple. But if you meet the X3 halfway and make a concerted effort to use it, you’ll probably save yourself a lot of extra thought.