I gave up on Kindles for a DRM-free e-reader, and I’m not going back

Digital ownership is partly an oxymoron, because in 2026, you’re buying access to digital content more often than purchasing the content itself. That’s true of subscription-based content, but it also extends to books, games, movies, or TV shows you’ve bought from many digital storefronts. If you can’t download purchased media offline without Digital Rights Management (DRM) restricting its use, you don’t own it.

I’ve been a Kindle user since the original model was passed down to me a few years post-launch, and I later upgraded to the Kindle DX and the Kindle Keyboard. I bought the Kindle Keyboard for the free 3G connectivity, which stopped working in 2021. Fast-forward to today, and all three Kindle models I once owned are officially unsupported.

I was past due for an e-reader upgrade, and I didn’t buy another Kindle — I grabbed a tiny MagSafe-compatible and DRM-free e-reader instead.

Every Kindle model I’ve ever owned recently became unsupported. My old Kindle, Kindle DX, and Kindle Keyboard models have all become paperweights as of May 20. Kindle Store downloads no longer work, and attempting to reset or register these Kindles to a new account will render them unusable. To be fair, all affected Kindle models are over a decade old. I gave up on these Kindles before Amazon did.

It’s not a coincidence that the last Kindle I purchased came out in 2010. That was when the iPad launched, and I, like many others, left e-readers behind for digital tablets. Now, I’m coming back to e-readers. As it turns out, E-Ink displays are much better for reading than LCDs or OLEDs. I’m back on the e-reader hype train, but I’m jumping off the Kindle bandwagon. Although Amazon’s decision to ax support for older Kindles might not have affected me personally, that doesn’t mean I’m eager to buy e-books from a company that could shut off access to them on a whim.

Kindles were out of the question, but I quickly ruled out their most prominent competitors from Kobo and Boox. Their hardware appeared too similar to Amazon’s recent Kindles. I didn’t want a knockoff; I wanted something entirely different — and I found it in the Xteink X4.

The Xteink X4 is a minuscule e-reader that’s likely smaller than your phone, measuring just 5.9mm thick. Xteink is a Chinese e-reader startup, which means customer support and software likely won’t match Amazon’s. That sounds like a drawback, but to me it’s a perk. Xteink doesn’t have a digital storefront for e-books like Amazon or Kobo. It runs a lightweight operating system and comes with a microSD card for e-book storage. In other words, no one can turn my Xteink X4 into e-waste a decade from now.

Kindle hardware is merely a vertical for Amazon to sell you digital content, but for Xteink, the X4’s hardware is the selling point. It’s designed to run DRM-free e-books downloaded as EPUB or TXT files. The pocketable e-reader can also display JPG and BMP documents right out of the box. When transferred using the Xteink app, MOBI and PDF files are seamlessly converted to readable EPUB files.

I can buy DRM-free titles from stores like Bookshop.org or Kobo — be sure to shop specifically in their DRM-free sections — and load them onto my Xteink X4’s microSD card in no time.

There are some aspects of the Xteink X4 that might give you pause, such as the companion app or operating system, which may require maintenance or updates in the future. The beauty of a DRM-free e-reader such as this one is that the software is flexible as well. There’s an engaged community of Xteink owners working to solve any problem the e-readers might have.

Flashing the community-made, open-source Crosspoint firmware to the X4 eliminates any worries about relying on Xteink for long-term support. There are even custom Xteink case models available on Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld that let you personalize your device with only a 3D printer. Forget relying on Amazon to provide access to Kindle books you’ve already purchased — the Xteink X4 works best with DRM-free e-books, open-source firmware, and homemade accessories.

The hardware drew my attention more than the software early on. This e-reader is 4.49 inches tall and features MagSafe/Qi2 magnets for connection with compatible smartphones and cases. Your mileage may vary: the X4 fits great on the back of my iPhone Air, but only stays magnetized when it’s sideways on the Google Pixel 10 Pro pictured above. There’s a new Xteink X3 e-reader that’s even smaller and more compatible with magnetic phones and accessories.

The 650mAh battery is incredible. It’s advertised to last up to two weeks with moderate use, but it can last much longer depending on your reading habits. The buttons and their functions can be a bit confusing on the default operating system, but switching to Crosspoint or enduring the brief learning curve are easy solutions. Having an e-reader I can keep in my pocket all the time, one that works completely offline, proved more important to me than one with a big screen or a large digital storefront.

The question is whether you’re willing to pay more for an e-reader that objectively offers less on paper. The Xteink X4 costs $69, while the cheapest lockscreen-ad-free Kindle costs $130. Although the Xteink X4 is cheaper, the feature set reflects that. Its 4.3-inch screen will look minuscule compared to the Kindle’s 6-inch panel. There are some things the Xteink gets right, like microSD card expansion, which the Kindle doesn’t have.

Xteink’s biggest pain point is build quality. After just a few weeks of using the white X4, the plastic housing is all scuffed up. Meanwhile, Amazon’s design and durability are much better on Kindles, and they’re splashproof with IPX8 protection too. It’s a bummer that I can’t use my tiny e-reader near the pool without risking permanent damage.

Using a flagship phone or tablet for on-the-go reading eventually lost its luster and left me craving the Kindle experience again. The timing of Amazon’s sunsetting of older Kindle models was the final push I needed to look outside the ecosystem. I ended up with the Xteink X4, a cheaper e-reader with a compact size that encourages me to read during downtime rather than doomscroll.

Thanks to its support for open-source firmware and DRM-free, offline files, I’m confident this e-reader won’t die because a company flips a switch in a decade or two. It’ll work as long as the hardware does, and that’s all I want from my devices.