This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling

这款小巧的磁吸电子阅读器，或许能帮你戒掉“刷屏瘾”

It was love at first sight. It felt like scouring the mall, dipping in and out of sprawling department stores in search of a specific, elusive item, only to finally find what you’re looking for. Only, I didn’t even know I was searching for something like the Xteink X3, because I never dared dream of something so delightful: a tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that could attach to my iPhone like a Pop Socket.

这简直是一见钟情。那种感觉就像是在大型商场里穿梭，逛遍了各个百货商店去寻找一件特定且难寻的商品，最终终于如愿以偿。只不过，我甚至不知道自己一直在寻找像 Xteink X3 这样的东西，因为我从未敢奢望过如此美妙的设备：一个支持 MagSafe 的微型电子墨水屏阅读器，可以像手机气囊支架（Pop Socket）一样吸附在我的 iPhone 上。

This was it. My life would change forever. I would get my hands on the Xteink X3, and I would stop doomscrolling forever. I would read more books than ever before… which is saying something, since – brag – I read at least 50 books a year. But – not a brag – I probably spend even more time on social media than I do reading. I know that I feel generally less anxious when I limit my social media time, but alas, the siren song of TikTok beckons me.

就是它了。我的人生将从此改变。我拿到了 Xteink X3，我发誓要彻底戒掉无止境的“刷屏”习惯。我要比以往读更多的书……这可不是随便说说，毕竟——炫耀一下——我一年至少读 50 本书。但——这不是炫耀——我花在社交媒体上的时间可能比读书还要多。我知道，当我限制社交媒体使用时间时，焦虑感会减轻，但无奈 TikTok 的诱惑实在难以抵挡。

What if instead of opening social media, I could just flip my phone over and read on a tiny, Kindle-like e-ink screen? Could this $80 gadget fix me? I’ve tried reading books (… or downloads from AO3) on my phone, immersing myself in a fictional world, rather than posts from the president in which he threatens to obliterate an entire country. But something about looking at my phone, where I’m constantly tempted to open Instagram to see whatever Reel someone sent me, doesn’t quite soothe me the way that a book or an e-ink device like a Kindle does.

如果我不去打开社交媒体，而是把手机翻过来，在那个像 Kindle 一样的小型电子墨水屏上阅读呢？这个 80 美元的小玩意儿能治好我吗？我曾尝试在手机上读书（或者从 AO3 下载的内容），让自己沉浸在虚构世界中，而不是去看总统威胁要摧毁某个国家的帖子。但盯着手机屏幕总让我忍不住想打开 Instagram，看看别人发给我的短视频，这种感觉远不如阅读实体书或 Kindle 那样的电子墨水屏设备来得宁静。

I was so excited for my X3 to arrive that I constantly refreshed the tracking link until finally, it was delivered. Even though I had meticulously compared the dimensions of the X3 to my iPhone 16, or my Pop Socket wallet, I still worried it might not fit – the previous model, the Xteink X4 (basically the same device but a little bigger) only fit on larger phones like the iPhone Pro Max line. But sure enough, the X3 magnetically attached to the back of my phone like it was custom-made to fit.

我太期待 X3 的到来了，以至于不停地刷新物流信息，直到它最终送达。尽管我仔细对比了 X3 与我的 iPhone 16 以及手机钱包的尺寸，但我还是担心它装不上——上一代产品 Xteink X4（基本功能相同但体积稍大）只能适配 iPhone Pro Max 系列这样的大屏手机。但事实证明，X3 像量身定制一般，稳稳地磁吸在了我的手机背面。

My X3 came 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 photos in which I read “The Power Broker” in a crowded baseball stadium. Behold, my handiwork: The XTeink X3 watches as the Phillies kick off a ten-game losing streak.

我的 X3 在我出发去看费城人队（Phillies）比赛前两小时送达，我赶紧往里面存书，因为我觉得在拥挤的棒球场里读《权力掮客》（The Power Broker）并拍照发朋友圈一定很有趣。瞧，这就是我的杰作：当费城人队开启十连败之旅时，XTeink X3 正在一旁“见证”。

For the first several days that I had the X3, I carried it with me on the back of my phone. This made me a bit nervous, though, since I’m used to having a Pop Socket wallet, which means I’ve gotten in the habit of leaving home without my actual wallet. But I found that I used the X3 just as much when I carried it in my purse or pocket, rather than attaching it to my phone. I’m still not sure if I’ll keep this setup, or if I’ll start actually using a real wallet so that I can attach the ereader, but for now, that’s what has felt most natural.

拿到 X3 的头几天，我一直把它吸在手机背面。但这让我有点紧张，因为我习惯了用手机钱包，这意味着我已经养成了出门不带真钱包的习惯。但我发现，即使把它放在包里或口袋里，而不是吸在手机上，我使用它的频率也一样高。我还不确定是否会保持这种用法，或者为了能吸附阅读器而重新开始使用真钱包，但目前为止，这样感觉最自然。

Plus, my X3 shipped with a very compact, cute, magnetic case, which perfectly protects the device and its screen and makes it a little easier to hold. At just $9 for the case, I’d recommend getting one. The case can also magnetize to your phone, though it feels a bit less secure than attaching your X3 alone.

此外，X3 附带了一个非常小巧可爱的磁吸保护壳，它能完美保护设备和屏幕，握持感也更好。这个保护壳仅售 9 美元，我强烈建议买一个。保护壳也可以磁吸在手机上，不过感觉比直接吸附 X3 本身稍微没那么稳固。

Over my two weeks of testing, I did find 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 the ereader instead of opening Instagram. I didn’t find the small screen difficult to read on, either. But just buying the device won’t change your habits – you have to remember that you have a 3.7 inch screen in your pocket that can fit hundreds of books.

在两周的测试中，我确实发现 X3 让我读了更多的书。在咖啡店排队或等公交车时，你可以掏出阅读器而不是打开 Instagram。我也没觉得小屏幕有什么阅读障碍。但仅仅买下这个设备并不能改变你的习惯——你必须时刻记得，你的口袋里装着一个能容纳数百本书的 3.7 英寸屏幕。

The Xteink X3 is pretty close to being the device of my dreams, but it’s not quite there yet. The firmware that the device comes with is pretty clunky – not unusable, but not exactly intuitive. I expected this, since the Xteink Reddit community was buzzing about CrossPoint, a community-made, free, open source firmware. The process of downloading CrossPoint was a bit intimidating as someone who writes words, rather than code – but with the instructions on CrossPoint’s website (and a few videos), it was easy enough.

Xteink X3 非常接近我梦想中的设备，但还差那么一点。设备自带的固件相当笨重——虽然不是不能用，但确实不够直观。我对此早有预料，因为 Xteink 的 Reddit 社区一直在热议 CrossPoint，这是一个由社区开发的免费开源固件。对于我这种写文字而非写代码的人来说，下载 CrossPoint 的过程有点吓人，但按照官网的说明（以及几个视频教程），操作起来其实很简单。

I encountered some difficulties at first, but then I realized it was because I was trying to download the X4 firmware onto my X3, so… my bad. You probably won’t even need the YouTube videos! When you start loading books and open source firmware onto your 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.

起初我遇到了一些困难，后来才发现是因为我试图把 X4 的固件刷进 X3 里，所以……是我的错。你可能根本不需要看 YouTube 视频！当你开始往 X3 里存书和刷入开源固件时，你会注意到该设备的另一个争议点：它没有 USB-C 接口（X4 有）。相反，它使用的是磁吸充电器。

Yes, it’s annoying to have yet another charging cable specifically for this one device, but I don’t care that much. After two weeks of consistent use, my X3 has dropped from a 100% charge to a 96% charge, so I can’t imagine I’ll be using that magnetic charger too often. You don’t even need the cord to add new books to your ereader – you can transfer files over Wi-Fi from your phone or computer (I wouldn’t call the process user-friendly, but I was able to figure it out without Googling anything). Speaking of loading books, that’s another drawback. The majority of what I read on my Kindle comes from Libby, which is my favorite app (#notsponsored). The Libby app allows you to easily borrow.

是的，为了这一个设备专门准备一根充电线确实很烦人，但我并不太在意。经过两周的持续使用，我的 X3 电量从 100% 降到了 96%，所以我估计我不会太频繁地用到那个磁吸充电器。你甚至不需要数据线来传书——可以通过 Wi-Fi 从手机或电脑传输文件（虽然这个过程谈不上“用户友好”，但我没查谷歌也搞定了）。说到传书，这是另一个缺点。我在 Kindle 上读的大部分书都来自 Libby，这是我最喜欢的应用（#非广告）。Libby 应用可以让你轻松借阅……