You don't like Touch Display on the XTEINK X4 Pro? Check this out in Crosspoint!

 

How Open-Source Software Fixed the XTEINK X4 Pro’s Most Divisive Feature


When XTEINK released the X4 Pro, the successor to its cult-favorite pocket e-readers, it introduced a feature that immediately polarized its dedicated user base: a touchscreen.

For years, minimalist reading enthusiasts championed devices like the XTEINK X3 and the original X4 precisely because they lacked a touch interface. Operating entirely via physical buttons, those earlier models offered a tactile, distraction-free experience that felt closer to reading a physical paperback than scrolling through a smartphone. The X4 Pro disrupted that legacy by adding a capacitive digitizer over its compact 4.3-inch E Ink display, replacing the traditional page-turn buttons on the front with a single circular home button and a touch-driven interface.



The Ergonomic Problem


While the addition of touch brought modern conveniences—like easier menu navigation and quicker typing—it introduced a significant ergonomic hurdle. The X4 Pro weighs a mere 72 grams and is barely thicker than a few credit cards. It is designed to be gripped securely in one hand, often with fingers resting slightly over the screen’s bezel. On a capacitive touch display, a resting thumb is easily misinterpreted as a tap, resulting in accidental, frustrating page turns.

Some users simply want to hold their e-reader naturally without having to meticulously hover their fingers over the screen. For these readers, the manufacturer's default touch implementation felt like a step backward in usability.


The Open-Source Solution


Enter CrossPoint, the open-source e-reader firmware built specifically for ESP32-powered e-ink devices. Maintained by a dedicated community of developers, CrossPoint is effectively an aftermarket operating system that unlocks absolute control over how devices like the XTEINK series function.

One of the most brilliant implementations within CrossPoint is its granular control over the touchscreen digitizer. If you find the X4 Pro’s touch layer obtrusive, CrossPoint allows you to neuter it completely. By navigating to the device’s settings, opening the controls menu, and selecting "Touch reader controls," users can turn off the touchscreen entirely during reading sessions. This effectively reverts the X4 Pro into a button-only device, mimicking the beloved user experience of the older X3 and X4 models.


The "Swipe-Only" Sweet Spot


However, shutting off the touchscreen entirely isn't the most elegant solution. The side buttons on the X4 Pro is awkwardly placed for extended reading, particularly if you hold the device in your left hand. Reaching to the other side to click the button to advance the page requires a constant, uncomfortable shifting of your grip.

This is where CrossPoint’s "Swipe Only" feature shines as the ultimate sweet spot, and it is a trick that completely changes the hardware's usability.

By setting the touch controls to recognize swipes rather than taps, the software fundamentally alters how the device interprets inputs from your fingers. A static tap—like an accidental brush of the thumb—is ignored. But a deliberate swipe across the screen registers as a page turn.

This configuration offers the best of both worlds. You can grip the X4 Pro firmly without worrying about errant taps jumping you three pages ahead. At the same time, you aren't forced to contort your thumb to reach the physical buttons. Whether you are holding the reader in your left or right hand, a simple, lazy swipe of the thumb anywhere on the screen effortlessly advances the text. It also preserves vertical swipe gestures, allowing users to swipe up to access the reader menu or swipe down to toggle the adjustable front light and dark mode.


Future Updates and Evolution


It is a subtle software tweak that solves a glaring hardware friction point, proving why open-source projects like CrossPoint are so vital to niche hardware communities. Instead of forcing users to adapt to the manufacturer's rigid vision of how a device should be used, it empowers the user to mold the technology to their own physical habits.

And the firmware continues to evolve. While the X4 Pro currently lacks the dictionary lookup available on button-only models, the CrossPoint development community is already implementing robust dictionary support specifically tailored for the touch interface in an upcoming release.

The XTEINK X4 Pro might have alienated some purists right out of the box, but with a few taps in the CrossPoint settings, it transforms into the most versatile, pocketable reading device on the market today.



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