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Screen repair

Cracked Xteink X3 or X4 screen? Repair, warranty, or buy another.

Xteink sells no panels and runs no repair service. A crack is out of warranty. Diagnose the symptom below, then open the warranty, replacement, or prevention page.

Diagnose my screen Repair vs rebuy Open the guides

What's wrong with your screen?

Pick the closest match. Dead-on-arrival, ghosting, and sunlight fade each have a free exit. A cracked panel goes to the cracked-screen or warranty page.

Cracked or shattered glass

Not covered by warranty. A new unit is usually cheaper than a repair.

$69–79 new · DIY ~$75+ Repair or replace

Screen dead, no drop or impact Free fix

Likely a defect, so it's a free warranty fix. Don't open it yourself.

$0 under warranty Warranty & claim steps

Ghosting / faint leftover images Free fix

Not broken. It just needs a firmware refresh.

Free Free firmware fix

Faded / washed out in sunlight Free fix

Not damage, just a known X4 bug. A firmware fix clears it.

Free Free firmware fix

Lines across screen / half display dead

Often a loose cable you can reseat for free. Sometimes the panel.

$0–80 often free Diagnose lines & dead zones

Won't turn on or won't charge

Usually the charger, not the screen. Try a different cable.

$0–10 Spare chargers & cables

Not sure? Help me identify it

Match your screen to each failure mode before you spend a cent.

Varies Symptom triage

Four ways to handle a cracked screen

A cracked panel has four exits. The cracked-screen page has the full repair-or-replace write-up. This table is the short version.

DIY repair
Cost
~$75 tools + $14–$90 panel
Effort
Hard · 2–3 hrs
Time
2–6 wks (parts from CN)
Best for
Tinkerers
Pro repair
Cost
~$150–400 CAD (mail-in)
Effort
Easy
Time
1–3 wks
Best for
Hands-off · US/CA
Buy new
Cost
$69 (X4) / $79 (X3)
Effort
None
Time
2–5 days
Best for
Most people
Warranty claim
Cost
Free* (no impact)
Effort
Easy
Time
Varies
Best for
Defects, no drop

*Free only when the failure has no physical or impact damage, the device is unmodified, and it is still within its 1-year warranty. Physical cracks are always out-of-warranty. Pro-repair cost is a rough estimate (~$150–400 CAD, from a Canadian e-reader shop). Only a handful of shops take unlisted models, mostly in the US and Canada, and none has publicly confirmed Xteink support, so price and availability vary by region.

Which Xteink do you have?

The X4 and X3 use different swap guides. Confirm the model, then open its replacement page.

Xteink X4

X4 screen replacement
Screen
4.3" E-Ink, 220 PPI
Resolution
800 × 480
Weight
77 g (2.72 oz)
Thickness
5.9 mm (0.23")
Charging
USB-C
Retail price
~$69 on Amazon

Xteink X3

X3 screen replacement
Screen
3.7" E-Ink, 259 PPI (unconfirmed)
Resolution
Not published by Xteink
Weight
58 g
Thickness
5.1 mm
Charging
Magnetic pogo pin (no USB-C)
Retail price
~$79 on Amazon

Need parts first? Replacement panels and tools · Compare compact e-readers

Warranty, replacement, and prevention

Open the page that matches. The steps live there.

  1. 01 · Decide

    Cracked, lined, or dead? Repair or replace

    Triage the symptom, then the honest $69-device math.

  2. 02 · Free path

    Warranty & official options

    What's covered, what isn't, and the 30-day window.

  3. 03 · Get parts

    Replacement panels & tools

    The 800×480 interface trap, real buy links, and VCON.

  4. 04 · Swap (X4)

    X4 screen replacement

    The full 23-step USB-C teardown.

  5. 05 · Swap (X3)

    X3 screen replacement

    The pogo-pin model and what differs from the X4.

  6. 06 · Prevent

    Protect your screen

    The habits that stop the next crack.

What we verified

One line each. The linked page has the sources.

Where to get help

As of June 2026, no shop has publicly confirmed Xteink screen work. For DIY questions, start here:

  • r/xteinkereader · Company-moderated and active daily. This is the primary place to ask, and Henry from Xteink posts here directly.
  • r/XTEINK · Xteink's brand-name subreddit. Useful as a second place to search owner reports and ask repair questions.
  • r/microreaders · A general small/pocket e-reader community. Good for cross-brand repair technique.
  • r/ereaders · The broad e-reader community. Useful for device-agnostic e-ink repair questions.
  • MobileRead Forums · A long-running Xteink thread with deep e-reader expertise on firmware and repair technique.
  • readme.club · An independent Xteink hub offering user guides, fonts, wallpapers, and community links.
All sources · 18 primary sources + parts and accessory listings

Research compiled June 17, 2026. Independent, not affiliated with Xteink.

Official Xteink

The X3 is the one you can buy today

15case is 15% off plus a free case. X4 Pro restocks in waves.

Compare the lineup on the device hub .

Common questions

Does Xteink repair screens?
No. Xteink sells no replacement panels and runs no repair service for a broken screen. The options are a DIY panel swap, a paid out-of-warranty request to support, or a new unit. Open the X4 or X3 replacement guide for the swap. Open the warranty page before you open the case.

Sources: Warranty & claim steps · X4 screen replacement · X3 screen replacement

Is it worth repairing a $69 e-reader?
Often not. On a $69 to $79 device, a new unit can beat a risky DIY panel swap. If the screen died with no impact, file a warranty claim first. Ghosting or sunlight fade is a firmware fix, not a repair.

Sources: Repair or replace

Is my ghosting or faded screen actually broken?
Usually not. Ghosting is normal e-ink refresh behaviour. Sunlight fade on white X4 units is a known firmware bug. Both belong on the firmware pages, not in a panel swap.

Sources: Firmware fixes

Does opening the device void the warranty?
Yes. Self-disassembly voids the warranty. Contact support first if the failure might be a covered defect. The warranty page has the claim steps.

Sources: Warranty & claim steps