Xteink warranty & official repair options: what's actually covered.

# Two clocks: the 30-day return and the 1-year warranty

Your X3 or X4 runs on two separate clocks, both starting at the delivery date. They cover different things, so check the shorter one first — a return or exchange is a stronger remedy than a warranty claim.

Both clocks exclude physical damage — a drop, crack, or scratch closes each door. The matrix below maps eight real scenarios onto the policy.

# What is and isn't covered

The quick lookup: eight real scenarios and where each one lands. This is the reference the rest of the repair hub links to. (CrossPoint, which appears twice below, is community-built alternative firmware for the X3/X4, covered in detail further down.)

A crack from a drop, a clip, or a cheap protector is user damage. Skip straight to your DIY options. White X4 fading in sunlight is a firmware fix, not a repair: see the sunlight-fade fix.

# Your decision path

Work these in order. It keeps the free options open.

1. 1
   Check the purchase date

   If it's within 30 days and the damage is not physical, attempt a return or exchange through the official channel first.

2. 2
   Email support with photos

   Write to support@xteink.com and describe the damage. Even out of warranty, some owners report Xteink offering paid replacement guidance. Be specific: model, purchase date, and the nature of the damage.

3. 3
   Check whether a warranty claim applies

   If the screen failed without physical impact (dead zones or a total blackout), it may qualify under the 1-year manufacturing-defect clause.

4. 4
   Weigh repair against replacement

   A new X4 runs about $69 and an X3 about $79, so a DIY panel-and-tools swap can cost nearly as much with an uncertain outcome. We run the full repair-vs-replace math on the cracked-screen guide. Buying a replacement? Our X4 pre-purchase reality check and locked-vs-unlocked buying guide help you avoid a repeat.

5. 5
   Only then, go DIY

   Attempt a DIY repair only after the options above are exhausted. See your DIY repair options for the full walkthrough.

# Custom firmware & your warranty

If you're running custom firmware (a community-built replacement for Xteink's stock software, such as CrossPoint), the policy is more nuanced than a flat refusal. Xteink's exchange/return page states that “unauthorized hardware disassembly or firmware modifications may compromise device integrity” and that such modifications “may limit the effectiveness of standard repair protocols.” That's hedged language: warranty coverage is reduced for modified devices, not automatically zero.

Liliputing reported in 2026 that Xteink applied firmware restrictions to X3 and X4 units bought through Chinese domestic retailers like Taobao, not to any particular model. Units bought from the official Xteink store or Amazon were later confirmed to not restrict the use of third-party firmware. In practice, custom-firmware devices are excluded from repair assistance, so contact support directly before assuming that's final.

To maximise your chances of support, reflash to stock firmware before you write to Xteink.

# Official support contact

Attach clear photos of the damage, and state your firmware (stock or custom) honestly. The custom-firmware policy is a “may limit,” not a flat refusal.

# What the community's breaks proved

Two well-documented r/xteinkereader threads show what happens when an X4 screen breaks, and both were ruled out of warranty as user damage:

• A clip-on reading light cracked an X4 panel from lateral pressure — r/xteinkereader, Jun 2026 · 143 points · 51 comments.
• A cheap non-Xteink glass protector fractured a panel from edge pressure — r/xteinkereader, May 2026 · 154 points · 38 comments.

The full story of how both breaks happened, and how to avoid the next one, lives on the prevention guide.

# Common questions