Xteink X3 screen replacement: what's different from the X4.

# X3 is not X4: the differences up front

The internal procedure is similar but not identical. Know these before you start: the last five rows are where the X3 diverges enough to change what you buy and how you handle it.

A PPI figure is sometimes cited for the X3 online, but Xteink has not published one, and it does not square with a retail 416 × 240 3.7″ panel (a smaller screen at a similar resolution to the X4 should read higher, not lower or similar). Treat both the resolution and the PPI as unconfirmed until you open the device.

# Don't lose the charger

The X3's one truly unique failure mode has nothing to do with the screen. It charges only through a proprietary magnetic pogo-pin cable (spring-loaded contact pins), and there is no USB-C port to fall back on. Liliputing's review put it plainly: "loss of the charger could leave the device unusable."

• Keep the magnetic charger in a labeled pouch with the device.
• Buy a spare if Xteink sells one.
• Joshua Lowcock's guide notes a USB-C-to-X3 adapter for under $10. Verify current availability at joshualowcock.com/xteink.

# Source a 3.7-inch panel

Set your expectations honestly here. The X3's 3.7-inch panel is sourced separately from the X4's 4.3-inch part. They do not interchange. What's known is thin:

• The interface is likely SPI (the wiring the panel uses to talk to the board), typical of a 3.7-inch class panel, but this is unverified and the pin count is unconfirmed.
• The resolution is not published by Xteink. Retail 3.7-inch e-ink panels are around 416 × 240. Verify before you buy.
• The most reliable match is a donor X3: a second, cheaper unit you strip for its guaranteed-correct panel and connector (an eBay saved search for "xteink X3 for parts").

Because the connector is unconfirmed, order a panel only after you've opened the device and matched the ribbon cable by eye. Full sourcing options, prices, and the reusable tool kit live on the panels & tools page.

# The swap: shared steps, X3 deltas

The mechanical work is the X4 procedure, so I won't re-number all 23 steps here. Follow the canonical 23-step teardown on the X4 guide for the shared opening, heat, ZIF, cleaning, and reassembly work. Use the X3 notes below wherever the two devices differ. The six phases below group those 23 steps; open the X4 page if you want extra photos or detail on any one of them. Everything about the X3's internals is unverified and adapted from the documented X4 teardown, so open the device and confirm before you cut or order. Every safety warning is restated in full below: nothing here says "see the other page."

1. 1

   Prepare & open the back

   Power the X3 off completely (hold power until the screen clears, not just sleep). Eject the microSD with a pin (push-push slot) and keep it. Photograph every side. Then soften the back-cover adhesive: heat gun on the lowest setting, held 8–10 inches away, slow sweeping passes along all four edges for 1–2 minutes until the shell is warm, not hot. Pry from a bottom corner with plastic tools and wedge opening picks to hold the seam. The X3's back cover uses the same adhesive-based construction as the X4.
2. 2

   Disconnect the battery

   Pop the battery connector straight up off its socket with a plastic spudger. Never lever sideways, which bends the pins. Working with the LiPo (lithium-polymer) battery connected risks a short if a metal tool touches the board.
3. 3

   Remove the cracked panel

   Trace the ribbon cable (the flex/FPC that carries the display signal) from the panel to the board and flip open its ZIF (zero-insertion-force) latch (the small locking tab you rotate up) before sliding the cable out. Then heat the panel edges briefly and lift the glass at a shallow angle.

   X3 delta (unverified, based on the X4 teardown): the X3's magnetic ring sits in the back plate, not the screen assembly, so there is no ring to transfer off the panel the way the X4 needs. Leave the back-plate ring undisturbed. The X3's ribbon is likely an SPI-type connector, but the pin count is unconfirmed. Match it to your replacement panel by eye.

4. 4

   Clean the frame & clear every shard

   Swab all adhesive residue with 90%+ IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and let it flash off before the new panel goes in. Then hunt down every glass shard under good light: even a 1 mm sliver will crack or blank the new panel.
5. 5

   Fit the new 3.7-inch panel

   Check the VCON tag: the per-panel calibration voltage printed on a small label. If it's within 0.3 V of the old panel, proceed without adjustment. Lay 0.5 mm double-sided tape around the frame, seat the panel, slide its ribbon into the ZIF connector all the way to the stop line, and press the latch closed until it clicks. Peel the screen-face film off last, just before closing.

6. 6

   Test before you close, then reassemble

   Reconnect the battery and power on before gluing anything shut. Only once the screen passes should you seal the back cover with a thin bead of B-7000 (a flexible adhesive glue commonly used in electronics repair; or 0.5–1 mm foam tape), line up the button and pogo-pin cutouts (the X3 has no USB-C notch), and clamp with cloth-padded clips while the adhesive cures (4 hours minimum, 24 for full strength).

   X3 delta: your final charge test uses the magnetic pogo-pin charger, not USB-C (the X3 has no USB-C port).

# Test, diagnose, and finish

On the first power-on, watch for:

Ghosting is a normal e-ink refresh behaviour: faint leftover images, not a broken panel. A full refresh or a fresh CrossPoint flash clears it.

If the repair fails

• Blank screen: ZIF connector not fully seated. Remove the panel and reseat the ribbon cable.
• Half the display is dead: Flex-cable pinout mismatch: the wrong panel model.
• Persistent heavy ghosting: VCON voltage mismatch. Reflash the firmware first; if it persists, a VCON hardware adjustment is needed.
• Display fine but the X3 won't charge: Pogo-pin contacts disturbed during reassembly. Reopen and check (the X3 charges only through the magnetic pins, never USB-C).
• Powers on but buttons don't work: Function-button cable not reconnected to its socket.

After a successful repair

The new panel has no protective layer until you add one. Apply the official Xteink X3 Clear Protector (purpose-made for the 3.7-inch panel, not the X4's) or a flexible PET film immediately, then reflash CrossPoint to clear the display memory and normalise refresh behaviour. Full protector and case picks are on protect the new panel. If the X3 won't take a USB flash, you can rescue it from the SD card instead.

Common questions