Boox is preparing to release the Picco, an ultra-compact 3.97-inch e-reader designed to rival trending pocket devices like the Xteink X4. Expected to launch in November, the minimalist reader features a touchscreen e-paper display, physical page-turn buttons, and a simplified Linux-based operating system.
Boox Picco and IFA 2026 Hands-On
Tiny e-readers are everywhere these days. Popularized by the Xteink 4 last year, this category is now booming, with several companies seeing the appeal behind having the tiniest tiny Kindle-like experience in your pocket anywhere you go, without added bulk or weight. Flowtica, for example, has made the Verso that also doubles as a note-taker, but everyone has their eyes on another name: Boox. The company, which has popularized portable e-ink readers with its Palma series, has been teasing its own tiny e-reader too: the Picco. Boox teased the Picco, its take on the buzzy Xteink X4 e-reader, back in July, but provided almost no details. Now, thanks to some reporting out of IFA, we’ve got a bit more info, though sadly still no price. At IFA 2026, Boox let me have some hands-on time with an early unit of the Picco to get a better understanding of the product. I spent half an hour swiping, reading, and checking settings, and I’m honestly impressed.
Boox Tile Line and Xteink Comparison
The Boox Picco is so, so, so tiny. It is minuscule. The whole device is basically the size of the 3.97-inch touchscreen display with some bezels all around. A stack of credit cards would be the same size basically. When I first held it, I was amazed by the size, how easily it fit in my hands and pockets, and how thin it is. Boox hasn’t announced exact dimensions, but this couldn’t have been thicker than 5mm. Unlike Xteink, Boox has skipped the built-in magnets, which helps keep the weight and thickness down. The Picco will not have magnets on the back for attaching to a phone. Although I like the idea of a device that magnetically attaches to my phone and that I carry all the time without thinking, I have to admit that I always get annoyed when there’s something permanently stuck to my phone. So I don’t mind the fact that Boox has skipped it here. That will make Picco the smallest e-reader in the Boox lineup by far; the company’s current small-form e-reader, the Palma, has a 6.13-inch screen. Where the Palma and its successors are about the size of a smartphone, the Picco is even smaller than a deck of cards. Boox says the Picco is the first product in a new “Tile” line, though the company didn’t provide any details about what that entails. The announcement of the Picco is an almost direct response to the success of Xteink’s line of pocketable e-readers. The Xteink 3, Xteink 4, and the Xteink 4 Pro (just announced this week) have gone somewhat viral in the last year or so, specifically for their size. The Picco will be smaller even than Xteink’s smallest e-reader. The device will also have microSD support for extra storage.
Hardware Features and MicroSD Support
Hardware wise, you’re looking at a microSD card slot on one side for storing books, flanked by an up/down rocker that lets you flip through pages, and a power button. On the other side, you have the front light switch which can control the night mode or the entire display light. And on the bottom, the Boox Picco has a USB-C port for charging — a welcome feature considering the Xteink X4 Pro skips it for the proprietary and finicky magnetic charging system. There’s apparently no onboard storage, and it relies entirely on a microSD card to hold books. But in addition to adding files to the card, you can transfer reading material to the Picco directly over USB-C (which the Xteink devices lack) or even WiFi from a companion app. The 3.97-inch e-paper display, however, will be touchscreen, which The Verge’s Andrew Liszewski called a welcome upgrade
on the X4 Pro. The Picco has physical page-turn buttons, and they can be customized with different actions for short and long presses. The device will sport a monochrome E Ink display and a front light.
Moving from hardware to software, Boox has skipped Android for this reader — understandably. Running Android would require much more powerful hardware, which can get bulkier, heavier, and more expensive. That’s not the purpose of the Picco. These tiny e-ink readers are made for reading first and foremost; they don’t need access to the Play Store. Just put your books on a microSD card and start gobbling down words. Done. No need for third-party apps, Google accounts, and other shenanigans. The Picco won’t run Android, like Boox’s other devices, and will instead run a stripped-down, Linux-based OS. The company is including a handful of additional apps like a timer, a todo list, and a reading stats tracker. But, it’s unlikely that Boox will open its firmware like Xteink has, so it might be a less hackable and customizable device.
No pricing has been announced for the Picco just yet, but I’d expect it to be somewhat higher than the Xteink 4’s $69. (The Palma 2 is $249; the Palma 2 Pro, which has a color E Ink screen, comes in at a whopping $399.) There’s still some things we don’t know, like price, battery life, Bluetooth support, or if it will include a player for audiobooks. But all should be revealed in November, when it’s expected to launch.
