The Boox Picco is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing compact e-readers of the year, with a launch now expected in November. First teased back in July with minimal detail, the pocket-sized device has finally revealed more of its specifications following its appearance at IFA, though pricing remains unconfirmed for now.
Positioned as Boox’s answer to the increasingly popular Xteink X4 e-reader, the Picco carves out its own identity with several notable design choices. Unlike the Xteink lineup, the Picco does not include magnets on the back, meaning it cannot attach directly to the rear of a smartphone. That absence marks one of the clearer differences between the two competing devices.
A Compact Touchscreen Display
At the heart of the Picco is a 3.97-inch e-paper display, and this time it comes with touchscreen support. That addition has been described as a welcome upgrade over the X4 Pro, which lacked the feature. The small form factor keeps the device highly portable, appealing to readers who want a lightweight, distraction-free alternative to reading on a phone or larger tablet.
Beyond the touchscreen, the Picco retains physical page-turn buttons, a feature many e-reader enthusiasts continue to favor. These buttons can be customized, with users able to assign different actions to short and long presses. That flexibility gives the compact reader a degree of control not always found in devices of this size.
Storage and Expandability
One area where the Picco takes an unusual approach is storage. The device apparently ships without any built-in onboard storage, relying entirely on a microSD card to hold books and other content. That design decision means buyers will need to supply their own card to make full use of the reader, a tradeoff that keeps the hardware minimal but adds a step for new users.
For a device this small, the reliance on external storage may appeal to those who prefer to manage their libraries across removable media, while others may see it as an added consideration before purchase. Either way, it reflects the stripped-down philosophy behind the Picco’s overall design.
What Remains Unknown
Despite the new details emerging from IFA, several key questions are still unanswered. Most significantly, Boox has not yet confirmed a price for the Picco, leaving potential buyers in the US without a clear sense of how it will compare against the Xteink X4 and other compact readers in its class.
The combination of a touchscreen, customizable physical buttons, and a genuinely tiny footprint suggests Boox is aiming squarely at the niche but growing market for ultra-portable e-readers. As it stands, the Boox Picco is expected to arrive in November.
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Image: theverge.com
