Boox’s tiny Picco e-reader should land in November

Boox's upcoming Picco e-reader aims to establish a foothold in the rapidly growing ultra-compact e-reader market. Initially announced in July with minimal specifications, fresh details from coverage at IFA reveal a device tailored for portability that borrows several design elements from competitors while charting its own path on key technical decisions.

The device features a 3.97-inch touchscreen display paired with customizable physical page-turn buttons, allowing users to assign different functions to short and long presses. Unlike rival Xteink models, the Picco lacks magnetic mounting for phone attachment, but compensates with enhanced connectivity options. It supports file transfer through USB-C and WiFi via a companion application—capabilities absent from Xteink devices—though it forgoes onboard storage entirely in favor of microSD card expansion.

A significant design choice involves the operating system. Rather than adopting Android like Boox's other product line, the Picco runs a stripped-down Linux-based platform. This approach may limit customization and third-party app installation compared to Xteink's more open firmware philosophy. The company will provide several built-in applications including a timer, task list, and reading statistics tracker.

Several important specifications remain unconfirmed ahead of the November launch, including pricing, battery longevity, Bluetooth functionality, and audiobook player support. These details are expected to be revealed closer to the device's market release, giving potential buyers a clearer picture of its capabilities and value proposition relative to competing options.