IKAWE Moov: the 4.5-inch pocket e-reader, explained

IKAWE Moov is a small e-ink reader made for the gaps in an ordinary day: a commute, a queue, ten minutes before bed. It has a 4.5-inch screen in a body that fits a jacket pocket, a small bag or the back of your phone.

It's built around the book. There's no Android, app store, browser or media player, so nothing pulls you away from the page: you get a reading interface, a front light, a touchscreen and physical page-turn buttons.

IKAWE Moov isn't related to Readmoo's mooInk e-readers, which have a similar name.

Both models share the same body, screen size, front light, battery, buttons and storage. Moov Pro adds three things:

Sharpness. PPI (pixels per inch) measures how finely the screen draws text. At 219 PPI, Moov Lite is comfortable for novels at normal font sizes. Moov Pro's 300 PPI is the same density as a Kindle Paperwhite: letters have smoother edges, which you notice most with small type, italics and fine serif fonts.

Water resistance. Moov Pro is rated IPX8, the highest immersion rating in the IP code: it's tested for immersion beyond 1 metre. That makes it a reader you can take to the pool or the bath. Moov Lite isn't water resistant.

PDF reflow. A PDF has a fixed page layout, so on a 4.5-inch screen its text is usually tiny. Reflow re-wraps the PDF's text to fit the screen at a readable size. Moov Pro adds enhanced PDF reflow and text formatting.

Moov measures 110 × 66 × 6 mm and weighs 75 g. That's narrower and shorter than Xteink's 4.3-inch X4 Pro (111 × 69 mm), while fitting a larger 4.5-inch screen, and roughly half the weight of a 6-inch Kindle or Kobo.

The edges are softly rounded and the front is a single flush lens with fine bezels, so the screen takes up most of the face. It comes in white or black, with buttons that match the body.

Moov's 4.5-inch e-ink screen reflects light like paper, so it's easy to read outdoors, even in bright sun, and it doesn't shine at your eyes the way a phone does. It only uses power when the page changes, which is why e-readers last so much longer than phones between charges.

For reading in the dark, the front light spreads light across the screen from its edges. You can set both brightness and warmth: cooler and brighter for daytime, warmer and dimmer for winding down at night.

Turn pages by tapping the screen or pressing the left and right page-turn buttons on the sides, whichever suits the way you hold it. The buttons make one-handed reading easy on a train or with a coffee in the other hand, and they work when your fingers are cold or gloved; the touchscreen is quicker for menus and choosing books.

Moov runs CrossPoint, an open-source (MIT-licensed) reading firmware developed by an independent community for small e-ink readers. Its source is public, and it's used on several pocket readers, including Xteink's.

• EPUB reading with hyphenation, kerning, footnotes and bookmarks
• Dictionaries, so you can look up a word without leaving the page
• Custom fonts and font sizes, night mode and themes
• Wi-Fi uploads from a browser, Calibre wireless transfer and OPDS catalogues
• Reading-progress sync with KOReader
• Over-the-air updates, so new features arrive without a cable

Because Moov runs only a reading firmware, there are no notifications, feeds, ads or app stores: the device does one thing.

Moov reads DRM-free EPUB and TXT files, and Moov Pro also reads PDFs with reflow. Books bought from the Kindle or Kobo stores and Libby library loans are usually DRM-protected, so they won't open; look for DRM-free editions when you buy.

Good places to find DRM-free books:

• Project Gutenberg: tens of thousands of free public-domain classics
• Standard Ebooks: carefully formatted, free public-domain editions
• Publishers and stores that sell DRM-free EPUBs, and your own documents

Ways to add them:

• Plug Moov into a computer with USB-C and copy files across
• Upload over Wi-Fi from a browser with CrossPoint
• Send books wirelessly from Calibre, or browse an OPDS catalogue
• Share files from the IKAWE companion phone app

Moov has a 1,100 mAh battery, the same capacity as Xteink's X4 Pro and larger than the X3 and X4 Classic. How long it lasts depends mostly on how bright you run the front light and how often Wi-Fi is on; with the light low, an e-reader typically lasts weeks of daily reading.

It charges and transfers files over a standard USB-C port, so the cable you use for your phone works, and one comes in the box. A 16 GB microSD card is included, enough for thousands of novels, and you can swap it for a card up to 256 GB.

Moov's back is magnetic, so it can attach to a MagSafe-style phone case and travel with your phone, or stick to a fridge door with a recipe or a chapter open. Two adhesive metal rings come in the box for phones and cases without magnets.

• IKAWE Moov in your chosen model and colour
• 16 GB microSD card
• USB-C charging cable
• Matte screen protector
• Two adhesive metal rings
• Quick Start Guide

Moov comes with a 12-month warranty.

Moov Lite costs $99 and Moov Pro $129. See the Moov product page to compare the models and choose a colour.

Read the full comparisons: Moov vs Xteink X4 Pro, Moov vs X4 and X4 Classic, Moov vs X3, or every pocket e-reader compared.

Moov is a good fit if you:

• want a book with you all the time without carrying a full-size e-reader
• want to read more and scroll less, on a device with no feeds or apps
• read in the dark and want a warm/cool front light
• like physical page-turn buttons as well as touch, and plain USB-C charging
• read near water (Moov Pro)

Something else may suit you better if you:

• rely on Kindle books or Libby loans: a Kindle or Kobo is built for those stores
• want the smallest possible reader: the Xteink X3 and Boox Picco are smaller and lighter
• mainly read manga, comics or large PDFs: a 6-inch or larger screen is more comfortable