Honor Life S3 adds a magnetic e-reader to the tiny-device market

Honor has announced the Life S3, a compact e-reader that can attach magnetically to the back of a phone or be used on its own. It was unveiled alongside the Honor Magic 9 series in China; the company has not announced availability elsewhere.

The Life S3 has a 3.68-inch e-paper screen with 259 pixels per inch. It weighs 61g and is 5.6mm thick. Unlike many rival devices, it has a touchscreen but no physical page-turn buttons. GizmoChina reports that it includes a “soft-light eye-protection feature.” Its battery is said to last 30 hours of continuous use or up to a week with typical use.

The device uses a microSD card for storage, supports most common ebook and document formats, and runs a custom operating system. Books can be transferred wirelessly through the Honor Smart Space app. It does not run Android, so it does not provide access to the Kindle or Kobo stores.

The Life S3 shares features with the Xteink X4 Pro and Xteink X3, including magnetic attachment. Honor’s device is slightly thicker and heavier than the X3, which measures 5.1mm thick and weighs 58g. The X4 Pro has a larger 4.3-inch screen. Whether the Life S3 will be sold outside China remains uncertain.