This $20 e-paper gadget sticks to your phone and blocks TikTok doomscrolling

Smartphones can be addictive. To be clear, it's the specific apps that cause this, but there's no denying that plenty of people struggle to put their phones down. You see it everywhere — at school, in the market, at the mall, even behind the wheel. It's been going on for a while, and we've covered the topic before, offering suggestions on how to fight smartphone addiction. We've even experimented with a dedicated app and looked at devices designed to help you stay focused.

Now there's a new contender: pocket e-paper gadgets from Xteink that have been gaining traction since late last year. They're compact, cheap, and — most importantly — attach to the back of your phone, so they're always within easy reach.

We spent some time with them and found that, for the most part, they can indeed pull you away from your phone, provided you enjoy reading. Since this is a dedicated e-reader, it only does a few things. You can read books and documents, view photos, and it doubles as a clock when idle. The feature list is short, but that's exactly what makes it powerful. There's no app store or web browser to let your mind wander. It's purpose-built, and that's part of its charm. More importantly, it keeps you locked in without relying on extra tricks.

It's the perfect study device, whether you're at home or on the go. The author bought one and called the experience "okay." While the bare-bones approach is appealing, they wished it could access e-books they had already purchased — a notable limitation for anyone with an existing digital library. Still, for someone looking to cut down on doomscrolling, this minimalist gadget offers a refreshingly simple solution. It won't replace a full-fledged e-reader, but as a focused companion to your phone, it does its job well.