Let me surprise: Kobo has finally beaten Kindle with its latest ereaders
Color readers aren’t new – brands like Onyx and PocketBook have been making them for a while – but I’ve been waiting a long time for a Kindle or Kobo with a color screen. Today (April 10) the time has finally come: the Japanese-Canadian brand announces not one, but two new color ereaders at the same time!
Both tablets, called Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color, are improved versions of the existing Libra 2 and Clara 2E erereaders, which now use a different screen technology called E Ink Kaleido 3 instead of the monochrome Carta 1200 in the previous models.
The Kaleido 3 display is currently the best color e-paper technology available for ereaders, supporting 4,096 shades, but the colors seem a bit muted compared to what you’d see on an LCD display.
Despite this minor hiccup, Kobo has beaten Amazon in the race to make a regular color ereader and, more importantly, I think they are priced competitively.
Balance between features and price
Kobo’s first new e-reader is the Libra Color, an updated version of what we think is the best e-reader overall – the Kobo Libra 2 – and it’s the one I’m most excited about. While it retains the 7-inch screen size of previous generations, the significant update is that it can now display over 4,000 colors and has writing capabilities. Yep, that’s right – Kobo’s best ereader just got better!
To handle the extra work, Kobo has improved the processing power by using a 2GHz CPU, as opposed to the 1GHz chip we saw in the Libra 2. The battery is also larger and now uses a capacity of 2,050 mAh where the older model had a battery of 1,500 mAh.
The Libra Color’s other features have been carried over from its predecessor, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Our Kobo Libra 2 review scored a whopping five stars and an Editor’s Choice Award for offering an excellent all-rounder at a reasonable price. The page-turn buttons I like are carried over, plus 32GB of internal storage and Bluetooth support so you can listen to audiobooks. OverDrive is still baked in so users can borrow library books directly on their device, and you can now sign in to Google Drive or Dropbox to access files you’ve stored in the cloud.
I’m also glad Kobo hasn’t attached a huge price tag to the Libra Color, even though the new screen capabilities may justify it. It can be pre-ordered now directly from Kobo for $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 and will ship from April 30.
To take full advantage of the Libra Color’s abilities, you’ll also need a compatible pen, and Kobo’s existing Stylus 2 – which debuted alongside the Elipsa 2E writing tablet – is the one you need. You’ll have to buy it separately, though, and that’s fair considering the Libra Color only launches at a slightly higher price tag than the Libra 2, which currently retails for $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$319, 95.
That’s pretty good considering the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C – a 7.8-inch Android alternative that’s our pick for the best color ereader – retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765, though it does come with a pen. Another comparison would be the PocketBook InkPad Color 3, which is also a 7.8-inch color ereader but without any writing capabilities, which retails for $329 in the US.
Also available separately for the new Kobo Libra Color are some sleeping covers.
Double the Clara charm
Then there’s the Kobo Clara Colour, a 6-inch mid-range option available for a launch price of $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95. Although it doesn’t have writing functions, it’s an affordable – albeit smaller – alternative to other color ereaders that typically have a 7.8-inch screen. It comes with 16 GB of internal memory and Bluetooth connectivity. OverDrive is baked in here too, but there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox support here. To transfer files, you need to connect the device to your computer.
Although the two color ereaders play the leading role here, a new Kobo ereader is debuting at the same time. It’s called the Kobo Clara BW, it’s a monochrome update of the Kobo Clara 2E, now featuring the latest E Ink Carta 1300 screen technology. This screen is, as far as I know, only currently used on the iReader Smart x3, so it’s a big leap for Kobo in screen technology.
It promises even better contrast than the Carta 1200 panels we’ve seen on most monochrome ereaders. That means the blacks should look darker, which in turn should make the text on the screen sharper and easier to read. E Ink, the company that makes these e-paper displays, also says that the refresh rate on the Carta 1300 screens is better than before, which should reduce the side effects we typically see on ereaders.
The Kobo Clara BW costs $159.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95 for 16GB of storage.
Making reading better for the planet
Kobo launched a sustainability initiative with the Clara 2E, the brand’s first ebook reader made from 80% recycled plastic, 10% of which came from the ocean. It was succeeded by the Kobo Elipsa 2E, with the ‘E’ nickname indicating their eco-friendly origins.
The three new ereaders follow a similar path, with Kobo claiming that not only has recycled and ocean-bound plastic been used to create the casing of each device, but the packaging is made from 100% recycled paper and soy ink has been used to create the print text on the housing. Boxes.
IPX8 waterproofing on all new Kobo erereaders means they will continue to function despite accidental spills into the pool, bathtub or sink. However, keep them away from salt water.
Kobo is also working with iFixit on a new repairability initiative that can also help extend the life of your device. Details about how this partnership will work are still unclear, but iFixit usually has easy-to-follow guides on its site that will help you repair certain tech products yourself if you can find replacement parts. These parts can sometimes also be purchased directly from iFixit. I’ll be sure to update this article as soon as concrete details about Kobo’s new repairability initiative become available.