My favourite Kindle various for one key purpose

I’ve been a long-time Kindle consumer, however when provided the prospect to attempt the $219 Kobo Libra Color, I used to be intrigued. Lured by the prospect of bodily buttons, a shade show, and a extra open ecosystem, I wished to see if this Kobo might compete with the Kindle expertise I’ve been accustomed to for years. A regarding variety of dragon-themed books later, I can confidently say that it’s a worthy various, particularly should you’re after a tactile page-turning expertise with a novel promoting level the Kindle not has: bodily buttons.

Like many E-Ink tablets, the Kobo Libra Color (sure, that’s formally Color, not Coloration in Kobo land) has a clear, minimalist design that’s light-weight (slightly below 200 grams) and cozy for lengthy studying periods. In comparison with the equally sized Kindle Paperwhite, although, the Libra has a large aspect bezel with a slight curve. For me, this makes it simpler to grip single-handedly (even when lethargy loosens my maintain half an hour into my guide). And as I already alluded to, not like the Paperwhite, the Libra Color additionally options bodily page-turn buttons.

Followers of the Kindle Oasis will already know the advantages of this characteristic, however as somebody who’s primarily used touchscreens for years, I used to be genuinely stunned by how a lot I loved the tactile expertise. Utilizing the buttons is significantly extra handy and seamless than my commonplace behavior of navigating via pages with one hand and holding my e-reader with the opposite. In mattress, it permits me to maintain extra of my limbs comfortably below the blanket. On the sofa, it leaves one hand free for my cup of emotional assist tea.

Since Kindle formally shuttered the Oasis line (which was the model’s solely remaining mannequin with buttons) the Kobo system stands out. The buttons are even customizable so you possibly can decide what makes essentially the most sense for you. I realized that, like enjoying with inverted controller settings on Xbox, my mind expects the precise reverse performance as my accomplice.

The Libra Color’s headline characteristic is, after all, proper in its title. Kobo makes use of a Kaleido 3 shade E-Ink touchscreen show with a 1264 x 1680 decision so as to add subdued however significant pops of shade to all of the system’s content material, from guide covers and menus to highlights and annotations. To be clear, it’s not vibrant like a pill, the hues are muted to virtually pastel saturation. Nonetheless, it makes perusing my library considerably extra participating.

On that entrance, the interface is intuitive, providing a user-friendly expertise whether or not you’re new to e-readers or a longtime Kindle convert like me. The delicate shade accents give the UI a contemporary, trendy really feel with out being distracting and transitions are typically easy, although there could be a slight lag when dealing with particularly content-dense pages. I did fumble a number of faucets right here and there, however by no means sufficient to drag me out of a studying session.

My absolute favourite discovery was that I might modify the show’s brightness on-demand, with a easy slide of my finger down the left fringe of the display. Now, I wish to see the identical device added to the fitting aspect for textual content dimension. General, the UI feels thoughtfully designed.

In comparison with black-and-white-only tablets, it’s unbelievable for comics and graphic novels, in addition to for kids’s books. With a ten-hour flight in my baby’s close to future, I like the prospect of loading the Libra with classics. There’s, nevertheless, some vital flashing between pages that offers me pause. I think about it’s low danger however could possibly be a priority for teenagers with visible sensitivity. The colour show can also be useful when reviewing notes in nonfiction titles; the power to color-code highlights introduced a way of construction that’s exhausting to get from monochrome screens.

With that stated, the Libra’s show appears to have barely much less distinction in pure textual content than different gadgets. For exhausting specs, the system presents 300 PPI when displaying black-and-white content material (like common textual content) and 150 PPI when displaying shade. In observe, I haven’t had any points studying on it, and once more, the Libra’s shade assist makes it much more versatile. It additionally presents adjustable heat (like most gadgets) and the model’s ComfortLight PRO characteristic robotically reduces blue mild publicity for night studying.

All in all, I totally loved studying on the system. The 7-inch show is abundantly sized whereas holding the general construct small. It additionally packs in 32GB of storage, which I actually respect for audiobooks particularly. In the meantime, its IPX8 waterproofing meant I might additionally take it to the seashore and poolside with out stress, which I did begrudgingly, after all, for the sake of the evaluate. The Libra Color’s show appears nice in nearly direct daylight, although the colours did mute out barely extra.

Coloration isn’t the one perk of the Libra, it additionally helps note-taking through the Kobo Stylus 2, which is offered individually for $69.99. Scorching off testing the Kindle Scribe (2024), I used to be curious to see how properly these instruments examine. In the long run, the stylus/writing compatibility of the Libra is a considerate addition, however removed from excellent. Writing on the Libra’s E-Ink display feels notably slower, and the stylus usually misses strokes. There’s additionally a noticeable lag, and the eraser is tough to make use of with any precision. I just like the number of shade and power choices, however the expertise is simply too finicky for use for a lot past fast jots.

The stylus itself is barely awkward to carry, and I always unintentionally hit the device swap button. It additionally must be recharged through USB-C, which isn’t as handy as people who cost magnetically. It’s superb for highlighting passages or making small notes, however I undoubtedly wouldn’t depend on it for longer writing periods or detailed sketching. If handwriting is a precedence, buyers is perhaps higher off with a third-party stylus or perhaps a extra specialised system.

In different phrases, the Libra isn’t any substitute for a reMarkable Paper Professional or an iPad, however should you’re simply trying to mark up whilst you learn, it will get the job performed. It’s actually satisfying to underline a sentence or go away a fast be aware within the margin and see smooth shade amongst grayscale pages.

As for different equipment, I additionally examined the official Kobo SleepCover (obtainable for $39.99), which, not like many third-party covers, feels prefer it was truly designed with the system in thoughts. It snaps on magnetically, folds right into a stand, and robotically wakes or sleeps the system when opened or closed. It’s not flashy, however when not more than three blinks in need of passing out at evening or groggily attempting to squeeze in a number of pages within the morning, not having to fumble with buttons or a lock display is a mini luxurious.

One of many greatest variations between the Kobo Libra Color and Amazon’s Kindle is every model’s ecosystem. The Libra doesn’t come locked right into a proprietary retailer, although the Kobo retailer is constructed into the system. I used to be in a position to buy from my Libra immediately however I might additionally simply load EPUB information and PDFs with none trouble. Kobo’s integration with Overdrive/Libby makes it simple to borrow eBooks instantly from the library. Emphasis on direct. I like that I can immediately obtain free books without having a second system.

For my audiobooks, the Kobo Libra Color additionally options Bluetooth assist, so I might pair up my very own wi-fi headphones. Sadly, Kobo audiobooks are superb audio quality-wise, however the choice is proscribed in comparison with Audible, which is owned by Amazon. Likewise, the system isn’t built-in with Goodreads, one other widespread service owned by Google. In case you use Goodreads to maintain observe of your learn and rated books, you’ll should perform a little extra heavy lifting.

As of now, the system additionally helps restricted web looking, however the characteristic continues to be in beta. I’m to see how that is developed going ahead and the way which may spherical out the pill even additional.

In case you’re deep into the Amazon ecosystem, the Kobo Libra Color would possibly really feel like a step away from the comfort of Kindle’s integration throughout apps and gadgets. Nevertheless, should you’re searching for a substitute for Amazon that gives the novelty of bodily buttons, mixed with loads of file assist and a shade display, the Libra Color has loads to supply. It’s not with out flaws (the optionally available stylus could possibly be extra responsive, and the audiobook retailer is proscribed), however general, it’s worthy of great consideration for informal readers and severe bibliophiles alike.

With that stated, the e-reader market is a crowded one. In case you simply need a devoted shade e-reader, the Kobo Clara Color ($149.99 at Amazon) is a good moveable various that drops stylus assist and buttons however nonetheless presents a pleasant 6-inch shade display.

Anybody dedicated to Kindle would possibly wish to take a look at the Kindle Colorsoft ($279.99 at Amazon) or the ever-popular 2024 Kindle Paperwhite ($159.99 at Amazon) as a substitute, although you received’t discover buttons or stylus assist on board, and the latter doesn’t have a shade display. For extra detailed note-taking, the 2024 Kindle Scribe ($419.99 at Amazon) pairs studying and writing properly, however doesn’t assist any shade. It’s additionally fairly cumbersome if studying is your main aim.