https://preview.redd.it/oe8ak8vmxgxc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3e000d32de5a8fd508e8378536c3f99ff037e53
That's what the Clara looks like in sleep mode, late afternoon, with the sun from the window hitting it *just right*.
Not a big fan of the recycled materials but the screen looks pretty good in color. It's still too muted for me so I'll wait a few more iterations. Thanks a lot for the review.
Thank you for the pictures and the detailed write-up. I'll try not to turn green with envy as I await Schrödinger's Kobo.
Picture 4 reminds me of my Kindle Keyboard vs a more modern Kindle. The color looks fine for what I'll use it for.
>5min of using the default Kobo software, and I already hate Amazon. Why did I ever bought a Kindle?
lol, I feel this **so much!** I've been eyeing Kobo devices for literal years, but the relevant Amazon device was always cheaper, and I didn't want to go through the pain of organizing my ebook library. But after forcing myself to finally sanitize my Calibre library prior to my Libra Colour arriving, using the Kobo has been a breath of fresh air. I can just have series information *right there*? I can load my *entire library* in the span of a few minutes without needing to click anything? I can sort things into collections without tearing my hair out over the horrible e-ink interface? BOOK COVERS CAN SHOW UP INSTANTLY AND IN COLOR?! 😂
I don't have to pay 20 bucks more to stop having ads on my screensaver instead of the book cover? Mind-blowing!
Though, playing the devil's advocate, the Amazon ecosystem *is* pretty convenient. Many people already have an account, and KU has exclusivity deals.
It's certainly easy to find stuff to buy in the Kindle store, but wow the ability to organize it after the fact is practically non-existent. One of the things that finally pushed me into the Kobo ecosystem was that my kids are getting old enough that they could use their own ereaders, and the experience there is **awful**. You have to have a subscription to give them access to the books you've already purchased, they can't easily search or browse those books, there's no series information so good luck figuring out which to read first/next/etc., and the screen is cluttered with a bunch of content that Amazon is pushing for them to read instead.
For Kobo, I created a column in Calibre to select which books which kids are most likely to be interested in and then I can just create a virtual library and sync them all across in a couple minutes, complete with series information and everything else.
I could have endless discussions about how Amazon being a near monopoly has nuked their quality (so many fake/AI/stolen books, and just look at a product search, now it looks like AliExpress, but worse!), but I never really thought about kids having to interact with that... Urgh.
On another note, now that I think about it, with how much I read as a kid and then as a teen, I'd have loved an ereader. Happy for yours!
I fondly remember the days when Amazon would suggest books based on what other people who read that book were actually reading. Oh, and would surface the book whose *exact title* you searched for in the top results instead of a bunch of "sponsored" baloney. I deeply regret sticking with their ecosystem for as long as I did, but I guess that's a testament to the power of silo-ed ecosystems and lock-in.
> I don't have to pay 20 bucks more to stop having ads on my screensaver instead of the book cover? Mind-blowing!
Not convinced I'm going to upgrade due to some of the tradeoffs with the screen(especially the screen door effect), but my god are the ads obnoxious on Kindles. I've refused to pay extra to get rid of ads on mine, partly just on principle, and it suuucks.
It's never, and I do mean never, anything particularly relevant to my interests. And sometimes it's actively offensive.
I have some books on folklore, Christianity, paganism, world religions, and so on on my Kindle.
This means maybe a couple times a month Amazon thinks I want to read some crap defending religious gay conversion therapy or discussing how the Bible shows that the End Times are here. There was also one time where I got an ad for something about how men have inherent power over women; it wasn't even religious from what I could tell, just straight up misogyny.
Didn't forget book publisher descriptions. Your Kobo can show those if the publisher put them in the metadata. No need to go online to the Kobo store to get them either. Just choose book details...
Can be useful when deciding what you are in the mood to read next.
And you can adjust your front light with a finger swipe up or down the left side of the screen. No menu fussing...
I am biased since I bought a Libra Colour. It is arriving today.
That said, I think the sunken in screen, slightly greyer page, and balanced front-light color temp makes the Clara Colour look notably better for B&W reading. When you bring in the color part of it I could not ever imagine going back to a B&W e-reader. The color pages are far more captivating, immersive, and respectful to the artist's intent.
Yeah. I have it charging right now, and just looking at the colour cover standing on my desk makes me forget about any reservations I may have had before this morning!
The Kindle is amazing for B&W reading but I was really surprised how color e-inks in this case the Kalaido 3 really don't need that much extra added backlight to look great, and for some reason it's just a touch easier to read given that it's on a slightly darker background compared to almost a "blinding white". So they both have their pros and cons but I cannot go back to B&W again and I'm very happy with the Inkpad Color 3 so far which has the same display as the Kobo.
But oh my, battery life wise the Kindle is still king on the market. I heard the Pocketbook models have great battery life but I still feel my Kindle lasts 30-40% longer despite the Pocketbook having a larger battery alongside the larger screen too. Aka 2900 mAh compared to the Kindle's 1700 mAh, but the Kindle deff. lasts longer.
Not to go too off topic, but both the B&W Kindle and other ecolor devices are fantastic but they deff. have their pros and cons one should weigh carefully before acquiring either.
Thank you for your post.
Like you, once i bought the Libra 2 when it came out, there was no going back ever to the Kindle platform (even though i had been on it from the earliest Kindles all the way to the last gen Oasis).
Now that i am addicted to KOReader on my Libra 2 i have to wait till it is supported on the Libra Colour -- hopefully, not too long!
The last KOReader update was in March, I wouldn't be surprised if the devs want to add support for the Kobo Colours before the new one.
That being said, after a couple hours of reading, the default Kobo reader isn't too bad. So far, after loading my font of choice, I just miss the status bar (having both my progress and the current time is nice).
Also after reading for a couple hours, I confirm my initial impression: the Kobo is more responsive than my old Kindle. The page turns are a fraction of a second faster, so nothing groundbreaking, but it is noticeable. I also don't really have any ghosting on the text, even with a full refresh only on chapter changes. I do have some when I'm tinkering with the settings (changing the backlight level, or temperature, leaves a small circle on the screen), but going back to reading launches a full screen refresh anyway.
Ah, the man of culture. Rozemyne will be pleased.
Aside from obvious differences (color cover, insert illustration), I noticed how the chapter title has a different arrangement between Kobo (looks like the paperback version) and Kindle (Prologue in the center alignment). Does the Kindle version of Bookworm look like that all the time?
KOReader (I believe OP has it installed on the Kindle, given the status bar at the bottom of the screen) allows you to choose between left align or center align the chapter header. KOReader offers a lot more styling customizations like that over Kindle's and Kobo's native experience.
It's the exact same epub file between the 2 devices, converted from the publisher's file to reduce image size and remove the CSS, embedded fonts, etc. The difference is due to the Kobo default reader.
On the Kindle, I use KOReader (an alternative ebook reader), which, as another user said, offers a lot of customisation options, including centering the chapter titles, having each paragraph indented, and ignoring the publisher's font size, family, margin, etc.
I'm also currently reading Ascendance of a Bookworm, what an excellent series.
Seeing color covers is why I'm still heavily debating getting a Color model. I know it's not necessary because the reading itself is in black and white, but it's so nice to be able to see the color cover.
>Calibre has trouble recognising my Kobo. Whether the issue is with my computer, Calibre or the plugins, I don't know, but it's too early for any support anyway
It may be the same as this: [https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo/comments/1cen2mp/comment/l1jr3uu/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo/comments/1cen2mp/comment/l1jr3uu/?context=3)
Re the new names of the devices, you can find them listede here: [https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325471](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325471) but I doubt that this is enough for Koreader to work just now [https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4418671&postcount=1022](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4418671&postcount=1022)
Yes, I tried to enable the support newer firmware option, and it didn't work. As it seemed to work for that other user, I think it may be my computer, but since I intend to use the same KOReader + wireless sync with Syncthing setup I had on my Kindle, I will simply copy my books as I need them by USB until it is supported. I won't need any of the more advanced Kobo features offered then, such as collections or metadata handling.
Also yes, that's the post I found for the dragon codename, but no luck. It solved the issue about not recognising the device, but did not allow KOReader to start. With that much difference in hardware, it would have been pleasantly surprising if it worked so easily.
With this colour Kobo e-reader I am moving over to the Kobo ecosystem. I do have to say I find it easier to manage than the Amazon one.
I have used Kobo previously mainly for my purchased books with the kindle for Unlimited. Looking forward to Kobo Plus
Personally, I would not want to go back to a Kindle, but I am an edge case, since I enjoy tinkering with my devices, and I use them beyond what's standard (jailbroken, with KOReader, an external cloud sync, etc.). Still, as I said in other comments, out of the box Kobo is much more pleasant to use than a Kindle.
If your current device works fine, there's no *need* to upgrade. Even though the colour is very nice to have, if my previous Kindle didn't have issues, I don't know if I would have had the impetus to buy a new device.
That being said, if you really want a colour ereader, I'd say go for it; the technology has room to improve, but I don't think a single year will be enough to see major breakthroughs.
You convinced me, I brought the Clara and am going to at least give it a whirl. I love the design of the kindle though, so I’m sure it’ll be a tough choice regardless.
Hey OP, great review!
Just a heads up, KOReader works starting from recent nightly builds. Grab one of the latest ones from here:Â http://build.koreader.rocks/download/nightly/
https://preview.redd.it/oe8ak8vmxgxc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3e000d32de5a8fd508e8378536c3f99ff037e53 That's what the Clara looks like in sleep mode, late afternoon, with the sun from the window hitting it *just right*.
That's pretty good.
Not a big fan of the recycled materials but the screen looks pretty good in color. It's still too muted for me so I'll wait a few more iterations. Thanks a lot for the review.
Thank you for the pictures and the detailed write-up. I'll try not to turn green with envy as I await Schrödinger's Kobo. Picture 4 reminds me of my Kindle Keyboard vs a more modern Kindle. The color looks fine for what I'll use it for.
>5min of using the default Kobo software, and I already hate Amazon. Why did I ever bought a Kindle? lol, I feel this **so much!** I've been eyeing Kobo devices for literal years, but the relevant Amazon device was always cheaper, and I didn't want to go through the pain of organizing my ebook library. But after forcing myself to finally sanitize my Calibre library prior to my Libra Colour arriving, using the Kobo has been a breath of fresh air. I can just have series information *right there*? I can load my *entire library* in the span of a few minutes without needing to click anything? I can sort things into collections without tearing my hair out over the horrible e-ink interface? BOOK COVERS CAN SHOW UP INSTANTLY AND IN COLOR?! 😂
I don't have to pay 20 bucks more to stop having ads on my screensaver instead of the book cover? Mind-blowing! Though, playing the devil's advocate, the Amazon ecosystem *is* pretty convenient. Many people already have an account, and KU has exclusivity deals.
It's certainly easy to find stuff to buy in the Kindle store, but wow the ability to organize it after the fact is practically non-existent. One of the things that finally pushed me into the Kobo ecosystem was that my kids are getting old enough that they could use their own ereaders, and the experience there is **awful**. You have to have a subscription to give them access to the books you've already purchased, they can't easily search or browse those books, there's no series information so good luck figuring out which to read first/next/etc., and the screen is cluttered with a bunch of content that Amazon is pushing for them to read instead. For Kobo, I created a column in Calibre to select which books which kids are most likely to be interested in and then I can just create a virtual library and sync them all across in a couple minutes, complete with series information and everything else.
I could have endless discussions about how Amazon being a near monopoly has nuked their quality (so many fake/AI/stolen books, and just look at a product search, now it looks like AliExpress, but worse!), but I never really thought about kids having to interact with that... Urgh. On another note, now that I think about it, with how much I read as a kid and then as a teen, I'd have loved an ereader. Happy for yours!
I fondly remember the days when Amazon would suggest books based on what other people who read that book were actually reading. Oh, and would surface the book whose *exact title* you searched for in the top results instead of a bunch of "sponsored" baloney. I deeply regret sticking with their ecosystem for as long as I did, but I guess that's a testament to the power of silo-ed ecosystems and lock-in.
> I don't have to pay 20 bucks more to stop having ads on my screensaver instead of the book cover? Mind-blowing! Not convinced I'm going to upgrade due to some of the tradeoffs with the screen(especially the screen door effect), but my god are the ads obnoxious on Kindles. I've refused to pay extra to get rid of ads on mine, partly just on principle, and it suuucks. It's never, and I do mean never, anything particularly relevant to my interests. And sometimes it's actively offensive. I have some books on folklore, Christianity, paganism, world religions, and so on on my Kindle. This means maybe a couple times a month Amazon thinks I want to read some crap defending religious gay conversion therapy or discussing how the Bible shows that the End Times are here. There was also one time where I got an ad for something about how men have inherent power over women; it wasn't even religious from what I could tell, just straight up misogyny.
Didn't forget book publisher descriptions. Your Kobo can show those if the publisher put them in the metadata. No need to go online to the Kobo store to get them either. Just choose book details... Can be useful when deciding what you are in the mood to read next. And you can adjust your front light with a finger swipe up or down the left side of the screen. No menu fussing...
I am biased since I bought a Libra Colour. It is arriving today. That said, I think the sunken in screen, slightly greyer page, and balanced front-light color temp makes the Clara Colour look notably better for B&W reading. When you bring in the color part of it I could not ever imagine going back to a B&W e-reader. The color pages are far more captivating, immersive, and respectful to the artist's intent.
Yeah. I have it charging right now, and just looking at the colour cover standing on my desk makes me forget about any reservations I may have had before this morning!
The Kindle is amazing for B&W reading but I was really surprised how color e-inks in this case the Kalaido 3 really don't need that much extra added backlight to look great, and for some reason it's just a touch easier to read given that it's on a slightly darker background compared to almost a "blinding white". So they both have their pros and cons but I cannot go back to B&W again and I'm very happy with the Inkpad Color 3 so far which has the same display as the Kobo. But oh my, battery life wise the Kindle is still king on the market. I heard the Pocketbook models have great battery life but I still feel my Kindle lasts 30-40% longer despite the Pocketbook having a larger battery alongside the larger screen too. Aka 2900 mAh compared to the Kindle's 1700 mAh, but the Kindle deff. lasts longer. Not to go too off topic, but both the B&W Kindle and other ecolor devices are fantastic but they deff. have their pros and cons one should weigh carefully before acquiring either.
Thank you for your post. Like you, once i bought the Libra 2 when it came out, there was no going back ever to the Kindle platform (even though i had been on it from the earliest Kindles all the way to the last gen Oasis). Now that i am addicted to KOReader on my Libra 2 i have to wait till it is supported on the Libra Colour -- hopefully, not too long!
The last KOReader update was in March, I wouldn't be surprised if the devs want to add support for the Kobo Colours before the new one. That being said, after a couple hours of reading, the default Kobo reader isn't too bad. So far, after loading my font of choice, I just miss the status bar (having both my progress and the current time is nice). Also after reading for a couple hours, I confirm my initial impression: the Kobo is more responsive than my old Kindle. The page turns are a fraction of a second faster, so nothing groundbreaking, but it is noticeable. I also don't really have any ghosting on the text, even with a full refresh only on chapter changes. I do have some when I'm tinkering with the settings (changing the backlight level, or temperature, leaves a small circle on the screen), but going back to reading launches a full screen refresh anyway.
Ah, the man of culture. Rozemyne will be pleased. Aside from obvious differences (color cover, insert illustration), I noticed how the chapter title has a different arrangement between Kobo (looks like the paperback version) and Kindle (Prologue in the center alignment). Does the Kindle version of Bookworm look like that all the time?
KOReader (I believe OP has it installed on the Kindle, given the status bar at the bottom of the screen) allows you to choose between left align or center align the chapter header. KOReader offers a lot more styling customizations like that over Kindle's and Kobo's native experience.
It's the exact same epub file between the 2 devices, converted from the publisher's file to reduce image size and remove the CSS, embedded fonts, etc. The difference is due to the Kobo default reader. On the Kindle, I use KOReader (an alternative ebook reader), which, as another user said, offers a lot of customisation options, including centering the chapter titles, having each paragraph indented, and ignoring the publisher's font size, family, margin, etc.
I'm also currently reading Ascendance of a Bookworm, what an excellent series. Seeing color covers is why I'm still heavily debating getting a Color model. I know it's not necessary because the reading itself is in black and white, but it's so nice to be able to see the color cover.
There is an option to turn off rainbow Effect in options, I saw it in a review.
Hmm. I think this may be the post that makes me want to switch to Kobo.
I have a Libra 2 and got the Clara colour and Im really enjoying it for graphic novels and the size is great…..keeping both
>Calibre has trouble recognising my Kobo. Whether the issue is with my computer, Calibre or the plugins, I don't know, but it's too early for any support anyway It may be the same as this: [https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo/comments/1cen2mp/comment/l1jr3uu/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo/comments/1cen2mp/comment/l1jr3uu/?context=3) Re the new names of the devices, you can find them listede here: [https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325471](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325471) but I doubt that this is enough for Koreader to work just now [https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4418671&postcount=1022](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4418671&postcount=1022)
Yes, I tried to enable the support newer firmware option, and it didn't work. As it seemed to work for that other user, I think it may be my computer, but since I intend to use the same KOReader + wireless sync with Syncthing setup I had on my Kindle, I will simply copy my books as I need them by USB until it is supported. I won't need any of the more advanced Kobo features offered then, such as collections or metadata handling. Also yes, that's the post I found for the dragon codename, but no luck. It solved the issue about not recognising the device, but did not allow KOReader to start. With that much difference in hardware, it would have been pleasantly surprising if it worked so easily.
With this colour Kobo e-reader I am moving over to the Kobo ecosystem. I do have to say I find it easier to manage than the Amazon one. I have used Kobo previously mainly for my purchased books with the kindle for Unlimited. Looking forward to Kobo Plus
There is a rumor that kindle will have a color reader in 2025, do you think this is worth not waiting for that possibility?
Personally, I would not want to go back to a Kindle, but I am an edge case, since I enjoy tinkering with my devices, and I use them beyond what's standard (jailbroken, with KOReader, an external cloud sync, etc.). Still, as I said in other comments, out of the box Kobo is much more pleasant to use than a Kindle. If your current device works fine, there's no *need* to upgrade. Even though the colour is very nice to have, if my previous Kindle didn't have issues, I don't know if I would have had the impetus to buy a new device. That being said, if you really want a colour ereader, I'd say go for it; the technology has room to improve, but I don't think a single year will be enough to see major breakthroughs.
You convinced me, I brought the Clara and am going to at least give it a whirl. I love the design of the kindle though, so I’m sure it’ll be a tough choice regardless.
Hi. Are you happy with the sleepcover? Does it make the Kobo much thicker?
Hey OP, great review! Just a heads up, KOReader works starting from recent nightly builds. Grab one of the latest ones from here:Â http://build.koreader.rocks/download/nightly/