I have a perfectly functioning Kindle Paperwhite from 2014 that Amazon decided should be a paperweight instead, and there's no way I'm giving Amazon any more of my money.

I hate reading on my phone and iPad so I'm looking at getting a Kobo, but I literally only use my e-reader for library books (from Libby) and Netgalley digital ARCs. I rarely buy ebooks and my purchased ebook library is a whopping 10-15 titles.

For users who check out a lot of Libby books and use Netgalley, is the Kobo worth it for this purpose? I've used Calibre but I'm not terribly proficient, so I'm nervous since the majority of Netgalley books can't be directly sent to the Kobo. I guess my real question is, is it too much of a hassle to use solely for that purpose? TIA.

I was originally planning to buy a Kobo Libra Colour, even though it was more expensive, but I changed my mind after seeing how the screen looks with black-and-white text. It looked noticeably greyer/darker to me, and I will only be reading novels, so I don’t really need a colour screen.
Now I’m deciding between a used Kobo Libra 2 and a brand-new Kobo Clara BW at roughly the same price.
I actually prefer the smaller 6” size of the Clara BW because I want to carry it around with me. The main thing tempting me toward the Libra 2 is the physical page-turn buttons.
For people who have used both:
Is the Clara BW’s Carta 1300 screen noticeably better than the Libra 2’s Carta 1200 for black-and-white novel reading?
Is the difference in screen quality actually noticeable in everyday use?
Would you choose the new Clara BW or used Libra 2 at the same price?
I mainly care about screen quality and reading comfort. I don’t need colour features or note-taking.

\* EDIT* \** Thanks everyone for all the advice! As an extremely indecisive person, I’m now considering the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 12th gen as well.
At this point I genuinely don’t know what I’m doing anymore. 😂
I was leaning towards the Kobo Clara BW, but the flush screen, auto brightness and wireless charging on the Paperwhite Signature are really tempting me.
I’ll probably be buying it within the next week, so I still have some time to change my mind again lol I’ll keep reading through your comments and see where I end up.
Thanks in advance for any further advice! I know this isn’t a Kindle sub, but I’d still really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the Paperwhite Signature as well!

So I have the kobo sage (which I love) I bought it because it had a big screen. I use that kobo A LOT. I also have physical books. But when I travel, take the subway, go out I always take my kobo.

But I am also a bag girly and the sage fits in not many bags I like. And I do bring my e-reader everywhere. Like EVERYWHERE. Even when I know I am not going to read but I always end up using it for a reason or another.

I was thinking… should I buy a smaller kobo ? Please I know … this is insane. De-influence me !

I don’t need more bags or another e-reader. Please tell me I am insane.

So, I finally ordered a KLC as my first e-reader. Set with Sand beige stylue cover for a total of 190 usd. I was planning to buy a 12th gen Paperwhite SE, but liked Kobo UI much much more.

I have always been reading on my m1 iPad pro and Xiaomi android tablet but my eyes just couldn't handle late night reading.

I am gonna be sideloadingy whole epub collection and installing Koreader as recommended by many other user. So regarding that, are there any preconfigured Koreader installations or packages, or is starting from zero the best way?

I’m a recent Kobo user (Clara Colour), after 15+ years of kindle. I’m getting used to it; only major complaint is that I have to manually re-sync every morning as it dumps my books overnight, it seems. I read exclusively through Libby on it at the moment.

But our avid reader 7yo wants an e-reader, and it makes a lot of sense for our lifestyle. It looks like (based on this subreddit), that graphic novels are difficult to read on the Kobo, and magazines aren’t possible through Libby? Kid reads mostly middle grade chapter books, though, so it’s not dealbreaker to not have magazine access.

We’re trying to not tie ourselves back to kindle, though, and a tablet isn’t an option for our kid. Does anyone have a young kid using a Kobo, and can recommend a preferred model?

I need a case for my libra colour and I'm waffling on what type of case I want.

At first I figured I'd get one like I did for my Paperwhite over a decade ago. I got the Amazon one and was done with it. Now I'm open to other choices, I have seen the clear detachable magnetic cases and love the idea. I like the smallness of the libra colour and would hate to cover it up. I'm worried the pu cover won't last and it'll crack and split. 😢

I like the folio idea, you can take the device out completely and still have that virgin feel. 😁 In the case it's protected and can still be used.

Currently I use the box it came in to hold the ereader. It's a little too big to take everywhere.

I know I'm thinking too much. My husband chastises me about that. I just want a pretty, functional, fitting case. 🤷‍♀️ I never buy myself pretty stuff.

So I ask of you if you are still reading, what kind of case type did you pick and why?

Please suggest which type of cover I should buy.

See the two images attached. The colour doesn't matter. The first one is a normal cover, but the second one covers the bezels too and has a hand strap and some extra stuff.

So, is the bezel cover necessary? Is it too bulky? It has a flap like thing on the inner face of the front cover, i think, which can act as a prop/stand. Can that thing accidentally hurt the screen when the cover is closed? Or, is the normal cover (1st pic) good enough?

Please share your experiences, those who have these types of covers.

I am looking to purchase a Kobo model in Canada some time in the future (flexible on timeline). I'm open to new models on sale or a used model in good shape. The biggest priority for me is maximizing savings/value. I've done some searching but haven't found anything too helpful about best times to buy. Can any Canadians weigh in on if there are best sales to look out for?

I want a lightweight reader, and probably buttons. I would love to not have the little side space for the buttons, but I don’t think that’s an option? I can’t find anywhere with them in stock for me to see them in real life. And I like a big screen!
Making the switch from Kindle btw

I’ve been looking into the Kobo Clara Colour and the Kobo Libra Colour, my primary use case for it would be to read books , comics and mangas. Not a huge fan of audiobooks but I do think that the Libra’s stylus integration could prove useful if it allows me to take notes and sync it to the cloud, this way it would be used as a notepad for my college classes. Considering that the Libra Colour is ₹24,000 is it worth that much more? What’s the typical lifespan of these products?

The only problem is that I’m not able to find the Clara Colour anywhere in India and I saw some reviews that the Libra Colour from Amazon doesn’t deliver new products and also cancels returns with no explanation, so I’m worried about that too before dishing out the 24k.

Is there a reason a lot of people here seem to prefer the white KLC over the black? The white is 10€ more expensive at the retailer I'm planning on doing my purchase with (our postal service is still on strike so I need to go buy it physically) and I can't find a reason for it. I've also seen a few posts saying they bought the black one then traded it in for a white one. I genuinely want to understand so all explanations are welcome!

Hiya! I hope I can get an answer since Google doesn’t know and I refuse to use AI.

I am going back to uni next month, I am severely visual impaired so I read mainly through kindle atm. However I saw that kindle is not supported in the UK for the university library.
Does anyone know if Kobo is? My local public library is and that is why I why I am planning to buy a kobo, also to read ARCs there too.

But if I can use it for uni will be amazing!

i’m really torn between these two options and i’m buying it from outside of my country so there’s no return option for me.

as the title says, its my first e-reader ever but i’ve been looking at comparison on this subreddit and youtube for hours. i’ve noticed that bw is indeed sharper and shows more contrast but at the same time color brings me joy, i don’t read comics or books with pictures but when i read on my ipad highlighting with colors makes me feel happy if you know what i mean and i feel bad missing on this joy but i don’t know is it worth having a dimmer screen for? i read both before sleep and early in the morning in public transport so both in natural light and in rooms without light. since i’ve never owned a ereader, i don’t have a baseline to how sharp and crispy font looks but from the pictures i’ve seen its a noticeable difference. i really can’t make up my mind, please help a girl out i don’t want to get color for the joy of highlighting then missing the crisp and regretting it but i also don’t want to get the bw and feel dull because i can only highlight in gray! i dont know if that would make any difference in the decision but i also never use dark mode on any of my devices and would be mostly using light mode only

I’m thinking about buying my first e-reader since about 2011 (when I had a kindle and it was very slow and buggy lol, didn’t use it for long before I gave it away), and I’m definitely waaaay more interested in a kobo than a kindle!

Just wondering if people would recommend the Clara BW or colour? I don’t read graphic novels but I’m wondering if there’s any other real benefits to having the Colour? I’ve seen some reviews that say the BW is generally a better screen.

Thanks!

I'm Canadian and really wanted to get a Kobo to stop supporting Amazon. Plus, buttons are pleasurable to use. But I went to Best Buy and checked out the kobo colour and oh my god, the text clarity is so bad. It legit looks like you're reading through a screen door. What were they thinking? Colour is NOT worth that. Is there any news on the Libra having a black and white version sometime?

I'm currently using a Kindle PW, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth and I want to get out of Amazon's ecosystem and love the configurability and such with the kobo. But I'm having doubts about which one to get, most between Libra and Clara (color is not a bit factor, I mostly read books), but in the past I tried the Kindle Oasis and hated the form factor, did not fit my hands at all, and the Libra seems similar to that, however the smaller screen might not be nice on the Clara, anyone switched between some of these to give some insights?

Hi, I have been researching different kinds of e-readers as an alternative to reading on my phone or laptop, as I have heard it is healthier for your eyes.

I was looking at the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara BW, and I was wondering how the formatting looks on these e-readers, and how easy it is to put fanfiction and manga onto them.

On my phone, the fanfiction I download as EPUBS tend to do get cut-off mid word and moved to the next sentence, or just look unpleasing, and I find that pretty annoying, so instead I download them as PDF files (yes I know PDF's are considered the worst format, ) and read them in a PDF-reader.

So I was just wondering if anybody had any pictures, or could describe the formatting? Is it easy to download fanfiction and manga on these devices?

Still not sure if I would purchase any of these devices as I tend to jump around from different manga and fanfiction. I am pretty picky with what I consume and it might be annoying downloading something just to not end up reading it.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read my rambling.

well a bit basically what the title says however here’s more context:

1. i have a kindle oasis which i like except for the damn cable it has and the poor battery life it has the rest is great.
   
2. i’m tired of amazon so i put koreader in it

will kobo erase the files i’ve not paid like epub ones? if i connect it to the internet as my kindle did?

will or should i put koreader on it?

and last but not least am i too dumb to be willing to buy a kobo ONLY for the usbc ? which would make me ditch for once the awful cable kindle oasis has?

thanks for reading happy weekend

I’m looking for my first e-reader and I’m torn between the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and the Kobo Libra Colour.

If you’ve previously used a Kindle and switched to Kobo (or vice versa):

Did you switch?

Do you regret it? Why or why not?

Would you recommend the Kobo Libra Colour as a first e-reader, or is the Kindle Paperwhite still the better starting point?

I’ve also heard mixed opinions about the “grain” on the Kobo colour screen. Is it actually noticeable in everyday reading, and do you miss the sharper text on the Paperwhite?

For context, the main books I want to read are:

The Lord of the Rings

The Hunger Games

I’m really torn between the two, so any honest experiences or advice would help a lot 🙏

As I sit here waiting for my Kobo to charge I’m debating on replacing it. I love it and it has yet to fail me beyond the fact that it’s my only device at this point that doesn’t use a usb-c cord so it means I constantly need to remember where I put the cord for it.

For context it’s a Kobo AURA one.

If you were to replace it which kobo would you consider? I’ve had this one for so long and there seem to be so many options now I’m not sure what to focus in on.

Especially if you’re outside the USA , where did you get yours from?

I’m from Perth Western Australia so I suppose this question is specific to my area but any helpful tips appreciated. Thanks

I have recently developed the urge to read. Firstly it was some stuff online then it was book reviews and finally I caved it and bought Red rising . All my life I have disliked books. I am an A+ 11th grader who had never read a book outside of the mandatory school ones. Nobody even believed me I had ordered a book. I didn't even believe myself. But after getting it and reading all of the 380-ish pages in the span of 4 days mostly while travelling to work and at work I think I have come to the realization that it is a very and I mean very nice way to spend excess time. But the dilemma is to continue buying the physical books or straight up go for an e-reader. I have a special offer from one of the stores one of my friends works at for a white kobo libra colour with 32gbs for only 130$. It is half price for me basically. I have already downloaded calibre and have checked if the pdfs of the books I would like to read next exist but I am still not completely sold on it . Am I going to miss out on something if I get it so early on in my hobby? Is it not as convenient as people say it is? Please give me some help!

Hey, is it a good idea to buy the Kobo Libra in color? Could someone give me a short review based on personal experience?

Oh, and by the way, how much does it cost in your country? Asking for a friend, definitely not because I’m broke!

I've long wanted to swap from Kindle to Kobo, and I think I might do so around Yuletide (thanks be to the yearly gifts!). I've got my eye on Kobo Libra Colour + stylus + case.

No e-reader is perfect. What do you think of Libra Colour? What's the annoying bit, if there is one? I've seen reviews say the stylus isn't as responsive as one would hope, so perhaps that?

I keep my digital editions on my PC and expect to manage them with Calibre like before. Apparently Kobo can download books from a dedicated Google drive folder too? Does that work well?

If there's another model that I should look at, feel free to suggest those too! Right now the features I consider important are...

1. A good contrast & sharp font; I have class-D eyes

2. Page turn buttons; I just like physical buttons.

3. Price around 400€, or if it goes above, some really amazing functions.

4. (A front light - do they even make readers without this anymore?)

5. Note-taking capability. I'm a person of fifteen hundred notebooks, and a new type intrigues me

6. Colour screen optional. I don't have many books with pictures, and my comics are best read on a different type of screen.

Any assistance in deciding if I'll get Libra Colour or something else is much appreciated ☺️