Kobo Libra Colour eReader + Stylus 2 Bundle, 7”, Black

I really wanted to like this e-reader. And I do — it's really very good. I've used e-readers for many years, and whilst I've not been an early adopter, each model I've purchased has been an improvement over the previous one. Recently my trusty old Paperwhite, which I'd given to my son, finally died. I therefore took the opportunity to gift him my Oasis and decided to pull the trigger on a colour e-reader. I did my research and decided to try a different brand to the one I'd previously used. I settled on the Kobo and am so far very impressed. It's very similar in form factor to the Kindle Oasis, with the same size screen and the side bezel with the page turn buttons. This was something I really liked on the Oasis, and the fact that the Kobo Libra shared the same form was one of the reasons I chose it over other options. I decided to purchase the bundle that came with the stylus, as it was the same price as the Kobo on its own, which seemed like a good deal. I can't say I've really used the pen yet, but as it was essentially free it's a nice-to-have. I think I would get more use out of it if I didn't already have an iPad with a pen, which I use for taking notes. The usefulness of the stylus really comes down to what you plan to do with the Kobo. Let's start with the screen, which is of course the most important (arguably) part of any e-reader. The screen is good, certainlyb on par with other e-readers. Text is sharp in both black and white and colour (although be aware that the resolution in colour is less than that in B&W due to the way colour E-Ink screens work). It's certainly not fuzzy though, and honestly I think most people would struggle to see any difference. Colour itself is fairly muted. Again, this is true of all current colour E-Ink screens. I'm sure as the technology advances this will improve but don't expect heavily saturated colours. I've attached a photo wihich shows the screen in standby mode (i.e. no backlighting) as well as one of the home screen. The screen is responsive and page turns happen quickly. You do of course get the usual flashes etc. which are part and parcel of E-Ink screens but it's still very good and barely noticeable most of the time. The UI is really nice, and I find it less cluttered than the Kindle OS. It's also less in-your-face when it comes to advertising. Whilst there are a couple of links to the store and for Kobo+, they're pretty unobtrusive. The bottom of the screen features options for accessing your books, discovering content, making notes, and accessing settings. There are of course various options for sorting your book collection too. Sideloading books via Calibre is very easy, which was great for me as I have a large Calibre library. If that's important to you, rest assured it's seamless — just as it was with Kindle devices. The reading experience is great and the page turn buttons feel solid. They're less clicky than those on the Kindle Oasis, and I much prefer using them to tapping the screen and getting fingermarks all over it. I did find the buttons were inverted compared to the Kindle, but it's easy enough to swap the behaviour in the settings. There's a good selection of fonts available, so there should be something to suit most readers. Rotating the device automatically re-orients the page, which is handy if you read in bed and switch sides — it also has a landscape mode if you prefer that orientation, though it's not something I use so I can't really attest to its usefulness. Battery life seems good, which isn't unexpected with E-Ink. Being colour shouldn't affect the power consumption based on my understanding of how colour E-Ink screens work. Installation of KOReader is possible if you prefer it, but I've not felt the need as yet. The stock reader is nice enough that I don't feel I'm missing out on features I grew to like in KOReader on my Kindle. You can also install a custom menu that allows quick access to useful features. This is done at your own risk, of course, but the options are there if you're someone who likes to tinker. I did encounter one negative when attempting to read a comic — well, it's a colour e-reader, you have to try at least one. Unfortunately the screen size meant I was unable to comfortably read the text. Whilst this isn't necessarily the fault of the e-reader itself, it's definitely a limitation of the screen size. I did find manga more suitable, which makes sense given that it tends to be printed in a format similar in size to the Kobo's screen. Your mileage may vary depending on your eyesight. Another minor negative, though not necessarily with the device itself, is the Kobo store. I found it less easy to navigate than the Amazon store. It may just be me, but searching by category didn't really work as expected — as an example, I navigated to Non-fiction and then to a section that should have returned true crime books, but found a lot of fiction being surfaced instead. Using Goodreads to discover content and then searching the Kobo store is no issue, but it's something worth being aware of. Kobo customer support also seems very good. I had an issue with my device and tried all the troubleshooting steps on their website to no avail. I contacted their support agents and explained the issue and what I'd already tried and they didn't try to force me to retry all the steps, instead providing my with a return label so I could send my device back to them for replacement. The whole process from sending to receiving the replacement only took a few days. As someone who spent a lot of time in the past working in Customer Service I expect a certain level of service from companies myself and I'm happy to say it was received from Kobo. Overall I'm really happy with my purchase. When you take in to account that it's a fair bit cheaper than other devices it's hard not to see this as a great deal. If you're heavily invested in the Amazon Kindle ecosystem and have a large number of DRM protected books this may not be for you, but if you're in the market for a colour e-reader and aren't worried about the brand then I would recommend this wholeheartedly.

Talk about falling in love with a product. Scoured reviews for ebook readers and the libra colour was what I needed. Had never owned an ebook reader before so had been using mobile phone or at times an ipad to read ebooks. When I got this I also ordered the luxury case you'll see on amazon (around 30 or so). Take my advice, get the case with it. Closes magneticalky, fits it superbly. Back to the device. It was new to me but got it opened, beautiful reader. I mean so high quality it's just not funny. Within 10 min I had it linked to the Web (yeah it can link to Google drive etc) and had transferred like 40 ebooks over. So easy. You can do this via the cable or like me just do it over WiFi. I can go to Google drive on my phone or laptop, drag files into the rakuten kobo or similar folder and then your reader has a section to access idrive, other online locations such as the kobo store (amazing too), and heck you can even go to a browser in a 'beta' type file. Just a note - because of the eink display, refresh rates etc don't expect much from a browser etc. Other than functionality that is. But it does everything you need. Omigod these things are so good. I literally felt guilty for buying myself it. That's how good the thing is. Honestly this thing is one step away from getting Beyonce to give you her cell number. The display is superb, much like a real book. I have mixed formats of files but I use software called Calibre (free and comes in mac, pc, android etc versions) whcih allows you to manage your library for the libra, convert formats, add different book covers or change anything you want for each book. This is the platinum standard software I would say to manage libraries with your kobo libre. Amazing stuff. Yeah so amazin display, fast when you change page. Super customisable. Battery is so good I started to think mine was solar powered. Oh did I mention I opted for the stylus as well? It's a no brainier for me I mean add a little to the initial buy price to get it thrown in with the libra (cos it does come free and is optional) or wait till after and get stung for the full stylus price? I love the thing. It's accurate, it has your own notebook section so like I read a lot of science books, and I like to take notes. You can do so on the actual book pages or if you're like me, finish a part, open the 'my notebooks' section and separately do some notes etc. It's a joy to use, very accurate and its smart so it knows not to let your palm hitting the screen to do anything. Omigod amazing. For the older user... Years and years back there was this little nerdy kid who watched Inspector Gadget with his kid brothers and sisters and like most kids he longed to have the 'smart' electronic book that Gadget's daughter Penny owned. She cracked crimes with it, mainly by looking stuff up but this was the thing to have. The nerdy kid dreamt about having a book like that for years. Then he grew up.. And years went by and he had put away childish things but then had some twists and turns in life and started to think again of what truly made him happy? KOBO - you guys gave that nerdy little kid his dream book with the libra colour. I cannot explain to you the joy of reading classics or scientific books on here, especially looking at how the diagrams 'pop' right out of the page at you with the eink screens colour output. The nerdy kid is now a nerdy man. But he's a happy nerdy man. Every morning he gets up and the first thing he does it reached for his Kobo Libra Colour, his own magic little book. You guys aren't making products - you're making dreams come true. Thank you so much. Ex nerdy little kid

Changed from Kindle to Kobo Libra Colour and it's been a revolution. Brilliant device that retains some of the features I loved most from my Kindle Oasis. The colour screen is great and enhances the reading experience in any books with images. The ability to write on the screen is great for note taking too and I have used it as a note pad due to its convenient size and portability. The ability to borrow ebooks from my local library on it using its built in software is another great feature that has elevated it above what I got from my kindle. The other bottom line...it was £100 cheaper than the nearest Kindle equivalent!

Perfect- except for my stylus not working! Think it's only a problem for me to sort (or the company) though.. Great product, does everything you need a great many books, notepads, ect. To do, plus, can get a great amount of affordable book, if you know where to look. Well worth the buy.

Very good, screen could be a tiny bit bigger

I love it! Been waiting a long time for my case so not wanting to use it as much as I would still. Once messed with the settings it's perfect for me, as at first looked grainy and was sending it back. The only downfall is Kobo Unlimited options are not great so far but keeping my eyes open for recommendations but may cancel after trial... Still can't comment fully on this as it's a process. Loving annotating, so much easier now with my Kobo. The pen is a little fiddly trying to find the button to press to highlight but something Ill get used to im sure. Have my own screensaver from Etsy and downloaded a book journal... Just love her and learn something new everyday.

This is a fantastic reader and at good price including the stylus. Solidly built but light and an absolute joy to use.

The Kobo Libra Colour is a fantastic device and an absolute pleasure to read on. Setting it up was quick and easy, adding books is straightforward, and the reading experience itself is excellent. I love the range of font sizes and styles, the dark mode options, and the brightness settings, everything is very customisable and easy on the eyes. It’s a device I genuinely enjoy using every single day. However, I did run into an issue with the stylus. After only six days of use, the eraser function left light scratches on the screen. I’d strongly recommend applying a screen protector immediately and avoiding the eraser function on the stylus altogether. With a screen protector in place, the marks are barely visible, but knowing they’re there is frustrating. Unfortunately, my experience with Rakuten’s customer service didn’t live up to the quality of the product. While a replacement device was offered, it would have meant being without the device for 10 -14 business days, which wasn’t practical. The web chat experience felt dismissive at times, with the issue framed more as user error than a potential product fault. No alternative resolution or goodwill gesture (such as book credits or vouchers) was offered, which was disappointing given how new the device was. Overall, the product itself is amazing and I genuinely love using it. The only reason this isn’t a 5-star review is due to the lack of confidence I now have in the customer service and aftersales support. The device is excellent, the support experience, less so.

Ammetto di non essere un esperto di ebook reader perchè ho sempre letto tutto su telefono. Avendo un pieghevole samsung leggevo sullo schermo aperto ed era una bellezza. Ma ho deciso di provare e la mia ricerca online mi ha portato a questo dispositivo. Non ho metri di paragone quindi essendo il primo che provo, ma basandomi sulle varie recensioni online posso dire che è uno dei migliori. Dipende sempre da cosa cercate ovviamente. Molti si buttano sul Kindle ma è vero che il Kindle è un po' come un sistema Apple, ovvero troppo "brandizzato" (passatemi il termine). Nel senso che sostanzialmente Amazon gestisce tutto e non hai libertà. Con questo invece puoi collegare diverse librerie e inoltre collegare dropbox e google drive in modo da caricare ebook anche da altre fonti condividendo direttamente i file epub, pdf, cbr e via discorrendo. Molto comodi i tasti fisici per scorrere le pagine, devo dire che si sente la mancanza dei tasti fisici al giorno d'oggi. Esteticamente si presenta molto bene, è sottile e leggero e ha una ergonomia che lo fa tenere molto bene in mano come se teneste proprio un libricino. Guardando lo schermo ti da proprio l'impressione di avere davanti le pagine di un libro. Ora io non sono uno di quelli che ne giudicano la definizione e menate di questo tipo, non ho uno sguardo bionico e non vedo i pixel, le risoluzioni e queste cose qui, io ho un prodotto in mano, lo guardo e mi piace PUNTO, senza fare questi paragoni inutili. La vista non si affatica anche grazie alla regolazione automatica dello schermo che cambia la tonalità in base alla luce e all'orario (si può impostare tra automatica e manuale quindi anche se la volete tenere totalmente BIANCA sparata come faccio io in piena notte ben venga). Il pennino funziona che è una meraviglia. A tempo perso sono uno scrittore e prendo ispirazione da molti dei libri che leggo, quindi mi trovo spesso e volentieri a sottolineare passaggi dei libri e prendere appunti a penna. Inoltre scrivere è così comodo e scorrevole che ho aperto anche un paio di block notes che uso come diario personale e blocco appunti per le mie storie quando magari sono in giro e vengo colto da ispirazione. Giudizio finale? Lo amo, lo adoro e da quando mi è arrivato non mi ci sono ancora separato. Un prodotto che consiglio a chiunque stia cercando un ebook personalizzabile e completo e in generale un fidato compagno di lettura. CONSIGLIATISSIMO!!!!

As good as it gets

Love it, great to be able to highlight in colour. Love the stylus.

Lecture très agréable

Ce l'ho da un paio di giorni e per ora l'impressione è molto positiva. Avevo un pocket book color e non c'è paragone, anche se quello era di circa 4 anni fa : il Kobo è moltissimo più veloce, colori migliori, buono pure lo store. In ogni caso basta collegarlo al PC con un cavo USB e verrà riconosciuto come un dispositivo esterno e quindi si potrà inserire PDF, ePub o altro. Ottimo pure il collegamento ad un altoparlante bluetooth esterno, riconosciuto in un attimo e provato con audiolibro. Ottima la penna da potersi utilizzare anche come evidenziatore e non solo per scrivere note. Ci si può anche disegnare. Per ora soddisfatto. Consigliato.