Kobo Libra Colour | eReader | 7" Glare-Free Colour E Ink Kaleido 3 Display | Dark Mode Option | Audiobooks | Waterproof

ViUnited States

IDK What to Put Here

EDIT: Previously, I mistakenly stated that this has no security, but it does in the form of a PIN. I've updated my review to reflect that, and bumped it up to 5 stars This is my first eReader so I have no comparison of performance compared to others. I'll list the cons first in case there are any deal-breakers for people, then they can stop reading and look for something else. Cons: -No SD/microSD slot -No NAS drive option -No headphone jack -Will get you addicted to reading Neutrals: -Looks like something from old Star Trek Pros: -Clear, readable text -Decent Colour -Readable in blinding sunlight -Super lightweight -Great battery life -Supports Google Drive, Overdrive & Dropbox -Probably won't shatter when you drop it Despite a few drawbacks, I still greatly enjoy this eReader. I don't foresee myself needing more than 32GB of storage for books, as I'm not an audio book guy (yet), and even so, I can transfer anything from my laptop to the Libra anyway. But still, I do have a NAS drive and microSD cards lying around, so being able to use those would've been a nice feature for peace of mind and feeling like I didn't overspend on tech stuff (lol). Maybe one day we'll get an OTA update that let's us use NAS drives. Now for the cool stuff! I wasn't completely sold on an eReader since I already have a tablet, but I decided to buy one anyway to see what the fuss is about, and I ultimately still love this thing. It's incredibly light and doesn't tire my hands like a tablet or a book, and being able to fit so many books onto something so small still wows me. Dang it, I just love technology! Syncing this with Google Drive just makes things even better. I've never dropped this thing but it looks a lot more durable than a glass phone, or even a tablet, and I'm confident it can survive a few drops. If you're someone who frequently drops stuff, I'd still buy a case for the aesthetic, if anything- this looks like it was designed by the same people who designed Star Trek Voyager computers. But maybe that's the case for all eReaders, no pun intended. Thanks to my allergies, I dislike going outside, but I did bother to test it in direct, blinding, sunburnable light and the brightness still makes things more than readable. If you're someone who likes to pretend they're a White Lotus character and reads on the beach with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, this can be a part of your prop arsenal. Personally, I like to read in bed before I go to sleep and I haven't dropped it on my face yet. As far as colour is concerned, it doesn't look as nice as my tablet or phone, but maybe that's asking too much. Apparently, colour eReaders are a mindblowing new thing so it might wow you. I haven't fully converted and sub'd to their book shop, so I can't comment on the experience there; I still have my Kindle Unlimited sub still active and may also buy a Kindle to see how the experience compares. I do notice that the Kindle app on my tablet tries to sell me new books hardcore and is way more in my face than this shop's. Despite that, I might end up with two book subs since it's current_Year and everyone has 10 streaming subs anyway. Carrying around two eReaders is definitely not as physically demanding as carrying two thick books. If you have the expendable income, why not have the best of both worlds? In short, this Libra Colour is gas. I've reconnected to my nerdy childhood and I'm reading tonnes more thanks to it. For anyone who loves reading, this is an amazing experience with ridiculous battery life compared to a phone or tablet, and won't strain your eyes. 5 Ryan Reynolds'!

Brian MelgozaUnited States

Kindle's biggest competitor

Probably one of the best Kindle competitors on the market. As someone who doesn't want to give Amazon absolutely all of my information and money (even though I'm sure they still do somehow), all of my e-reader research led me to Kobo. The e-reader itself is great quality. Buttons are clicky, screen ppi is great, device isn't too heavy. It is a plastic device, and in my hands it was a little bit slippery, but that was fixed with a case I was going to put on it anyway. Its incredibly easy to use, whether you want to use the Kobo Store or just load your own ebooks. Has great integrations with multiple cloud solutions, like Google Drive, so loading new ebooks without a computer right in front of you is a breeze. Probably the biggest downside to this device is the color reproduction. It is actually surprisingly good, but color ereaders are never going to capture the same thing as an actual comic book or graphic novel in front of you. So I'm not going to take any stars off for this since it has more to do with the genre of color ereaders as opposed to this one in particular. The only big downside to going with a non-kindle device is the lack of the Kindle store. For better or for worse, Amazon has an absolute choke hold on most publishing rights to both ebooks and audio books. If you're a non-kindle user like me, Kindle just has so many more exclusives that its really hard to compete. With some know how (and an internet connection), you can get around that fairly easily, but for someone who doesn't want to sail the seas, depending on what you want out of an e-reader, a Kindle might be a better choice. That really pains me to admit it, but that's more a complaint towards Amazon that it is a review of this Kobo. Hopefully one day Amazon will be sued for anti trust and anti consumerism to fix this, but until then, the best way to fight them is by using our wallets. Yes I see the irony of this review literally being on Amazon after complaining about Amazon.

TaylorUnited States

Amazing - former kindle oasis user

I absolutely love my Kobo, but I will say getting used to the Kobo environment is a little bit of a learning curve coming from kindle. First of all if you really enjoy Kindle insights that show how long you’ve read a book, when you read the book, how long it took you to read it throughout the month, What days you read versus what days you did not read, etc, this may not be the device for you because the software/environment is just not there yet. I wish I had known that before purchasing. I do miss those insights from Kindle, but I will say I enjoy the feel and look and hardware of the Kobo more than the Kindle Oasis. I also obviously love that there is color, and highlighting and taking notes with the pen has become something I can’t live without. The battery life is super impressive, I read a lot, and I barely ever have to charge this thing, I’d say it’s about the same as the Kindle oasis. You can upload news articles with the pocket app and read them on your kobo as well as library books which I think is super cool and was easy to figure out how to do, I don’t really think that Kindle allows you to do that, but I may be wrong. The brightness on the kobo is a little bit different than the Kindle, I think that it might come off as a little bit of a harsher light, but I do love that it’s adjustable by just dragging your finger up and down the side of the screen, which is so handy. I will say I think that Kindle has a better Kindle unlimited selection versus kobo plus subscription if you’re into fantasy romance novels. I can’t really speak to other genres, but I have noticed that a lot of the books I wanted to read were not available with my subscription, unfortunately, but there is a pretty good reward points system with the Kobo at least. The Kobo is definitely lighter than the Kindle Oasis, because it is made from recycled plastic instead of Metal. If that is important to you, you are making the right choice going with Kobo.

mayweedUnited States

Very portable color e-reader at fair price with many features

Since I already have other types of e-reader, I didn't technically need another one. What prompted this purchase was: longer battery life of Kobo, lower price, small size, audio book capability, and the most important features of color e-ink and stylus that can be used to hand write notes. The text is not as sharp as my iPad, but it's adjustable for size and font, bright enough, and fine for me. The color, while not strictly necessary, is enjoyable and makes notes more fun. I even did some simple color sketching and mind maps with the Kobo notepad app. My ipad does most of the desired features better of course (plus has a zillion apps), but is too expensive and too large for me to just take it everywhere in my pocket, purse, or small backpack. (I am also getting tired of operating systems that nag me to be signed in all the time. ) Even better, I found that I really use the feature where I can connect the Kobo to my Macbook and side load PDF or text files, without having to use a proprietary system (yes, I know how to do this with ipads and kindle email). I expect to use this feature to personalize the material that I am able to quickly install on the Kobo, such as business data, teaching materials, etc. It won't replace my iPad, but sometimes what matters is the device that is actually with you, and ready to go. I wish the Kobo had more memory, or was able to install an external memory card, but I can live with that limitation. Buying books on the Kobo website is also easy, they have a pretty good sale section, a subscription service similar to Kindle unlimited, and some of their books are DRM-free.