I’ve treated myself to a Kobo Libra Colour reader as my birthday present. I already own a Kindle Paperwhite but I kept seeing ads for the new Kobo Libra Colour, and I couldn’t resist. I wanted an e-reader with colour for an enhanced reading experience. Unfortunately, Kindle doesn’t have a coloured reader yet, so Kobo it is.
Honestly, it took me a while to decide whether to buy a Kobo or not. When I finally made up my mind, I went to the Kobo website, the Libra colour was out of stock (urgh!). Thankfully (phew!), found them available in Amazon with a next day delivery. So with my eyes closed, I clicked the ‘pay’ button.
Amazon is one of the most reliable online stores I know, even during the pandemic. When you select the ‘Next Day Delivery’ option, you can be sure it will arrive the next day. Anyway, my new Kobo device was delivered on time. Happy me!
Kobo Overview
The packaging of the Kobo Libra Colour is cute. The box includes just two items: the reader device and a Kobo USB-C cable. I don’t mind that it comes without an adapter since we have plenty at home. I hope that one day tech companies will consider making USB cables optional to help reduce the number of unnecessary cables that end up in landfills.
There is a button on the top left corner of the Kobo Libra Colour, which can be used to wake/sleep or turn off/restart the device. I think this is a great idea because it helps prevent accidental presses. In contrast, the Kindle’s equivalent button is located at the bottom of the device, and there have been times when I accidentally pressed it, which can be quite annoying!
I also bought a Kobo case in Garden Green colour to protect my device, and a Kobo pen. I will write a separate review about the pen since I’ve not used it as much so far.
My Thoughts on the Device
I’ve never owned or used a Kobo reader before, so the interface is entirely new to me. However, it was not difficult to navigate, and I found it easy to access both the Kobo Store and my library. Similar to the Kindle device, there’s a brief millisecond of loading whenever you move to a different screen.
One of the main reasons I chose the Kobo Libra Colour is its colour display feature. If Kindle offered a similar feature, I would have probably ended up buying a coloured Kindle. The coloured display on the Kobo adds a nice ‘pop’ to the reading experience. It’s especially great for reading comics, manga, or any books rich in colour.
I also like the two buttons on the side of the device, which provide an alternative way to turn pages or scroll up and down. The device itself is light and slim, making it easy to carry in a bag. I’ve never owned a Kindle Oasis but the device structure looks similar to the Kobo Libra.
The only downside I can think of is the price of books in the Kobo Store. Most books are more expensive compared to their equivalents in the Kindle Store. The Kindle Store has monthly and daily deals, where you can find books for as low as £0.99! I hope that Kobo can work on improving the pricing of their books.
A significant advantage that Kobo has over Kindle is its compatibility with Libby, BorrowBox, and Google Drive. Libby and BorrowBox are third-party apps that allow users to borrow books for free from their local libraries. While Libby is more common in the US, BorrowBox is a great option here in the UK. Additionally, if you have books stored on your computer, you can upload them to Google Drive and read them on your Kobo device.
I signed up for my local library and found that they have a good selection of e-books. I’ve been using BorrowBox to borrow these books and Adobe Digital Editions to transfer them to my Kobo device. However, the process can be a bit cumbersome, as it would be much simpler if BorrowBox could be accessed directly from the Kobo reader.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really like my Kobo Libra Colour so far. Although I don’t have many books on it yet, it’s been especially useful for borrowing books from my local library for free. And whenever something is free, I’m all for it.
The battery life is impressive too; it can last for weeks on standby.
Would I recommend the Kobo Libra Colour? Absolutely! It is also great if you like reading comics or manga.
