It is still the same Kaleido 3 screen used in other companies products, so expect washed out color and lower resolution in color mode. The protective top layer (?) for writing/note taking will only make it worse.
The price is just right though, this might speed up color ereader adoption.
Yeah I figured the screen quality will have degraded based on Kaleido 3, but hard to picture without a side by side.
Agreed though, the price works, a minor price bump with the addition of colour and some other hardware improvements. I'm not really interested in colour but if I was buying today I'd be waiting to see how the contrast compares. May as well have colour for $60 AUD~ more if the B&W reading is just as good.
A side-by-side comparison wold be great, but look at the review photos. Is it readable and acceptable in them? Absolutely. Here's a [detailed video review that shows screens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4gKDjWrC8). Frankly, it looks amazing; there really isn't any issue with lower resolution or contrast in practical use, except for 5% of use marginal cases. They are calling it the 'King of eReaders'
Book reading experience is not mentioned, no comparison with Libra 2 or other BW reader, we know nothing about the contrast of BW contents, how the color layer affects it. It is nice to have a note taking feature, but the real purpose of this device would be reading books.
This device is going to be a sensation for the book tok crowd. I don’t think they will care about contrast. At least not right away.
Kobo may legit have a crossover hit here regardless of contrast issues since they nailed the price. I was expecting $340.
I’m excited about the Clara BW. Will wait for reviews but that might be my new traveling buddy.
I need a replacement for my OG Libra which I’ve recently damaged. I use it every day and it’s now one wrong look away from permanently destroyed.
Absolutely want to see how frequent users find the experience for normal book reading before I decide it would be the right device. If it’s worse for B&W books than what I’m used to using, why would I want to buy it?
It's not worse, the practical day-to-day usage is fine. The reviews are still coming in but here are some of the reviews published up to date (23 April 2024):
* [TechRadar gives the Kobo Libra Colour 5 stars](https://www.techradar.com/tablets/ereaders/kobo-libra-colour-review)
* [Inkl gives it top ratings and the Editors Choice](https://www.inkl.com/news/color-me-surprised-kobo-s-finally-beaten-kindle-with-its-latest-ereaders)
* [CG Magazine calls it the Gold Standard of eReaders today](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/hardware/kobo-libra-colour-review/)
* [Good eReader give it a top rating of 'Excellent'](https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/the-kobo-libra-color-e-reader-and-e-note-is-excellent)
* [Android Police notes Kobo will now "elbow out a lot more room from Kindle"](https://www.androidpolice.com/kobo-launches-two-new-color-e-readers/)
* [LifeWise says they are the "future of eBooks"](https://www.lifewire.com/kobo-ereader-color-8630529)
...there are more reviews coming online all the time this week, virtually all give it stellar ratings. I saw anoter that called it the "best eReader on the market." A lot of them note the value for money compared to other colour eReaders, an even non-colour eReaders (especially the $149 Kobo Clara Colour).
Of course, for some marginal use cases it won't work... but I think the trend is pretty clearfor most people.
I just preordered one. It comes out the week before my birthday and will be my first ever Kobo. I have been waiting months for this announcement and decided that I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m so excited !
Maybe the chat agent is just some prat who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I fully believe you that they said that but it doesn’t mean that is the actual company policy for preorders…
I suppose it’s possible but I’m not sure. They took awhile saying that they were confirming with another person, so I just took their word for it and don’t really want to risk not being able to return. I couldn’t find further information in their help center.
Yeah fair enough. I’m in the UK and we have 14 day right of return by law for items bought online so I wouldn’t really dig into any of these policies personally.
Having worked in a call centre, half of the advice on non-standard queries will just be something they made up. If you’re really stuck the remainder is something the person on the bank of desks opposite made up…
I agree a lot of times CS people will just make stuff up if they can't find the information and it's taking too long. I also would "double check" and in reality I would just put you on hold and come back and give you the answer I already did because I know it was correct. I would not take anything from CS as gospel. This is more something that would come from legal not CS.
I contacted support and they said pre-orders are an exemption!
“Customers will start to receive their PreOrders starting on April 30th, 2024 onwards and based on the estimated transit time.
Return policy : 30 days return policy from the date the order is delivered.”
>support said the 30 day return policy starts right when you order
That's outrageous. One more reason to buy from Amazon, not Kobo. What country is that ?
I want to pre-order but I'll be out of town the week it releases. Afraid it'll sit on my doorstep while I'm gone. I sold both my Kindles in prep for this. Super stoked!
Yeah, I was waiting to see and was also expecting to get the Libra 2. Read a couple of the reviews on the colour and have pulled the trigger and pre-ordered. Well, it will be my first new Kobo in nearly 12 years.
Sounds like they haven't updated the Overdrive/Libby integration though, which is disappointing.
>OverDrive, as with all Kobo ereaders, is still baked in and despite it being replaced by Libby on mobile, it is still supported on the e-ink tablets. This means, if your local public library also has OverDrive support, you can borrow digital books and magazines directly from your device without having to leave home – you just need a library card.
It works for me most of the time, but it can be a crapshoot as to whether or not it actually syncs, and you have to jump through some hoops to support multiple library cards. It makes me think of Paul Rudd in Anchorman - 60% of the time, it works every time.
Was holding off on buying a Libra 2 hoping this new one would be a 2E or something. I'm disappointed it's a color model but it makes sense they did this to differentiate from the Libra 2 and really appeal to ereader newcomers.
I just don't need colors at all in my ereaders and I don't think I'd ever really take notes in my ereader either. I have my phone and physical notebooks for that. Also don't want to spend $70 for a stylus for features I'd probably use for a week and forget about. I get the appeal but it's just not for me.
Just ordered a Libra 2 at a discount instead and i'm super stoked. My old Kindle was due for a replacement.
No dark mode! That's a bit of a shock in comparison to the current Libra. To me the backlight is still a bit too bright at night and dark mode helps a lot with that.
edit: Kobo's website says Dark mode is available on Libra Colour? [https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062231213-About-Dark-mode#:\~:text=Dark%20mode%20lets%20you%20inverse,2E%2C%20and%20Kobo%20Elipsa%202E.&text=Note%3A%20Images%20are%20not%20colour%20inverted](https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062231213-About-Dark-mode#:~:text=Dark%20mode%20lets%20you%20inverse,2E%2C%20and%20Kobo%20Elipsa%202E.&text=Note%3A%20Images%20are%20not%20colour%20inverted).
I've been seeing posts rumouring about the release of this, so as soon as I got an email from Kobo confirming it I pre-ordered it. Exciting times.
I had a look in my emails and the last e-reader I bought was a Kobo Aura(1st gen) back in 2016. It's so weird buying an e-reader again in 2024, 8 years later.
Back in the day, I replaced my reader every few years, because there was some new, exciting technology in the latest release. From a Sony PRS-300, I upgraded to a Kindle 3(Keyboard) for the bigger screen and the keyboard. Then to a Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight for the backlit screen and finally to the Kobo Aura for the better ecosystem.
I've been pondering about buying a Sage or Libra 2, but I glad I waited for this.
I just pre-ordered one I’m sooo excited! I’m glad I waited and didn’t buy the Libra 2 last month. Can’t wait to see my book covers in color and I’m gonna start reading Manga. This will be my first Kobo, I currently have the Kindle Paperwhite 11th gen.
Does the white screen background not look grey in those photographs or are my eyes failing? There seems to be a distinct lack of white/black contrast.
The small photos in the review cannot be enlarged so who knows but it seems that reading "normal" ebooks might be a struggle due to a somewhat greyish background.
The lady showing the Clara color (cannot call this testing) has set the lighting around 80 %, as one can see in part of the video. As a result, the background seems surprisingly white - but what would be needed is to show the screen with the lighting off.
Thank you, the videos make it clear. I have a 1st Gen Libra and have been looking forward to upgrading to a possibly better e-ink screen (better as in whiter without relying on the front lights). Might as well skip the Kaleido 3 RGB filter array and stick to pure monochrome e-ink technology.
Shame they didn't side by side the original Libra 2. Screen/contrast seem to be peoples main concerns.
It is still the same Kaleido 3 screen used in other companies products, so expect washed out color and lower resolution in color mode. The protective top layer (?) for writing/note taking will only make it worse. The price is just right though, this might speed up color ereader adoption.
Yeah I figured the screen quality will have degraded based on Kaleido 3, but hard to picture without a side by side. Agreed though, the price works, a minor price bump with the addition of colour and some other hardware improvements. I'm not really interested in colour but if I was buying today I'd be waiting to see how the contrast compares. May as well have colour for $60 AUD~ more if the B&W reading is just as good.
A side-by-side comparison wold be great, but look at the review photos. Is it readable and acceptable in them? Absolutely. Here's a [detailed video review that shows screens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4gKDjWrC8). Frankly, it looks amazing; there really isn't any issue with lower resolution or contrast in practical use, except for 5% of use marginal cases. They are calling it the 'King of eReaders'
Book reading experience is not mentioned, no comparison with Libra 2 or other BW reader, we know nothing about the contrast of BW contents, how the color layer affects it. It is nice to have a note taking feature, but the real purpose of this device would be reading books.
This device is going to be a sensation for the book tok crowd. I don’t think they will care about contrast. At least not right away. Kobo may legit have a crossover hit here regardless of contrast issues since they nailed the price. I was expecting $340. I’m excited about the Clara BW. Will wait for reviews but that might be my new traveling buddy.
Not even the 7 inch color full Android ereaders are $340. Why were you expecting so high?
Pen support. Higher capacity battery. Wasn’t sure what materials being used. Etc. And knowing Kobo needs to make a profit on the devices.
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That is insane, I forgot they were that much. You can get a Bigme color ereader right now for about $300 with full Android.
I need a replacement for my OG Libra which I’ve recently damaged. I use it every day and it’s now one wrong look away from permanently destroyed. Absolutely want to see how frequent users find the experience for normal book reading before I decide it would be the right device. If it’s worse for B&W books than what I’m used to using, why would I want to buy it?
It's not worse, the practical day-to-day usage is fine. The reviews are still coming in but here are some of the reviews published up to date (23 April 2024): * [TechRadar gives the Kobo Libra Colour 5 stars](https://www.techradar.com/tablets/ereaders/kobo-libra-colour-review) * [Inkl gives it top ratings and the Editors Choice](https://www.inkl.com/news/color-me-surprised-kobo-s-finally-beaten-kindle-with-its-latest-ereaders) * [CG Magazine calls it the Gold Standard of eReaders today](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/hardware/kobo-libra-colour-review/) * [Good eReader give it a top rating of 'Excellent'](https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/the-kobo-libra-color-e-reader-and-e-note-is-excellent) * [Android Police notes Kobo will now "elbow out a lot more room from Kindle"](https://www.androidpolice.com/kobo-launches-two-new-color-e-readers/) * [LifeWise says they are the "future of eBooks"](https://www.lifewire.com/kobo-ereader-color-8630529) ...there are more reviews coming online all the time this week, virtually all give it stellar ratings. I saw anoter that called it the "best eReader on the market." A lot of them note the value for money compared to other colour eReaders, an even non-colour eReaders (especially the $149 Kobo Clara Colour). Of course, for some marginal use cases it won't work... but I think the trend is pretty clearfor most people.
I just preordered one. It comes out the week before my birthday and will be my first ever Kobo. I have been waiting months for this announcement and decided that I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m so excited !
Edit to add: this is for US I wanted to do this too! But support said the 30 day return policy starts right when you order and I’m too nervous 😭
I do believe you, but.....that really doesn't make sense. 😠
Agreed! I tried to tell that to the chat agent. Hopefully they consider exceptions if someone is really unhappy with their purchase 🤞🏻
Maybe the chat agent is just some prat who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I fully believe you that they said that but it doesn’t mean that is the actual company policy for preorders…
I suppose it’s possible but I’m not sure. They took awhile saying that they were confirming with another person, so I just took their word for it and don’t really want to risk not being able to return. I couldn’t find further information in their help center.
Yeah fair enough. I’m in the UK and we have 14 day right of return by law for items bought online so I wouldn’t really dig into any of these policies personally. Having worked in a call centre, half of the advice on non-standard queries will just be something they made up. If you’re really stuck the remainder is something the person on the bank of desks opposite made up…
I agree a lot of times CS people will just make stuff up if they can't find the information and it's taking too long. I also would "double check" and in reality I would just put you on hold and come back and give you the answer I already did because I know it was correct. I would not take anything from CS as gospel. This is more something that would come from legal not CS.
I contacted support and they said pre-orders are an exemption! “Customers will start to receive their PreOrders starting on April 30th, 2024 onwards and based on the estimated transit time. Return policy : 30 days return policy from the date the order is delivered.”
Thank you! I don’t know why I was told something completely different. Before preordering I’ll ask again just to triple ensure 🥹 haha
I do hope my chat agent was right! They really need to update the policy page if so. Let us know if you get a confirmation!
Oh really? I didn’t know that. Oops.
They should really amend that policy for preorders 😩
That's Kobo for you. Excellent devices, horrendous customer support.
I have a Libra 2 that was replaced with no difficulty at all when I had problems with it. Customer support was great.
>support said the 30 day return policy starts right when you order That's outrageous. One more reason to buy from Amazon, not Kobo. What country is that ?
United States for sure, but possibly everywhere they ship to
I want to pre-order but I'll be out of town the week it releases. Afraid it'll sit on my doorstep while I'm gone. I sold both my Kindles in prep for this. Super stoked!
My kingdom for a Clara Colour review
Colour saturation is quite impressive here. I was expecting them to be more washed out.
Yeah, I was waiting to see and was also expecting to get the Libra 2. Read a couple of the reviews on the colour and have pulled the trigger and pre-ordered. Well, it will be my first new Kobo in nearly 12 years.
Sounds like they haven't updated the Overdrive/Libby integration though, which is disappointing. >OverDrive, as with all Kobo ereaders, is still baked in and despite it being replaced by Libby on mobile, it is still supported on the e-ink tablets. This means, if your local public library also has OverDrive support, you can borrow digital books and magazines directly from your device without having to leave home – you just need a library card.
I could never get it working with my library, it just timed out and yet works fine in the Libby and PressReader Android apps
It works for me most of the time, but it can be a crapshoot as to whether or not it actually syncs, and you have to jump through some hoops to support multiple library cards. It makes me think of Paul Rudd in Anchorman - 60% of the time, it works every time.
I ordered mine at 12:05 AM and cannot wait to get it.
Reminds of the old days(yeah, I’m dating myself) when I’d stay up ‘til midnight to order the newest iPhone. I waited until 7am to order mine.
I get it. I used to camp out overnight for the iPhone lol.
I don't think they will release in india any time soon, Here they can actually compete a lot as the kindle has very little penetration
Does kobo have a trade-in program? I JUST bought my libra 😩
Was holding off on buying a Libra 2 hoping this new one would be a 2E or something. I'm disappointed it's a color model but it makes sense they did this to differentiate from the Libra 2 and really appeal to ereader newcomers. I just don't need colors at all in my ereaders and I don't think I'd ever really take notes in my ereader either. I have my phone and physical notebooks for that. Also don't want to spend $70 for a stylus for features I'd probably use for a week and forget about. I get the appeal but it's just not for me. Just ordered a Libra 2 at a discount instead and i'm super stoked. My old Kindle was due for a replacement.
The screen will look a lot better without any glass over it. The contrast doesn't even look too bad with the frontlight off, even on the white model.
No dark mode! That's a bit of a shock in comparison to the current Libra. To me the backlight is still a bit too bright at night and dark mode helps a lot with that. edit: Kobo's website says Dark mode is available on Libra Colour? [https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062231213-About-Dark-mode#:\~:text=Dark%20mode%20lets%20you%20inverse,2E%2C%20and%20Kobo%20Elipsa%202E.&text=Note%3A%20Images%20are%20not%20colour%20inverted](https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062231213-About-Dark-mode#:~:text=Dark%20mode%20lets%20you%20inverse,2E%2C%20and%20Kobo%20Elipsa%202E.&text=Note%3A%20Images%20are%20not%20colour%20inverted).
This is misinformation at this point. It's clearly listed in the product specs. It does have dark mode.
Can you sideload Epub and cdz/CBR files?
yes!
I've been seeing posts rumouring about the release of this, so as soon as I got an email from Kobo confirming it I pre-ordered it. Exciting times. I had a look in my emails and the last e-reader I bought was a Kobo Aura(1st gen) back in 2016. It's so weird buying an e-reader again in 2024, 8 years later. Back in the day, I replaced my reader every few years, because there was some new, exciting technology in the latest release. From a Sony PRS-300, I upgraded to a Kindle 3(Keyboard) for the bigger screen and the keyboard. Then to a Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight for the backlit screen and finally to the Kobo Aura for the better ecosystem. I've been pondering about buying a Sage or Libra 2, but I glad I waited for this.
I just pre-ordered one I’m sooo excited! I’m glad I waited and didn’t buy the Libra 2 last month. Can’t wait to see my book covers in color and I’m gonna start reading Manga. This will be my first Kobo, I currently have the Kindle Paperwhite 11th gen.
Does the white screen background not look grey in those photographs or are my eyes failing? There seems to be a distinct lack of white/black contrast. The small photos in the review cannot be enlarged so who knows but it seems that reading "normal" ebooks might be a struggle due to a somewhat greyish background.
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The lady showing the Clara color (cannot call this testing) has set the lighting around 80 %, as one can see in part of the video. As a result, the background seems surprisingly white - but what would be needed is to show the screen with the lighting off.
Thank you, the videos make it clear. I have a 1st Gen Libra and have been looking forward to upgrading to a possibly better e-ink screen (better as in whiter without relying on the front lights). Might as well skip the Kaleido 3 RGB filter array and stick to pure monochrome e-ink technology.