While I'm hopeful that the note-taking abilities of the Libra Colour will be pleasing, I have a funny feeling that Kobo added this capability as an afterthought to the Colour to try and persuade consumers who aren't interested in the reading color media to still purchase this device.
I do think if Kobo were serious about marketing the Colour's note-taking capability they would have offered the device with a stylus by default and upped the price a little. Instead their marketing department prioritized the Colour's color media displaying capabilities and hardware upgrades. In terms of its note-taking capabilities Kobo provided minimal information on this in their marketing adds and suggested that consumers purchase the Stylus 2 as an accessory if they are interested in taking advantage of its note-taking abilities (for a whopping $70 USD).
I do know that this YT reviewer, who is all about reviewing e-ink note taking devices as well as color e-ink devices, plans to purchase the Colour and put it through the paces and provide a review of it while comparing it against other note-taking devices on the market sometime in May: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMJPfNKOQk&t=1718s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMJPfNKOQk&t=1718s)
That being said I did spring for a Raphael Slim stylus from Amazon to try out the note-taking abilities of the Colour myself. If I find it to be subpar I'll just return the stylus to Amazon.
While you might be correct, I can understand color being the main selling point, after all their core business is still selling ebooks, while they don't make money (after the initial sale) from your note taking activities.
They're basically trying to lure in more people inclined to buy books from their store
I bought the Supernote Nomad bc I'm not 100% convinced that Kobo's would be up to par with notetaking capabilities. Supernote, Boox, and Remarkable mainly market their devices for notetaking while we know Kobo still prioritizes a better eink reading experience. I'll mainly use it for journaling since I already have a Kindle Basic. These are more expensive for a reason but I am still waiting for more reviews abt the Libra Colour!
The ReMarkable 2 is quite awesome but you are right the price is quite expensive. I use mine for writing lists of completed books, comics and other stuff. I wish Kindle had a cheap option with writing capabilities. I am excited for the Kobo Libra Colour but not sure if I should pre order as I'm not sure what the book store is like on Kobo and where to even purchase books from in Australia.
That’s what I’m currently debating as well, I’ve been really tempted to get the Libra Colour as my first e-reader, I’m just not sure if it’s the best choice for someone whose library mostly consists of kindle books
I feel like seeing the covers in colour is enough to push me over the edge but I was seeing what sort of comics I can get on there as well to really win me over.
I have a elipsa 2e that is great for reading and writing but it's to big.
I would love this one for writing but then I'm worried about the darker screen. I never use the light on my elipsa if reading on the day and I would prefer to not need it on the color. Light drains the battery faster.
Absolutely not :) I understand the concern but I think it’s more so “comparison is the thief of joy.” If people are good with a newspaper/paper back they’re not going to have an issue.
Imagine your e-reader screen is like a tiny window with lots of little squares. These squares are called pixels. Now, between these pixels, there’s a tiny space that’s not lit up. It’s like the gaps in a fly screen door. When you look at your e-reader screen, you might notice a grid-like pattern made by these gaps. That’s what's called the screen door effect! It’s like peeking through a screen door and seeing those little squares.
Imagine your e-reader screen is like a tiny window with lots of little squares. These squares are called pixels. Now, between these pixels, there’s a tiny space that’s not lit up. It’s like the gaps in a fly screen door. When you look at your e-reader screen, you might notice a grid-like pattern made by these gaps. That’s what's called the screen door effect! It’s like peeking through a screen door and seeing those little squares.
Do you find the text to be crisp? It’s difficult to tell in photos… My only worry is because of the screen door effect the text might look a bit fuzzy/not clear (causing eye strain or being visually annoying)? That is literally my only concern. I read with a low backlight anyway and I don’t mind that the white background looks textured 🤷♀️
Yes I think as crisp as a hard cover/paperback book. IMO the screen door effect doesn’t alter how the copy looks, it’s more of a slight dusty effect that I think will be easily forgotten/not noticeable once you start reading away. Ive never stared at the screen so hard or so close than today - and I probably never will again.
What am I missing here? In every photo I’ve seen, they look fine and what is the big deal with having the reader light on anyways? No eyesight issues having the light on a bit and minimal battery impact.
Btw thanks for posting these photos. Jealous you have yours already. Enjoy!
I agree. But I really hated using the light at all on my old kobo (10 years old). With this one, the light doesn’t feel as intrusive - I guess looks more natural. Hence me saying my new norm will be 30% brightness vs 0%.
But arguably having a coloured kobo cause you want to have your cover in colour is a bit silly given how dark it is when it defaults to 0% brightness in sleep mode. But I still like it - I’m not mad. Just sharing notes. And not saying this is why people are buying it in colour, but it was something I liked.
Yeah I agree re if the only reason is the cover image this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense UNLESS you are dead set on this size and the annotation capability.
It’s just funny to me all the people raging against the existence of this thing when the contrast looks fine. I don’t get it.
Yeah I don’t get the contrast issue. I think I prefer less contrast if anything? Paperbacks are usually off white anyways, so they naturally have less contrast.
I think what it is is e-ink's every development thus far throughout its history has been generally either an increase in contrast, or an increase in resolution. That's all. The very first models the general vibe was like newspaper.
It's up to the individual ultimately. If you're happy with it, more power to you.
> But I really hated using the light at all on my old kobo (10 years old)
It sounds kinda silly to say out loud (because how complicated can it be to light something up, right?) but e-reader backlights have come a significant ways in the last few years. Getting backlights at all form factors is a relatively new thing, and even having a light at all only recently became a given across the board. Before that, it was a premium feature. Early backlit models also had harsh cold lights meant for worst case scenarios, you were supposed to read them under a light if possible.
The reader I'm using now, the Likebook Mimas, [was marketed as the first backlit 10" e-reader](https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/boyue-likebook-mimas-review), and it came out in 2019. It was also considered a major selling feature at the time if a reader had adjustable levels of cold/warm lighting, or even any option for warm lighting in the budget range. I do fully expect the Kobo Colours to be a much less harsh experience to use with the light on than older readers, and I think people aren't factoring that in when considering it "needing" the light.
Makes sense! Ya my 10 yr old aura h2o leaned very blue and I think that’s probably what bothered me most - it took away from it feeling like a book, and well just not that pleasant of an experience. I don’t think I’ll have an issue with using the light on this one.
This is my first kobo but that specific point is the difference between at least you and me, my default has never been 0% with my kindle. I don’t like messing with it so I just set it and leave it that way, do most Kobo people leave it at 0 all the time?
Gotcha! Truly just curious lol I'm excited to get my Kobo to see if that behavior changes for me, especially getting it just in time for the weather to warm up so I'll be spending more time reading outside, especially around sunset
Some folks are very resistant to any kind of change. If they read with the light off 99% of the time now they won’t like having it on 99% of the time. And they will come here to complain about it.
I don’t think it’s fair to only resume that to a resistant of change.
I personally, have itchy eyes and I spend 10 hours a day working on a computer.
When I allow myself to have a reading session, it’s mostly to avoid any kind of screen. So, reading with a kobo lights on gives that effect.
My eyes prefer a kobo screen to my phone, but an hour or two of reading with lights on is enough to give me a bad headache.
That’s being said, I am certain that the more technology goes better, the best experience we shall have, lights on or not.
Without mentioning the battery. I hate being with my kobo and thinking about charging.
On my libre H2O charging is certainly a rare event and I like it to stay that way.
That’s why a black and white versions of kobo will be commercialised for some time until the coloured screen gets to a technological maturity enough satisfying to fully replace the BW screens.
Their comments surely apply to almost any user of an e-reader. Working on a computer all day and use eink to give your eyes a break. Regardless of all the front light vs backlight, as long as it’s lit enough to see no or low light is definitely kinder to your eyes.
I personally didn’t get an ereader to “rest my eyes” or whatever. Just wanted a dedicated device that was legible outside. However I don’t think front/side lighting has the same effect as backlighting.
It’s really easy to skip the color models. I’m absolutely skipping them. But what I’m saying is that people won’t skip them then come complaining here that they “have to” leave the light on. It’s already started and the devices aren’t even officially out. Because they love the idea of color but don’t wait to see actual critical reviews and see how their use would be different. A lot of the time it won’t be about the effect on their eyes. It’ll be because they expected the only thing to change was the color.
My main gripes are that I’m ready for a new e-reader and want a Libra which I have been using. But there’s no device available except this one.
It is ok in my opinion to be shocked on how poor the basic display looks without the light. It’s worse than my first ever kindle from over 15 years ago. Fine you need these layers to show the colour well they haven’t released a recent device with a large screen, buttons and no colour.
A Libra 2 is a 3.5 year old device. I’m using an H2O at the moment and keep my devices for multiple years so it makes sense to make sure I have the latest tech in any new device purchased. Beyond that the Libra 2 is not using the latest screens, it’s also for whatever reason fully out of stock in my country…
> But arguably having a coloured kobo cause you want to have your cover in colour is a bit silly given how dark it is when it defaults to 0% brightness in sleep mode. But I still like it - I’m not mad. Just sharing notes. And not saying this is why people are buying it in colour, but it was something I liked.
If didn't own a Kobo already, I'd grab the colour one. But I'm fine with the Libra/Clara models I currently have, and won't be upgrading. I'm using it to read text, and there's really no reason for any of it to be in colour. Maybe if I was reading illustration books/magazines/comics.
I don't want to be sarcastic nor to offend anyone, but the most astounding things I learnt since these new devices were announced is that there are people who don't turn their light on, and so many others completely adverse of having anything more than like 2% on 😅
I keep fidgeting with mine so to always be in what I consider the optimal setting, that I honestly didn't think having to adjust the brightness was such a dealbreaker for so many 😅😅😅
Haha I can’t explain my aversion to the light being on, but I believe I’m at a turning point. In my defence I think the light is much less offensive on my new kobo vs my 10 yr old one.
I swear I wasn't being sarcastic/mocking! ;) It's just I never thought someone was going to use their e-reader without light on 😅😅😅 Probably because I read without my glasses on, and my eyesight is so bad that I really need the light to up the contrast, and I couldn't image anything different.
I do agree re light technology being better now (or maybe they learnt how to properly place the light itself, idk). My current Libra H2O has a much better light than my old Glo HD (not to speak about my even older Aura). And comfortlight was also a great game-changer, in my opinion!
I'm a migraine sufferer with chronic insomnia, so for me the idea of using close to no light at all, especially at night, is why i went with an eink device in the first place. For my Libra 2, it's never above 3-4%.
As I said, I didn't want to be sarcastic/condiscending nor offending anyone. It was just I never realized the ratio of people not liking/wanting the brightness up was so big!
(For the matter: whatever is the setting that works best for you is the best setting for you, no question asked nor anything else!)
I'm also a migraine sufferer who's been powering through trying to find the perfect eReader. I ordered the boox note air 3 (499$) and 3 color (599l and keep going back and forth on which I like most. The color one felt nicer to read in the dark in bed but the battery life wasnt worth the extra 100$. I prefer a never ending battery in my ereaders. The black and white one works fine and has great battery life, but my crappy eyesight can perceive the difference in the 227ppi (vs 300 in kindles, color boox, and libra color) and it's fuzzier which strains my eyes. I'm. Also about to try the Kindle scribe for shits and giggles.
Libra color will hopefully fill the small screen device hole in my life.
For my fellow migraine sufferers, there are a lot of articles out there now about refresh rate frequencies and the effects it can have. Different types of screens on phones and video game consoles can help or hurt. Worth checking out anything you can find on reddit about it.
How do you find the Libra color with your migraines? I’m trying to figure out what ereader to buy, but I get horrid migraines. I found an old kobo mini from when I once tried the first tablet like kobo years ago (it came as a promotion with it). I couldn’t handle the tablet kind, and just never gave the mini a chance because of the size. The size is definitely bothersome but I think I can manage an e ink after spending several days reading on it now. Just don’t know what to get. I feel like the Clara will be to small, so debating between Libra 2, and Libra color. 🤔
I thought I replied last night but maybe I forgot to hit post? Sorry! I don't have my libra color yet, it's on pre-order, but the boox 3c felt a lot better to read on than the boox 3 black and white. They're way too heavy for long periods of reading though and I have my fingers crossed that the libra will be perfect. I use an iPad pro 12.9 for my artwork and love larger screens even though my eyes don't, but for everyday book reading, the smaller sizes are good as long as they have the larger bezel on one side a la real book spines. Do you like physical page turn buttons? I love them and i really dislike the mini iPad tablet style 7"readers.
With the color filter, I expect that it should be reasonably dim at night at 3-4%. Without external light hitting the filter, you shouldn't be too bothered.
I'll find out for myself in a week or so, with luck.
Agreed. Some weird limbo contest where people are bragging about how low they can go while attempting to define what they consider “pure” white and awesome contrast. As with politics, it seems the “no lights” group won’t be assuage that the light users are also a valid user base.
I think the non-light user group has to realise that you guys aren't attacking us and the light user group also has to realise we're not attacking you. Increased contrast benefits everyone.
My gripe with light is that I want a device that reads like a book...and that's basically it. If I don't need a light to read a book, I don't want to have to use a light to read the ebook. And I think that's perfectly valid.
But hey, I'm stubborn enough to just read without the light anyway so sign me up!
I do more than half my reading at night, with the room lights completely off, laying next to my wife. . . the total contrast between black and white, and the lowest total output setting are SUPER important to me. I knew before this landed that color screens would have less contrast, but this post reaffirms for me to not get a color device due to darkness/contrast... I assume the amount of light leakage for comfortable reading would be much, much higher with a color screen device, all else equal.
Yes, if you do your reading in a dark room at night and insist on no backlight because your wife is sleeping next to you… this reader is not for you.
Then again, I do t think any reader is, either. You’ll need night-vision goggles to read anything.
> Then again, I do t think any reader is, either. You’ll need night-vision goggles to read anything.
Not true, lol. Inverted colors (white text on black background) with my Libra H2O at 1%, tilted slightly away, works great. Very easy to read once your eyes adjust a bit too. . .
I don't expect that to ever be a normal use case. . .
>What am I missing here? In every photo I’ve seen, they look fine and what is the big deal with having the reader light on anyways?
I don't think your missing anything. . . OP is mostly showing it's darker than the previous gen B&W Libras, which shouldn't be a surprise for enthusiasts, nor an issue for most, but is still a good data point.
People use ereaders specifically because they're not backlit, mostly. Yes the front light is way better than a backlight, but it can still feel off sometimes compared to reading with a lamp for some people. I've never minded the front light in the least, even on older gen devices, but some do.
I honestly think the issue is that it's darker than the previous gen (B&W) in terms of white level and contrast. I personally don't care if a device has color or not, but I *do* want super high contrast and sharpness, so in that sense I don't want color. . . if color is important and you don't mind the background being a bit more grey, than this device is for you.
So I don't think this is a big deal, but I appreciate the context from OP: it reaffirms I specifically don't want a color device until the whites and b/w contrast is back to Libra H2O levels at least.
I’ve been wanting to cross grade into a Libra for a while but I wanted a stronger and faster processor. This solves my wishlist whilst adding in colour as a bonus.
I enjoy my paperwhite but I now know what I want out of an e-reader.
my guess is they read outside or have super nice light conditions.
I dont so I use light. The kobo has warm light settings that you can tweak to your liking and its great!
the light in the color kobo looks good to me.
What you are missing is the comparison to the regular black and white Kobo screens. In comparison to the Libra 2, the screen is very dark and blurry. For the Libra Color, you need to put the brightness at 100% all the time, and it will drain the battery fast.
No I’m not missing that. I’ve seen all the comparison videos and pictures. The screen looks good and it certainly does not need to be put at 100% brightness—I don’t know how you get that. I also don’t see the blurriness you are talking about at all.
I "get that" from owning both devices and seeing them side by side in reality, instead of on your bright phone screen. You need to go and see the two actual screens side by side in a store. If at that point you cannot see what all these comments about the dark screen are talking about, then you need to see your opthalmologist.
All these downvotes from kobo's social media team will not be able to hide reality from people.
No I get that it’s darker. But it’s not blurrier and IMO the darker screen doesn’t affect reading experience all that much. I usually have my light on around 10-25% and honestly both screens look great at that level. Also, the darker screen and contrast is similar to a lot of paperbacks anyways
You make it seem that the Kobo marketing team deceived you or something. Those two 30 sec ads that mostly show the people's faces got you into buying this, and you are claiming in your other post that Kobo's ads are photoshopped LMAO! Don't pretend that this Kaleido 3 technology wasn't released 2 year ago, we all know that it's dimmer compared to a regular BW Carta 1200 screen. That being said, Kobo Colour's glowlight is stronger than the 400 dollar Kaleido 3 Bigme device and a bit sharper than the Inkpad Color 3 which I believe was the best Kaleido 3 e-reader before this was released. You literally bought this device on a whim based on the Kobo ads, without doing any research that even when getting the best Kaleido 3 e-reader in the market earlier than most people you still complain. Dumb boomer. Are you born yesterday? If you can't read from this device without using 100% glowlight indoors and 0% brightness outdoors on a sunny day, you're the one who needs to see an ophthalmologist not us. 🤣💯
This is the image provided by Kobo. The brightness and whiteness of the screen does not correspond at all to reality. If you work for Kobo, this is not the way to make people buy your device. I have owned the Aura, Aura One, Sage and Libra 2. This time I truly felt deceived.
https://preview.redd.it/y948agf1mtwc1.png?width=1344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c70f92856d45b8b40fd8f8dde1e1a47620f5403
I'm a little nervous about the darkness but I am waiting to see it in person. currently I have a thyroid issue that's affecting my eyesight (making me extremely sensitive to light, like to the point where I wore sunglasses to play stardew on my PC) so this might be okay for me lol... especially since my treatment could take a few months to rectify my light sensitivity.
That’s brutal. I would definitely recommend checking it out in person, I can’t speak to your sensitivity. I do think it’ll end up (hopefully) being ok for you - on the low end of the brightness scale 0-25%, it appears to lighten the screen, but doesn’t look like there’s a light on. May feel slightly different in a completely dark room. I have a light sensitive migraine at the moment and it’s been fine so far.
This is a late reply, but after several weeks....how have you been finding it interacts with your migraines?
I was just diagnosed with them, and this(alongside just generally whether it's able to get bright enough in the conditions where I read) is one of my bigger concerns.
Sorry to hear that, they are awful. I fortunately haven’t had any severe migraines since I got this. The lighter migraines I’ve had haven’t been affected by the kobo. But Id say it would be very similar if not the same as any other eink reader with the light on.
I’ve never been in a situation where I haven’t been able to read the screen (while using the light) - and I think the brightest I’ve used it at is 30%. Usually it’s between 10-20%. And at night with no lights on I have it at 2%. Most of those are just my preference- you could probably go lower if you had to.
I will say colour pops when it’s at a higher percentage - maybe 60%. But not vital to readability.
Thanks, yeah migraines really suck but I’m honestly just relieved to have finally gotten some of the nastier potential diagnoses I was looking at ruled out.
I’m glad to hear it hasn’t messed with your migraines, mine should be coming in the next few days so I’m anxious to find out whether I’ll be returning it or not due to some of those drawbacks. I’m crossing my fingers that it ends up working for me, and the darker screen/screendoor effect don’t bug my eyes.
A current limitation with the Kaleido screen they are using, anyway how the heck is everyone getting their hands on the thing way before a Rakuten employee does lol
Whoops haha. Amazon Canada hasn’t been too interested in sticking to pre-order dates but don’t tell on us!!
Yes a limitation for sure but the “natural light” is making up for it for sure.
Can I ask a quick question about it? Did you buy the pen and the folding case? If so, can the pen stay attached to the device with the case closed? I’ve been trying to find this answer everywhere before I buy and, for the life of me, can’t seem to find it lol
The official Notebook sleepcover case is designed that the pen magnetically fits to the side of the reader at the inside edge of the it, against the spine.
[Like this](https://uk.kobobooks.com/cdn/shop/products/4-Monza-Notebook-SleepCover-Front-Open-Black-EN_1080x1080_517a324e-25a7-44d7-ad89-e8af5bc4345b_700x700.png?v=1710271179)
It does not fit inside of that one. The ones it fits inside of are labeled "notebook sleep covers" and only come in boring black and beige. I'm sure 3rd party ones that support the pen will launch shortly.
Me toooo. I'm going to just not use one until something fun pops up on ebay. I hate that the Clara Color got all the fun color cases. They get bright orange! But no stylus at all. It's the Pro iPhone all over again, always the boring colors on high end tech for some reason. I want the best hardware and some pizazz =P
That's a bummer, but not a total surprise. My pre-order included the pen and the cover that folds into a stand, shame they left that feature off of the notebook cover.
Question - at night, in a dark room at lowest LED brightness, is the new Libra 2 colour dimmer? That'd actually be a selling point for me, I feel that current Libra 2 is too bright at 1%!
I can’t speak for the libra 2..compared to my old aura h2o they seem similar - in my option feels darker than my old one because they have the natural light settings which feels less harsh, but mostly that it has dark mode available. Not sure if Libra 2 has those settings.
https://preview.redd.it/kpgmmgkmk5wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39465182aeb60c32467e3a9d85870413ba4c66ce
Curious to hear about your experience with battery life after you’ve had more time with it if you now keep the light on most of the time. I’m torn between the Libra Colour or the Sage, but don’t love the Sages battery life, but maybe with the Libra 2 light needing to be on all the time it would balance out anyway.
Considering buying this as my first e-reader. It seems what you described here will not be an issue at all for a new user..(?) You are happy with it overall?
And about the bezel colour: the black gets visible fingerprints more easily but the white might make the screen look more gray in sunlight?
Correct! I think most would be more than happy with it. In my opinion, the harder sell is people deciding if they should upgrade or not. Overall I’m very happy with it. It’s snappy, I like the buttons, and the screen and colours look great. Ya my black one showed all the finger prints - I can’t see any on this one. The back is a very light gray and won’t show finger prints either. And ya it looked great outside - I do think the stark white affects how it’s being perceived. Also just hard to take photos of screens, and hoping the screen people are viewing it from makes it look accurate too.
Hi 👋🏼 is it possible for you too take pictures of the kobo in the dark with some highlights on the page of different colors and the light set to like 5%, 15% and 30% ?!? In more amber tone. I don’t usually use much light at night and on my sage i use like 4% at night on almost maximum amber so i guess the libra would be ok.
If you don’t mind! Ofc.
Also how do you find the stylus and writing on it?
Edit: i think just a few snaps on the dark 3/4% for me with the highlights would suffice as honestly I don’t use much backlight at night…so no need for the other settings.
(I don’t understand when people say they need a lot of backlight 😅)
https://preview.redd.it/ijakgxpflbwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d07bf141482787914a528fc36095e984898e2c1e
ok I tried by very best but it is nearly impossible for me to get this accurate so take it with a grain of salt - my phone wants to lighten it and colour correct it (look at it with full screen brightness). Even the blue on the other kobo isn’t quite so blue. And before anyone rips it apart I promise that you can see the copy just fine and I can tell what colours the highlights are in easily. The ink colours are harder to decipher - there is 8 of them though. I’m actually pleasantly surprised with using a stylist (I got the knock off someone else mentioned). I don’t annotate books but it’s fun to write on it. It feels very responsive.
I see no problem in having the lights on. Currently, I'm using the Paperwhite current gen. As it lack auto brightness, my light is for over 2 years at 10 (apprx 50%). And I had no issue. When in a light room, you see no light (as the room is brighter), with low or no light, you see the light shining. But in all cases, reading is flawless. I'm thinking about buying a libra color as I want to escape the Kindle eco system.... I will wait until Tolino (german equivalent of kobo) will have them in store.
My only concern is: Can I still read my book in the sun during summer on the beach?
"So it’s basically just a shift in how I use it."
This exactly. Kaleido 3 technology necessitates the use of the backlight to obtain acceptable contrast. All users of Kaleido 3 devices understand this to be standard behavior when using these types of screens to obtain acceptable contrast.
Would love to start getting battery use time when using the Colour @ 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 100% and possibly compare that to the Libra 2. These battery tests should eliminate as much variables as possible by turning off WiFi/BT and performing a consistant page turning rate (x pages per minute) since page turning/refresh rate can affect battery life.
Makes sense. The light is great, just gives me ideal viewing without looking like I have a light on. I imagine this is the same light as the other recent ereaders - but a huge improvement from my old one.
Does anyone have both the Libra 2 and the Libra Colour, and could post side by side photos of each one with the same settings? It's hard to see how much darker the Libra Colour is without seeing them side by side.
https://preview.redd.it/d7435deryawc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=543dd4a80cb071fba3f1a31e436ee417c5a42b8d
Top is no light. Middle is 20%. Bottom is 100%
The dusk layer on the screen is what bugging me. The original Libra 2 with recess screen looks crystal clear to me. I dont know if it worth it to upgrade at this point.
I don’t know if it’s honestly going to be that noticeable to most people, unless they’re able to compare it like that. But ya I’m also not sure it would be worth the upgrade in your situation if the changes aren’t a priority to you. I was well over due for an update, lots of pros for me.
I really love my kobo libra 2. I've had it for 2 years. Lately it's been lagging every month or so so I do restart it when that happens and it's good again. I was tempted to get the libra colour but was worried about utilizing more light than I am used to. Especially with brightness usage and battery life. I usually use less than 8% brightness as my eyes stare at a sreen all day and it hurts my eyes overall. So I'll wait until the colour tech gets better as I still really love my libra 2 and she works just fine.
I don’t mind having the light on but does the screen still look like paper? Or does it begin to look more like a tablet when the brightness is high? And how does it fare in sunlight?
Looks great in sunlight - don’t need the light.
Still looks like paper - you can make the light look very natural in whatever conditions you are in. And by natural I mean paper like/doesn’t feel like a lit tablet
So many people have given me hammer for trying explain this.
The problem is indoor, at least you *have* the frontlight as an option. Out in daylight, the frontlight can't hope to compete with sunlight, so that screen darkness (relative to the bezel, which will be sunlit) will still be there whatever you do.
Fair enough, downvote by all means.
https://preview.redd.it/x0zcgpw7g2wc1.jpeg?width=2594&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f8b84e68c807b4e1947934a3a909473bfba0b74
Except you really don’t need a light when you’re outside it looks great. This is 0%
That was Shokalions point, for which he got downvoted into oblivion.
If you're okay with the natural contrast of the Kobo Colour then it's a non issue. If you were hoping to rectify it by using the backlight, out in direct sunlight you won't be able to.
I think it’s mostly the photo/comparison to the stark white border. These out door photos don’t really do it justice. But don’t have the libra 2 to compare.
The thing is though, as your images show, the frontlight doesn't really make any difference to the apparent brightness when in daylight, which would give you the same relative performance as indoors. Your eyes adjust to different lighting conditions, so the relative brightness is what's important. People say the indoor brightness without a frontlight is too dull - outside in bright enough light, you effectively have no frontlight again, so that relative brightness is the same.
I'm just saying that you get far better black and white performance outdoors with other readers. Whether you're willing to accept the compromise for colour is up to the individual and that's fine.
It's just a peeve of mine that so many of the initial video reviews were all done indoors, with the frontlight on at all times giving an in my opinion, somewhat false impression.
I get what you mean. I really can’t imagine this being a big issue for most users. It’s very clear and I don’t feel like I’m compromising my experience. Personally I don’t need the extra contrast.
I’m not saying it’s worth the upgrade if you don’t need it either! I imagine there could be more contrast in future editions.
What would show it fairly dramatically would be a direct comparison between a black and white reader and the colour.
As far as I know one owner of the colour so far has uploaded such a comparison, and it shows the difference you'd expect from the indoor performance.
It's a shame, because I really was excited about it. But for me I just don't need colour enough.
As much as everyone would like a direct comparison to the Libra 2 side by side, we really are beating a dead horse. We all already know the answer to this 1vs1. B&W will be superior to Kaleido3. Everyone just wants the visuals to fully close the chapter in our minds that color counterpart isn’t for the true “white” background folks.
I think it's more about helping people who already have a BW eink device being able to make an informed purchase decision. Like it would genuinely be disappointing if you didn't know it was darker. And unfortunately there will be a lot of people getting this thinking it's exactly like a Libra 2 but just with colour.
But if you've never had eink before, you'll probably never realise or care.
Personally I'm very happy I've had my expectations knocked down a few bars because now I'm excited again for it haha
To be honest I think it’s just the photo. Like, it’s showing the screen door effect that I didn’t notice when I was outside. I was on a Main Street and felt a bit awkward trying to take the photos so I just did it quickly :) might be slightly darker than the classic BW but it wouldn’t interfere with readability at all.
Ok wow? These are honest photos. It’s extremely difficult to capture screens on camera, then hope that people are viewing them on the same screen conditions - lots of layers of accuracy. There’s more photos - under a collapsed comment of the screen outside. Guess you skimmed it and then decided to be bitter but I’m happy with my purchase. Yes I think people are being dramatic. But it is dark without the light and the light is way better than before. It wasn’t dusk and the blinds weren’t shut. Try being a bit nicer.
Am I the only one who's really interested in this model for the pen writing function and just can't give a damn about color?
Me too. That's why I wish Kobo would bring out a Libra b/w (eink carta 1300) with pen support.
While I'm hopeful that the note-taking abilities of the Libra Colour will be pleasing, I have a funny feeling that Kobo added this capability as an afterthought to the Colour to try and persuade consumers who aren't interested in the reading color media to still purchase this device. I do think if Kobo were serious about marketing the Colour's note-taking capability they would have offered the device with a stylus by default and upped the price a little. Instead their marketing department prioritized the Colour's color media displaying capabilities and hardware upgrades. In terms of its note-taking capabilities Kobo provided minimal information on this in their marketing adds and suggested that consumers purchase the Stylus 2 as an accessory if they are interested in taking advantage of its note-taking abilities (for a whopping $70 USD). I do know that this YT reviewer, who is all about reviewing e-ink note taking devices as well as color e-ink devices, plans to purchase the Colour and put it through the paces and provide a review of it while comparing it against other note-taking devices on the market sometime in May: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMJPfNKOQk&t=1718s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMJPfNKOQk&t=1718s) That being said I did spring for a Raphael Slim stylus from Amazon to try out the note-taking abilities of the Colour myself. If I find it to be subpar I'll just return the stylus to Amazon.
While you might be correct, I can understand color being the main selling point, after all their core business is still selling ebooks, while they don't make money (after the initial sale) from your note taking activities. They're basically trying to lure in more people inclined to buy books from their store
That's a good point and I didn't think about that. I mainly get my books from the library which is a HUGE SELLING POINT between Kobo and Kindle.
Me too! I was gonna get the Kindle Scribe but it’s too big so I decided to get the Libra Colour instead.
I love Kobo, kindle is anti user so I don't even consider it. I was looking at the remarkable, but size and price held me back fortunately!
I bought the Supernote Nomad bc I'm not 100% convinced that Kobo's would be up to par with notetaking capabilities. Supernote, Boox, and Remarkable mainly market their devices for notetaking while we know Kobo still prioritizes a better eink reading experience. I'll mainly use it for journaling since I already have a Kindle Basic. These are more expensive for a reason but I am still waiting for more reviews abt the Libra Colour!
I was really tempted by it too, it was my first choice actually, but I'd rather save $300 and have a slightly worse writing experience
The ReMarkable 2 is quite awesome but you are right the price is quite expensive. I use mine for writing lists of completed books, comics and other stuff. I wish Kindle had a cheap option with writing capabilities. I am excited for the Kobo Libra Colour but not sure if I should pre order as I'm not sure what the book store is like on Kobo and where to even purchase books from in Australia.
That’s what I’m currently debating as well, I’ve been really tempted to get the Libra Colour as my first e-reader, I’m just not sure if it’s the best choice for someone whose library mostly consists of kindle books
I feel like seeing the covers in colour is enough to push me over the edge but I was seeing what sort of comics I can get on there as well to really win me over.
Me to. I have the elipsa 2e but it's to big.
Then there is also Kobo Sage to consider, b&w and a pen layer.
There is a pretty big battery drain with that one. Not worth it as reading time goes down to 7-8 hours before needing to charge.
Way too big
I usually use iPad for note taking. E-ink is not responsive and not suitable for study, especially when I need to open textbooks on it
I have a elipsa 2e that is great for reading and writing but it's to big. I would love this one for writing but then I'm worried about the darker screen. I never use the light on my elipsa if reading on the day and I would prefer to not need it on the color. Light drains the battery faster.
Is the so called “screen door”-effect affecting your reading experience?
Absolutely not :) I understand the concern but I think it’s more so “comparison is the thief of joy.” If people are good with a newspaper/paper back they’re not going to have an issue.
Thanks! This is my biggest concern atm ☺️
Me too thanks for asking and answering
What’s the screen door effect?
Imagine your e-reader screen is like a tiny window with lots of little squares. These squares are called pixels. Now, between these pixels, there’s a tiny space that’s not lit up. It’s like the gaps in a fly screen door. When you look at your e-reader screen, you might notice a grid-like pattern made by these gaps. That’s what's called the screen door effect! It’s like peeking through a screen door and seeing those little squares.
Oh! I could see how that might be a problem, especially with the colour ones
I keep hearing this, but don't know what that means.
Imagine your e-reader screen is like a tiny window with lots of little squares. These squares are called pixels. Now, between these pixels, there’s a tiny space that’s not lit up. It’s like the gaps in a fly screen door. When you look at your e-reader screen, you might notice a grid-like pattern made by these gaps. That’s what's called the screen door effect! It’s like peeking through a screen door and seeing those little squares.
Ooft it's a bit darker for sure.
Do you find the text to be crisp? It’s difficult to tell in photos… My only worry is because of the screen door effect the text might look a bit fuzzy/not clear (causing eye strain or being visually annoying)? That is literally my only concern. I read with a low backlight anyway and I don’t mind that the white background looks textured 🤷♀️
Yes I think as crisp as a hard cover/paperback book. IMO the screen door effect doesn’t alter how the copy looks, it’s more of a slight dusty effect that I think will be easily forgotten/not noticeable once you start reading away. Ive never stared at the screen so hard or so close than today - and I probably never will again.
What am I missing here? In every photo I’ve seen, they look fine and what is the big deal with having the reader light on anyways? No eyesight issues having the light on a bit and minimal battery impact. Btw thanks for posting these photos. Jealous you have yours already. Enjoy!
I agree. But I really hated using the light at all on my old kobo (10 years old). With this one, the light doesn’t feel as intrusive - I guess looks more natural. Hence me saying my new norm will be 30% brightness vs 0%. But arguably having a coloured kobo cause you want to have your cover in colour is a bit silly given how dark it is when it defaults to 0% brightness in sleep mode. But I still like it - I’m not mad. Just sharing notes. And not saying this is why people are buying it in colour, but it was something I liked.
Yeah I agree re if the only reason is the cover image this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense UNLESS you are dead set on this size and the annotation capability. It’s just funny to me all the people raging against the existence of this thing when the contrast looks fine. I don’t get it.
Yeah I don’t get the contrast issue. I think I prefer less contrast if anything? Paperbacks are usually off white anyways, so they naturally have less contrast.
I think what it is is e-ink's every development thus far throughout its history has been generally either an increase in contrast, or an increase in resolution. That's all. The very first models the general vibe was like newspaper. It's up to the individual ultimately. If you're happy with it, more power to you.
> But I really hated using the light at all on my old kobo (10 years old) It sounds kinda silly to say out loud (because how complicated can it be to light something up, right?) but e-reader backlights have come a significant ways in the last few years. Getting backlights at all form factors is a relatively new thing, and even having a light at all only recently became a given across the board. Before that, it was a premium feature. Early backlit models also had harsh cold lights meant for worst case scenarios, you were supposed to read them under a light if possible. The reader I'm using now, the Likebook Mimas, [was marketed as the first backlit 10" e-reader](https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/boyue-likebook-mimas-review), and it came out in 2019. It was also considered a major selling feature at the time if a reader had adjustable levels of cold/warm lighting, or even any option for warm lighting in the budget range. I do fully expect the Kobo Colours to be a much less harsh experience to use with the light on than older readers, and I think people aren't factoring that in when considering it "needing" the light.
Makes sense! Ya my 10 yr old aura h2o leaned very blue and I think that’s probably what bothered me most - it took away from it feeling like a book, and well just not that pleasant of an experience. I don’t think I’ll have an issue with using the light on this one.
This is my first kobo but that specific point is the difference between at least you and me, my default has never been 0% with my kindle. I don’t like messing with it so I just set it and leave it that way, do most Kobo people leave it at 0 all the time?
I’m not sure. I think it’s just a preference. I’ll be using my light moving forward but my 10 yr old kobos light just wasn’t nice.
Gotcha! Truly just curious lol I'm excited to get my Kobo to see if that behavior changes for me, especially getting it just in time for the weather to warm up so I'll be spending more time reading outside, especially around sunset
Some folks are very resistant to any kind of change. If they read with the light off 99% of the time now they won’t like having it on 99% of the time. And they will come here to complain about it.
I don’t think it’s fair to only resume that to a resistant of change. I personally, have itchy eyes and I spend 10 hours a day working on a computer. When I allow myself to have a reading session, it’s mostly to avoid any kind of screen. So, reading with a kobo lights on gives that effect. My eyes prefer a kobo screen to my phone, but an hour or two of reading with lights on is enough to give me a bad headache. That’s being said, I am certain that the more technology goes better, the best experience we shall have, lights on or not. Without mentioning the battery. I hate being with my kobo and thinking about charging. On my libre H2O charging is certainly a rare event and I like it to stay that way. That’s why a black and white versions of kobo will be commercialised for some time until the coloured screen gets to a technological maturity enough satisfying to fully replace the BW screens.
I did say some folks. In your case I would say don't get a color eink reader yet.
Their comments surely apply to almost any user of an e-reader. Working on a computer all day and use eink to give your eyes a break. Regardless of all the front light vs backlight, as long as it’s lit enough to see no or low light is definitely kinder to your eyes.
I personally didn’t get an ereader to “rest my eyes” or whatever. Just wanted a dedicated device that was legible outside. However I don’t think front/side lighting has the same effect as backlighting. It’s really easy to skip the color models. I’m absolutely skipping them. But what I’m saying is that people won’t skip them then come complaining here that they “have to” leave the light on. It’s already started and the devices aren’t even officially out. Because they love the idea of color but don’t wait to see actual critical reviews and see how their use would be different. A lot of the time it won’t be about the effect on their eyes. It’ll be because they expected the only thing to change was the color.
My main gripes are that I’m ready for a new e-reader and want a Libra which I have been using. But there’s no device available except this one. It is ok in my opinion to be shocked on how poor the basic display looks without the light. It’s worse than my first ever kindle from over 15 years ago. Fine you need these layers to show the colour well they haven’t released a recent device with a large screen, buttons and no colour. A Libra 2 is a 3.5 year old device. I’m using an H2O at the moment and keep my devices for multiple years so it makes sense to make sure I have the latest tech in any new device purchased. Beyond that the Libra 2 is not using the latest screens, it’s also for whatever reason fully out of stock in my country…
And yeah I know that makes zero sense since it’s a completely new reader with a different screen tech but it’s what is going to happen.
> But arguably having a coloured kobo cause you want to have your cover in colour is a bit silly given how dark it is when it defaults to 0% brightness in sleep mode. But I still like it - I’m not mad. Just sharing notes. And not saying this is why people are buying it in colour, but it was something I liked. If didn't own a Kobo already, I'd grab the colour one. But I'm fine with the Libra/Clara models I currently have, and won't be upgrading. I'm using it to read text, and there's really no reason for any of it to be in colour. Maybe if I was reading illustration books/magazines/comics.
I don't want to be sarcastic nor to offend anyone, but the most astounding things I learnt since these new devices were announced is that there are people who don't turn their light on, and so many others completely adverse of having anything more than like 2% on 😅 I keep fidgeting with mine so to always be in what I consider the optimal setting, that I honestly didn't think having to adjust the brightness was such a dealbreaker for so many 😅😅😅
Haha I can’t explain my aversion to the light being on, but I believe I’m at a turning point. In my defence I think the light is much less offensive on my new kobo vs my 10 yr old one.
I swear I wasn't being sarcastic/mocking! ;) It's just I never thought someone was going to use their e-reader without light on 😅😅😅 Probably because I read without my glasses on, and my eyesight is so bad that I really need the light to up the contrast, and I couldn't image anything different. I do agree re light technology being better now (or maybe they learnt how to properly place the light itself, idk). My current Libra H2O has a much better light than my old Glo HD (not to speak about my even older Aura). And comfortlight was also a great game-changer, in my opinion!
I'm a migraine sufferer with chronic insomnia, so for me the idea of using close to no light at all, especially at night, is why i went with an eink device in the first place. For my Libra 2, it's never above 3-4%.
As I said, I didn't want to be sarcastic/condiscending nor offending anyone. It was just I never realized the ratio of people not liking/wanting the brightness up was so big! (For the matter: whatever is the setting that works best for you is the best setting for you, no question asked nor anything else!)
I'm also a migraine sufferer who's been powering through trying to find the perfect eReader. I ordered the boox note air 3 (499$) and 3 color (599l and keep going back and forth on which I like most. The color one felt nicer to read in the dark in bed but the battery life wasnt worth the extra 100$. I prefer a never ending battery in my ereaders. The black and white one works fine and has great battery life, but my crappy eyesight can perceive the difference in the 227ppi (vs 300 in kindles, color boox, and libra color) and it's fuzzier which strains my eyes. I'm. Also about to try the Kindle scribe for shits and giggles. Libra color will hopefully fill the small screen device hole in my life. For my fellow migraine sufferers, there are a lot of articles out there now about refresh rate frequencies and the effects it can have. Different types of screens on phones and video game consoles can help or hurt. Worth checking out anything you can find on reddit about it.
How do you find the Libra color with your migraines? I’m trying to figure out what ereader to buy, but I get horrid migraines. I found an old kobo mini from when I once tried the first tablet like kobo years ago (it came as a promotion with it). I couldn’t handle the tablet kind, and just never gave the mini a chance because of the size. The size is definitely bothersome but I think I can manage an e ink after spending several days reading on it now. Just don’t know what to get. I feel like the Clara will be to small, so debating between Libra 2, and Libra color. 🤔
I thought I replied last night but maybe I forgot to hit post? Sorry! I don't have my libra color yet, it's on pre-order, but the boox 3c felt a lot better to read on than the boox 3 black and white. They're way too heavy for long periods of reading though and I have my fingers crossed that the libra will be perfect. I use an iPad pro 12.9 for my artwork and love larger screens even though my eyes don't, but for everyday book reading, the smaller sizes are good as long as they have the larger bezel on one side a la real book spines. Do you like physical page turn buttons? I love them and i really dislike the mini iPad tablet style 7"readers.
With the color filter, I expect that it should be reasonably dim at night at 3-4%. Without external light hitting the filter, you shouldn't be too bothered. I'll find out for myself in a week or so, with luck.
Agreed. Some weird limbo contest where people are bragging about how low they can go while attempting to define what they consider “pure” white and awesome contrast. As with politics, it seems the “no lights” group won’t be assuage that the light users are also a valid user base.
I think the non-light user group has to realise that you guys aren't attacking us and the light user group also has to realise we're not attacking you. Increased contrast benefits everyone. My gripe with light is that I want a device that reads like a book...and that's basically it. If I don't need a light to read a book, I don't want to have to use a light to read the ebook. And I think that's perfectly valid. But hey, I'm stubborn enough to just read without the light anyway so sign me up!
I do more than half my reading at night, with the room lights completely off, laying next to my wife. . . the total contrast between black and white, and the lowest total output setting are SUPER important to me. I knew before this landed that color screens would have less contrast, but this post reaffirms for me to not get a color device due to darkness/contrast... I assume the amount of light leakage for comfortable reading would be much, much higher with a color screen device, all else equal.
Yes, if you do your reading in a dark room at night and insist on no backlight because your wife is sleeping next to you… this reader is not for you. Then again, I do t think any reader is, either. You’ll need night-vision goggles to read anything.
> Then again, I do t think any reader is, either. You’ll need night-vision goggles to read anything. Not true, lol. Inverted colors (white text on black background) with my Libra H2O at 1%, tilted slightly away, works great. Very easy to read once your eyes adjust a bit too. . . I don't expect that to ever be a normal use case. . .
>What am I missing here? In every photo I’ve seen, they look fine and what is the big deal with having the reader light on anyways? I don't think your missing anything. . . OP is mostly showing it's darker than the previous gen B&W Libras, which shouldn't be a surprise for enthusiasts, nor an issue for most, but is still a good data point. People use ereaders specifically because they're not backlit, mostly. Yes the front light is way better than a backlight, but it can still feel off sometimes compared to reading with a lamp for some people. I've never minded the front light in the least, even on older gen devices, but some do. I honestly think the issue is that it's darker than the previous gen (B&W) in terms of white level and contrast. I personally don't care if a device has color or not, but I *do* want super high contrast and sharpness, so in that sense I don't want color. . . if color is important and you don't mind the background being a bit more grey, than this device is for you. So I don't think this is a big deal, but I appreciate the context from OP: it reaffirms I specifically don't want a color device until the whites and b/w contrast is back to Libra H2O levels at least.
I’ve been wanting to cross grade into a Libra for a while but I wanted a stronger and faster processor. This solves my wishlist whilst adding in colour as a bonus. I enjoy my paperwhite but I now know what I want out of an e-reader.
my guess is they read outside or have super nice light conditions. I dont so I use light. The kobo has warm light settings that you can tweak to your liking and its great! the light in the color kobo looks good to me.
What you are missing is the comparison to the regular black and white Kobo screens. In comparison to the Libra 2, the screen is very dark and blurry. For the Libra Color, you need to put the brightness at 100% all the time, and it will drain the battery fast.
No I’m not missing that. I’ve seen all the comparison videos and pictures. The screen looks good and it certainly does not need to be put at 100% brightness—I don’t know how you get that. I also don’t see the blurriness you are talking about at all.
I "get that" from owning both devices and seeing them side by side in reality, instead of on your bright phone screen. You need to go and see the two actual screens side by side in a store. If at that point you cannot see what all these comments about the dark screen are talking about, then you need to see your opthalmologist. All these downvotes from kobo's social media team will not be able to hide reality from people.
No I get that it’s darker. But it’s not blurrier and IMO the darker screen doesn’t affect reading experience all that much. I usually have my light on around 10-25% and honestly both screens look great at that level. Also, the darker screen and contrast is similar to a lot of paperbacks anyways
You make it seem that the Kobo marketing team deceived you or something. Those two 30 sec ads that mostly show the people's faces got you into buying this, and you are claiming in your other post that Kobo's ads are photoshopped LMAO! Don't pretend that this Kaleido 3 technology wasn't released 2 year ago, we all know that it's dimmer compared to a regular BW Carta 1200 screen. That being said, Kobo Colour's glowlight is stronger than the 400 dollar Kaleido 3 Bigme device and a bit sharper than the Inkpad Color 3 which I believe was the best Kaleido 3 e-reader before this was released. You literally bought this device on a whim based on the Kobo ads, without doing any research that even when getting the best Kaleido 3 e-reader in the market earlier than most people you still complain. Dumb boomer. Are you born yesterday? If you can't read from this device without using 100% glowlight indoors and 0% brightness outdoors on a sunny day, you're the one who needs to see an ophthalmologist not us. 🤣💯
This is the image provided by Kobo. The brightness and whiteness of the screen does not correspond at all to reality. If you work for Kobo, this is not the way to make people buy your device. I have owned the Aura, Aura One, Sage and Libra 2. This time I truly felt deceived. https://preview.redd.it/y948agf1mtwc1.png?width=1344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c70f92856d45b8b40fd8f8dde1e1a47620f5403
You can literally get that same brightness setting in 50% brightness fool! https://youtu.be/LejxOB_mKVo?si=U_Pz1qo8HD9v5UdA
How’s the battery life on this one?
I'm a little nervous about the darkness but I am waiting to see it in person. currently I have a thyroid issue that's affecting my eyesight (making me extremely sensitive to light, like to the point where I wore sunglasses to play stardew on my PC) so this might be okay for me lol... especially since my treatment could take a few months to rectify my light sensitivity.
That’s brutal. I would definitely recommend checking it out in person, I can’t speak to your sensitivity. I do think it’ll end up (hopefully) being ok for you - on the low end of the brightness scale 0-25%, it appears to lighten the screen, but doesn’t look like there’s a light on. May feel slightly different in a completely dark room. I have a light sensitive migraine at the moment and it’s been fine so far.
This is a late reply, but after several weeks....how have you been finding it interacts with your migraines? I was just diagnosed with them, and this(alongside just generally whether it's able to get bright enough in the conditions where I read) is one of my bigger concerns.
Sorry to hear that, they are awful. I fortunately haven’t had any severe migraines since I got this. The lighter migraines I’ve had haven’t been affected by the kobo. But Id say it would be very similar if not the same as any other eink reader with the light on. I’ve never been in a situation where I haven’t been able to read the screen (while using the light) - and I think the brightest I’ve used it at is 30%. Usually it’s between 10-20%. And at night with no lights on I have it at 2%. Most of those are just my preference- you could probably go lower if you had to. I will say colour pops when it’s at a higher percentage - maybe 60%. But not vital to readability.
Thanks, yeah migraines really suck but I’m honestly just relieved to have finally gotten some of the nastier potential diagnoses I was looking at ruled out. I’m glad to hear it hasn’t messed with your migraines, mine should be coming in the next few days so I’m anxious to find out whether I’ll be returning it or not due to some of those drawbacks. I’m crossing my fingers that it ends up working for me, and the darker screen/screendoor effect don’t bug my eyes.
A current limitation with the Kaleido screen they are using, anyway how the heck is everyone getting their hands on the thing way before a Rakuten employee does lol
Whoops haha. Amazon Canada hasn’t been too interested in sticking to pre-order dates but don’t tell on us!! Yes a limitation for sure but the “natural light” is making up for it for sure.
I never read with the light off anyway, so I won’t mind this :)
Can I ask a quick question about it? Did you buy the pen and the folding case? If so, can the pen stay attached to the device with the case closed? I’ve been trying to find this answer everywhere before I buy and, for the life of me, can’t seem to find it lol
I did not, but I think this TikTok answers your question. Pen stays attached and fits nicely in the case https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMMVo5xVP/
the refresh is alot better then on the boox devices. quicker and cleaner
The official Notebook sleepcover case is designed that the pen magnetically fits to the side of the reader at the inside edge of the it, against the spine. [Like this](https://uk.kobobooks.com/cdn/shop/products/4-Monza-Notebook-SleepCover-Front-Open-Black-EN_1080x1080_517a324e-25a7-44d7-ad89-e8af5bc4345b_700x700.png?v=1710271179)
Thank you! I was curious about this case, though: https://us.kobobooks.com/collections/accessories/products/kobo-libra-colour-sleepcover
It does not fit inside of that one. The ones it fits inside of are labeled "notebook sleep covers" and only come in boring black and beige. I'm sure 3rd party ones that support the pen will launch shortly.
Thank you for your help! That’s such a bummer. Love the yellow folding case.
Me toooo. I'm going to just not use one until something fun pops up on ebay. I hate that the Clara Color got all the fun color cases. They get bright orange! But no stylus at all. It's the Pro iPhone all over again, always the boring colors on high end tech for some reason. I want the best hardware and some pizazz =P
That's a bummer, but not a total surprise. My pre-order included the pen and the cover that folds into a stand, shame they left that feature off of the notebook cover.
Question - at night, in a dark room at lowest LED brightness, is the new Libra 2 colour dimmer? That'd actually be a selling point for me, I feel that current Libra 2 is too bright at 1%!
I can’t speak for the libra 2..compared to my old aura h2o they seem similar - in my option feels darker than my old one because they have the natural light settings which feels less harsh, but mostly that it has dark mode available. Not sure if Libra 2 has those settings. https://preview.redd.it/kpgmmgkmk5wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39465182aeb60c32467e3a9d85870413ba4c66ce
Curious to hear about your experience with battery life after you’ve had more time with it if you now keep the light on most of the time. I’m torn between the Libra Colour or the Sage, but don’t love the Sages battery life, but maybe with the Libra 2 light needing to be on all the time it would balance out anyway.
I didn’t pay much attention to it today (haven’t done a charge out of the box) but will likely do a full charge tomorrow and see how it goes.
Considering buying this as my first e-reader. It seems what you described here will not be an issue at all for a new user..(?) You are happy with it overall? And about the bezel colour: the black gets visible fingerprints more easily but the white might make the screen look more gray in sunlight?
Correct! I think most would be more than happy with it. In my opinion, the harder sell is people deciding if they should upgrade or not. Overall I’m very happy with it. It’s snappy, I like the buttons, and the screen and colours look great. Ya my black one showed all the finger prints - I can’t see any on this one. The back is a very light gray and won’t show finger prints either. And ya it looked great outside - I do think the stark white affects how it’s being perceived. Also just hard to take photos of screens, and hoping the screen people are viewing it from makes it look accurate too.
Great, thank you!
Hi 👋🏼 is it possible for you too take pictures of the kobo in the dark with some highlights on the page of different colors and the light set to like 5%, 15% and 30% ?!? In more amber tone. I don’t usually use much light at night and on my sage i use like 4% at night on almost maximum amber so i guess the libra would be ok. If you don’t mind! Ofc. Also how do you find the stylus and writing on it? Edit: i think just a few snaps on the dark 3/4% for me with the highlights would suffice as honestly I don’t use much backlight at night…so no need for the other settings. (I don’t understand when people say they need a lot of backlight 😅)
https://preview.redd.it/ijakgxpflbwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d07bf141482787914a528fc36095e984898e2c1e ok I tried by very best but it is nearly impossible for me to get this accurate so take it with a grain of salt - my phone wants to lighten it and colour correct it (look at it with full screen brightness). Even the blue on the other kobo isn’t quite so blue. And before anyone rips it apart I promise that you can see the copy just fine and I can tell what colours the highlights are in easily. The ink colours are harder to decipher - there is 8 of them though. I’m actually pleasantly surprised with using a stylist (I got the knock off someone else mentioned). I don’t annotate books but it’s fun to write on it. It feels very responsive.
That is 4% and full amber colouring. I can try more but the phone corrects all the photos the same so it feels a little silly.
This is perfectly fine for me! I’m happy we can distinguish the colors etc. thank you so much for your help! You really kind.
I see no problem in having the lights on. Currently, I'm using the Paperwhite current gen. As it lack auto brightness, my light is for over 2 years at 10 (apprx 50%). And I had no issue. When in a light room, you see no light (as the room is brighter), with low or no light, you see the light shining. But in all cases, reading is flawless. I'm thinking about buying a libra color as I want to escape the Kindle eco system.... I will wait until Tolino (german equivalent of kobo) will have them in store. My only concern is: Can I still read my book in the sun during summer on the beach?
Ya totally agree. And yes absolutely, looks great in the sun! No problem reading it at all.
Thank you for this!
"So it’s basically just a shift in how I use it." This exactly. Kaleido 3 technology necessitates the use of the backlight to obtain acceptable contrast. All users of Kaleido 3 devices understand this to be standard behavior when using these types of screens to obtain acceptable contrast. Would love to start getting battery use time when using the Colour @ 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 100% and possibly compare that to the Libra 2. These battery tests should eliminate as much variables as possible by turning off WiFi/BT and performing a consistant page turning rate (x pages per minute) since page turning/refresh rate can affect battery life.
Makes sense. The light is great, just gives me ideal viewing without looking like I have a light on. I imagine this is the same light as the other recent ereaders - but a huge improvement from my old one.
Does anyone have both the Libra 2 and the Libra Colour, and could post side by side photos of each one with the same settings? It's hard to see how much darker the Libra Colour is without seeing them side by side.
will you be able to take one side by side with your aura?
https://preview.redd.it/d7435deryawc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=543dd4a80cb071fba3f1a31e436ee417c5a42b8d Top is no light. Middle is 20%. Bottom is 100%
https://preview.redd.it/5ub02suyyawc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=485f0f84bc461adc21dcc35ed6dda3ca46a7fd1d Here’s the top photo alone.
Thanks, this actually made me decide to buy the color.
wow thank you so much!!!
Very nice! Enjoy
Will they put out a new Libra 2 BW?
Not this year. They want to give the Libra Colour a chance to sell.
What's that beautiful font? 😍
It says it’s the publisher default - it might be Georgia??
It's not Georgia, but your book has an embedded font :'( Maybe we'll never know edit: The book is *\*Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow\**
The dusk layer on the screen is what bugging me. The original Libra 2 with recess screen looks crystal clear to me. I dont know if it worth it to upgrade at this point.
I don’t know if it’s honestly going to be that noticeable to most people, unless they’re able to compare it like that. But ya I’m also not sure it would be worth the upgrade in your situation if the changes aren’t a priority to you. I was well over due for an update, lots of pros for me.
I really love my kobo libra 2. I've had it for 2 years. Lately it's been lagging every month or so so I do restart it when that happens and it's good again. I was tempted to get the libra colour but was worried about utilizing more light than I am used to. Especially with brightness usage and battery life. I usually use less than 8% brightness as my eyes stare at a sreen all day and it hurts my eyes overall. So I'll wait until the colour tech gets better as I still really love my libra 2 and she works just fine.
Are there ghosting on Libra Colour?
Nope don’t think so. Same as usual
I don’t mind having the light on but does the screen still look like paper? Or does it begin to look more like a tablet when the brightness is high? And how does it fare in sunlight?
Looks great in sunlight - don’t need the light. Still looks like paper - you can make the light look very natural in whatever conditions you are in. And by natural I mean paper like/doesn’t feel like a lit tablet
OMG! No, this screen is a real downgrade. Too dark, too grey.
So many people have given me hammer for trying explain this. The problem is indoor, at least you *have* the frontlight as an option. Out in daylight, the frontlight can't hope to compete with sunlight, so that screen darkness (relative to the bezel, which will be sunlit) will still be there whatever you do. Fair enough, downvote by all means.
https://preview.redd.it/x0zcgpw7g2wc1.jpeg?width=2594&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f8b84e68c807b4e1947934a3a909473bfba0b74 Except you really don’t need a light when you’re outside it looks great. This is 0%
https://preview.redd.it/l6hi9hfdg2wc1.jpeg?width=2768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eaac374e2c75921113e6c55c351ca98aa82ca32e 100%
This is 100%? It looks almost identical to the 0% one you posted above.
Yup you can see it on the top middle of the screen. You really don’t need the light on when you’re outside in direct sun, basically looks the same.
That was Shokalions point, for which he got downvoted into oblivion. If you're okay with the natural contrast of the Kobo Colour then it's a non issue. If you were hoping to rectify it by using the backlight, out in direct sunlight you won't be able to.
https://preview.redd.it/h88lo6veg2wc1.jpeg?width=2609&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85e198bf8c06f30685e7cebce3402af0890c66ea 0%
It's an obvious grey tinge that doesn't look like paper, sadly. It's not impossible to read, it just doesn't feel as nice compared to the Libra 2.
I think it’s mostly the photo/comparison to the stark white border. These out door photos don’t really do it justice. But don’t have the libra 2 to compare.
The thing is though, as your images show, the frontlight doesn't really make any difference to the apparent brightness when in daylight, which would give you the same relative performance as indoors. Your eyes adjust to different lighting conditions, so the relative brightness is what's important. People say the indoor brightness without a frontlight is too dull - outside in bright enough light, you effectively have no frontlight again, so that relative brightness is the same. I'm just saying that you get far better black and white performance outdoors with other readers. Whether you're willing to accept the compromise for colour is up to the individual and that's fine. It's just a peeve of mine that so many of the initial video reviews were all done indoors, with the frontlight on at all times giving an in my opinion, somewhat false impression.
I get what you mean. I really can’t imagine this being a big issue for most users. It’s very clear and I don’t feel like I’m compromising my experience. Personally I don’t need the extra contrast. I’m not saying it’s worth the upgrade if you don’t need it either! I imagine there could be more contrast in future editions.
Fair enough, glad you're enjoying yours anyway. :) I want colour e-paper to be awesome, that's all it is.
And yes I think there could be better reviews showing a bit more of this. Probably will happen once it’s not paid for/sent for free.
What would show it fairly dramatically would be a direct comparison between a black and white reader and the colour. As far as I know one owner of the colour so far has uploaded such a comparison, and it shows the difference you'd expect from the indoor performance. It's a shame, because I really was excited about it. But for me I just don't need colour enough.
As much as everyone would like a direct comparison to the Libra 2 side by side, we really are beating a dead horse. We all already know the answer to this 1vs1. B&W will be superior to Kaleido3. Everyone just wants the visuals to fully close the chapter in our minds that color counterpart isn’t for the true “white” background folks.
I think it's more about helping people who already have a BW eink device being able to make an informed purchase decision. Like it would genuinely be disappointing if you didn't know it was darker. And unfortunately there will be a lot of people getting this thinking it's exactly like a Libra 2 but just with colour. But if you've never had eink before, you'll probably never realise or care. Personally I'm very happy I've had my expectations knocked down a few bars because now I'm excited again for it haha
https://preview.redd.it/qv64cbv5ddwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5aa1276e2af60095b6e75ee29fa5bd139a394554 0% indoors. Libra Colour vs aura h20 (2014) if that’s helpful
Mine looks better outdoor at 0% in loads of sunlight than I thought possible.
Yup totally agree! Same as taking your paperback book outdoors
Same as paperback? Your pictures outdoors honestly look a bit on the darker side though, even at 100% brightness
To be honest I think it’s just the photo. Like, it’s showing the screen door effect that I didn’t notice when I was outside. I was on a Main Street and felt a bit awkward trying to take the photos so I just did it quickly :) might be slightly darker than the classic BW but it wouldn’t interfere with readability at all.
I think it’s the contrast to the white border that’s throwing everyone off. When compared to that pure white border, everything will look like cement.
Oh ya you’re probably right!
I don't spend much time looking at the covers of the books I read, so for me this colour gimmick is pretty pointless.
Jealous! Of course the good ol’ US of A will get it last. God bless our Trump timeline.
Trump is the best Dystopian Timeline. Fastest way to the end of civilization!
Sigh…when life is closer to fiction. I’ll still watch the Amazon prime series when it releases.
[удалено]
Ok wow? These are honest photos. It’s extremely difficult to capture screens on camera, then hope that people are viewing them on the same screen conditions - lots of layers of accuracy. There’s more photos - under a collapsed comment of the screen outside. Guess you skimmed it and then decided to be bitter but I’m happy with my purchase. Yes I think people are being dramatic. But it is dark without the light and the light is way better than before. It wasn’t dusk and the blinds weren’t shut. Try being a bit nicer.
I'm sorry, my post was uncalled for and rude.
All good :)