Like most homebodies, I’m a simple creature. Picking up books from a bookstore or library gives me a natural dopamine hit and provides me with hours of entertainment. So, naturally, I never gave much thought towards investing in expensive e-readers. However, as I’ve aged, acquired an English degree and married a fellow reader, one thing is now abundantly clear: A house has only so much room for books.
With my overstuffed bookshelves bursting at the seams, it was time for me to consider other options, and the Kobo Clara Colour e-reader caught my eye. Sporting a small travel-friendly screen, color e-ink technology and library integration through Overdrive, it offers everything this bookworm could ever want in an e-reader. Here’s my experience testing this nifty little device as a bona fide bibliophile.
Kobo Clara Colour
Ditch the gray and embrace glare-free digital reading in full color.
What is the Kobo Clara Colour e-reader?
The Kobo Clara Colour e-reader is part of Kobo’s latest lineup of color e-readers, which also includes the slightly more feature-rich Kobo Libra Colour. Using E-Ink Kaleido 3 front light technology, these e-readers are a step up from the brand’s black and white flagships (including the editor-loved Kobo Libra 2). The most alluring aspect of these e-readers is the price, which sits at around $159.99—nearly a hundred dollars cheaper than a color-compatible Kindle.
How We Tested
I tested the Rakuten Kobo Clara Colour for around a month, which conveniently coincided with my winter vacation. In this time, I read three books, including an audiobook. For the full experience, I also purchased and utilized a Kobo Plus Read & Listen subscription, priced at $9.99 per month.
Build
The Kobo Clara Colour e-reader offers a petite six-inch screen and weighs in at a featherlight 6.5-ounces (or 10.4-ounces with a SleepCover). This supports one-hand reading and easy transport, since it fits in a purse or large pocket. It’s waterproof, making it a relaxing addition to beach days and self care soaks in the bath. The matte screen is also glare-resistant for outdoor reading. There’s only one button, the power button, which sits in the upper back corner of the e-reader.
Reading Experience
The first book I read was Rachel Harrison’s Black Sheep (a must after enjoying her book Play Nice, which I discovered via a Book of the Month subscription). Reading with the Clara Colour is quite an enjoyable experience. I thought holding a tablet instead of a book would diminish my experience, but it’s actually the opposite. Not needing to awkwardly hoist heavy volumes means fewer distractions than if I were to crack open a paperback. Additionally, I can highlight and make notes on impactful passages I find.
The ability to see chapter length at a glance and adjust things like font and spacing really highlights why e-readers are so popular. The Clara even offers an estimated reading time of most books and chapters, which is really motivating. One of my favorite features is the one-touch word lookup using the dictionary, Wikipedia or Google, which helped expand my vocabulary even in the short time I’ve owned the e-reader. Plus, it’s so lightweight that I can read with one hand, which frees up my other hand to pet my cats or hold a mug of tea. Bonus!
As with most e-readers, don’t expect lightning-fast performance, though. While the Kobo Clara Colour is very responsive, it does lag a bit at times thanks to the longer refresh rate. This shouldn’t interfere too much with reading, but it’s an issue worth noting. You can manually adjust the screen refresh rate in the settings, which helps a bit. That said, I’ve never had any issues with the Clara not reacting to my touch. It always responds—sometimes it just takes a second to do so.
Settings & Customization
There’s a lot to love when it comes to the Clara Colour’s settings. In addition to adjustable brightness and a blue light setting, readers can utilize the “natural light” feature, which automatically reduces the amount of blue light throughout the day to reduce eye strain. Simply set the desired “bed time” and let the device do the rest. This feature is one of my favorite as someone who often reads before bed.
Additionally, settings allow for adjusting onscreen controls, including where to tap or swipe to turn pages and shortcuts for adjusting brightness. This is also where you can easily change font size and weight. In-book settings allow for even greater customization thanks to different available fonts, font sizes, margin sizes and line spacing. There’s even a dyslexia-friendly font face, which is great for accessibility.
The Kobo devices in general are notably customizable. They all natively support EPUB, PDF, and other formats for sideloading books, unlike other popular e-readers. You can also sideload new fonts if that’s something of interest. A few of the notable BETA features include a web browser, sketch pad and a handy reading activity tracker. It’s also worth noting that unlike competitor devices, Kobo devices partner with IFixIt for parts, so they’re user-repairable in case something breaks.
Color
For a color e-reader, the Clara Colour is pretty impressive. There’s a paper-like feel to the tones, reminiscent of color comics on printed newspaper. E-reader screens eschew backlit screens, choosing instead to light the screen from above. The effect is something like a book light. This helps with eye strain, but it also desaturates the tones and makes lighter hues appear a bit darker and dulled.
Personally, I’m of the opinion that slightly desaturated tones are a fair trade-off when you consider that the e-ink tech minimizes eye strain. Plus, if I really want to see my comics with ultra-colorful tones, I can just use a tablet or my phone instead. I’m looking forward to the day when e-ink tech can support brighter shades, but until then, this works fine for me as a casual graphic novel and comics reader.
Audiobooks
There are more than 150,000 audiobooks available for the Clara Colour. Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, folks can listen to their favorite stories via earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker. I haven’t had any trouble utilizing this feature.
However, it’s worth noting that—like many other devices—connecting to Bluetooth and WiFi reduces battery life quicker. That said, you can disconnect WiFi at any time and still read pre-downloaded books, which is handy for rural areas and camping.
Storefront
The Kobo e-book storefront offers more than 1.5 million books, plus another 150,000 audiobooks. This selection includes classics, top sellers, new releases, Reader’s Digest Book Club favorites, Kobo originals, and so many other choices. While it doesn’t quite match Amazon’s Kindle catalogue in volume, I’d say most folks will find the selection satisfying. For those with a library card, there’s also the option to connect to a local library via Libby/Overdrive and check out books for free.
The pricing is also pretty standard for e-books, in my opinion. While some folks claim that the book prices are higher than competitor e-readers, it’s important to note that Kobo offers a price match program. If an e-book is listed at a lower price elsewhere, just file a price match ticket. Not only will Kobo credit the difference, they’ll also add an additional 10%.
Subscription
The Rakuten Kobo storefront offers subscription pricing across three tiers via Kobo Plus, which grants access to 1.5 million of the e-books and over 150,000 audiobooks on the store. Choose from the Read or Listen subscriptions to access only books or only audiobooks for $7.99 per month. Or, subscribe to the Read & Listen subscription and enjoy both for $9.99 per month. Of course, you can still purchase these books a’la carte if you prefer to forgo a subscription.
Kobo Remote
While the Kobo Clara Colour doesn’t have page turn buttons, the Kobo remote (sold separately) does. If you absolutely need a page-turning button, the Kobo Libra Colour, available at a slightly higher price point of $229.99, has this feature. One benefit of investing in the remote is the ability to turn pages at a distance, such as during treadmill workouts or while cooking.
Pros
- Incredibly intuitive UI
- Perfect size and weight for travel
- Useful library app integrations
- Vast storefront of books (and a price match guarentee)
- Many reader-centric settings available
- Fair mid price point
- User-repairable
Cons
- Slightly muted colors
- Can lag at times
- Offers slightly fewer books than the Kindle
Comparison: Kobo vs. Kindle
Let’s be honest—Kindle is the e-reader brand that’s always top of mind. When determining which is the better buy, it’s important to look at both the similarities and differences to get the most accurate picture. The Kobo Clara Colour E-Reader is most comparable to the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft, so we focused on that as our point of comparison.
Differences
- Availability: The Kobo Clara Colour E-Reader is available on the Kobo website and at several other major retailers including Kohl’s, Target and Amazon. As of publication, the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is only available on the Amazon website (and at Target for the Signature Edition).
- Battery: The Clara Colour supports wireless charging. Those seeking wireless charging for the Kindle Colorsoft have to splurge on the pricier Signature Edition. The advertised battery life for the Kindle is eight weeks, while the Clara Colour advertises up to 42 days.
- Book Selection: Probably the most burning question folks want answered is how the selection compares on the Kobo e-book storefront vs. Amazon’s e-book storefront. They both offer an enormous, comprehensive selection. That said, the Kindle Store is definitely larger, so I’d recommend checking both storefronts for your favorite authors to confirm availability. The good news is that the Kobo supports more book formats and easier library integration, which makes up for some of that gap.
- Price: The Kobo Clara Colour E-Reader retails for $159.99 on the Kobo website, while the Kindle Colorsoft retails for $249.99 on Amazon (or $279.99 for the Signature Edition).
- Repairability: As of now, Kobo e-readers are the only user-repairable e-readers on the market, increasing their longevity and reducing unnecessary waste.
- Size: The Kindle Colorsoft offers a seven-inch display, compared with the slightly smaller six-inch screen of the Clara Colour.
- Subscription: Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription costs a flat $11.99 per month and includes both audiobooks and traditional books. They also offer a free 30-day trial. On the other hand, a monthly subscription to the Rakuten Kobo storefront (which offers a 14-day trial) costs $7.99-$10.99 per month, depending on the plan chosen.
Similarities
- Ads: While I’m happy to report that neither option has ads, it’s worth noting that some of the other e-readers released by Kindle do display ads on the lock screen as a screensaver.
- Book/Audiobook Prices: Ultimately, expect prices to be relatively comparable. That said, Kobo offers a price match program if you find an e-book at a lower price elsewhere. You get the difference credited, plus an additional 10%.
- Color: Neither the Clara Colour nor the Kindle Colorsoft boasts the color accuracy of something like an iPad—e-ink technology is just not there yet. That said, the colors are a nice inclusion and offer enough accuracy to be passable for most reading. Just don’t expect super juicy colors and bright illustrations. I liken the softer tones to newspaper cartoon shades.
- Storage: Both the Clara Colour E-Reader and the basic Kindle Colorsoft come with 16GB of built-in storage, though the Colorsoft Signature Edition offers a bit more at 32GB. Unfortunately, neither e-readers have a micro USB slot for additional storage. That said, 16GB still holds plenty of books, and you can always delete books from your library to move them to your archive and free up space.
- Warranty: Both e-readers offer a one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects.
- Waterproof: Both e-readers are waterproof for beach, bath and rain reading.
Final Verdict
After experiencing the convenience of the Kobo Clara Colour firsthand, my opinion of e-readers in general has changed significantly. Sure, I’ll still buy physical copies of my favorite books, and nobody could ever stop me from coming away from a rummage sale with an armful of secondhand reads. But being able to read anywhere, at any time—and with a free hand to hold a mug of tea, to boot—has its benefits, too.
The Clara Colour delivers a nice reading experience, sure, but there’s so much more that help it rank up there with other popular e-reader options. Its user-friendly UI coupled with its customizability make it appealing for both e-reader newbies and longtime users alike. For folks who love reading, especially while traveling, the lightweight Kobo Clara Colour e-reader is a worthwhile investment. Despite such an affordable mid-tier price point, you really do get an experience on par with pricier color e-readers.
Where to Buy
Kobo Clara Colour
Leave gray behind and step into digital reading with vivid, glare-free color.
Bibliophiles looking to expand their libraries without sacrificing precious shelf space can find the the Kobo Clara Colour E-Reader on the Kobo website. It’s also available at several other major retailers including Kohl’s, Target and Amazon. Even if you’ve sworn off e-readers as I did, the Kobo Clara Colour is worth looking into. It might just change your mind about travel-friendly e-readers!
FAQ
Where can I buy a Kobo e-reader?
The best place to shop for Kobo e-readers is the Kobo website. The Kobo Clara Colour E-Reader is also available at several other major retailers including Kohl’s, Target and Amazon.
How do Kobo e-readers work?
Kobo e-readers work much like the average e-reader or tablet. Readers can access the Kobo Library with thousands of titles available as both traditional books and audiobooks.
Who makes Kobo e-readers?
Kobo e-readers are made by Rakuten.
Why Trust Us
Growing up, I was always that kid with my nose in a book. As an adult, not much has changed. Apart from my love of reading and writing (hello, English major), I’ve also been lending my shopping expertise to the Reader’s Digest shopping team for over three years. In that time, I’ve covered everything from the coziest pajamas to skincare and bedding. I’ve also written for Family Handyman, Taste of Home and Reader’s Digest. When I’m not furiously researching the latest and greatest gadgets, you can usually find me reading mystery novels and cuddling with my two cats.
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