Kobo put out a handful of recent e-readers a couple of weeks again: shade variations of the wonderful Libra 2 and Clara, in addition to an up to date monochrome model of the latter. However after testing all of them out, I can say that for many customers, there’s no purpose to change.
First, the colour editions. I’ve been ready on shade e-paper screens for what looks like half my life, they usually have but to attain the extent of vibrancy I’d need to be able to actually take pleasure in comics and web sites on them. That’s nonetheless the case with the Clara Color and Libra Color.
These gadgets use E Ink’s newest Kaleido 3 show, and definitely issues have come a methods from what we had been seeing 10 years in the past. However the easy reality is the colour replica remains to be not nice. Higher than it ever was … however poor in contrast with virtually anything.
It’s unclear to me why you’ll need shade in any respect on a 6″ machine concerning the measurement of a pulp paperback. I attempted to learn a couple of comics however the textual content is just too small and zooming and panning too clumsy. And the colours, whereas current, are washed out in each shade. Maybe a kids’s ebook?
Now, I need to give credit score the place credit score is due: The display shows all kinds of colours — I studied one panel particularly that had a number of distinct however related shades of blue (not the one under), and I used to be capable of discern them on the reader virtually in addition to my regular LCD display. They’re definitely desaturated, however they’re there.
These criticisms are all equally true of the bigger Libra Color, the most recent within the line of asymmetrical 7″ gadgets with web page flip buttons. That further inch makes for about as a lot further readability as you’ll anticipate — a bit — however the display itself is not any completely different.
Chances are you’ll be considering: Why not simply get the colour one so you may have the choice? You may nonetheless learn bizarre books, in any case. Sure, however … sadly, the colour layer truly makes black and white content material worse.
I in contrast the Clara Color and BW facet by facet — and for that matter, the year-old Clara 2E I had sitting round. Whereas they’re all nominally the identical decision, the Color seems to be as if there’s a kind of gentle gauze over it, darkening the whole show barely and consequently decreasing the distinction.
This isn’t just a few minor factor that one solely notices with a microscope. It’s actually apparent. The colour screens are dimmer and tougher to learn. I attempted and did not seize it in images, however belief me, it’s unquestionably a step down.
As such, I merely can’t advocate the colour variations of those readers to anybody, until you may have a specific use case the place desaturated colours and a barely degraded studying expertise aren’t an enormous deal.
Now, as for the Clara BW, that is primarily the brand new default suggestion I’ll be giving — not as a result of it considerably outdoes my go-to reader, the Clara 2E, however as a result of it affords modest enhancements for $10 much less.
The brand new model of this very easy type issue features a calmly up to date display, the Carta 1300 sequence, which boasts barely higher distinction and page-turning speeds. Examined towards the 2E, I discovered it to be noticeably sooner when tapping rapidly by way of pages, however not noticeable in bizarre use. And so far as the readability and distinction, they had been about equal to my eye, with a slight benefit going to the brand new machine. My favourite function is that it doesn’t crash once I plug it into my laptop half the time, a Clara 2E behavior I’d given up on fixing.
So actually, you get what I believe is probably the most sensible e-reader available on the market for most individuals, just for $130 fairly than $140. No adverts, sideload your individual fonts and paperwork, built-in library app, loads of room to mess around and hack. Nevertheless, in the event you personal a Clara 2E, or perhaps a Clara HD, I don’t assume the improve is essentially price it. Kind high quality hasn’t improved that a lot in the previous couple of years.
As earlier than, I like to recommend getting their faux-leather “sleep cover,” which each protects your machine from the same old scuffs and folds into a beautiful little stand. I like to recommend the Cayenne Purple shade so that you by no means lose it. Consider me, you’ll be glad you spent the $30.
