Kobo has just introduced its new ereader the Kobo Clara HD. It is a 6 ″ ereader for € 129, tactile, illuminated and with ComfortLight. (You can buy it at Amazon and in fnac) For price and features it reminds us of the old Kobo Glo HD. Without a doubt the Clara comes to fight with the Kindle Paperwhite.
The Kobo Clara HD, It is destined to become the flagship of the company due to its quality-price ratio. Right now the company has 4 ereaders Kobo Aura, Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Aura H2O and Kobo AuraOne. The Aura being the most basic and the H2O being the high-end at 6 ″ and the One high-end with a spectacular 7,8 ″. But Clara is located in a segment very well defined by PaperWhite and it is that of ereaders that have almost the same characteristics as the high-end but with a more sober design and more common materials but at a very competitive price. Today those € 130 are the price frontier from here there is a considerable jump to the upper range.
Features
SCREEN
- 6 ″ touch screen
- E ink Letter HD.
- Resolution: HD / 300 dpi
- Illuminated. TypeGenius ComfortLight Pro System
- 159,6 x 110 x 8,35 mm
- 166 g
ANNUAL REPORT
- 8 GB internal memory
CONNECTIVITY
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n / Micro-USB
DRUMS
- MicroUSB port powered
- Autonomy: several weeks
Packaging
The interior is correct, perhaps a little flimsy I expected a more forceful presentation. It is true that this does not affect the characteristics of the device but I always like that brands take care of all the details of their product and the way they present it to us is one of them. It has nothing to do with the packaging of its older brother, the Kobo Aura One, which is very careful.
Impressions and appearance
With a classic size of 6 ″ and a sober look. It is very comfortable to handle and transport. Bezel appears on the screen, it is not a flat screen together with the frames as it happens in the Aura One.
Rear part, with good grip, looks perforated, not the grip of the Aura One. The touch is pleasant and as I say nothing slips. So we have a very good reading experience
It has a single button, the power button next to the mini USB. It is the only button on the device. It does not have page turn buttons and it does not have a microSD slot either. For me, its 8Gb of storage is more than enough. But I have read people who consider that they fall short.
Kobo, Pocket and Bluetooth software
After having tried a Kobo, its operating system, the menus, everything is very simple, friendly, robust and works really well. We know that it comes with an integrated Pocket, Mozilla's Read it Later that allows us to send web articles from a tablet or smartphone and read it later on our ereader.
Although there were rumors that it would incorporate Bluetooth and audiobooks could be listened to, I have not found these options. It's a shame, because the truth is that it would be a very interesting feature.
Assessment
Without a doubt, Kobo has put out a great ereader for a segment that was needed and previously covered by the Glo HD. It seems to me one of the best devices, if not the best of up to € 130 that we can find today.
It will become a benchmark when we talk about the best ereaders in terms of quality / price ratio. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a good reader.
Photo Gallery
- Editor's rating
- 4.5 star rating
- Exceptional
- Kobo clara hd
- Review of: Nacho Morato
- Posted on:
- Last modification:
- Screen
- Portability (size / weight)
- Storage
- Battery Life
- Lighting design
- Supported Formats
- Connectivity
- Price
- Usability
- Ecosystem
Pros
- Price
- Usability
- Pocket integration
- Comfortlight Pro
Cons
- It does not have an SD slot
On the subject of ereaders I begin to think that there is very little news. Seen one, seen all. Those with larger screens or a different design (like the Oasis) catch my attention ...
But between this and the Paperwhite few differences I see. There are yes but few and on an aesthetic level ... even less.
Hello Javi. Yes. There are no interesting news, nor do I think there will be any. Ereaders are devices designed for a very specific task, reading, and I think there has come a time when they do it very well.
For me the most important change that could come would be to use eink color displays, but I don't know if that will ever come.
What more would you ask for? Keep in mind that they are not a tablet.
I think the contrast can be greatly improved. I mean the background of the E Ink screens. It is still very dark. That is why light is added, so that it seems whiter but in ereaders that do not carry it (especially those with a large screen) you can see that background, still very gray. Of course, if after so many years E Ink has not solved it, it will be that there are important technical problems.
Color is my big dream, but it's been so many years waiting and so many disappointments: brigestone, Triton, Liquavista, Irx Innovations, etc… Clearink's last bullet remains and I don't see it clearly. I am not convinced by the quality of their color screens but hey, they say they will improve it. There are also the ACEP displays from E Ink… maybe in the next decade.
I think it might be interesting if they added solar panels to the ereaders. With the little energy that these screens use, I think it would be feasible to make ereaders totally self-sufficient. I suppose that the problems will be cost and perhaps technical. A Finnish company proposed it a few years ago, I don't know where it was. He left a link to the video, by the way his ereader had a Triton screen (E Ink color): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbyCkJ3f4UI
Man, the improvement is clear ... if there is little to innovate in hardware, innovate in sotware.
I would like more than 6 ″ in the same size ... and for it to be Kindle 🙂
I like the kobo but syncing from Amazon and sending me a book by email from the Caliber I like more ...
In software, the most interesting thing I have seen are Android devices because you can use a large number of applications. What happens is that it seems to me that it is like killing flies with cannon shots. Install facebook to share an appointment? Twitter?
The most interesting thing is to make a read it later or similar work, having a pocket on any device.
but I just can't see that an ereader should have a lot of functionalities. I am clear that they must improve that, both in hardware and software, but I do not see that anything disruptive is going to come that surprises us.
Nacho I give you an "exclusive": the Kindle Voyage has disappeared from the page Amazon.com
I don't know if it's momentary but I doubt it. If it were pro lack of stock it would continue to appear and, in any case, it could something like "available in 2-3 weeks". Smells like product recall.
The truth is that if it is confirmed, nothing surprises me. I never made sense of this kindle and less after the appearance of Voyage.
I thought it was a good idea with your comments to buy a Kobo Clara .. 130 euros as you know, after having some problems with a Tangus.
A disaster ... the software does not work, I have to turn it off three times to read three pages in a row, the sensitive areas of the screen do not react when touched ... No matter how much I reset, it doesn't matter. I've had to stop reading 800-page novels because every time I read it goes to page 221, and there's no way to fast forward. Crappy software? Shabby stuff?
You will tell me. Greetings.
Hello, what you say is not normal. Have you contacted kobo support to see what solution they give you and if they repair it, replace it, etc?
All the best
Hello, well I have been given a Kobo Clara hd and I like everything. It is my first eBook, but there is something that I do not like at all. It is very slow, every time I turn the page or take any action, it takes Kobo a century to do it. What I do not know is if it is something normal in an eBook or is mine that has come to me defective.
In none of the analyzes is it reported that to read a book you own, for example Don Quixote, you have to obtain an ADE certificate issued by Adobe. In this way, Adobe installs itself on your computer and authorizes you to read it. Really? It seems to me such an intrusion that I just returned it. And by the way, there is a way to bypass the lock
conclusion: if you don't want to be a slave to Amazon, buy a Kobo and you will be one of others.
Hello Francisco, is that the issue of DRM is not for the ereader. It is not the Hardware that puts it in but the ebook, those who layout and sell the books.
No need or skip protection. In books like Don Quixote there are dozens of DRM-free online editions.
All the best
Hello. Good analysis but I have a question, to see if you can solve it. I understand that the page turn has to be on the edge of the screen because if it is done in the middle, for example, what you get is to underline the sentences. Is this so? And if it is, is it possible to disable it? Because for me it is important to be able to turn the page from anywhere on the screen. I am used to my Sony and I find it quite practical.
Thank you very much in advance
I just bought it and it doesn't support changing the line spacing. When I talk to their customer service they tell me that they only guarantee the books they buy on their platform.
I am a long time ereader reader and have bought a large number of books over time. Well, they tell me that my books are epub and that they use epub 3 format.
But his ad says he reads epub. Your answer is that not being able to change the line spacing does not matter. I start with anger from the beginning
Hello Manuel.
I see that only those on their platform guarantee it is normal. Because they don't know if the ones you get out of it are badly laid out, which may be the problem you have. Have you tried any other epub?
I read normal epub with Clara and did not find any problem.
After my experience I recommend not to buy Kobo, THEY DO NOT HAVE TECHNICAL SERVICE AND AFTER TWO YEARS OF WARRANTY ANYTHING THE SOLUTION IS TO THROW IT OUT, THEY DO NOT SOLVE ANYTHING FOR YOU. I think it is important to have this information. Mine from 2017 almost 200 euros and to throw it away ... the worst thing is that I think it is the charging plug ... silly but it does not matter after guarantee anything does not serve you9
It is my first eBook although it has disappointed me in relation to its price.
* The software is very slow.
* Kobo mobile and computer apps do not sync properly with the device. Only the books purchased on your platform are seen and if you advance in the reading it is not reflected on the device.
* No wifi network detected for days. I have restarted it several times but it remains the same. I will go to the store to see what solution they propose to me.