Libra Colour So far I love my Colour Kobo. What about you?

[Cootey]

I’ve had my Libra Colour (LC) for about five months now. I picked the pearlescent white model. Even though I have an iPhone 15 and an iPad—both of which have high resolution, full color displays—I love using my LC for reading novels, light novels, manga, art books, etc. In fact, I’ve just noticed recently that I’ve been reading manga on the LC far more than the iPad. That wasn’t a conscious decision.

The page turning buttons help. Sweeping with a finger is convenient, but it becomes repetitive when reading comics or books. I also don’t mind the screen’s resolution. I know there have been very technical and informative comments regarding the lower resolution of the LC, but I haven’t found it to be an impediment.

I do enjoy having a colorful homepage. I like seeing the book covers in color. I like seeing illustrations in color. Highlighting and note taking in color is quite enjoyable as well. If all of that’s just a novelty, then I don’t mind. It was priced affordably, and I needed a new ereader.

I have found that I use my LC far more than my previous ereader, the Clara HD. This increased usage has resulted in more frequent charging. It’s about once every two weeks, compared to the Clara HD or Elipsa. However, that’s nothing compared to my daily charging of my iPad and iPhone. I don’t consider it a detriment at all.

I’m curious what other people think about their Colour Kobo. Do you find the color screen an enhancement or just a marketing novelty?

[bluepeter]

I'm glad you like yours. I regretted buying my Clara Colour. It sounds as if we use our e-readers for different material, and that's significant. You like a lot of colour illustrations, whilst I read pretty much exclusively simple black text on a white background. The resolution issue means that when I want to read a book with illustrations (generally non-fiction), I buy it in print.

It's funny that you should raise this. It's only yesterday that someone raised the possibility of replacing her Kindle with a Libra Colour on a Facebook reading group to which I belong. This was my comment to her:

I had a Kobo Clara Colour, which has the same screen as the Libra Colour. IMO, it was a waste of money. The colours are very muted (unsaturated) and contrast is dreadful. I don't normally use the built in frontlight to read, but found that it was necessary all of the time just to get tolerable contrast reading simple black text - even in a well-lit room. The background for a page of text isn't the white that you'll be used to, but grey.

I sold mine on eBay after only a week or so, and took the financial hit. The Clara BW or 2E are, for my needs, much better e-readers.

My advice is simple: don't buy a colour e-reader yet. A *lot* of development is needed before they become worthwhile. (And the same applies to those from other manufacturers, e.g. Onyx Boox. They all use the same screens.)

It's well worth switching from Kindle to Kobo, simply for the vastly better user interface. (that was why I switched a few years ago.) But I'd recommend one of the monochrome models, not a colour one. Unfortunately, if you want a 7" screen, there isn't currently a monochrome Libra. The choices are (a) smaller screen; (b) larger screen, or (c) find a Libra 2/H2O on eBay or similar. (You might get lucky and find a refurbished Libra 2 or H2O somewhere.)

Whilst responses to the OP weren't unanimous, this seems to have been pretty much the majority view.

[JSWolf]

I would dislike a color Kobo. I like the Libra 2 screen. I like being able to keep the light off when there is enough other light. I like not having speckles. What I would like is a Libra BW with the new processor and battery and no color filter.

[foosion]

There are a lot of people who love their KLCs. See the https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo for example. Kobo, which has lots of info on sales, has made the business decision to sell a KLC and not a Libra BW. I'd imagine it's based on comparing their projection of BW sales to the cost of producing another model. They clearly think lots of people are happy with the colour model.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by foosion

There are a lot of people who love their KLCs. See the https://www.reddit.com/r/kobo for example. Kobo, which has lots of info on sales, has made the business decision to sell a KLC and not a Libra BW. I'd imagine it's based on comparing their projection of BW sales to the cost of producing another model. They clearly think lots of people are happy with the colour model.

I think it's a decision made by someone really stupid higher up.

The problem now is that when anyone asks what Reader to get and the Libra 2 would have been a good choice, I cannot any longer recommend Kobo.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by bluepeter

I'm glad you like yours. I regretted buying my Clara Colour. It sounds as if we use our e-readers for different material, and that's significant. You like a lot of colour illustrations, whilst I read pretty much exclusively simple black text on a white background.

Yes, same for me, and that's why a color ereader would be a waste of money for me too. I'm just not interested in comics, illustrations or book covers in color, and I don't highlight or take notes. YMMV, as always.

The lighting issue would perhaps not be all that serious for me, as I always read with the frontlight on anyway, even in a brightly lit room. But the fact remains that color eink just isn't as good for ordinary text yet as b/w eink. While this may not bother some people, it does bother others.

[bluepeter]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, same for me, and that's why a color ereader would be a waste of money for me too. I'm just not interested in comics, illustrations or book covers in color

Oh, I'm interested in illustrations, including some comics/graphic novels. But the resolution and colour rendition of the colour e-readers aren't good enough for me. I also find the page size insufficient for graphic novels, which are generally printed at about A4 and (IMO) need to be seen at that size. Of course, larger colour e-readers exist. Even if I thought that the colour rendition and resolution were good enough, they're ridiculously expensive and unwieldy.

I still buy printed books for both graphic novels and most non-fiction.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Cootey

...

I’m curious what other people think about their Colour Kobo. ...

Well this thread went sideways quickly.

I would be interested to hear from actual owners.

[rashkae]

Since getting the KLC, i've had absolutely no desire to go back to the KL for reading novels. The resolution is absolutely non-issue. B&W on the Colour screen is every bit as sharp and clear as the Libra 2. Contrast is only an issue for people who don't like to use the device frontlight. Without Frontlight, the colour screen is really *really* bad compared to B&W models. With frontlight, contrast is only worse in very bright ambient light (reading outdoors, or studio lighting.)

The colour itself is more of a gimmick. Except for the covers or very occasional illustrations, it will have very little value to reading text. But its a gimmick that I like. I really love how the colours turned out. (Yes, muted compared to lcd/olec screesn, but very reminiscent of colour print on newsprint type paper.)

But, while I sometimes try reading a comic for a bit on the device, I find that still a sub par experience. The colours look great, but the screen is still too small, and pan and scan still too sow.. I would rather juts read my electronic comics on my pc.

[patrik]

Originally Posted by rashkae

The colour itself is more of a gimmick. Except for the covers or very occasional illustrations, it will have very little value to reading text.

Well.... for those of us reading lots of non-fiction being able to highlight in different colors can be very useful.

I'm pondering getting a color reader just for this reason.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rashkae

B&W on the Colour screen is every bit as sharp and clear as the Libra 2. Contrast is only an issue for people who don't like to use the device frontlight. Without Frontlight, the colour screen is really *really* bad compared to B&W models.

No, it's physically impossible for it to be as sharp as a Libra 2. I've got a Libra 2 (and others) and now seen an Onyx Boox Colour (which even S/H is twice the price of my Nxtpaper 11 and dearer than a Nxtpaper 14!). It's got a 2 x 2 pattern of translucent red, green and blue dots. Are you sure you don't need glasses?

Oh, and I don't use the frontlight on any eink, otherwise with frontlight on it's no better than Nxtpaper )OLED or LCD models)..

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by patrik

Well.... for those of us reading lots of non-fiction being able to highlight in different colors can be very useful.

I'm pondering getting a color reader just for this reason.

Some people use coloured highlighters. I've only ever had the need to use them on some printed paper reports. I do proof fiction, but only export the highlights and notes and I'd never see the highlights on the page a second time, as next read would be the refreshed revised version and I don't want any visual indication like software version comparisons.

Different people have different needs. Almost all readers of fiction never highlight and for most the automatic bookmark of last read page is enough.

[BionicGecko]

I’m also quite happy with my Libra Colour, which I’ve been using daily for a couple of months now. My experience in a nutshell:

• The resolution of black on white text is excellent, IMO on par with my Oasis
• The device is very fast and responsive
• Colors to me are an unnecessary but fun addition; I particularly enjoy having the cover of the book in colors when the device is off. Joy is in the little things.
• I personally do not experience the reported screen door or rainbow effect. The screen does look a bit grainy but it does not affect the clarity or overall reading experience
• The buttons are great to have but I do find them a bit too “clickety”
• The device feels quite plasticky but the pearly white shade does look good
• The contrast is not an issue indoors, but I do find the screen too dark to comfortably read outdoors
• The front light distribution is rather uneven, more so than on my Oasis
• The stock reader is decent but I won’t elaborate on it as I mostly use KOReader, which is well supported

Overall I think the Libra Colour is a great device for people who read mostly at home. I skip the case so I can enjoy the book covers in color when I’m not reading; it does somewhat feel a bit like having a physical book laying on the table or the couch. Those who like to read on the go (e.g. in the train) might however find the screen very dark and the contrast too low under natural light; I personally never use it outdoors.

[DNSB]

I would join the list of those who are happy with their Kobo Libra Colour.

I don't have any issues with the text sharpness and I do enjoy seeing the covers, maps and other illustrations in colour.

Reading outdoors does require me to push the frontlight to a higher level than I would prefer. I haven't noticed any uneveness in the frontlight but that does seem to be something that varies between devices.

My older granddaughter loves it for reading her stories but then books for her age group are pretty much cartoonish illustrations and not much text.

I use the stock readers for the most part though I have KOReader installed. For most of my books, I edit for consistency and use ePub for most books and kepub where there are images that might benefit from zooming. For me, there are differences between the RMSDK, WebKit renderer and KOReader but using the stock readers allows me to use search a lot more effectively. Though KOReader has improved in that aspect, you still need to use calibre to get the searchable metadata database.

[compurandom]

I love my Kobo Libra Color.

I have strongly noticed the poorer contrast on B&W documents, and increasing the brightness only helps to a point, but even at worst, the contrast isn't bad enough to make reading uncomfortable.

I've found in direct sunlight, as with the B&W devices, I can turn off the backlight completely and it's fine and looks good. But in partial sunlight, it feels like I can't quite get it bright enough, but it's still readable. Inside, I might have the brightness a little higher than with a B&W device, but it looks nearly as good.

In the handful of documents I have with color, the ability to see that color is a game changer. A few documents have annoying colored backgrounds that make them impossible to read on a B&W device, but are now readable on the color device. Graphs and charts with color are much more readable than they were on a B&W device.

The color itself I find better than I expected. Some pictures look perfect. Others look faded but still are distinguishable. Some pictures look good until the backlight is turned off at which point they turn muddy. I may have to go through my screensavers and lighten a few of them.

Even with the contrast reduction and lower crispness to the resolution, I don't find this much of a problem. I find the color a huge addition sometimes and other times just a bit more fun even when there's no real added benefit.

Overall, I would still select a kobo based on screen size first and then storage size, but I find the color a nice addition, and if I had to choose between two otherwise identical devices, I'd pick the color one.