Looking to upgrade from my Kobo Libra 2, want B&W - options please?

[CosmicRay]

Hi everyone!

I've been using eInk readers since the Kindle 2 came out in 2009. I use Calibre heavily and am comfortable moving between ecosystems.

I switched from my Kindle Oasis to the Kobo Libra 2 in 2022. The Libra 2 is showing signs of age and an upgrade is in order. The problem is: to what?

I tried the Libra Colour, and absolutely hated the reduced contrast ratio of the screen. It felt like going back to 2009. I rarely need color, and returned the Libra Colour.

I don't want to go any smaller than the 7" Libra 2 screen. I would like to see something faster and more generally responsive. Important features are:

• Calibre compatibility
• Front light with adjustable color temperature
• Long battery life
• Some sort of stand; integrated into a cover is fine
• 300DPI Carta 1200 or better screen

Nice-to-haves would include:

• Better PDF support than the Libra 2 (I've used KOReader on it, which helps)
• Waterproofing of some sort
• Physical page-turning buttons

Here's what I've looked into and my thoughts on the reviews:

• The Kobo Sage. The main drawback seems to be worse battery life. Bigger screen, faster CPU, and smaller battery than the Libra 2. One post also says that the flush screens aren't as clear as the recessed ones, though few mention that.
• The Kobo Elipsa 2E. The screen is only 227 DPI, and the cover doesn't have a stand. I'm also concerned about it being too heavy to use for extended periods of time. I don't see myself using the note-taking features much. I don't often read PDFs, but a screen that size might possibly change my mind - that has some appeal, but overall I am leery about a decrease in screen quality. I'm also a little leery of something that's tablet-size; if I'm going to take something that size, maybe I should just take a tablet. Also there are some concerns about battery life, but not as much as with the Sage.
• There are a dizzying set of options from Boox. I'm quite comfortable with Android, including adb, but I really just want something to read books. It seems many of them aren't waterproof, maybe don't have as good a presentation of text as the Kobo, etc. I can't find much about covers/stands. I've read conflicting stories about battery life. Comments here seem positive on the Boox Page (TechRadar does too), and the Boox Nova Air 2 also looks interesting but lacks the page-turn buttons of the Page.

It seems I must be missing something. I'd be interested in people's thoughts!

[Aleron Ives]

What's wrong with your Libra 2? 2022 wasn't that long ago. If the battery is failing, you may get the best results by just swapping the battery. The Boox Page is probably the only upgrade path available to you, but you'll lose the waterproofing and swap the simplicity of the Kobo UI for a full Android system.

[CosmicRay]

It's become quite slow, especially when WiFi is on. A factory reset hasn't helped. The page turn buttons are also becoming a bit iffy.

I also learned the Boox has no dark mode in its built in reader. I didn't list that because I had no idea it wasn't standard everywhere. Sigh. Thanks for the ideas though!

[Scoob]

Something similar in design to your Libra 2 would be the Pocketbook Era which comes in 16 and 64 gb and has a color version. I can't say if it's speedier and more responsive than your Libra as I've used neither but it is 7in, waterproof(ipx8), has adjustable front light, has buttons(on the edge of the device though), and you can use KOreader on it too. This thread has discussion on other perks to Pocketbook.

[Mr Avid]

I recently switched from a Kindle Oasis 3 to a Pocketbook Era. I continue to be happy with this decision. I also think it meets many of your criteria.

That being said, I don't think you are going to find many B&W devices meeting your criteria that are a significant upgrade to your Libra 2. e-reader tech isn't changing that fast.

Originally Posted by CosmicRay

[*]There are a dizzying set of options from Boox. I'm quite comfortable with Android, including adb, but I really just want something to read books. It seems many of them aren't waterproof, maybe don't have as good a presentation of text as the Kobo, etc. I can't find much about covers/stands. I've read conflicting stories about battery life. Comments here seem positive on the Boox Page (TechRadar does too), and the Boox Nova Air 2 also looks interesting but lacks the page-turn buttons of the Page.[/LIST]

I initially went for the Boox Page and ended up returning it and getting the Era instead. The Boox was a good device but it wasn't for me.

* I really like to pickup and read and having to wait 30 seconds for the device to start was a pretty big downside for me.
* I have a large local library and the library management in the Boox software wasn't great. You can use 3rd party applications since it is Android but I couldn't find a workflow I was really comfortable with.
* The Boox devices have SD Card slots that allow for expandability which I liked. However, I suspect that causes their waterproofing to take a hit. I don't really read in the shower or anything like that so for me this was not a problem.

[CosmicRay]

Originally Posted by Mr Avid

That being said, I don't think you are going to find many B&W devices meeting your criteria that are a significant upgrade to your Libra 2. e-reader tech isn't changing that fast.

The sad thing is it looks like it's regressing. The Libra 2 is no longer on the market, and for someone that wants the best B&W experience, the Libra Colour is a significant regression. The Kindles seem to all be sold out also. But thanks for the suggestion on the PocketBook Era -- I will take a look! Though a 30-sec wake time sounds rather frustrating.

I do hope we didn't reach peak eBook in 2022.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by CosmicRay

The sad thing is it looks like it's regressing. The Libra 2 is no longer on the market, and for someone that wants the best B&W experience, the Libra Colour is a significant regression. The Kindles seem to all be sold out also. But thanks for the suggestion on the PocketBook Era -- I will take a look! Though a 30-sec wake time sounds rather frustrating.

I do hope we didn't reach peak eBook in 2022.

Be aware that the screen clarity is reported to be lower for the Era when compared to the Libra 2.

Yes, I agree it's difficult to find anything good nowadays. I would want something like the Hanvon N10/Penstar to be released in Europe with the latest Carta 1300. The screen would be fantastic without the touch and frontlight layers and a wacom pen (+ all the buttons) would be used instead of ones finger to navigate and select stuff.

[Quoth]

The Sage is OK and the shortcomings of battery life are overstated.
I bought (in this order: Original Aura H2O, Libra, Libra2 (the Libra buttons are more reliable), Original Elipsa and then Sage to have a handier size notebook. But I only read on the Sage. I gave away the Elipsa to a relative recently. I've loaned out the Libra 2 to someone that lost the Sage.

I'd use the original Libra only to read out loud for recording as it has reliable page turn buttons.

If you want small, then a TCL Nxtpaper 40 (4g, not 5g and under €200) is good enough battery life and better than small eink such as Sony PRS350 or Y-ben P47L. If you want big then the TCL Nxtpaper 11 (about €240) beats the reMarkable, Elipsa, DXG (I've had all of those). Or maybe the Nxtpaper 14. Those have good enough battery life for ereading and longer run time for audio books. Also true paper-like matt and full real colour. I use sRGB setting and no "reading modes".

I saw a €450 nearly new colour eink (Kaleido 3) Onyx Boox and we both thought it looked rubbish compared to Sage or Nxtpaper.

The eink is only better than Nxtpaper (LCD or OLED models) in enough ambient light for front light to be off. I'd only use "auto" brightness outdoor. Indoor the 10% to 15% manual is better. If you think you need darkmode, perhaps the brightness (eink frontlight, OLED or LCD backlight) is too high. Whiteboards and white paper works better than blackboards and black paper. Also I remember black background CRTs which was because of lack of EHT regulation. Later white background with flat matt screen (not IBM goldfish bowls) CRTs were far better.

I've also seen photos and videos of colour ink. None are good enough and affected by what you viewing on. You need to see it in real life.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by CosmicRay

I do hope we didn't reach peak eBook in 2022.

There has been hardly any improvement since Voyage or Paperwhite 3 over 11 years ago.

About 2013 was close to peak ereader.

The 10″+ ones have improved in resolution and added front light since then. Everything else is either cosmetic, a gimmick or marginal (notes with pen, wireless charging, bluetooth) and some aspects backwards (no SD card slots on Kobo, Scribe needing Amazon servers), removal of 3.5mm audio jack (but audio runtime is better on a decent phone, and with better experience/flexibility).

Storage and CPU has increased purely because those have increased and got cheaper anyway.

[CosmicRay]

Interesting, I'd not heard of Nxtpaper before. Doing some research on it, and I'm wondering: how is it in direct bright sunlight? Does it need full brightness as a regular phone does?

[Quoth]

Nxtpaper is an especially good matt surface for OLED or LCD. I read that the early versions were not quite bright enough for direct sunlight. My OLED Nxtpaper 40 (4G version, not 5G version) phone and LCD Nxtpaper 11 tablet are both bright enough for direct sunlight at Auto or 100%. Typically 10% to 20% indoors and 50% in the shade on a sunny day.

I'd only need to use a phone in direct sunlight, for a text, call or photo. I sit in the shade to read outdoors, though I'd rarely read outdoors.

IMO ability to use the screen in direct sunlight only applies to me for a camera or phone. The Nxtpaper 40 is OLED, so not as as bright as some LCDs but better in sunlight than most of my LCD phones/cameras. The Nxtpaper 11 is LCD.

They both are Nxtpaper 2.0. The Nxtpaper 10 might not be so bright. The Nxtpaper 14 & 14 pro seem to be nxtpaper 3.0

Such technology (ultra matt) is over 40 years old but was rare on CRTs. The matt flat CRTs could easily have the coating scratched. The Nxtpaper must be some kind of micro-etched dark glass as it's more durable. Such dark tinted matt layers for CRT, Plasma, OLED or LCD attenuate ambient light reflected off the internal display twice as much as the display emission and are usually polarised. The Nxtpaper screen can go totally black via a quality camera polariser.
Such technology can't be used with eink as it works best with unfiltered polarised ambient light, though the eink screen top layer is usually microtextured to reduce shine/glare/reflectance, the NxtPaper 2.0 surface is dramatically better at reducing glare and diffusing image of reflected sun or lamp.

[readthinksurvive]

i think you should hang on to your libra a little longer it's only been 2 years

[Renate]

If contrast is your thing, I would dissuade you from buying a device right now that isn't Carta 1300.

For me, my parameters are 6", Android, Carta 1300 so the Onyx Go6 is perfect.

[forster01]

Hi all,
I have Kobo One which needs to be upgraded, as the battery is somewhat dead.
As i'm a kobo user since 2010. i'm thinking of buying Kobo once again.
Which one would you please recommend?
Im using it just for epub or kepub books, not very interested in color display but i need a screen of about 7"+

Im thinkig of:
1. Kobo Sage
2. Kobo libra 2 (i dont care much about buttons)
3(?). Kobo elipsa - not so sure about this one but if it is sutable for reading ebooks (no PDF's) may be...

Thhank you in advance!

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Renate

If contrast is your thing, I would dissuade you from buying a device right now that isn't Carta 1300.

For me, my parameters are 6", Android, Carta 1300 so the Onyx Go6 is perfect.

Carta 1200 vs 1300 is marginal on mono-eink. There isn't even a huge difference between original Carta and Carta 1200 in ambient light good enough to read a paper book. It's almost irrelevant with a front light.

The Elipsa does do everything other Kobos do but I found it too heavy for prolonged reading compared to a Sage. I never went back to using the Libra or Libra 2 after I got the Sage, though I'd use the original Libra for recording narration as the buttons are more reliable than the Libre 2 or Sage.
There is only S/H or old stock Libra or Libra 2. The Libra Colour isn't an upgrade, it just ass pastel colouring, degrades mono text and can add artefacts to certain mono images or fonts due to the 2 x 2 array of coloured dots for 150 dpi colour on the underlying 300 dpi mono screen.

I do still have 3 off 6″ ereaders and a 5" model, but find 8″ best. There is now no good Kobo 7″ for regular novels. Lots of people in the family have upgraded from 6″ Kindle or 7″ Kobo to 8″ Sage.