Kobo Clara Color evaluation: lastly, an reasonably priced coloration ereader

Kobo Clara Color: One-minute evaluation

Kobo would possibly play second fiddle to the recognition of Amazon’s Kindles, however the Japanese-Canadian model has crushed the tech big in being the primary to ship mainstream coloration ereaders which can be additionally comparatively reasonably priced. Two have been introduced aspect by aspect, with the Kobo Clara Color being the cheaper choice.

It’s an entry-level mannequin in comparison with its greater 7-inch Libra Color sibling however, regardless of its 6-inch show dimension and lack of stylus assist, the Clara Color is a superb choice for anybody in search of a devoted studying system. With no different performance on board, it’s distraction-free studying at its greatest and in coloration too.

Actually, Kobo makes full use of the E Ink Kaleido 3 show know-how that’s adopted for the Clara Color. Not solely are the guide covers displayed in coloration, however the chosen tab on the underside of the house display screen modifications to a reddish-brown when chosen. Even the obtain standing bar is that coloration.

There’s even a darkish mode out there right here and, for those who occur to have highlighted phrases and passages in an e-book, they are going to nonetheless be displayed in coloration – solely the textual content and background colours get inverted.

Web page turns are quick, the on-screen keyboard is responsive and the battery life is nice too. It’s waterproof, light-weight and moveable as nicely. It seems to be just like the Amazon Kindle (2022) however its greatest promoting level is that coloration display screen, for which you may be paying slightly extra. All in all, Kobo has completed rather well with the Clara Color.

Kobo Clara Color evaluation: worth and availability

• Introduced April 2024
• Launch worth of $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
• Out there in a single colorway with non-obligatory slipcovers

There aren’t many mainstream 6-inch ereaders with a coloration show, so it’s laborious to match the Kobo Clara Color with others. Nonetheless, at $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, it’s arguably the most cost effective big-brand coloration ereader available on the market. For those who don’t want the colour show, then choosing the 2022 version of the Amazon Kindle and even the 2024 Kobo Clara BW will prevent some money, with the previous costing solely $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 with out advertisements and the latter setting you again $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95.

If the colour show is vital to you, then you definitely’re going up one dimension on the very least, with the Kobo Libra Color being one of many least expensive within the 7-inch dimension class at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95. All different coloration ereaders value their salt are dearer.

Kobo Clara Color evaluation: Specs

Kobo Clara Color evaluation: Design and show

• Physique constructed with as much as 85% recycled plastic
• Sharp, responsive 6-inch show
• Sunken display screen, which reduces glare

Kobo has caught with the identical design formulation it used for the Clara 2E, bringing an similar black plastic physique and raised bezels over to the Clara Color – whereas its monochrome sibling, the Clara BW, will get a two-tone chassis to shake issues up slightly. Out there in only a black colorway, the rear panel is textured to offer slightly grip, whereas the aspect bezels on the entrance are simply broad sufficient to supply your thumbs a spot to relaxation.

Whereas the raised bezel design would possibly look slightly dated now, it’s higher at stopping glare from overhead lighting (indoor or sunshine). Much less glare additionally means you gained’t be recognizing smudged fingerprints as a lot both.

That’s to not say the display screen is reflective – removed from it. The 6-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 show is, like all different e-ink shows, glare-free however its easy floor can have vivid spots from overhead lights. That stated, the built-in frontlight on the show may also help scale back these vivid spots.

The ComfortLight Professional on the Clara Color is similar frontlight Kobo has been utilizing on all its ereaders for a protracted whereas now. It lights up the display screen evenly – I didn’t discover any areas of shadows or extreme lighting – which makes the studying expertise a great one. Furthermore, there are amber LEDs on the system, so you may modify the sunshine temperature to hotter tones for night or nighttime studying to scale back eye fatigue.

Because the title of the system suggests, the show can now deal with some coloration – 4,096 hues to be exact. As I’ve talked about in all my different evaluations of coloration ereaders: don’t anticipate the colours to pop with saturation as they do on an LCD display screen. They are going to seem slightly muted as compared and that’s a limitation of the e-ink display screen know-how, not a problem with Kobo’s implementation.

Something displayed in black and white on this display screen may have a decision of 300ppi, whereas something proven in coloration shall be at 150ppi decision. The decrease decision would possibly sound like coloration pictures (like comics and guide covers) gained’t look good, however removed from it. Actually, the upper pixel density really renders colours nicely, making them seem slightly extra saturated than they might on a bigger E Ink Kaleido 3 show as used within the 7-inch Kobo Libra Color or the 7.8-inch Onyx Boox Tab Mini C.

Regardless of tipping the scales at 174g – simply 4g greater than the Clara 2E – the Clara Color is mild and compact, being the proper dimension for touring with. It’s additionally waterproof, with an IPX8 ranking that can hold the system in working situation if immersed in 2 meters of water for as much as an hour.

Like its predecessor, over 85% of the physique is recycled plastic, which incorporates waste that will have ended up in our oceans (like plastic bottles and CDs). The packaging it is available in is created from 100% recycled supplies and is recyclable in flip, and the ink used to print the textual content and pictures on the field is soy, so biodegradable.

Rounding out the design parts is a concave energy button on the rear of the system, a USB-C port positioned off-center of the underside edge, and the Kobo branding on the decrease bezel. It’s a easy design that displays the system’s single-minded objective of digital studying.

It’s additionally presumably one of the repairable ereaders available on the market, together with its 2024 siblings. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to offer spare elements and directions on tips on how to carry out some repairs, though, on the time of writing, neither of those can be found on the iFixit web site. I will replace this evaluation when there’s extra data from both Kobo or iFixit.

• Design & show rating: 4 / 5

Kobo Clara Color evaluation: Person interface

• Streamlined, easy-to-use UX
• Good font and file assist
• Cloud switch recordsdata not out there

I’ve all the time been a fan of Kobo’s easy-to-use interface on its units, with every part neatly laid out on the house display screen. As much as 4 of your present reads are listed proper up prime of the house display screen, adopted by a My Books part and one other that cycles by means of both new suggestions, entry to Kobo Plus or one in all your Collections inside your library.

Above the guide tiles is the short menu for display screen brightness, Wi-Fi, battery, cloud sync (for firmware updates) and search, whereas on the backside of the house display screen are the 4 tabs to navigate across the system and the Kobo Retailer.

It’s good to see Kobo has taken full benefit of the E Ink Kaleido 3 display screen by displaying the chosen navigation tab in coloration. The identical red-brown hue can also be used for the obtain standing of a title you’re both buying or accessing by way of Kobo Plus.

OverDrive assist to borrow from partnered public libraries remains to be a stalwart presence on Kobo ereaders, as is Pocket. The latter, which is basically a browser plugin that means that you can save net articles for studying later, offers you entry to these articles on the Clara Color if you have already got a Pocket account.

In contrast to the dearer Kobo ereaders, there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox assist on the Clara Color. The one method to sideload titles is by plugging the system into your laptop computer and PC by way of the USB-C port and dragging recordsdata over.

File assist is nice, though not as in depth as what you’ll get on an Onyx ereader. Regardless of that, all of the important file codecs are supported, together with EPUBs, the most typical e-book file format. Two comedian recordsdata are additionally supported, plus 4 picture codecs. The one audio format supported is Kobo Audiobooks, so you may’t sideload audiobooks you might need sourced from a 3rd social gathering – it’s important to both buy it from the Kobo Retailer or pay attention by way of Kobo Plus.

Audiobooks, nonetheless, take up cupboard space on a tool and the Clara Color solely has 16GB to supply, with no microSD slot to extend it. So chances are you’ll must keep watch over the storage for those who’re extra into audiobooks than ebooks. 

A brand new addition to the Clara Color’s settings is the choice to “scale back rainbow impact” when viewing in coloration. I’ve by no means come throughout this selection in coloration ereaders from different manufacturers, and I haven’t been in a position to determine what precisely a rainbow impact is, so I haven’t a clue how the setting works. I suppose, if coloration content material begins to look slightly unusual, choosing this setting would possibly assist.

Darkish Mode is obtainable right here and that solely inverts textual content coloration when you’re studying an e-book. In case your guide has coloration pictures, you will note them displayed in coloration on a black background, which I believe could make some photos pop slightly extra.

One change I’ve been ready for Kobo to make to its interface is the flexibility to create subfolders throughout the library. You’ll be able to create what Kobo calls Collections, however you may’t arrange nested sub collections inside your primary ones. Kindle permits for it, so I believe it’s time Kobo adopted an analogous choice.

• Person interface rating: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara Color evaluation: Efficiency

• Responsive touchscreen
• Good battery life
• Much less distinction in black-and-white in comparison with another ereaders

It’s been laborious for me to fault Kobo’s ereaders with regards to efficiency and it’s the identical with the Clara Color too, particularly with a 2GHz processor conserving issues ticking alongside properly. Studying on it’s a pleasure, though I personally discover a 6-inch display screen too small on account of needing to show a web page a contact too typically for my liking – that may eat into the battery lifetime of the system. The small dimension may also make studying comics and graphic novels much less pleasant as, relying on how the title has been formatted, some frames may get minimize off.

Each black-and-white books and coloration content material look good on the Clara Color, however I discovered the previous lacked little distinction compared to another monochrome ereaders I’ve beforehand examined. That stated, you will solely discover the distinction for those who examine two completely different fashions aspect by aspect and it does not have an effect on the studying expertise in any respect. If it does, although, Kobo means that you can make the textual content on the display screen ‘heavier’ by making the font slightly thicker. Colours, then again, seem comparatively extra saturated on the 6-inch display screen when in comparison with bigger coloration ereaders and that’s all the way down to the pixel density. 

Opening an e-book on the Libra Color throughout testing had a major lag, however that’s not the case with the Clara Color. It’s sooner in that respect and, similar to its greater sibling, has a peppy display screen efficiency. Web page turns are fast and the on-screen keyboard has no main lag both, whether or not that’s to make annotations or sort in your Wi-Fi password.

I had no points pairing the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Headphones to the Clara Color to hearken to audiobooks, though the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II took just a few tries earlier than they paired. I’m placing that all the way down to the marginally temperamental nature of the earbuds as I’ve had this concern with the identical set and different ereaders earlier than.

As with different ereaders, the Clara Color will provide you with weeks of studying pleasure on a single cost. It has a 1,500mAh battery pack – the identical because the Kobo Clara 2E however smaller than the two,050mAh within the Libra Color – and you’ll simply eke out as much as 5 weeks of use, relying on how you utilize it. In my case, a display screen brightness of 15%, the refresh charge set to each chapter and the Wi-Fi all the time on, gave me 34 days of studying about an hour every day earlier than the battery dropped to 21% from full. So you may undoubtedly get extra. Actually, the Clara Color has higher battery life than the Libra Color regardless of a smaller capability, however then it doesn’t must deal with as many duties as its greater sibling must.

A recharge can take as much as two hours, however that’s solely as a result of trickle charging kicks in at in regards to the 95% mark – as occurs with different Kobo ereaders. Whereas it might sound irritating to have to attend for an hour to see only a 5% prime up, trickle charging preserves the battery for longer, thus guaranteeing an extended lifespan to your system.

Ought to I purchase the Kobo Clara Color?

Purchase it if…

Do not buy it if…

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How I examined the Kobo Clara Color

• Used for 3 weeks alongside the Kobo Libra Color and the Onyx Boox Palma
• Used it for each studying ebooks and listening to audiobooks
• In contrast it with different 6-inch and 7-inch ereaders

I used to be fortunate to have been despatched the Kobo Clara Color forward of the official announcement, so I would been utilizing it for just a few weeks earlier than publishing this evaluation. I used it alongside the Kobo Libra Color in addition to the reasonably different-looking Onyx Boox Palma. I additionally had the transient pleasure of evaluating it to the Kobo Clara BW as nicely.

I used to the Clara Color to each learn and pay attention – I’ve a Kobo account, so signing into it by way of the system gave me entry to my current library. It additionally gave me entry to my Kobo Plus subscription, which is the place I discovered some audiobooks to hearken to.

Whereas utilizing the Clara Color, I had the chance to match it to different ereaders, each black and white in addition to coloration. These embrace the Libra Color, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, the Onyx Boox Poke 5 and the PocketBook InkPad 4.

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[First reviewed April 2024]