Kobo Clara Colour review: Browsing your library has never been more fun than it is now!
The colour pages steal the spotlight, but the faster processor is impressive as well.
Kobo isn’t the first to introduce a colour eReader—Boox and Pocketbook have been in the game for years with their beautiful, premium devices. However, those devices don’t offer the plug-and-play experience of a Kindle or Kobo. In my experience, Kobos have nailed the balance between a user-friendly interface and high-quality hardware. And now, with the Clara Colour, they’ve added a vibrant new feature to their lineup.
It’s worth noting that Kobo beat Kindle to the punch with a colour eReader. Sure, Amazon is busy with everything else under the sun, but a colour Kindle is likely on the horizon. For now, Kobo’s Clara Colour stands as the top contender. Its beefier processor makes it faster than its predecessor, and the addition of colour enhances the reading experience without compromising the crisp text. I can honestly say after spending a few weeks with Kobo’s latest, I’m more excited about digital reading than ever before. Just perusing the colour library of book covers makes it that much more exciting selecting my next book.
The Clara Colour is a beautiful device with a lovely colour screen and a speedy operating system. It’s the colour eReader to beat, at least until Amazon unveils its version. Most e-paper devices use a display from E Ink, and the Clara Colour features the new Kaleido 3 panel, adding a printed Colour Filter Array (CFA) layer on top of the existing black-and-white microcapsule layer. This colour layer can display around 4,000 colours at a resolution of 150 dpi. While it’s not as vivid as an LED screen, e-paper colours are muted and saturated, reminiscent of ‘70s comic book covers, and they look even better under bright light.
The text is just as sharp as previous generations at 300 dpi, though there’s a bit of noise in the white parts of the page when you look closely. The warm front light has a more amber tone, which I actually found quite cozy. It reminds me of the pulpy mass-market paperbacks I loved growing up.
Kobo’s customization options aren’t too involved but allow enough control to adjust things like typeface, font size, line spacing, and margin width, as well as brightness and light warmth. Externally, the Clara Colour looks almost identical to the Clara 2E, with a slightly more recessed screen and more textured, soft-touch plastic that shows fewer fingerprints. The bezels are just the right size for your thumb, making it easy to hold in different positions.
With an IPX8 rating, the Clara Colour can handle full submersion in water. I haven’t tested this feature extensively, but it did survive a splash of water in the bathroom. Why was it there? Because I use what precious private time I have (bath time) to read as much as I possibly can before the reality of household chores and life take over.
The new chip in the Clara Colour makes loading menus, performing searches, and flipping pages faster than before. While the speed boost isn’t drastic, quicker page turns keep the reading flow uninterrupted. Browsing for new books and checking out previews is also faster, which I appreciate when I’m looking for a new read.
The user interface is consistent with other Kobos, with four options along the bottom menu bar: Home, My Books, Discover, and More. The Discover section is where you can browse the Kobo store for ebooks, audiobooks, and titles from KoboPlus, Kobo’s answer to Amazon Unlimited.
Kobo’s integration with OverDrive lets you borrow titles from your local library with ease. Just click the three dots near the Buy button to borrow or place a hold on the ebook. I appreciate how Kobo places free library options on par with paid books and subscriptions.
Other features include the ability to gather Pocket articles for later reading and a beta web browser for quick look-ups. The browser isn’t meant for heavy surfing, but it’s handy for looking up background info without getting distracted by your phone.
So, is the Clara Colour worth the extra $10 over the previous generation? The faster processor alone justifies the price hike, and the waterproof build, warm front lights, and ad-free experience make it a premium eReader. The colour screen might not make a huge difference for typical ebooks, and it does add some noise to the page, but I actually preferred the softer, warmer appearance. Book covers look great with their muted colours, making my collection even more inviting.
Anything that makes reading more attractive and can compete with the technicolor distraction of digital devices is a win in my book.
