Sunken bezels are great. Means you can place it face-down on your table or counter without a case and not have to worry about scratching the screen while keeping it from collecting dust overnight or for however long you leave it. :)
I'm a Kobo convert. I own a Paperwhite too, but I don't use it. I prefer the Kobo ecosystem and I dislike the way Amazon installs ads on most of their products. Thanks for sharing your videos!
@@KobieK Yeah, the lock screen has an ad by default. It's $20 (either at point of sale or anytime after) to disable them. Plus, as the video shows, most of the home screen is advertisements.
@@KobieK I sold my Kindle Oasis and got a Kobo Clara BW. Am very happy. I much prefer the sunken screen. You really can tell the difference. And the brightness shortcut gesture is so good.
I hate the trend of flush screen and bezel with the extra layers over the screen. In fact, I miss IR touchscreens to have even less over the screen (or no touch at all like the kindle keyboard!)… now, however, one thing I notice with the sunken screen e-readers is that there are multiple layers over the screen that are pretty thick, it’s just less obvious since the bezel is lifted - shine a light onto the screen and look at the shadow generated by the bezel, you’ll see how much deeper the shadow is than the reflection off the top layer
My BW has arrived and whilst the Clara 2E will still have a use I must admit to be surprised at being impressed to notice improvements on the clarity of the screen, and text over that of the 2E. Hard to capture when taking phots of them side by side, a bit like what was mentioned in this video, but it is most noticeable when viewing them both next to each other. The responsiveness has also improved, but it was the screen clarity etc that has pleased me the most. Until I sent my Sage back for a refund I did try and capture the problem of screen unevenness that was particularly bad. But, from looking at the video I had recorded, that seemed to be hardly noticeable and, seemingly, would have trivialised the problem.
I still find, after seeing the new kobos in person, amazon still does a better job with the lighting and the font looks darker upon the background. So even if the tech is slightly behind I usually prefer their screens. And i find the fonts naturally display better (how theyre spaced and for example, georgia) i know kobo has customization and I like the Libra 2, but thats just been my personal opinion.
I so agree. I'm waiting for Amazon. I prefer a kindle, and also prefer reading in black and white as opposed to the Kobo colour readers that I have seen. I'll stick with Amazon. Even though I disagree with some of the things they do.
@@ursulaoelofse4731Amazon fired 25% of their Kindle R&D department, increased their DRM practices, removed books from their service, and discontinued their Oasis line. The writing is on the wall.
Thanks for the comparison, the difference in contrast is very noticeable even before you zoomed in. The layers and older e ink tech on the kindle and the recessed screen and newer e ink tech on the kobo really make a difference with the black text. Kinda wish they had also made a libra bw too though, since 7 inches is perfect for me and I prefer buttons over smudging a screen.
I have the older b/w LIbra. With the seven-inch screen and page turn buttons, it, at least for me, is essentially perfect. Also, my physician wanted to get out of the Amazon "experience" so a few months ago I gave her my mom's unused b/w Libra. (My very elderly mom just could not figure it out and no longer wanted it.) Anyway, my doctor just loves the Kobo environment. And she uses Kobo's built-in OverDrive to access our state library holdings. This is Kobo's standard feature not mentioned in the review. It is a fantastic default service along with Kobo's preinstalled Pocket. If you follow eBay offerings, you should be able to find a b/w Libra of your choice therein. Just be careful not to overpay. eBook readers seem all too often artificially overpriced on eBay. But, with patience, a good Libra is likely to be found.
Thanks for the comparison, I ended up returning the colour for the bw, absolutely no regrets. Also just a slight clarification, you said at 4:50 "kobo doesn't really have a anything like that," but you can highlight and search within the book including Wikipedia/Google it's not as in-depth as x-ray but it is still possible to view every instance a word has been mentioned.
@@heathersky8218 The BW is crisper with superior contrast (which means you wont need to use the front light during the day and at night you can have it as low as 1-5%.) It's also noticeably more responsive by a couple of milliseconds. And lastly the Clara Colour unfortunately produces a rainbow effect on certain black and white manga/comics which is not an issue with the BW model. I feel as though an e-reader is in it's prime when the front light is off, and if I'm forced to use it I may as well be using a tablet. Hope this make sense. 👍
@@larissadanek6646 It was purchased through a local retailer here in Australia so it wasn't an issue. However I have read on kobo's website that they offer 30 day change of mind returns if you purchased direct, I would just open a chat with them or send an email. I think you're only required to pay return postage.
I wish ereader companies would add some document management options, along with encryption support. This would make for a great mobile document option that also makes for a great backup to paper copies. As it is now, I don't know how I would trust any of my personal files to be secure on one of these. I hope they add that support in the future. It would probably open up a whole new market for them. I know I would want one.
The paperwhite screen looks so gorgeous to my eyes that it's difficult to imagine what the carta 1300 is like to use. I do not read manga or graphic novels so it probably isn't a necessary upgrade for me (using kindle basic for portability) at this point. I admire it though.
Someone else said they upgraded from Clara 2E (carta 1200, same as PW) to Clara BW, and that the difference in clarity is substantial. Still you are probably okay not upgrading, but people do seem impressed by the 1300 screen.
Given no page turn buttons the sunken screen / raised bezel is nice. In every day handling I don't accidentally turn pages very often. Also the ridge is a nice finger guide when adjusting brightness. I'm using 8'' carta 1200 flush screen for several years and it is just fine. The carta 1300 is however noticeably nicer making a 6'' screen more enjoyable than I expected. P.S. I have a 2019 Kobo Forma w/ 8'' Carta 1200 & page buttons, and a new Kobo Clara BW.
On a Kindle you can hide the Amazon store and only see your books. 1. Go to settings 2. Device Options 3. Advanced Options 4. Home & Library 5. Home Screen View, Turn Off
Ok I’m sold on the Kobo Clara BW now, the text area doesn’t seem too bad with the margin adjustment. Was initially considering Kobo Libra Colour cos of the 7inch screen (more similar to reading a physical book reading) but after watching the reviews the screen darkness and reduction in sharpness kinda bother me. I thought I would go for Libra 2 but considering the portability (smaller to fit in my purse) of Kobo Clara BW, I’ve found my answer!!!
Hello sir. Since you have the units, can you please make an updated comparison with the new Kindle Paperwhite 12th Gen? I'm conflicted between both and I think the Clara would lag behind in terms of speed.
hi please consider the lighting enviroment when doing the comparison. I saw the kobo bw personally, the psyhical one is look much better from the video.
It probably differs in real life, but on this video my eyes were naturally drawn to Paperwhite more because it had lighter background which made it easier to read
…but having a ‘lighter background which makes it easier to read’ is not actually incompatible with ‘it has two fewer layers so it’s actually clearer’. The extra layers might have an effect on light diffusion, making the Kindle’s background appear lighter and thus, for OP specifically, easier to read, even if the Kobo is ‘clearer’ insofar as how distinct each letter appears on the screen. It’s possible that the whiteness being more pronounced in the Kindle affects perceived black levels-for some people, anyway-at least when it comes to text.
Overall I prefer Kindle hardware and their much larger selection. I own both Kindle and Kobo and use them about equally. Ads are pretty much seamless and never bother me and for the most part Kindle books are cheaper.
does anyone experience the blur on the text with the ppw5? i had one and felt like the texts are blurry, which is why i returned it and am looking at the clara bw.
Kindle paperwhite has not been available on amazon for almost 2 months now? I lost my old kindle and was looking to buy a new one but I did not see it come on stock till yet. (I live in India btw but I checked on the global website too). Any chance Amazon is releasing a new kindle, in which case I should wait or go for something else?
Good comparison. Kindle hardware is no longer the best. The reason I don't switch to Kobo is because Kindle has more books. I looked for a couple of niche books I enjoyed on Kindle Unlimited and they were not available on Kobo.
Other benefits of the kobo over kindle is that it uses recycled plastic and is marketed as repairable. Sure you might be able to repair or change a kindle battery or trade it in for a newer model, but they don't suggest doing so. I'm leaning towards jumping the amazon ship for something else. I find their business practices a turn off and too proprietary.
Best is a subjective term, and these wouldn't meet my ebook needs as I don't want to be locked into any one bookstore. The Kobo also doesn't seem to have an SD card slot for me to have more options available for audio or other items.
SD card slots are being deprecated from most devices nowadays because they are so slow. Also I believe the Kobo doesn't lock you to a bookstore, unlike the Kindle it supports .epub out of the box which is an open standard. Kindle you have to convert your epubs to be able to load them into the device
As they have already migrated note-taking over to the Libra color, it seems unlikely they would cannibalize that construction by making something only 1 inch bigger However, there is speculation that gallery 3 might be implemented as that is fitting for an 8-in device
Correct, also, it is not he, there is a team of 40 people here at good e-reader As we said at the beginning of the video, we can't do 40 plus comparisons, it is not humanly possible Thank you very much for all your support
I Just ordered the kobo BW, I had a kindle paperwhite 2022 but the text quality is so so bad, it looks far away from the screen, and it bothers me. And also the kindle size is big, not convenient.
Sunken bezels are great. Means you can place it face-down on your table or counter without a case and not have to worry about scratching the screen while keeping it from collecting dust overnight or for however long you leave it. :)
I'm a Kobo convert. I own a Paperwhite too, but I don't use it. I prefer the Kobo ecosystem and I dislike the way Amazon installs ads on most of their products. Thanks for sharing your videos!
I didn’t know Amazon put ads on kindle 😮
@@KobieK Yeah, the lock screen has an ad by default. It's $20 (either at point of sale or anytime after) to disable them. Plus, as the video shows, most of the home screen is advertisements.
@@millernerd thank you for this. I now know I should get a Kobo
@@KobieK I sold my Kindle Oasis and got a Kobo Clara BW. Am very happy. I much prefer the sunken screen. You really can tell the difference. And the brightness shortcut gesture is so good.
Well Amazon sells with and without ads. The ones with ads are obviously cheaper because they’re subsidised.
I hate the trend of flush screen and bezel with the extra layers over the screen. In fact, I miss IR touchscreens to have even less over the screen (or no touch at all like the kindle keyboard!)… now, however, one thing I notice with the sunken screen e-readers is that there are multiple layers over the screen that are pretty thick, it’s just less obvious since the bezel is lifted - shine a light onto the screen and look at the shadow generated by the bezel, you’ll see how much deeper the shadow is than the reflection off the top layer
My BW has arrived and whilst the Clara 2E will still have a use I must admit to be surprised at being impressed to notice improvements on the clarity of the screen, and text over that of the 2E. Hard to capture when taking phots of them side by side, a bit like what was mentioned in this video, but it is most noticeable when viewing them both next to each other.
The responsiveness has also improved, but it was the screen clarity etc that has pleased me the most.
Until I sent my Sage back for a refund I did try and capture the problem of screen unevenness that was particularly bad. But, from looking at the video I had recorded, that seemed to be hardly noticeable and, seemingly, would have trivialised the problem.
I still find, after seeing the new kobos in person, amazon still does a better job with the lighting and the font looks darker upon the background. So even if the tech is slightly behind I usually prefer their screens. And i find the fonts naturally display better (how theyre spaced and for example, georgia) i know kobo has customization and I like the Libra 2, but thats just been my personal opinion.
I so agree. I'm waiting for Amazon. I prefer a kindle, and also prefer reading in black and white as opposed to the Kobo colour readers that I have seen. I'll stick with Amazon. Even though I disagree with some of the things they do.
@@ursulaoelofse4731Amazon fired 25% of their Kindle R&D department, increased their DRM practices, removed books from their service, and discontinued their Oasis line. The writing is on the wall.
Thanks for the comparison, the difference in contrast is very noticeable even before you zoomed in. The layers and older e ink tech on the kindle and the recessed screen and newer e ink tech on the kobo really make a difference with the black text. Kinda wish they had also made a libra bw too though, since 7 inches is perfect for me and I prefer buttons over smudging a screen.
I have the older b/w LIbra. With the seven-inch screen and page turn buttons, it, at least for me, is essentially perfect. Also, my physician wanted to get out of the Amazon "experience" so a few months ago I gave her my mom's unused b/w Libra. (My very elderly mom just could not figure it out and no longer wanted it.) Anyway, my doctor just loves the Kobo environment. And she uses Kobo's built-in OverDrive to access our state library holdings. This is Kobo's standard feature not mentioned in the review. It is a fantastic default service along with Kobo's preinstalled Pocket.
If you follow eBay offerings, you should be able to find a b/w Libra of your choice therein. Just be careful not to overpay. eBook readers seem all too often artificially overpriced on eBay. But, with patience, a good Libra is likely to be found.
Thanks for the comparison, I ended up returning the colour for the bw, absolutely no regrets.
Also just a slight clarification, you said at 4:50 "kobo doesn't really have a anything like that," but you can highlight and search within the book including Wikipedia/Google it's not as in-depth as x-ray but it is still possible to view every instance a word has been mentioned.
Hi! May i ask why did u return Kobo Clara color and get the BW instead? Im eyeing Kobo clara color and currently got Kindle basic 2022
@@heathersky8218 The BW is crisper with superior contrast (which means you wont need to use the front light during the day and at night you can have it as low as 1-5%.) It's also noticeably more responsive by a couple of milliseconds. And lastly the Clara Colour unfortunately produces a rainbow effect on certain black and white manga/comics which is not an issue with the BW model.
I feel as though an e-reader is in it's prime when the front light is off, and if I'm forced to use it I may as well be using a tablet. Hope this make sense. 👍
@@TheDanteBoots thank you so much for your response! Very in-depth. Ive never thought tht e-ink is at it best when front light is off.
May I ask you how you managed to return it? I keep looking for the page and can’t find it. Did you email them, if so, would you mind sharing it here?
@@larissadanek6646 It was purchased through a local retailer here in Australia so it wasn't an issue. However I have read on kobo's website that they offer 30 day change of mind returns if you purchased direct, I would just open a chat with them or send an email. I think you're only required to pay return postage.
I wish ereader companies would add some document management options, along with encryption support. This would make for a great mobile document option that also makes for a great backup to paper copies. As it is now, I don't know how I would trust any of my personal files to be secure on one of these. I hope they add that support in the future. It would probably open up a whole new market for them. I know I would want one.
Awesome, this is just the comparison I was looking for. Thanks!
The paperwhite screen looks so gorgeous to my eyes that it's difficult to imagine what the carta 1300 is like to use. I do not read manga or graphic novels so it probably isn't a necessary upgrade for me (using kindle basic for portability) at this point. I admire it though.
Someone else said they upgraded from Clara 2E (carta 1200, same as PW) to Clara BW, and that the difference in clarity is substantial. Still you are probably okay not upgrading, but people do seem impressed by the 1300 screen.
Given no page turn buttons the sunken screen / raised bezel is nice. In every day handling I don't accidentally turn pages very often. Also the ridge is a nice finger guide when adjusting brightness. I'm using 8'' carta 1200 flush screen for several years and it is just fine. The carta 1300 is however noticeably nicer making a 6'' screen more enjoyable than I expected. P.S. I have a 2019 Kobo Forma w/ 8'' Carta 1200 & page buttons, and a new Kobo Clara BW.
Does Kobo have something similar to email-to-device for ebooks like Kindle does? :)
On a Kindle you can hide the Amazon store and only see your books.
1. Go to settings
2. Device Options
3. Advanced Options
4. Home & Library
5. Home Screen View, Turn Off
At 2:50 why does the "is' look substantially darker? Also might be nice to see a solid black screen on both.
Because of the angle the camera is seeing the screens.
Ok I’m sold on the Kobo Clara BW now, the text area doesn’t seem too bad with the margin adjustment. Was initially considering Kobo Libra Colour cos of the 7inch screen (more similar to reading a physical book reading) but after watching the reviews the screen darkness and reduction in sharpness kinda bother me. I thought I would go for Libra 2 but considering the portability (smaller to fit in my purse) of Kobo Clara BW, I’ve found my answer!!!
Hello sir. Since you have the units, can you please make an updated comparison with the new Kindle Paperwhite 12th Gen?
I'm conflicted between both and I think the Clara would lag behind in terms of speed.
I’m so sad Kobo didn’t release a new Libra BW (Libra 3). I would definitely love to have one.
GREAT comparison XX We can always count on this channel for the BEST advice and recommendations XX
hi please consider the lighting enviroment when doing the comparison. I saw the kobo bw personally, the psyhical one is look much better from the video.
Kobo messed up not making a 7in version.... I'm just gonna get a kindle again. Disappointed especially since I waited so long for this
I hope they make a libra bw too, hard to go back to my kindle's since their screens dont look as sharp as libra 2 or the new Clara bw
lt seems the page turns are faster so maybe that means the 6 inches is less of a disadvantage..
Many people actually prefer the smaller size.
@@Guy_on_RUclips yeah I wanna get the kobo but 6" is too small for me
It probably differs in real life, but on this video my eyes were naturally drawn to Paperwhite more because it had lighter background which made it easier to read
It's always going to be hard on camera through another device, but the kobo Clara has two less layers in front of your eyes, so it's actually clearer
btw, raised border is a perfect dust collector but I like the e-reader market is getting some kind of a refresh
…but having a ‘lighter background which makes it easier to read’ is not actually incompatible with ‘it has two fewer layers so it’s actually clearer’. The extra layers might have an effect on light diffusion, making the Kindle’s background appear lighter and thus, for OP specifically, easier to read, even if the Kobo is ‘clearer’ insofar as how distinct each letter appears on the screen. It’s possible that the whiteness being more pronounced in the Kindle affects perceived black levels-for some people, anyway-at least when it comes to text.
@@goodereader why 2? Shouldnt it be just 1 layer (glass)?
@@jweetogh4320 the outer layer of the top cover has a small film on it
Irregardless of carta 1200 vs 1300, but manga on 6" , so its definitely paperwhite5 for the win for size.
Overall I prefer Kindle hardware and their much larger selection. I own both Kindle and Kobo and use them about equally. Ads are pretty much seamless and never bother me and for the most part Kindle books are cheaper.
does anyone experience the blur on the text with the ppw5? i had one and felt like the texts are blurry, which is why i returned it and am looking at the clara bw.
Aah this is what we've been waiting for. You're awesome, thank you.
thanks, just what l was wondering about, l just bought a Clara in favour of the PW after your video from a day or so ago..
is there a difference between clara 2E and clara BW?
Carta 1200 vs Carta 1300, literally the only difference I believe
Can you remove the bar from the bottom of the kobo?
i will say, setting the home page on kindle to the "library" basically gets rid of all the recommendations on home page.
Kindle paperwhite has not been available on amazon for almost 2 months now? I lost my old kindle and was looking to buy a new one but I did not see it come on stock till yet. (I live in India btw but I checked on the global website too). Any chance Amazon is releasing a new kindle, in which case I should wait or go for something else?
I wanted kindle base version but same problem.
People on reddit suggesting that there are issues with supply chain and they won't be available for a while so go for the refurbished ones.
Good comparison. Kindle hardware is no longer the best. The reason I don't switch to Kobo is because Kindle has more books. I looked for a couple of niche books I enjoyed on Kindle Unlimited and they were not available on Kobo.
Can't you install the kindle app on kobo devices?
@@GuyLogen no, that’s boox
Other benefits of the kobo over kindle is that it uses recycled plastic and is marketed as repairable. Sure you might be able to repair or change a kindle battery or trade it in for a newer model, but they don't suggest doing so. I'm leaning towards jumping the amazon ship for something else. I find their business practices a turn off and too proprietary.
Best is a subjective term, and these wouldn't meet my ebook needs as I don't want to be locked into any one bookstore. The Kobo also doesn't seem to have an SD card slot for me to have more options available for audio or other items.
SD card slots are being deprecated from most devices nowadays because they are so slow. Also I believe the Kobo doesn't lock you to a bookstore, unlike the Kindle it supports .epub out of the box which is an open standard. Kindle you have to convert your epubs to be able to load them into the device
you can use most books formats on kobo, even supports google drive and most public libaries
@@Synthwave89 I have a number of books on Kindle store as well
I bought Meebook M7 because I don't understand English well. So I need Android OS to instal other app instead of kindle or Kobo.
Hi, thanks for the review. Do you still think Kobo will release a new Sage this year?
As they have already migrated note-taking over to the Libra color, it seems unlikely they would cannibalize that construction by making something only 1 inch bigger
However, there is speculation that gallery 3 might be implemented as that is fitting for an 8-in device
@@goodereaderThank you, I hope we get a bigger Carta 1300 screen
It seems better i guess but the screen is just too small
the material used in new Kobo is easy to be scratched and broken
Its better than kindle anyway
All you need to do with a Kindle is reading, and I think it's ok! About other stuff, purchase a decent tablet
Awesome! Hoping for an Era Color review/comparison 🤞
Please do a Kobo BW vs Clara 2e!
Why would you bother? BW is the newer model with a slightly better screen so what's the point?
Where is the review of the new Onyx FARADAY?
6.8-7 " are still there to go for.
Thanks.
Should compared with kindle basic..
What's the point? Even Clara 2E is better than Kindle basic. He's done that comparison.
Correct, also, it is not he, there is a team of 40 people here at good e-reader
As we said at the beginning of the video, we can't do 40 plus comparisons, it is not humanly possible
Thank you very much for all your support
I Just ordered the kobo BW, I had a kindle paperwhite 2022 but the text quality is so so bad, it looks far away from the screen, and it bothers me. And also the kindle size is big, not convenient.
@@katawille how's the experience?
Hand fetisch 2024 anyone? 😛
Vs meebook please
please listen to literally the very beginning of the video
@@goodereader yeah i listen you say "start with"
Page turn is faster in Kindle Paperwhite and eyecandy with animation on. Right?
Irregardless of carta 1200 vs 1300, but manga on 6" , so its definitely paperwhite5 for the win for size.