Kobo Libra Color Review: Halftone Color eReader

The Kobo Libra Color takes the lines of its predecessor, the Libra 2, with a few subtle adjustments. Above all, she sheds a good amount of weight as she weighs only 199.5 grams, or about fifteen grams off the scale.

Its compact 7-inch format and textured plastic case also make it very easy to handle with one hand, while the asymmetrical edges allow for comfortable reading in portrait or landscape mode. Hence it is entirely possible to read for long hours without feeling wrist fatigue.

The physical page turn buttons, located on the side of the device, are still there. They can be used by left-handed or right-handed alike as the gyroscope integrated in the handle is responsible for automatically orienting the text in the correct direction. A touchscreen completes the controls, providing fairly fluid and intuitive navigation through the interface.

A key advantage of this e-reader is the IPX8 certification that allows it to withstand submersion in water at a depth of 2 meters for 60 minutes. This feature will reassure those who like to read by the pool or in their bathtub.

In terms of autonomy, the Libra color does not disappoint. Like previous models in the range, it’s capable of running for several weeks on a single charge – Kobo claims 40 days of autonomy. Obviously, this tolerance can vary significantly depending on the screen’s normal brightness. However, even using the backlighting a bit more, it will be able to withstand at least two weeks of use without needing a recharge.

The big new feature of the Kobo Libra Color is of course the color display integration. We can also warn you right away: don’t expect colorimetric rendering that’s too close to tablet or smartphone screens. Its 7-inch screen displays a resolution of 1264 x 1680 pixels in black and white (16 levels of gray), or a resolution of about 300 pixels per inch (ppi). However, this resolution drops to 150 pixels per inch (632 x 840 pixels) when the screen displays color (4096 shades available).

Measurements in our laboratory are surprisingly poor, at least for colored materials. In black and white, the Libra color is in line with the brand’s previous models with great contrast. So it excels at its primary task: reading eBooks. The text is then clear and well-contrasted, offering a comfortable reading compared to paper. The ability to customize text size, font and spacing allows everyone to tailor the display to their preferences.

On the other hand, as color is included, the contrast measurement reveals a stark score of 13:1, compared to an average of 1200 for the best smartphone LCD screens. That said, it’s worth noting that the W3C (Organization for the Promotion of Web Technologies Compatibility) recommends contrasts between 3:1 and 4.5:1 for text size. Concretely, this means that black-and-white text is perfectly readable on this ink.

It’s no better in terms of color contrast with the devastating Delta E at 18.7! Only the color temperature stands out with a score of 6128 K. Note that color temperature is related to overall color balance, while Delta E evaluates the accuracy of each color reproduction individually. A good screen should ideally have a temperature around 6500 K and an average delta E of less than 3 for faithful color rendering.

In use, it’s certainly not as popular, but not as dramatic as these measurements suggest. Above all, it’s the lack of contrast that will become noticeable for color content, washed out after exposure. However, as imperfect as it is, this enhancement is still an improvement over black-and-white-only e-readers.

Kobo also offers a number of options to personalize the reading experience, including the ComfortLight PRO lighting system that automatically adjusts brightness and color temperature based on the time of day. You can also do it manually and it promises to reduce eye fatigue during nighttime reading… while further destroying color rendering.

Let’s end this screen review by assessing the sharpness of the display. If 300 ppi guarantees clear and pleasant reading, it’s a different story at 150 ppi, especially since the content tends to be colorful. Hilarious Or comics, or formats that only really thrive on big screens. So the combination of these two factors leads us to say that the gradual arrival of color on e-readers is not yet a stop-gap argument. However, this function may be of interest in some cases, for example for illustrations in certain eBooks, book covers or dashboards, but for a reader of classic novels or manga, the contribution is relatively minor.

Formats

The Kobo Store offers an extensive catalog of e-books, accessible directly from the e-reader via Wi-Fi connection. Libra Color is compatible with many file formats, including EPUB, PDF, MOBI and CBZ for comics. Only the proprietary AZW format is missing. This is not surprising as it is unique to Amazon Kindles.

The e-reader also supports audiobooks via Bluetooth connection. This functionality increases usability, even if dedicated catalogs on the Kobo platform remain limited for the time being. Also, it’s still sad that the brand doesn’t allow users to load their audiobooks in MP3 format. This is all the more surprising because, as we saw a little above, the manufacturer is very open in terms of formats for classic books.

tools

The Kobo eReader interface hasn’t changed in a few years now, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it’s perfectly functional. The Canadian manufacturer isn’t the most verbose when it comes to extra features (hello value), but it does offer some nice little extras.

From the More tab, you can sync your Pocket, Google Drive and/or Dropbox accounts. The first mention allows you to save articles locally on the Internet, then read them silently locally in a reading mode that mimics the layout of an e-reader. As for cloud accounts, they offer the possibility of retrieving content without plugging the Kobo Libra Color into a computer. If you use one of the three services mentioned above, it’s easy, because you can renew your library from anywhere as long as you’re connected to the Internet. Still, it will surely disappoint users of OneDrive, pCloud, Proton Drive, etc.

Demonetisation is more anecdotal. The eReader is compatible with the Kobo stylus (optional), but functionality is reduced to its simplest expression. It is also so limited that it gives the impression of being integrated “to make the numbers”. However, stylus support allows you to annotate pages while reading. A very interesting and relevant prospect.

Kobo offers reading stats as well as small rewards in the form of badges to unlock based on number of hours read, minutes per session, pages per minute, etc. Fans of the genre will appreciate it.

Finally, there’s also a Beta Features sub-menu that basically contains a web browser. Yes, it’s as slow as it is limited, but it still helped us sometimes.