Kobo Libra Colour | eReader | 7” Glare-Free Colour E Ink Kaleido™ 3 Display | Dark Mode Option | Audiobooks | Waterproof | White

Decided to get this after looking up many reviews on YouTube and various review sites. I previously used to have a regular non backlit kindle (probably a 2nd gen). Got this at a slightly lower than MRP price (~18.6k after bank discounts) but worked out as much as it would if you were buying it from abroad (USD $220 MRP). Here is my unstructured review.Colour display - something new, and comics look nice, although not very easy to read on the smaller screen unless you zoom. The colors are not what you'd expect from an led display like a phone, so keep your expectations in check, the tech for that isn't there yet. However, this was not a big deal for me.Physical buttons - now this was important to me. I like touch screen displays generally, but it just isn't as nice when reading a book. The two buttons make turning pages very simple for the hand. The thumb just rests in a button, and press for the page turn. You can still use touch/swipe on screen, but I don't find myself using that as much.Software setup and UI - Very simple to get it started, and some level of customization for the library, although would have liked to have more freedom with organizing/hiding/folders etc. Epubs work without any conversion. I was able to link my google drive account and transfer books via my phone this way. The settings aren't too complicated to find your way around.Other good things about this that I won't get into - good form factor, waterproof, charges quickly, decent battery life (~20h with backlight 40% and reading book, not tested for comic), power button placement, USB C connectivity. Nice to have, but I've not used these fratures - repairable, can use a stylus (some 3rd party ones too), audio books. Also picked up the official cover, fits well, easy to hold, feels good to touch (faux leather).Only thing I wished for is that this was available at a lower price. But I couldn't wait for a price drop, as I had a huge backlog, and I was wasting precious time in travel not really doing anything productive. The cover wasn't cheap either, but no other 3rd party options available as yet, and I can't let an expensive device like this get scratches in my bag.

Excellent ereader which works seamlessly with Kobo online store in India. Really enjoy reading on this. Two books down and I still have 65% battery left. Enjoying more than Amazon kindle.

Excellent device! Bought it with the stylus and the kobo original case. My first two e-book readers were both kindles and I can safely say this is the best e-book reader I’ve ever used! If you’re looking to replace a kindle with the kobo, make sure you go for the Kobo Libra Colour and not the Clara.. the Kobo Libra Colour is the real challenger to the kindle ecosystem!

Absolutely wonderful. It has everything you need and more. I love it. Just make sure to safe guard it, screen guard or case for it.

I had to buy this product a total of 3 times. First time, it had some scratches on the top bezels and I doubted it for a refurbished one, so I returned it hoping to get a fresh one next time. The second piece I received was full of scratches on all sides(except the screen and back, screen comes with a peel off-protective film). It was very frustrating and I had to place the order again. The third one ALSO had scratches, but relatively very less noticable ones, so I decided to finally settle for it. All pieces I received were sealed and apart from these scratches (which now I think is probably due to some rough handling during manufacturing) there were no signs of use. So please check your device in broad sunlight to see if it has any unacceptable level of scratches on any side. I am not sure it is an issue exclusive to the white colour, but I only wanted the white anyways.Now, the reason why I dared to order over and over again is because I fell in love with reading on this device. It is way more fun than kindle, especially if you're into comics, manga etc.Pros-- Great aspect ratio- Buttons become a necessity once you get adapted to how easy it is than swiping.- Has got dark mode for night- Much faster and responsive than kindle- Since it runs opensource (linux), you can install alternate firmwares like koreader, plato etc to get more custom options. If you're a comic reader (.cbz), install koreader for a terrific experience - sometimes better than reading the actual book because you can view in larger panels and can zoom in and out of individual panels(cropped).-Better battery life - I read a lot of comics (both colour and bw) and since it takes more refreshes, I got some 28 hrs reading time with more than a week standby on single charge. colour comics and higher brighteness drains battery more - I usually don't read beyond 2-5% brightness.- relatively quick charging - might take around 2 - 2.5 hrs (haven't checked yet)- Very light weightCons- Very Low brightness without backlight. This is not an issue with the device but rather the underlying colour technology which is still in it's nascent stages, and further, better display options are not available in India currently and are not cost-effective in comparison. However, you'll easily get accustomed to it...I only use backlight (2-5%) when the lights are off or if it's too shady indoors.- Very limited options for accessories and too damn expensive even for a case! forget about the existence of screen protectors.- kobo store is not as big as kindle ones, and you may not find a lot of Indian authors. This doesn't affect me as I have a kindle if need be, and I sideload most of my books anyways. The subscription cost is the same and you get access to a lot of free books too.- I have bought and returned the stylus (sold seperately) twice because it was causing scratches (I tried with the protective film on). I checked reddit and saw multiple people complaining about the same. So if you plan to buy it, DO NOT use it on the bare screen first. Both the nib and top can cause scratch, so test it out thoroughly. I have also heard that metapen is also compatible with this device, and is a couple of thousands less.- FREEZING ISSUES: If you use the epub files downloaded from the internet that were working fine with you kindle or other devices, it MIGHT cause frequent freezing and auto restart in Kobo. In case you're experiencing this, the best fix is to convert it into kepub files using calibre or other softwares. You can search about these in the web. Once I've done it I haven't experienced any issues so far.

Stopped working altogether. Doesnt turn on at all. I tried the restart steps I got from the internet. Nothing works. Doesnt seem like the spare parts are available in India :( Waste of money

This is a great device.especially with kindle being unavailable in India for almost a year now, this is abhorrent good alternative.

I like the device. If one wants to have some simple annotations and highlights, it is a great device. But I wanted something to write longer. The Kobo Stylus, I bought separately, did the job but it doesn't reject the palm touching the device. That was very frustrating as it seemed difficult to write for long time keeping gap between your palm and the device. I thought about having a glove. That could have done the job.Secondly, I see dots on the screen. I was bit distracted. Coming from a black and white e-ink to the color one made the difference. I returned the device.