Comfortable to use, these are both great devices, at a good price. While both get the job done with power and comfortable lighting, I actually prefer the Libra 2 despite it having a smaller screen than the Sage. It just feels more familiar, having used a smaller Kindle in the past.
Very comfortable in the hand thanks to the ergonomic raised edge on the right-hand side
Battery life is excellent
Basic built-in speakers would be good. Not top-of-the-line, just something that’s there if you can’t be bothered leaving the room/bed to grab your speaker/headphones
Takes a while to power up after pressing the on button. Not too long, but it is noticeable if you’re, say, on the train and want to escape into the written word quickly
Having used both the new Sage and next-gen Libra 2 e-readers from Kobo for a couple of months now, including some heavy sessions during lockdown, I’m going to have trouble going back to my Kindle, even though I’m still halfway through a book on it…
Admittedly my basic entry model Kindle is getting on in years, but these two slick new releases have a much nicer feel to them – both in the hand, and on an operational level.
The addition of Bluetooth, allowing you to play audio books wirelessly, is cool icing on an already impressive cake. Pairing it to my Marshall earbuds and listening while cooking was as easy as pie, literally.
The rounded-up ergonomic right-edge on both devices feels instantly engaging, making them comfortable to hold, welcoming your thumb at any point along it, while either sitting or lying down.
The Libra 2 is a little heavier than you’d expect for its size, but at 215g it’s not anything to worry about. It actually gives the device a more book-like balance, especially measuring in at 144.6mm x 161.6mm x 9mm, which isn’t much different to an average paperback. All up, it feels sturdy and safe.
Also making for better UI are the buttons for page turning on the right-side of both units. Sure, part of the appeal of e-books is swiping or tapping the touchscreen to advance or go back, but it’s surprisingly easier to have old-school buttons to engage with, using one hand.
Besides, I often find the constant swiping of a phone or e-book during a morning and afternoon commute, coupled with the same for hours at night, leaves my thumb feeling dodgy, but these buttons alleviate that. Or maybe I just need to calm down on the devices.
I admit I didn’t test the waterproof capabilities, but both units boast IPX rating capable of 60 minutes in 2m, so you should be right reading in the bath or by the pool, even if you’re clumsy. Besides, I applaud anyone that decides to start Crime And Punishment at the bottom of the shallow end of their local swim spot.
The 7″ HD E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen is another highpoint, with ComfortLight PRO with temperature and brightness control. It’s glare-free and easily adjustable, with excellent contrast. There’s also blue light reduction to limit eyestrain and not be detrimental to your sleep.
The display is fast for quick page turns, and there’s “dark mode” so you can have a black background with white text if that works better for your eyes. This is also good if you read late into the night and there’s someone else in bed that wants to sleep.
The battery life in both units is very impressive, offering weeks at a time – to the point that I was confused the first time the Libra 2 didn’t turn on as I had been using it for so long without having to juice up.
There’s also 2GB of storage, which should hold up to 24,000 books. I hope to test that one day, but I’m still some way off yet.
You can grab the Libra 2 for $279 at JB Hi-Fi, where you can also nab its higher-end brother the Kobo Sage for $439.
The Sage is similarly impressive, with the same features, but it boosts the touchscreen to 8″ and combines Dropbox support so you can add your own e-books and documents.
Both units have smartly designed and great-looking SleepCovers available to help protect them. These do as their name suggests and power the units on and off when you open and close them.
There’s also a PowerCover for the Sage which provides on-the-go recharging, should you need it.
The SmartCovers also have a great feature that sees the front engage end-to-end magnetically when folded behind, creating a stand that would be ideal for long plane flights or the like, when such things are viable again. For the meantime, it’s great if you’re reading during a casual breakfast.
The Sage serves up Kobo Stylus2 compatibility, so you can capture your ideas regarding your reading on the go, then save them to other devices with Dropbox support.
The notebook feature will keep your notes then convert them to clean text, then even keep stuff on hand with Cloud storage.
If you don’t want to get locked into Kindle’s Amazon ecosystem, these new Kobo devices really are worth checking out, especially as the Kobo store for product is surging.
Plus, if any physical library you sign up to offers e-books via Overdrive, you can grab loans or place holds straight from your Kobo, so that’s a great source of free literature on tap.
You can also plug a Kobo into a PC or use Dropbox to transfer over e-books in any format, so books you buy through Booktopia, Google or other places work a treat next to Kobo’s own ePubs. Unfortunately, GoodReads isn’t friendly here.
Kobo are also now taking on Amazon in the subscription stakes, with the $14-per-month Kobo Plus plan, giving access to hundreds of thousands of books. There aren’t as many big names as Kindle Unlimited, but you can weigh that up yourself. I’m comfortable not having four million James Patterson titles…
Again, Amazon offer more titles in the audiobook field with Audible, but Kobo Audiobooks is just $13 a month and gives you a free audiobook per month. Also, Australian Kindles can’t play audiobooks at this stage.
To sum up, I admit to originally being a snob when it comes to e-reading. I was your classic, “You just can’t beat the feeling of going to a bookshop then sitting down with a new novel,” ranter. Then I was bought a Kindle as a present and I saw the benefits. The obvious ease of downloading a book cheaper and faster than going to a store, or taking a few reads away on holidays without weighing down your hand luggage, had me sold.
Worrying I might be impacting on writers financially, I spoke to an author. But rather than putting his ilk out of business, he explained he still pulls in a decent living through e-books, reaching a new audience as well.
So now, having been sold on the concept, I’m going for comfort, and at this stage the new Kobos have me on side. I just have to get back to my Kindle to see if that guy in the book I’m halfway through is going to dodge the cops and get the girl.
Comfortable to use, these are both great devices, at a good price. While both get the job done with power and comfortable lighting, I actually prefer the Libra 2 despite it having a smaller screen than the Sage. It just feels more familiar, having used a smaller Kindle in the past.
Very comfortable in the hand thanks to the ergonomic raised edge on the right-hand side
Battery life is excellent
Basic built-in speakers would be good. Not top-of-the-line, just something that’s there if you can’t be bothered leaving the room/bed to grab your speaker/headphones
Takes a while to power up after pressing the on button. Not too long, but it is noticeable if you’re, say, on the train and want to escape into the written word quickly