The Kobo Libra Colour, a rival to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, is available for £239.99, offering over £300 in savings while providing colour screen and handwriting capabilities. The device, which has 32GB of memory, is waterproof with an IPX8 rating and integrates with StoryGraph for book tracking.
Price and Features Comparison
The Kobo Libra Colour costs £239.99, significantly less than the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft at £569. Both have 32GB storage. The Kobo features a 7-inch colour screen, while the Kindle Scribe has an 11-inch display. The Kobo is waterproof for up to 60 minutes in 2 meters of water.
Handwriting and Stylus
The Kobo Libra Colour supports handwriting with the optional Kobo Stylus 2, priced at £69.99. Bundling the eReader with the stylus costs £279.99, saving £30. The stylus requires a single A battery. The device also works with the Kobo SleepCover Case (£34.99) and Kobo Remote (£24.99) for hands-free reading.
Integration with StoryGraph and Libby
Kobo has partnered with StoryGraph to auto-sync reading progress, unlike Kindle's Goodreads integration. The Kobo Libra Colour is also compatible with Libby, allowing access to local library catalogues for free reading, though limited to one library card per device.
Subscription Options
Kobo Plus offers eBook-only or audiobook-only subscriptions at £8.99 per month, or combined for £11.99 per month, which is cheaper than Kindle Unlimited and Audible combined. The device can hold up to 24,000 eBooks.
User Experience and Design
According to Jada Jones, Content Commercialisation Editor, the Kobo Libra Colour is lightweight, ergonomic, and allows users to mark up books with colour, notes, and doodles. The device has physical buttons for page turning and can be used as a touch screen.
