The Kobo Libra Colour eReader offers a compelling alternative to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, with stylus support for handwritten notes and colour annotations, at a price of £279.99 — more than £300 cheaper than the Kindle's £569 price tag. The device, which launched ahead of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, has gained a devoted following among readers who prefer to mark up their books.
Key Features and Pricing
The Kobo Libra Colour features a 7-inch screen, making it more compact than the Kindle Scribe's 11-inch display. It includes physical buttons for page turning, can be used as a touchscreen, and is compatible with the Kobo Stylus 2 (sold separately for £69.99). When purchased together, the eReader and stylus cost £279.99, saving £30 on the stylus. The device comes with 32GB of storage, matching the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
Accessories include the Kobo SleepCover Case (£34.99), which doubles as a stand, and the Kobo Remote (£24.99), a Bluetooth page turner that allows hands-free reading. A bundle of the eReader with stylus, SleepCover, and Remote totals £339.97 — still £229.03 less than the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
Waterproof and Library Integration
The Kobo Libra Colour is fully waterproof with an IPX8 rating, meaning it can be submerged in up to 2 metres of water for 60 minutes. This makes it suitable for reading in the bath or by the pool.
Kobo has partnered with StoryGraph to automatically sync current reads and mark them as 'read' once completed, including reading progress percentages — a feature not fully supported by Kindle's Goodreads integration. The device is also compatible with Libby, allowing users to borrow ebooks from local libraries for free, though limited to one library card per device and subject to waiting times.
Subscription Service
Kobo offers its own subscription service, Kobo Plus, at £8.99 per month for ebooks or audiobooks alone, or £11.99 for both. This is cheaper than separate Kindle Unlimited and Audible subscriptions.
According to Jada Jones, Content Commercialisation Editor at the Mirror, the Kobo Libra Colour has cultivated a devoted following and is the e-reader of choice for several of her teammates. She noted that the page turner remote proved to be a 'genuine game-changer' for reading on the go or in bed.
