Customer Ratings & Reviews

Long time reader, forst time with an eReader. I hate amazon so i didnt want a kindle, and this was a great alternative! Good battery life, nice and simple interface. It travels with me for work all through alaska and is holding up great

I love the size and weight of the Kobo Clara Color and it provides an excellent reading experience. Design The design is simple, but good! It's very light weight - much lighter and comfortable to hold than a phone. The bezel is a good size to easily hold without having your finger on or over the screen. There's a power button on the back, in the upper right corner, when you're reading. The screen is a touch screen. I like the controls and have found them both helpful and easy to learn. The back has dimples over about 75% of it, giving some texture for a better grip. It's water proof, which I was glad for when walking outside with it in my hand. My first thought was that I need to cover it so that it doesn't get wet, then I remember it's waterproof! It would be great for all sorts of outdoor use. There's one USB C port as well as WiFi (for syncing books, updates, etc) and Bluetooth connectivity (for listening to audio books). It does not have a 1/8" headphone jack. I don't think there's an internal speaker and searching make it look like audio books are only supported from the Kobo store. A USB A to USB C cable is included, but no wall plug. It's also advertised on the box as repairable. I didn't look into that but love the idea. It has 16 GB of storage which will hold a ton of eBooks! See the attached picture showing the size on an 8" x 11" sheet of paper. Display The display works great for reading, as it should! I've found that I like having the backlight on pretty much any time it's inside. Outdoors the screen looks very good without the backlight. The backlight works very well and lights the screen evenly. I changed the background to an off-white. I also recommend playing with the font settings. I liked the default but ended up preferring it with a slightly larger font size, serif instead of sans-serif, and smaller margins that I think still look great but allow a bit more text on the screen at a time. I like the wide (compared to a phone) size of the display. I almost forgot, it's a color screen. It's interesting, it's probably normal for an E-ink display, but the screen resolution is different for color and for black and white. It's 300 pixels per inch in black and white and 150 pixels per inch in color. Both look very good on the device to me. Almost none of my books have pictures but I like the color for 2 reasons...1. it does bring the book covers to life. And 2. you can choose different colors when highlighting. That works very well and I think is a helpful feature and reason to have the color. Controls and Features The slightly concave button, on the back upper right as you hold it, is very easy to reach, feel, and press. Pressing it will suspend the Clara Color, which will turn off the backlight and show the cover of the last book you were reading. Press it again to go back to where you were on the device - whether that's the "Home" screen or the page you were last reading. The touch screen also provides many helpful controls. You can slide your finger up or down the left side of the screen when in a book to change the brightness of the backlight, up or down respectively. If you tap the right or left side of the page it will turn to the next or previous page in the book. If you tap the top right corner of the page it will fold the corner over to mark it, so you can find easily later. Tap it again to undo the folded corner. If you tap in the middle of a page you will get. There's a reading progress bar at the very bottom of the screen all the time. Tap the middle of the screen and you get a slider to move around in the book, an arrow at the top left that takes you back to "My Books", a brightness control (I prefer the left side mentioned before) font and spacing settings, book progress stats, a settings page and an overflow menu that includes a dictionary. Tapping the middle also gives you chapter selection at the bottom left, Annotations (highlights and boookmarks) at the bottom right, and a search that works for the dictionary, book you're reading, and more. If you tap and hold on a word it will select the word and show a definition at the bottom of the screen. You can also swipe down from the top while reading to see a list of the last three opened books which you can switch too. Transferring eBooks It connects to the Kobo Store or OverDrive/Libby (service to borrow ebooks through your local library). Some Kobo Readers will connect to Google Drive to add content like, ePub and PDF files, but the Clara Color does not. The Kobo Store seems to have a great selection of books to buy. I looked for a number of random books and almost all of them were there. If you get a Kobo Plus subscription you can listen to or read all you want for $7.99 a month. I have a lot of books that I want to read in either ePub or PDF format. I was able to copy them to the Clara Color from my PC using a free program called Calibre and the included USB A to USB C cable. I was surprised that even PDF books I imported worked very nicely, even showing the book cover. You can also link the Clara Color to Instapaper. That's a service that lets you capture and save content from web pages that you would like to read later. It will sync to your Clara Color and you can read it at your leisure. I did test the Overdrive connection too and that works well, but it didn't work with their audio books. I have 23 books on it right now and it has 12.3 GB out of 16 GB total. Almost all of what's used is probably the operating system because the books I have on it only take about 60 MB. Battery Life The battery life is excellent as far as I can tell. After 5 days of using it, mostly with the backlight on, it's at 62%. I think that's excellent especially since that included just playing around and figuring it out. As I mentioned above, if you're using it outside during the day, you may not need the backlight at all, so that would increase battery life dramatically. It's also very easy to turn the WiFi and Bluetooth off. I generally have them both off. Summary The Kobo Clara Color provides great controls, a nice screen, and a much more book like experience, than my phone does, without distractions, and gives me access to far more books than I could take with me if I was using physical books. The light weight and easy to hold design makes it comfortable to use but it's still small enough to store almost anywhere. The Clara Color

So my I have been wanting to get back into reading and this kobo Clara colour was a great way to nudge me to start back up again. Setup was super simple... Charged it for a few hours and powered it up. Connected to WiFi. It went through an update. That took about 10 mins to do. After that I created an account scanned the QR code and followed the step by step guide. Browsed around the selection that they had and downloaded a book. I like spy novels so that was my go to genre. Also you can use your library card to get free title too. Anyway back to the usage. Size is pretty good. Fits in my hand decently. Eye fatigue isn't bad. I can bump up text size with punch and zoom. Swiping between pages is nice and easy. Screen feel has texture so it is less likely to have finger prints and smudges. So pretty good. Night time ready is nice. Backlight is good. Not too bright. Battery life is pretty good. Been reading for a few hours and it didn't make a dent in the percent. I am really happy with this ereader.

The Clara is a great eReader that is easy to use, compact, and has some great features. The color e-ink screen is a nice addition to anyone that has been using a black and white eReader in the past. Opening the door to comics and graphic novels. The software experience from Kobo has been great as well. Offering the ability to easily check out books from a library, purchase from their store, or use their Kobo plus program. It seems like many of the books I was interested in were available in Kobo plus as well. -- Setup & Software Getting started with the Kobo was very easy. Creating my account, and even signing into the Overdrive app, so I could check out books from my local library was all easy and a great experience overall. I did run into a couple of hiccups while trying to use the store one day, as it seems there was some sort of issue. But otherwise, my experience has been great. It surprising how easy it is to check out books from the library as well. Which isn't something that is so easily done with other eReaders. They have great features too, like syncing your progress, so you can continue reading on your phone or elsewhere. The ability to look up words while you're reading, which is very helpful. The Clare boots quickly, and I haven't had any issues with performance while I am reading. Pages turn very quickly. And the screen updates just as fast as any other eReader I have used. -- Hardware The Clara is a pretty minimalist design. Which is not to say that it is unattractive. It looks great and has just a single physical button on the back to turn on/off. It has a good amount of a bezel too, which is just right for holding while reading. Battery life, as you might expect from an eReader, is exceptional. The touchscreen works well too. Of course, it's not the same as using your phone or tablet, but it is responsive and accurate. I haven't had any missed touches, or incorrect presses. The color screen itself is nice as well. It looks especially nice as you're using it in natural lighting. While not as contrast, or bright as a phone or tablet, it is great for reading. And the backlight works well too, when needed. I also appreciate the auto-night mode on it too that shifts the backlight from a typical blue color to a red. Making it easier on your eyes at night. The Clara Colour is a reasonably priced eReader with a color screen and excellent features. Very easy to recommend if you're looking for a nicely designed, minimal eReader with a color screen. Pros: Nice screen, great battery life, easy to use, good store, and the great option to easily check out books from your local library Cons: Some books may be restricted to other stores that may not be available on the Kobo. However, the option to check those books out from your local library is still an option.

Great Color Display, Simple a Better eReader tldr; simple a better and the best eReader, color is good but manage your expectations, and integrations with overdrive make accessing your library super easy. Definitely worth buying. I haven't upgraded my old eReader in forever (see the photo). It worked and I mostly used it for library books. Then this year, support ended and I really needed to get something new. I've known of Kobo for a while and have used the Kobo store on my phone because they have competitive pricing. So was kind of keen to try a different eReader and the Kobo Clara Color is a smart upgrade from my previous device. Plus, if you didn't know, Kobo eReaders have built in Overdrive support, so you connect directly to your public library - giving you easy fast subscription free access to almost an infinite amount of books. Win-Win What's in the box. Kobo Clara Color, a USB A to USB C cable, and some instructions. The power button is on the rear which is a weird design choice and kind of makes it look like it has a camera (it does not) but otherwise, setup was easy, you connect to your WiFI, download software updates, then there's a QR code you scan and do the rest of the setup on your phone. Setup is kind of like how Smart TV setup is done, super easy. I was able to get setup and reading from my most recent purchase in under a minute. In terms of use and color, I'll do color first because that's what most people will care about. The color is nice. It's not vibrant like a phone or iPad, it's more like news print. I think it's fine for book covers and maybe if you're into graphic novels or comics. The color makes the user interface easier and finding that book in your library a LOT easier. What's more useful though is the backlight, you can customize the brightness and warmth which I recommend you do as I found the defaults a little too bright for my liking and it felt too blue until I adjusted it. I would also take the time to adjust the fonts. I was able to get the 'perfect' setting for my eyes. Kobo should make tuning the brightness, warmth and font part of the first time setup. Touchscreen is responsive and entire user experience is very good and intuitive. One of the things I didn't know about Kobo is that it integrated direct with Instapaper. This requires an Instapaper account, which I haven't used for years - but you can just clip articles direct to your Clara. I'm now thinking of vibe coding something that could send the main news stories from my favorite websites straight to my Kobo Clara each morning to help me cut back on screen time. Overall, love the Kobo Clara, if you're coming from another eReader or upgrading the Kobo is better, faster, easier to use, and the color is a nice plus. Get it, you will be happy.

I will always be a lover of physical books but for the last couple of years I have been embracing reading e-Books on my iPad Pro and just never felt the need to invest in a dedicated e-book reader. So when the opportunity to try the Kobo Clara Color out I was intrigued to see if it would make my experience using e-books better. The first thing I noticed that this device was significantly smaller than I imagined. This can be either a positive for someone wanting a small and easy to travel with device or a negative for someone wanting something smaller than a full sized tablet but big enough to not feel like you may have to read in small print or enlarge it so much that it feels like you barely get many words per page when reading. The small size wasn’t a deal breaker for me but I would definitely prefer something a little bit bigger if the option was given. The device was pretty simple to setup and even though you do have to sign up for a Kobo account you don’t have to get their subscription in order to use it. You can quickly and easily use Overdrive to access your local library to checkout and download digital options. The only real issue I have encounter is the somewhat glitchy interface which I can’t quite pinpoint if it’s a normal issue or a problem with my device. I have tried some troubleshooting and have yet to resolve the issue. Otherwise I haven’t experienced any other real problems. The color screen looks good for the type of screen it is (don’t expect the same type of display as a tablet may provide of course). The brightness is good and not harsh on the eyes. Over all I’m happy with the experience while reading but again I would prefer a larger screen. Has this convinced me that a dedicated e-book reader is a necessity? No. The glitchy experience definitely makes me wary but I don’t know if the experience is a defect or if it something that wouldn’t happen if you only use Kobo subscription to get content.

I did my research on what would be a great e-reader for the money. I was willing to spend a little more and it really just came down to this one. Super comfortable screen to read and great color content on the screen. Batter life lasts a long time and the device itself is light and compact which is great for travel.

I was reading on a tablet, but couldn't use it outside in the sun. This is the main reason I bought an eReader. It is lightweight, and using it with the Libby App is easy, even though it takes an extra step. To download a book, you will need to check out a book through the Libby App, then sync it on the Kobo. When finished, return the book through Libby and sync to remove from Kobo.

Product works exactly as advertised and is easy and convenient to carry around!

Great experience, color is cool but the direct integration to Overdrive and Libby is awesome. Feels good to be off the Kindle ecosystem.

Bought this as a gift for a teenager. They love the portability, battery life, screen, and the ease of connecting to the library and other sources for books.

The Kobo - Clara Colour | eReader | 6" E Ink Kaleido 3 Color Display unit provides a hand-held tablet book reading experience that is lightweight, pocket/purse portable, and gives clear viewing for all reader types. Clear color, customizable font and sizes, backlit for dark reading environments, the Clara Colour Kobo could be the right eReader for you! I found the eReader to be easy to setup, user interface is responsive and precise, and the size and weight to be about right for my needs. I did find that I needed to increase the font size from standard to be comfortable for reading on this 6" screen size however. The backlighting was good and goes from zero to bright as needed. The battery life is long and I have only had to charge it the initial time out of the box and even after nearly 300 pages, it is at 85% battery life remaining. I did find the smooth plastic back to be a bit frustrating as it has not resistance and slides off pants legs, couch arms, etc. with little effort. I would have liked it more if it has more tactile texturing and resistance to sliding. The power button is ok and is found on the back. Be careful not to such the screen of while holding it. The overall size is a bit big for some people's hands I believe. I prefer to hold it like a phone with thumb and fingers on either side rather than pinch it at the bottom (might be a little heavy for that approach). It is a bit wide for my preference in this case. The Kobo library is big, but not nearly as big as the A competitor or even the BN competitor. Still, there are nearly limitless books to read in their online inventory. The Audiobooks are where I felt this library lacked. The Bluetooth and audio playback are good and what would be expected. PROS - Alternative to the big 2 in the market and holds its own in content - Color touch screen is good and easy to use - Set up is easy and can be done with a QR code or on the eReader itself - Size and weight are about right for those not wanting a notebook sized tablet reader - Offers ebooks, audiobooks, and other files accessable on this unit - Bluetooth is good and compatable with nearly all devices CONS - Plastic-y! The back is, while "textured," slippery and slick. Both on surfaces and in the hand. - Content Library is not as robust as the 2 big competitor, especially in the audiobook category.

When I got this, I was suprised on how well it worked as an eReader. The box is super minimal, which I adore. It comes with a charger cable and that is it. There is a screen cover, on it and I initially thought it was print on the cover. It was actually the eReader itself. This is pretty much an eink eReader and that is it. No real bells and whistles other than bluetooth capable to use for audiobooks. However for this, and for now, you can only listen to audio books through the Kobo system. You cannot upload any of your own books or audio books via cloud services. However, you can link to Libby if you have a library card. See your library for that setup. Now to the device itself. It boasts weeks of battery life for an e-ink color device and I think this is awesome. No you are not going to get deep colors because this is not a laptop or phone. It is e-ink. The display is super easy on the eyes out of the box and you can of course adjust it to your liking. It has auto dim feature for night reading to lessen the blue light when reading in bed, which is a good thing. Next the weight of this is next to nothing. You will not get any type of fatigue in holding this. It's like holding a piece of cardboard. I mean your coffee is heavier than this. Also this is a water resistant device that can handle splashes and that means you can bring it to your bathtub and soak and read your fav book or comic or whatever heart desires here. I have to say when I first turned it on and did the initial charge, which did not take long to charge at all, the setup to my wifi was quick but it took a bit to get instapaper to work. But adding my local library to Libby was super simple. Would I recommend this? Yes, it is way better than a lot of the readers on the market today. The Kobo system is pretty robust but the star of the show is the display, which is top notch and easy on my old eyes.

Better than the Bezos model, easier on the eyes and has superior add-on capabilities.

Finding a reliable e-Reader that isn't a pain on your retinas and a weight in your hands or pockets used to be a problem. The Kobo Clara Colour is the perfect fit you've been looking for. With a seemingly endless battery life and storage capacity, easy navigation and functionality, and some neat little features only available to an e-Reader, Rakuten's latest device, simply put, keeps you reading. With a thin, light casing and a small bezel surrounding its bright screen, the Kobo Clara Colour is the perfect size for your reads on-the-go or curled up on a couch. It has a minimal design with a textured backplate that helps your grip, with only a single power button on the back that is pretty far away from any accidental button pushes. That button does come in handy to put the device to sleep, which allows the screen to dim and deactivate for storage in a pocket, commuting to work, or putting it aside for the night. I even like how the cover of the current book being read is on the screen while it is asleep. A nice touch. Functionality is flawless on the Kobo Clara Colour. Everything is performed on the touch display, from discovering Wi-Fi networks to browsing the Kobo Store for your next great read to customizing your settings. The screen is bright but not too bright, easy to read under the outdoor sun or under a blanket in the dark. It is easy on the eyes for reading text and viewing pictures on graphic novels, manga books, or other picture-based materials. Swiping to flip through pages becomes second-nature as well as navigating through the digital stores or your library of books saved on the device. The device is advertised as having weeks-long battery life and the capacity to store over 12,000 e-books and 75 audiobooks. This Kobo does its best to try to become the last e-Reader you'll ever need. One of my favorite features on the Kobo Clara Colour is its access to OverDrive, which allows you to log into your local library account to hold or check out available digital books for a set amount of time. Being able to access borrowed content directly onto the device is a true game changer for readers and an amazing feature on an already amazing device. This e-Reader checks all the boxes for both avid and casual readers alike. Content-rich, easy to navigate, and not being a strain on the eyeballs makes the Kobo Clara Colour a no-brainer for anyone with a love of reading.

The color image quality is very grainy, almost like looking through a screen door and the black and white text is not crisp.

I've really been enjoying the color Kobo e-reader. The color screen adds just enough pop to make book covers, magazines, and graphic novels more fun without taking away from the comfortable e-ink reading experience. The display is easy on my eyes, even during longer reading sessions. I especially like that I can read outside or in bright indoor light without dealing with glare. The device is lightweight and much more comfortable to hold than my tablet. It's small enough to fit in a jacket pocket and it's easy to throw in my bag.The battery lasts a long time between charges. The Kobo store is simple to navigate, and downloading books is quick and easy. I also appreciate the customizable font and brightness settings so I can adjust everything to make reading easier on my eyes. If you're already a fan of e-readers but want a little color without giving up the convenience of e-ink, this is a great option. It's been a nice change from reading on my tablet and has made reading even more enjoyable.

The Kobo Clara Colour has been a great eReader overall and a really nice alternative to a comparable Kindle. The color screen is especially useful for book covers, comics, highlights, and menus, while still being comfortable to read on for long periods. The display is clear, easy on the eyes, and works well in different lighting conditions. One of the biggest advantages over Kindle is the built-in OverDrive integration. Connecting my library account and borrowing books through Libby was quick and easy, without needing to constantly send books from another device. Kobo Plus is also simple to use and reasonably priced ($8/mo), although its selection is noticeably smaller than Kindle Unlimited. Battery life has been excellent, and I rarely have to think about charging it. I also really like the etched texture on the back. It gives the reader a more premium feel, adds some grip, and makes it noticeably more comfortable and secure to hold than a completely smooth device. Build quality seems just a tad nicer than other eReaders, though most have the same overall feel. So sturdy, harder plastic shells. Overall, the Kobo Clara Colour is a compact, comfortable, and user-friendly e-reader. Kindle may still have the advantage in subscription-book selection, but Kobo’s easy library integration, great screen, strong battery life, and comfortable design make it an excellent choice.

An e-Reader is the perfect companion for on-the-go reading, information, and entertainment. But finding the right one that doesn't feel like a strain on your eyes and a weight in your hands or pockets is the real task. Rakuten's Kobo Clara Colour is the solution that gets it right. This e-Reader is the perfect size, with just the right amount of bezel around an easy-on-the-eyes screen. Very minimal in design with only the device name on the front bottom and branding on the back, the Kobo Clara Colour has a textured backplate below the power button that is easy to grip. I love that there isn't any buttons on the device besides that power button, which makes any type of accidental screen changes very few and far between. Lastly, the device goes to Sleep Mode with just a single touch of that power button, with the cover of the book you're reading on display while the screen is dimmed. While in its sleep setting, the touch screen isn't active so you won't need to worry about mistakenly scrolling through books or the Kobo Store while it is pocketed away. Functionality shines with the Kobo Clara Colour. Everything you do is on the precise, sensitive touch display, from connecting to Wi-Fi networks to browse for books to flipping through books and adjusting fonts. Swiping to turn pages comes very naturally, and the sequencing from page to page isn't jarring or unnatural, even with mangas, graphic novels, and other picture-focused reading material. One feature I absolutely love is OverDrive, which allows you to log into your local library account and borrow digital books directly from the library right into your Kobo instantly for a set amount of time. Finding content will never be a problem with the Kobo Clara Colour. The screen is bright from the jump, but as with most e-Readers, the Kobo Clara Colour screen can be customized to your liking for a variety of things, from brightness to content management and even to privacy. Under the brightness of the outdoor sun or in the solitary, pitch black nest you make at home, the Kobo Clara Colour makes it easy on you to keep reading. Set your device to automatically power off or go to sleep when you inevitably doze off in your too-comfortable reading chair. Increase or decrease the font size to make it easy on the eyes. Set a pin code to keep your reading material private. With weeks-long battery life and the storage capacity to hold over 12,000 e-Books, this e-Reader makes it simple so you can worry about the plot of your next good read and not about where you need to plug it in or whether you need to start opening space for another book. Whether you're an avid reader or a casual one, finding an e-Reader that isn't a pain to stare at for hours on end used to be a problem. Rakuten's Kobo Clara Colour is the solution. Simply put, it does all the right things to keep you reading.