Kobo Clara BW | eReader | 6†Glare-Free Touchscreen with ComfortLight PRO | Dark Mode Option | Audiobooks | Waterproof | 16GB of Storage | Black

I have had a number of book readers over many years and so my expectations were based on what I have used already, from the time before any lighting was offered, to that of the most recent models. Please see my included photos of the book reader. Firstly....The overall build quality is adequate. Yes, it is plastic and not, seemingly, the most robust, but nothing that would cause concern. It does not seem to flex or make any noises when the screen is pressed. Happy enough with that, and the grip on the rear of the case. The screen is also recessed a little and not flushed, for me that is great as it offers protection. I do not like a flushed screen unit for that reason. Powering up for the first time and you are invited, not compelled, to create an account with Kobo. Wi-fi connected without issues and updates done. I use Calibre to manage many of my books and that works with no issues with this Clara BW reader, the latest version of Calibre being used. The reader is quick to populate its library and responsive when looking through the list and selecting the book to read. It is also quick and immediately responsive when opening a book and turning the pages. Some of my books have been converted from epub to Kepub, Kobo's native file format, as that provides additional book reading statistics not offered by other formats. Again please see my screenshots. The conversion was done by using the software "Calibre". The screen on my unit has been exceptional. I compared it to my wife's Libra 2 and I also have a previous Kobo reader, the Clara HD. I did not know that it would have been possible but when compared next to each other this Clara BW seems crisp and more "detailed" in how clear and precise the font appears. The white background is evenly lit, using the backlight and natural light (for warmth settings) it works really well. I do very much enjoy a 6" book reader. It fits in my pocket and can be held with one hand in comfort. What I was also impressed about is the fact my Clara HD book cover fitted perfectly on this Clara BW model. It works a treat, both opening and closing the cover will wake the device and also place it in sleep mode. The battery life is very good, having had the device since the 7th May and only charged once when first bought. I understand that is not long, but from noting how much I have used it, including the backlight, I can see that it is going to be very good. Using the reader outside in bright light, no lighting is needed on the device. I would struggle to find and fault with this book reader. It simply does everything that would be reasonable to expect and do that well. The only aspect of this reader that I will probably not make use of is the sketch pad, see screenshot. It works with my finger, do not have a suitable pen, and can be used to draw or add notes that can be saved, they appear on the home page. Perhaps some will make use of that feature, can be found within the beta section of the settings. I do use the dark mode whilst reading in bed at night, that inverts the screen and text colours, see photo. Overall I very much recommend this book reader. It offers exceptional value, great amount of storage space, I do not use audiobooks, and the responsiveness and clarity of screen is exceptional. I do hope that this review helps you. Happy reading :)

It's a great eReader, very comfortable to hold, quite light-weight with a lovely screen for reading. It has various settings that can be adjusted to suit your needs. The battery life seems to be very good/long. I like that you can load library books onto it (if your library supports Overdrive/Libby). Also, you can download e-books and audio books onto your PC from various sources and connect the Kobo Clara to sideload the books across (which is an alternative way to do it if your library uses Borrowbox).

I was very nervous to order from the UK since I’m from South Africa, but I’m so glad I did! I love how customizable the device is. I’m absolutely in love with it: it’s perfect for reading. It’s light, small, and compact and I really like that the button is at the back. It’s responsive and works best with kepubs. I’d definitely recommend buying it. The only thing that worried me was the way Amazon packaged it. For such a long-distance delivery, I wish they had taken better care to protect it with bubble wrap. It arrived only in its original packaging inside an Amazon envelope-box, which made me a bit uneasy especially after reading reviews of how other people's got damaged in transit.

One of the nicest gift I got from my husband. Absolutely great quality and easy use. The mini size makes it easy to bring in my bag and when traveling. The backlight makes it perfect to read at night which is why it was purchased it in the first place, plus my old eReader was way too slow.

I bought this device to upgrade from Kindle Paperwhite 2018. It was a device I didn’t particularly enjoy using. It worked well but it was so unresponsive that I just assumed that’s how all ereaders were. Fast forward to the Kobo Clara BW and it’s so much snappier that I actually enjoy reading on it. I thought I would hate the recessed screen but text seems to look much better (at the cost of the device looking a bit cheaper). You can buy books through Kobo, or use a library card to borrow books with Overdrive. You can also sideload books or manage your library with Calibre, you could even install KOReader, or wirelessly sync the device with Calibre Web; it doesn’t try to actively prevent you from using it to do whatever you want. There’s no read progress syncing for sideloaded books with the built in reader, and there’s no Goodreads (or Hardcover or whatever) support, but you could work around that with Calibre. My only gripe with this device is the quality. The Kobo logo on the front seems slightly slanted on my device, but I didn’t think this was worth replacing the device for. My top left corner had black adhesive coming out of it, but I just used a thin piece of plastic to wedge it back inside. My bottom left corner has a dark spot when the front-light is on, but this seems like a design defect rather than something limited to my unit (if you Google this you’ll see everyone has this - the Colour model seems to have fixed this issue, but if you use the night light then it has two yellow botches in both sides instead). If you can ignore those issues, this is a great ereader that looks crisp, has great battery life, and lets you tinker with it however you like. If you don’t care for that, and want a better quality device, and don’t mind only using Amazon to get your books, then get a Paperwhite (it’s slightly larger though).

I'm very pleased with this eReader, it's a handy size, light and comfortable to hold with a clear and easy to read no-glare screen. The text is configurable to suit your reading preferences and the battery is lasting really well, several hours reading each day and still doesn't need charging after one week. It's my favourite book reader and I'd recommend it.

Escribo esta reseña más que nada porque más de uno estará pensando: "Llevo tiempo queriéndome comprar un e-reader y no sé cuál elegir. ¿Estaré tomando una buena decisión comprando este?" Pues sí, definitivamente. El contraste es espectacular. El brillo es simplemente perfecto, adaptándose maravillosamente tanto a la lectura en interiores como en exteriores. Tal vez las letras no se vean tan oscuras como en una pantalla Carta 1200 (la tecnología de pantallas Carta 1200 o Carta 1300), pero la verdad es que, siendo este un modelo con pantalla Carta 1300, el tiempo de refresco es notablemente mejor, lo cual se agradece mucho durante la lectura. También añadir que no se cansan los ojos al leerlo por la noche. Un punto a destacar es que hace falta una cuenta de Rakuten para poder usarlo. Sin embargo, si buscáis en internet, veréis que hay formas de utilizarlo sin necesidad de ponerle una cuenta. Además, la duración de la batería es impresionante, permitiéndote leer durante semanas sin necesidad de recargar. La interfaz es intuitiva y fácil de usar, incluso para aquellos que no son muy tecnológicos. La capacidad de almacenamiento es más que suficiente para albergar una amplia biblioteca de libros, y la conexión Wi-Fi facilita la descarga de nuevos títulos. También se puede conectar tanto por Bluetooth como por USB-C (es lo que uso yo para los libros) y puedes conectarlo al movil (sorpendentemente se puede usar el movil como batería para el e-reader) Una cosa que tal vez sea negativa para algunas personas es que no lleve Android pero vaya que yo no lo he echado en falta en absoluto. En resumen, si estás buscando un e-reader de alta calidad con un rendimiento superior y una experiencia de lectura agradable, este modelo es la compra que debes hacer. PD: También hay una cosa muy chula y es que (como veréis en la foto) al apagar el e-reader se queda el libro que estabas leyendo en la pantalla sin reiniciar los pixeles.

I absolutely love this eReader and take it with me everywhere. The Kobo Clara BW is lightweight, comfortable to hold, and very easy to use, which makes it great for travel and everyday reading. The screen is smooth, durable, and truly glare-free. I can read for long stretches without eye strain, even in bright light. It has replaced doom-scrolling on my phone before bed, which has made my sleep better. One of my favorite things about this device is how customizable it is. Beyond the standard settings, there’s a hidden menu that lets you fine-tune the reading experience even more, which I really appreciate. The dark mode (inverse reading) is excellent and something I use all the time, especially at night. I have two minor complaints: 1) when switching between menus in dark mode, the screen briefly flashes as it refreshes. 2) response time when clicking is not lightning speed, just normal speed. This sometimes makes me click things twice accidentally. Both are noticeable, but not dealbreakers, and they're the only issues I’ve had after 6+ months of near daily use. I love that I can load PDFs and EPUBs directly from my computer without needing a subscription. For me, that freedom alone sets it apart from other eReaders. It seems like a well-built device that does exactly what I want it to do. If you’re looking for a simple, flexible, and enjoyable reading experience, this one is hard to beat.

TL;DR: If you're buying an e-reader primarily to read books, the Kobo Clara BW is the one to get. I compared it side-by-side with the much more expensive Kobo Libra Colour, and the Clara's black-and-white screen is so much better that it's not even a contest. The reading experience is crisp, clean, and everything you want from an e-reader. ​I originally bought the Kobo Libra Colour, tempted by the new technology, but I was so disappointed with the screen quality that I decided to order the Clara BW to see if Kobo's new black-and-white screens were any better. The difference was night and day. ​You can see it in the photos I've attached (Clara BW on the left, Libra Colour on the right). The Clara's screen is a beautiful, crisp white, making the text incredibly sharp and clear. It truly looks like ink on paper. In contrast, the Libra Colour's screen looks dull, grayish-green, and has a weird texture that constantly made me feel like it was dirty. Reading on the Clara is just a far more pleasant and immersive experience. ​While the Clara BW doesn't have the physical page-turn buttons or the larger 7-inch screen of the Libra, I found it an acceptable tradeoff for a significantly better screen. The touch screen is perfectly responsive for page turns, and the smaller 6-inch size makes the device incredibly light and compact. It's the perfect e-reader for travel, easy to hold in one hand for long periods and small enough to slip into any bag or even a jacket pocket. ​Ultimately, the choice was incredibly easy. For a fraction of the price of the Libra Colour, the Clara BW delivers a vastly superior experience for what an e-reader is actually for: reading text. I'm keeping the Clara BW and returning the Libra. If you're a passionate reader, don't get tempted by the hype of color e-ink just yet. The technology involves too many compromises. The Clara BW is the real star of what Kobo offers. P.S. camera makes Clara look greenish, but its actually perfectly white in life.

It's a great ereader. I'm moving from a Kindle, and it works better. It's also pretty simple to install KOReader, which adds more features and works smoothly. Battery life is really good, and screen quality looks better than my old Paperwhite.

Na jaren boeken te hebben gelezen op m'n mobiel toch deze kobo aangeschaft. Had ik veel eerder moeten doen! Pak 'm sneller om even verder te lezen dan de app op mijn telefoon. Installatie gaat vlot, boeken er op zetten ook. Batterij gaat weken mee!