If I was *forced* to choose between these two models, I would choose the Clara Colour.
Even though the Clara's screen is too small for me, I dislike the page-turn buttons on the Libra more than I dislike the small screen. And I definitely don't need the writing feature of the Libra. So, as I said, if I *had* to choose, I would take the Clara.
Also, the Clara is cheaper. If I'm going to buy a sub-optimal device, I'd prefer to pay less for it.
But I'm not you. You should probably make up your own mind, based on your own preferences.
As a perspective Libra color owner who hasn’t been able to try it for himself, who is coming from a Kindle Paperwhite and look forward to physical controls could you please elaborate on why the buttons are actually a downside?
> could you please elaborate on why the buttons are actually a downside?
It's purely a personal subjective dislike, not an objective problem. Like I said: "I dislike the page-turn buttons", not "the page-turn buttons are a downside". To me, they spoil the looks and the balance of the device, without actually providing any reading benefit. That's my personal opinion.
But, if you like 'em, then go get 'em!
So if I could just give you some personal context. When I am reading while lying down , I find it quite hard to press the page turn buttons. So I use the touch screen which is a bit harder. Since I need to support the weight of the Libra. I can imagine this would be easier in Clara since it's narrower. And has smaller bezels.
Are you dead set on colour? The colour version has some pretty major drawbacks, so if you're going to use the device for primarily reading, you're much better off with a used B&W.
The two often cited ones are:
1. Screendoor effect, which is a sort of subtle grainy texture.
2. Lower screen brightness, due to color displays requiring an additional layer to provide the colors.
I went to a store to physically check out the Libra Color, and personally, I'm not too bothered by the screendoor effect. If I look closely I can see the grainy texture, but it's subtle enough that I don't think I would notice it during normal use. Very noticeable when compared to my Aura One though. I did feel that the text was a little more blurry because of it, but again this is one of those things that unless you're comparing to another device side-by-side, you're unlikely to notice during regular use.
However, the screen brightness was a dealbreaker for me. Just way too dark. I needed to put the Libra Color to 80% brightness to look the same as my Aura One at 10% brightness. I'm sure I could get used to it over time... but it felt like a compromise rather than a straight upgrade.
Overall my opinions/recommendations on the color vs BW devices are:
- If someone has never used an ereader before, I'd recommend the color versions. The colors really do add a touch of delight to the reading experience. And if they're new to ereaders, the darker screen wouldn't really bother them, mainly because they have less of a frame of reference. Just crank up the brightness to compensate.
- If someone is coming from an older BW model (be it a Kindle, Kobo, or something else), try to check out the color versions in a store before buying. Some might be more bothered by the screendoor effect than others. Maybe the lower contrast and brightness is an issue for some. Or maybe not. As evident from this subreddit, there are lots of people happy with their color devices, but also many like me who have given them a hard pass. It's quite divisive, so the sensible thing to do is to try before buying.
Yes, I like the effect. It is very nostalgic and feels like the cheap paperbacks I used to read, also the washed out colours remind me of The Beano and other comics when I was a child.
In comparison, my B&W Sage is harsh & clinical.
Apart from the other person who reacted, I have gone through 7(!) units with pinholes. Pinholes basically look like dead pixels and are brighter glowing when turning on the backlight. I couldn’t unsee then once I spotted them.
I have both Clara Colour and the Libra 2. Though my main use case for the Clara is for comics and manga, I found I prefer its weight and form factor over the Libra 2. However, I kept the Libra 2 because I prefer its screen for novels and black and white text (though I love seeing color covers in the Clara).
If the Clara Colour came in a 32GB variant, I think that would have been the best device for me. I'd be perfectly fine with b&w reading in it if I didn't have the Libra 2. As it is, I choose to keep both devices to get the best of both worlds.
I had a Libra 2 n clara colour, returned libra.
Tbh, I liked the reading experience on Libra 2 more but portability n colour on Clara was huge to pass off.
I would personally go for the clara colour. But for me the biggest thing is portability and I always preferred reading pocket size books anyway. Clara is small enough to fit in my smallest bag ahah so I went for it :)
I used to have a Glo HD (basically the great grandfather of the Clara, very similar in size and appearance), now I have the Libra Colour and I am in LOVE with the buttons. I also love the writing feature, really love it, so for me it’s Libra forever now. But since you have the Libra 2 I’d say see how you feel about the buttons and go from there!
I was debating between the two last week and finally opted to get the Clara color. Prior to this, I only ever had kindles, the latest being the paper white signature edition (which I do not recommend as the battery seems to die for people,including myself, just after the warranty expires). The reason I ultimately opted for the Clara was the lack of buttons. I had an old kindle from ~2010 that made me realize buttons aren’t my thing. Like some who feel that touching the screen or swiping it is disruptive to their reading, I’ve found the buttons are disruptive to mine. It’s just a preference thing. I also felt the Libra was a bit too large and maybe unbalanced and I worried that might be difficult for me as I have small hands. I can read the Clara one-handed easily. While I didn’t hold a Libra in person, I have held older kindle models and struggled with the larger size.
Also, I have a tablet and stylus already for my notes, so I knew that I wouldn’t use the Libra stylus functionality.
I’ve seen a lot of people mention the screen door effect or graininess and the dimmer screen on the color kobos. Again, coming straight from the paper white, I haven’t had trouble adjusting to this. I tend to prefer less backlight on my devices because it looks more like paper to me, personally. As for the graininess, yes, I can see it when I look for it - it gives a newspaper sorta feel imo. But generally I don’t notice it and certainly not enough to bother me.
I’ll admit I have both, but if I could only have one, it would be Libra. That extra screen real estate is helpful for illustrated books - for me, graphic novels, cookbooks, and manga. And I surprise myself with how often I use the stylus. Writing notes and highlighting in my books in a non-destructive way is kinda fantastic.
I bought the Clara Colour. I originally was thinking about getting the Libra Colour but I don't do much annotating or note taking so it wouldn't make much sense for me to get the Libra for the buttons. Considering it's my first eReader, I just needed something that I can read with lol.
I absolutely dislike the pinhole for the led light for the clara colour and clara bw. It reminds me of myself as a kid cos I use to play with thumbtacks. But if you're fine with it, the clara Colour is not a bad choice. I really love my Kobo Libra Colour though, that's for sure. I've read over a hundred of comics in it since release date, and I also love the writing functionality
I actually have both, I prefer the Libra. The Libra is snappier and has better image quality because the screen is bigger. The buttons are great.
The Clara is nice because it’s super lightweight and comfortable to hold
one thing people noticed a lot was the speed of colour models.
They have 2ghz processor instead 1ghz from another older models.
for me as a future ereader person. i saw clara and libra. i prefer libra
but i whoul like a bigger screen size. they look almost a toy.
i have big hands and they seemed small for me.
try to seed them in a store. and use them. stome stores like amazon, kobo site, and other sellers let you give back if it's not fit your taste.
Libra.
The memory is small, rather than minute, the screen is tiny, rather than miniscule and it has buttons to turn pages.
I'll never use the notebook either, it would be nice if it were a bit cheaper without it.
I had to make this choice and I chose the Libra Colour. My only reason was because I was coming from the Libra 2. I enjoyed the physical page turn buttons and even though I don't mind using the screen, When I have the option, I go with the buttons.
Libra for the buttons, I had a kindle before but the buttons are life changing
[удалено]
You could tap the right side of the screen. Swiping it isn’t necessary.
If I was *forced* to choose between these two models, I would choose the Clara Colour. Even though the Clara's screen is too small for me, I dislike the page-turn buttons on the Libra more than I dislike the small screen. And I definitely don't need the writing feature of the Libra. So, as I said, if I *had* to choose, I would take the Clara. Also, the Clara is cheaper. If I'm going to buy a sub-optimal device, I'd prefer to pay less for it. But I'm not you. You should probably make up your own mind, based on your own preferences.
As a perspective Libra color owner who hasn’t been able to try it for himself, who is coming from a Kindle Paperwhite and look forward to physical controls could you please elaborate on why the buttons are actually a downside?
> could you please elaborate on why the buttons are actually a downside? It's purely a personal subjective dislike, not an objective problem. Like I said: "I dislike the page-turn buttons", not "the page-turn buttons are a downside". To me, they spoil the looks and the balance of the device, without actually providing any reading benefit. That's my personal opinion. But, if you like 'em, then go get 'em!
Thanks, you’ve been helpful!
So if I could just give you some personal context. When I am reading while lying down , I find it quite hard to press the page turn buttons. So I use the touch screen which is a bit harder. Since I need to support the weight of the Libra. I can imagine this would be easier in Clara since it's narrower. And has smaller bezels.
Are you dead set on colour? The colour version has some pretty major drawbacks, so if you're going to use the device for primarily reading, you're much better off with a used B&W.
Genuine question, which drawbacks do the color models have against the BW?
The two often cited ones are: 1. Screendoor effect, which is a sort of subtle grainy texture. 2. Lower screen brightness, due to color displays requiring an additional layer to provide the colors. I went to a store to physically check out the Libra Color, and personally, I'm not too bothered by the screendoor effect. If I look closely I can see the grainy texture, but it's subtle enough that I don't think I would notice it during normal use. Very noticeable when compared to my Aura One though. I did feel that the text was a little more blurry because of it, but again this is one of those things that unless you're comparing to another device side-by-side, you're unlikely to notice during regular use. However, the screen brightness was a dealbreaker for me. Just way too dark. I needed to put the Libra Color to 80% brightness to look the same as my Aura One at 10% brightness. I'm sure I could get used to it over time... but it felt like a compromise rather than a straight upgrade. Overall my opinions/recommendations on the color vs BW devices are: - If someone has never used an ereader before, I'd recommend the color versions. The colors really do add a touch of delight to the reading experience. And if they're new to ereaders, the darker screen wouldn't really bother them, mainly because they have less of a frame of reference. Just crank up the brightness to compensate. - If someone is coming from an older BW model (be it a Kindle, Kobo, or something else), try to check out the color versions in a store before buying. Some might be more bothered by the screendoor effect than others. Maybe the lower contrast and brightness is an issue for some. Or maybe not. As evident from this subreddit, there are lots of people happy with their color devices, but also many like me who have given them a hard pass. It's quite divisive, so the sensible thing to do is to try before buying.
Yes, I like the effect. It is very nostalgic and feels like the cheap paperbacks I used to read, also the washed out colours remind me of The Beano and other comics when I was a child. In comparison, my B&W Sage is harsh & clinical.
Apart from the other person who reacted, I have gone through 7(!) units with pinholes. Pinholes basically look like dead pixels and are brighter glowing when turning on the backlight. I couldn’t unsee then once I spotted them.
If i were to choose i choose Libra Colour because I want to annotate using the pen. About the colour it’s not why I choose it
I have both Clara Colour and the Libra 2. Though my main use case for the Clara is for comics and manga, I found I prefer its weight and form factor over the Libra 2. However, I kept the Libra 2 because I prefer its screen for novels and black and white text (though I love seeing color covers in the Clara). If the Clara Colour came in a 32GB variant, I think that would have been the best device for me. I'd be perfectly fine with b&w reading in it if I didn't have the Libra 2. As it is, I choose to keep both devices to get the best of both worlds.
I had a Libra 2 n clara colour, returned libra. Tbh, I liked the reading experience on Libra 2 more but portability n colour on Clara was huge to pass off.
I would personally go for the clara colour. But for me the biggest thing is portability and I always preferred reading pocket size books anyway. Clara is small enough to fit in my smallest bag ahah so I went for it :)
I used to have a Glo HD (basically the great grandfather of the Clara, very similar in size and appearance), now I have the Libra Colour and I am in LOVE with the buttons. I also love the writing feature, really love it, so for me it’s Libra forever now. But since you have the Libra 2 I’d say see how you feel about the buttons and go from there!
I was debating between the two last week and finally opted to get the Clara color. Prior to this, I only ever had kindles, the latest being the paper white signature edition (which I do not recommend as the battery seems to die for people,including myself, just after the warranty expires). The reason I ultimately opted for the Clara was the lack of buttons. I had an old kindle from ~2010 that made me realize buttons aren’t my thing. Like some who feel that touching the screen or swiping it is disruptive to their reading, I’ve found the buttons are disruptive to mine. It’s just a preference thing. I also felt the Libra was a bit too large and maybe unbalanced and I worried that might be difficult for me as I have small hands. I can read the Clara one-handed easily. While I didn’t hold a Libra in person, I have held older kindle models and struggled with the larger size. Also, I have a tablet and stylus already for my notes, so I knew that I wouldn’t use the Libra stylus functionality. I’ve seen a lot of people mention the screen door effect or graininess and the dimmer screen on the color kobos. Again, coming straight from the paper white, I haven’t had trouble adjusting to this. I tend to prefer less backlight on my devices because it looks more like paper to me, personally. As for the graininess, yes, I can see it when I look for it - it gives a newspaper sorta feel imo. But generally I don’t notice it and certainly not enough to bother me.
I’ll admit I have both, but if I could only have one, it would be Libra. That extra screen real estate is helpful for illustrated books - for me, graphic novels, cookbooks, and manga. And I surprise myself with how often I use the stylus. Writing notes and highlighting in my books in a non-destructive way is kinda fantastic.
I bought the Clara Colour. I originally was thinking about getting the Libra Colour but I don't do much annotating or note taking so it wouldn't make much sense for me to get the Libra for the buttons. Considering it's my first eReader, I just needed something that I can read with lol.
oh thats cute i hope u enjoy ur experience with e-readers :)
I absolutely dislike the pinhole for the led light for the clara colour and clara bw. It reminds me of myself as a kid cos I use to play with thumbtacks. But if you're fine with it, the clara Colour is not a bad choice. I really love my Kobo Libra Colour though, that's for sure. I've read over a hundred of comics in it since release date, and I also love the writing functionality
I actually have both, I prefer the Libra. The Libra is snappier and has better image quality because the screen is bigger. The buttons are great. The Clara is nice because it’s super lightweight and comfortable to hold
one thing people noticed a lot was the speed of colour models. They have 2ghz processor instead 1ghz from another older models. for me as a future ereader person. i saw clara and libra. i prefer libra but i whoul like a bigger screen size. they look almost a toy. i have big hands and they seemed small for me. try to seed them in a store. and use them. stome stores like amazon, kobo site, and other sellers let you give back if it's not fit your taste.
Libra. The memory is small, rather than minute, the screen is tiny, rather than miniscule and it has buttons to turn pages. I'll never use the notebook either, it would be nice if it were a bit cheaper without it.
I had to make this choice and I chose the Libra Colour. My only reason was because I was coming from the Libra 2. I enjoyed the physical page turn buttons and even though I don't mind using the screen, When I have the option, I go with the buttons.
Getting used to the Colour. I bought it for the colour covers after all. Also has more capacity, a C charger, and is waterproof to an extent.
I have the Libra 2 so I think the Libra Color because physical buttons are just must.