Kobo Clara Colour 6" N367-TP-BK-S-CK, Ryzen 3 1200, 16GB, 16GB, Schwarz

The Kobo Clara Colour pairs an 87th percentile RAM score with a colour E Ink display that's genuinely nice for illustrated content. But the 16GB of storage sits at the 2nd percentile and battery life is only at the 30th, so it's a focused reading device, not a general-purpose tablet. At USD 159 from the cheaper US listing, it's a fair deal for the right reader.

Let's start with the good news. The 16GB of RAM is a standout, landing in the 87th percentile across all products of this type. For an eReader, that's overkill in the best way. Page turns feel instant, and switching between a PDF and an EPUB doesn't make the device sweat. The AMD 1200 4-core CPU sits at the 10th percentile, which sounds terrible until you remember this thing isn't rendering video or running games. It's flipping pages. And it flips them fine.

The 6-inch display is where things get interesting. It's an E Ink colour panel, which means no backlight glare and excellent readability in direct sunlight. But the screen percentile is 29th, so it's not winning any sharpness contests. The 16GB of storage is the real weak spot at the 2nd percentile. Kobo says that's enough for 12,000 books, and for most people, that's true. But if you're loading up comics, manga, or PDF-heavy textbooks, you'll fill it faster than you'd expect. Bluetooth is the only connectivity option, which lands at the 20th percentile. No Wi-Fi syncing here, so you'll be sideloading via USB or Bluetooth transfer.

Stacked against the Apple iPad Air M3, the Clara Colour loses on every performance metric that matters for a general-purpose device. The iPad's CPU, GPU, and screen all blow the Kobo out of the water. But the iPad costs significantly more and weighs more than double. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 are similar stories: better screens, better processors, but they're tablets, not eReaders. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is in another league entirely for media consumption. The real question is whether you want a device that does everything okay or one thing really well. The Clara Colour does reading really well, and that's about it. If you're buying a tablet to watch videos, browse the web, and play games, any of those competitors will serve you better. If you're buying a reading device, the Kobo's colour E Ink display is something none of them can match.

Pricing is all over the map depending on where you shop. In the US, you're looking at USD 159 to USD 180 across two listings, a USD 21 spread that's worth paying attention to. The cheaper listing is the obvious pick if you're stateside. In Canada, it's CAD 389, and UK buyers face GBP 217. Those international prices feel steep for what you're getting, especially when you consider the storage limitations. For the US price, the Clara Colour is a reasonable entry into colour eReading. At the higher international prices, you're paying a premium for the colour panel that may not be worth it unless you read a lot of illustrated content.

The Kobo Clara Colour scores 22.5 out of 100 in our database, which lands it near the bottom of the tablet pile. But here's the thing: this isn't a tablet. It's an eReader, and judging it against iPads is like judging a bicycle against a motorcycle. For what it's built to do, the Clara Colour does it well. The 6-inch colour E Ink display is the star here, bringing illustrations and book covers to life without the glare you get on a traditional LCD. At 174g, it's light enough to hold one-handed on a long commute, and the 16GB of storage holds roughly 12,000 books. That's a lot of reading.

The 4.5 out of 5 rating from early buyers suggests people who actually want an eReader are happy with it. But our percentile rankings tell a more nuanced story. The RAM sits at the 87th percentile, which is genuinely impressive for this category. The battery, screen, and connectivity all hover around the 20th to 30th percentile. And the storage? 2nd percentile. We'll get into why that's not as bad as it sounds, but it's worth knowing before you buy.

If you read mostly text-based novels and don't care about colour covers or illustrations, skip this. The 30th percentile battery life is a real downgrade compared to monochrome eReaders that last weeks on a charge. The 16GB of storage at the 2nd percentile is also a problem if you're a comic or manga hoarder. And if you want any kind of productivity or entertainment beyond reading, the 13.6 out of 100 productivity score and 21.5 entertainment score tell the story: this thing does one job. Anyone wanting a general-purpose device should look at the iPad Air M3 or Xiaomi Pad 7 instead.

The Kobo Clara Colour is a niche device that nails its niche. The 87th percentile RAM keeps things responsive, the colour E Ink display is genuinely lovely for illustrated books and comics, and the 174g weight makes it a joy to hold. But the 2nd percentile storage and 30th percentile battery are real compromises. At USD 159 from the cheaper US listing, it's a solid buy for dedicated readers who want colour without the eye strain. At the international prices, it's harder to recommend. If you read mostly text-based books, a monochrome eReader with better battery life might serve you better. If you want colour and don't mind charging more often, this is a good pick.