Kobo Libra 7" N428-TP-BK-S-CK 2024, 32GB, nero

The Kobo Libra Colour scores 25.8 overall, but that's misleading. Its eye comfort and portability both hit the 99th percentile, and the reading battery is in the 96th. It's a terrible entertainment device at 7.4 out of 100, but as a dedicated color e-reader, it's top of the charts.

Let's be clear about what this device does well. The reading battery sits in the 96th percentile, which means you'll charge this thing about as often as you remember to water a cactus. Kobo claims weeks per charge, and given the e-ink tech, that tracks. The 32GB of storage holds roughly 24,000 books according to Kobo, which sounds impressive until you realize it's in the 9th percentile for storage among tablets. But for an e-reader, 24,000 books is more than most people will read in several lifetimes.

The CPU and GPU scores are mediocre, 35th and 33rd percentile respectively, but that's like criticizing a bicycle for its quarter-mile time. Page turns feel snappy enough on e-ink, and the stylus support with the Kobo Stylus 2 means note-taking and annotation work without noticeable lag. The screen itself is only 30th percentile, which reflects the lower resolution and refresh rate compared to LCD tablets, not the reading experience. For text, comics, and graphic novels, the color e-ink display is genuinely pleasant.

Stacked against the Apple iPad Air M4, the Kobo gets demolished on raw specs. The iPad's CPU and GPU are in a different universe, and its screen makes the Libra Colour look like a calculator from 1998. But that's not the point. The iPad weighs more, costs more, and will strain your eyes after an hour of reading. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 are similarly overpowered for the reading use case. The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro offers better value for a general-purpose tablet, but none of these competitors can match the Libra Colour's eye comfort or battery life. If you want one device that does everything, buy an iPad. If you want a dedicated reading machine that disappears in your hand and never distracts you, the Kobo wins.

Pricing is all over the map depending on where you live. In the US, you'll find it between USD 228 and USD 260 across two listings, a USD 32 spread that's worth shopping around for. The lower end of that range feels fair for a color e-ink reader with stylus support. But the EUR 575 to EUR 630 range in Germany and France is a much harder sell. That's iPad territory for a device that can't play a YouTube video. The CAD 509 and MXN 6,260 prices also feel steep. If you're in the US and can snag it near USD 228, the value proposition makes sense. Everywhere else, you're paying a premium for e-ink tech that hasn't gotten cheaper.

The Kobo Libra Colour is a weird product to score on our normal scale. Its total score of 25.8 out of 100 looks rough, but that's because we're comparing it against iPads and Galaxy Tabs that can edit 4K video. For what this thing actually is, a color e-ink reader, the numbers tell a different story. Eye comfort sits in the 99th percentile, portability is also 99th, and water resistance lands at 98th. Those are the metrics that matter for a device you'll hold for hours at a stretch, and this thing nails all three.

But the entertainment score of 7.4 out of 100 is a real letdown. If you want YouTube, Netflix, or anything that moves faster than a page turn, this isn't your device. The 7-inch E-Paper display refreshes like a sleepy tortoise compared to an LCD. That's the trade-off. You get weeks of battery life and zero eye strain, but you give up video, games, and basically everything else a normal tablet does.

Skip this if you want any kind of multimedia experience. The entertainment score of 7.4 out of 100 is a real letdown, and the screen's 30th percentile ranking means no video, no games, no fun animations. Also skip it if you're outside the US and facing the EUR 575 to EUR 630 pricing. That's a lot of money for a device with connectivity in the 20th percentile and storage in the 9th. If you need a general-purpose tablet, the iPad Air M4 or Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro will serve you far better.

The Kobo Libra Colour is a specialist, not a generalist. Its 25.8 total score looks bad on paper, but the 99th percentile eye comfort and portability tell the real story. For readers who want color covers, comics, and graphic novels without the eye strain of an LCD, this is one of the best options on the market. The 7.4 entertainment score is a dealbreaker if you want any video or gaming, but that's not what this device is for. At USD 228, it's a solid buy. At EUR 575, it's a harder pill to swallow.