Kobo Clara HD review – The Kobo Clara HD is a great alternative to the Kindle Paperwhite (Image: KOBO GETTY)
Kobo Clara HD: 60-second review
The Kobo Clara HD is a brilliant alternative to the Kindle Paperwhite and does just enough differently to catch the attention of ereader fans.
It has a built-in light for night time reading which is easier on the eyes thanks to its ability to reduce blue light.
This helps create a warmer display than Amazon’s Kindle device and really makes it appear as if you reading on the soft, yellowish colour of pages in printed books.
Although the Clara HD’s 6inch screen is smaller than its Amazon rival it actually makes reading with one hand far easier.
All of this coupled with no built-in ads, some nice UI touches and the ability to purchase from multiple ebook stores make the Kobo Clara HD not only a great alternative to the Kindle Paperwhite but simply a great choice for any ebook fan.
Kobo Clara HD Review
Amazon’s Kindle range has long ruled the roost but there’s more to ereaders than devices sold by the online shopping giant.
Take Kobo, a range of Rakuten-made ereaders which have been around for over a decade now.
The Kobo Clara HD is the firm’s direct answer to the Kindle Paperwhite, and while you may think there can’t be too much different between two rival ereaders that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Kobo Clara HD offers some great features not only with the device itself, but with Kobo’s UI which may make you think of ditching Amazon and its Kindle range for good.
Kobo Clara HD review – The Kobo Clara HD is a 6.8inch ereader which has a light for night reading (Image: KOBO)
Kobo Clara HD Design
There are a few big differences between the Kobo Clara HD and the Kindle Paperwhite that immediately stand out.
Firstly, the Paperwhite looks like a more premium product with shiny, glossy plastic that feels silky smooth to touch.
The Kobo Clara HD doesn’t have that immediate head-turning impact, made of matte black plastic that has a duller colour as well as a pattern of dotted lines on the rear.
But looks aren’t everything, and there is plenty of interesting things about the Kobo Clara HD.
Take for instance the pattern on the rear case which has been added to help provide extra grip when someone is holding the ebook gadget.
And this could be seen as a metaphor for the Kobo Clara HD in general – while it may not catch your eye at first glance it’s packed full of great features that all combine to provide a brilliant ereader experience.
Kobo Clara HD review – The light for night reading is capable of filtering blue light (Image: KOBO)
Kobo Clara HD Specs
The Kobo Clara HD comes with a 6inch HD screen that boasts a 300 PPI ink display, 8GB of storage and a ComfortLight PRO front light.
Whilst that makes it smaller than the Kindle Paperwhite, it has its advantages as this makes it easy enough to hold in one hand and read comfortably.
Not only that, but the specs of the Kobo Clara HD mean page turns are nice and speedy while the device also boots up fairly fast.
Kobo Clara HD Screen
Where the Kobo Clara HD really shines is its screen. The front light that Kobo uses is capable of filtering through blue light which makes it ideal for reading at night time.
This tech also helps to create a nice, warm glow to the display which is reminiscent of the yellowish pages you’d find in a typical, printed book.
In fact, if you put a book next to your Kobo Clara HD you might find it hard to tell the difference between what you’re seeing.
It’s an extremely natural appearance and that’s arguably what Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite can’t match.
Kobo Clara HD Extras
Besides the standout display, there are plenty of other reasons to pick up a Clara HD.
All of Kobo’s ereaders support a wide variety of ebook formats so you can purchase an ebook from plenty of different stores.
Besides this, the Kobo has some nice UI touches that add to the experience.
None of the Kobo ereaders need to be supported by ads, so when you put your device on sleep instead of being greeted with an ad (like you would on the ad-supported Kindles) you will instead get an image of the cover for the book you were reading.
This even appears when you power down the display with your progress on your book shown.
This is a nice little touch and isn’t the only cool thing about the Kobo UI.
We especially liked the stats that are shown when you finish reading a book along with the little trophy icon.
Seeing this almost feels like unlocking a trophy or an achievement in a game, with stats shown for your reading experience such as how long you read each session and total amount of time it took to read through the book.
Kobo Clara HD review – A pattern is on the reader of the ereader to help you grip it (Image: KOBO)
Kobo Clara HD review – at a glance
What We Loved
- Brilliant Screen And Night Light
- UI Has Plenty Of Nice Surprises
- Ability To Purchase From Range Of Ebook Stores
- Easy To Read With One Hand
What We Didn’t
- Not The Most Premium Looking Ereader
- Smaller Than Kindle Paperwhite
Kobo Clara HD Price
The Kobo Clara HD is priced at £119.99 – which is £10 cheaper than the ad-supported Kindle Paperwhite or £20 less than the one without ads.
That is a great price point, but bear in mind with the Paperwhite you’ll get a bigger display.
The Paperwhite boasts a 6.8inch screen compared to the Kobo Clara HD’s 6inch display, which could be a factor for you.
While this might not seem like a big difference in size when you look at the two models together the Paperwhite does look considerably bigger.
Kobo Clara HD Final Verdict
The Kobo Clara HD is a brilliant little ereader which offers enough differences to the Kindle Paperwhite to make long-time Amazon users seriously consider it.
The warm, front-lit display is the real standout which offers a great, naturalistic look that may make you forget you’re even reading an ereader and not a printed book.
While the Kobo UI has plenty of great tricks up its sleeve that will surprise and delight those used to the Amazon Kindle range.
If you fancy trying something a bit different then the Kobo Clara HD is well worth your time.
