Comprehensive Analysis of Kobo Clara HD E-Reader

Comprehensive Analysis of Kobo Clara HD E-Reader

The Kobo Clara HD is a fresh, six-inch e-reader, serving as the heir apparent to the Kobo Aura Edition 2 and the Kobo Glo HD. Sporting a front-lit display, it allows for reading in dim lighting, utilizing the same Comfortlight PRO orange LED system as the Kobo Aura One. boasts a striking 300 PPI screen, rendering cover art and text in sharp detail, thanks to innovative firmware. Affordability positions the Clara HD as a strong, entry-level digital reader choice.

Hardware

The Clara HD showcases an E-Ink Carta HD display and a 300 PPI panel, albeit with a slight dip from the screen to the bezel. Features include a USB port, power button at the bottom, and a barebones perimeter. The device's back offers a perforated design, enhancing grip and easy holding.

Underneath the hood lies a 1GHz Freescale Solo Lite processor, with 512MB of RAM and 8GB internal memory. Kobo has forsaken expandable storage for a few years, leaving no Micro SD slot on the Clara HD. To save space, users can erase books from their device upon completion or when no longer needed, through settings options.

The Clara HD boasts an outstanding front-lit display; one of Kobo's finest, boasting even light distribution through 8 white LEDs and the Comfortlight PRO system's 7 orange LEDs. Activating both front-lit display and Comfortlight results in a vibrant, brilliant reading experience, with all LEDs working harmoniously. Automatic Comfortlight settings skip the ambient light sensor, instead relying upon the time of day and your time zone. Users can opt for or disable auto brightness.

Software

Kobo operates a customized version of Linux rather than Google Android, enabling it to craft a user experience specifically tailored for a 300 PPI screen and emphasizing e-ink optimization. The Clara HD software experience differs somewhat from Kobo's other e-readers, featuring cover art and text with high DPI on the homescreen, contrasting the pixelated appearance of the Kobo Aura Edition 2 and Glo HD. The homescreen displays recently opened or purchased books, with the remainder devoted to similar titles and links to the Kobo online store. Users can navigate the settings menu, with the main navigation bar being more compact and text sleeker compared to Kobo's other devices, even the Kobo H2O Edition 2.

The library menu is where most of your time will be spent. Two display options - list and cover view - are available. List provides the full author name and book title, whereas Cover Mode reveals the ebook cover art. Users can sort by author, date added, or publisher. Additionally, users can create their collections and customize which ebooks they wish to include. Leaving reviews when finished reading a book is an option, with the review automatically entered into the Kobo bookstore. Users can also set the book to automatically be removed from their device after completion to conserve memory. Furthermore, a new library feature enables browsing similar titles, opening a small popup at the screen's bottom. Users can click on a title to open the bookstore or refine the recommendation engine over time by flagging interest levels in authors or genres of books.

Kobo boasts an exclusive deal with Pocket, allowing users to push website and blog articles directly to their e-Reader. The easiest method is downloading the Pocket browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. After downloading the extension, logging in, and configuring the service, users can begin pushing wanted articles to their e-reader for later reading. The articles will feature any links, pictures, or text, but will truncate short code and ads. Kobo's beta internet browser also unveiled a new Pocket plugin, permitting users to send blog articles directly to the Article menu. Users have the option to automatically delete all Pocket articles upon finishing reading them on their Clara.

Navigating the Kobo store is straightforward, with quick access to discounts and new eBooks. The device lacks imagery and carousels, contributing to swift load times via Wi-Fi. Upon clicking a book, the description immediately loads, allowing users to read it in the same manner as turning pages, rather than swiping down. Additionally, users can read reviews and publisher info. Purchasing books is easy.

The new syncing functionality is impressive, providing detailed explanations of what tasks are being performed upon clicking the sync button. Upon activating for the first time, the sync process downloaded user notes and annotations, dictionaries, firmware updates, and set the time zone. The syncing animation is accompanied by textual guidance, enhancing visual cues.

Kobo has acknowledged the necessity of personal security features, introducing a password-protected PIN lock system. This system ensures protection against unauthorized use, as the device will only wake up when the correct password is entered when in sleep mode.

Kobo has recently made Overdrive library books accessible on their current-generation e-readers. This integration allows users to browse, check out, and read books directly on the device, eliminating the need for convoluted workarounds. Users need a library card and four-digit PIN to get started, with their local branch listed and emphasis placed on seasonal titles, new releases, and notables. A dedicated search bar is available for finding specific books or authors.

Once users locate a title they desire, a drop-down menu on the product description page will automatically download the book to their Clara HD, appearing in their library menu. Books are typically usable for approximately two weeks before automatically being returned to the library. Users can manually return the book early and delete it from their library menu, as the process is not automated.

Kobo does an exceptional job appealing to both casual and dedicated readers. Advanced options cater to power users, outpacing the competition. One of the most popular features is the ability to load personalized fonts, such as Bookerly or Ember, developed specifically for e-readers by Amazon.

Conventional e-readers and reading apps provide a few preset options to change linespacing, margins, or font size. Kobo surpasses this, offering adjustable font weight and configurable margins and line spaces. Furthermore, users can compare their customizations to existing settings through advanced options, displaying side-by-side comparisons.

The Kobo Clara HD excels in reading the two most popular electronic book formats, PDF and EPUB. Additionally, it supports manga, graphic novels, and comic books, with CBR and CBZ formats. It can read EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, and RFT files.

While reading a book, users have various options at their disposal. Aside from font and customization options, they can long-press on a word to obtain an instant definition. If users speak a different language, they can look up the word in Japanese, Italian, German, Dutch, and more. Long-pressing a word generates an anchor, enabling selection of a single word, sentence, or entire paragraph. Users can then highlight or add notes. When adding notes, a virtual keyboard appears, allowing manual input.

Additional noteworthy features include monitoring reading progress with a dedicated button along the screen's bottom, displaying the remaining time in a specific chapter and the estimated completion time. Some e-reading apps display this information at the bottom of the screen while reading a book, whereas Kobo offers an optional setting. Furthermore, users can opt to eliminate page numbers and other progress indicators, leaving the screen uncluttered and displaying only text.

The Clara HD boasts a rapid page turn engine, adjustable through the reading settings menu by choosing tap or swipe for page turning, or using swipe only. This new system enables rapid finger tapping or gesturing to rapidly change pages. Users can also hold their finger down on the screen, changing the pages gradually. Text becomes unreadable when the pages are rapidly turned, necessitating the release of the finger from the screen for full rendering.

The rapid page turn engine functions with KEPUB eBooks, available exclusively from Kobo, but does not support CBR/CBZ or classic EPUB formats, nor does it work with sideloaded EPUB books.

"Our main goal is to empower people to read more, whenever and wherever they want. With that, we challenge print-loyal booklovers, and their friends, to try digital reading for just one week. We know that technology can take a moment to get used to, but we are convinced that they will find they can fit reading into even more parts of their day, whether it's waiting for the kids at soccer practice, during the lunch break, or during their daily commute. If it's not for them, which we think is very unlikely, we'll happily take the device back, no questions asked. In past discussions with print loyalists who took the challenge, they told us they got used to using the eReader by day two or three, and most said they would use it as a complement to their existing reading life," says Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo.

Wrap Up

The Clara HD primarily competes against the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight 3, focusing on North America and Western Europe markets. I would recommend purchasing this device if you own a Kobo Glo, Kobo Glo HD, or Kobo Touch. The high-resolution display and Comfortlight PRO front-lit technology make it a worthwhile upgrade. It also includes security features and rapid page turn enhancements to elevate the ebook reading experience.

While the Clara HD does not include Overdrive functionality, as is only available on the Aura One, Kobo has abandoned SD cards for the past few generations. Additionally, users may find the 6GB memory insufficient. Lastly, Kobo launched its audiobook service a few months ago, and the Clara lacks Bluetooth, preventing users from listening to audiobooks directly on the e-reader.

The Clara HD will be available in black and retails for $139.99 CAD (MSRP) in Canada, Indigo stores, and online at www.indigo.ca. Pre-orders will be accepted from May 29 to June 4, with in-store availability starting June 5. The device will also be available in France on June 1 and, as of June 5, in the US, the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Turkey; Hong Kong in July; with Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico to follow later this year.

Kobo Clara HD

| || --- || ### Rating || 4.0/5 |

Pros

• Comfortlight PRO
• Great build quality
• Advanced reading options
• Security Features
• Decent Price |

Cons

• No SD Card
• Screen not flush with bezel
• No Overdrive
• 6 GB of memory is not enough
• No audiobook functionality |

Michael Kozlowski

michael@our platformMichael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at our platform, having written about audiobooks and e-readers for the last fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post, and the New York Times have covered his articles. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Kobo Clara HD, an e-reader with a 300 PPI screen, supports digital reading through technology and offers a vibrant, brilliant reading experience thanks to its firmware updates. Despite being an entry-level device, it showcases an advanced technology, E-Ink Carta HD display and operates on a Lincoln-based customized system, specifically tailored for optimized e-ink. Reading apps such as Pocket can also be integrated with the e-reader to enable pushing articles directly to it for later reading. The Kobo Clara HD, like other gadgets, allows users to enhance their reading experience through various features such as adjustable font weight, customizable margins, and line spaces.

Read also: