While Amazon pushes its Kindle Colorsoft for Black Friday, the Kobo Libra Colour just hit its lowest price ever at $199.99 - $30 off across major retailers. This color e-reader packs more features than Amazon's offering while costing less, potentially reshuffling the premium e-reader market during the crucial holiday shopping period.
The e-reader wars just got more interesting. While Amazon heavily promotes its Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition for Black Friday, Kobo quietly dropped its Libra Colour to an all-time low of $199.99 - a full $30 off the regular price. The timing couldn't be better for consumers looking beyond Amazon's ecosystem.
The Verge gadget reviewer Sheena Vasani calls it her "favorite" among dozens of e-readers tested, and the specs back up that enthusiasm. The Kobo Libra Colour matches Amazon's premium offering with a 7-inch, 300ppi e-ink display that drops to 150ppi for color content. But here's where things get interesting - it actually outperforms the Colorsoft in several key areas.
Physical page-turn buttons give the Libra Colour a tactile advantage that Amazon's touch-only approach can't match. More importantly, compatibility with the Kobo Stylus 2 transforms this from a simple reader into a digital notebook. Built-in templates support journaling, while handwriting-to-text conversion can even solve math equations.
The file format support tells the real story of Kobo's strategy. While Amazon locks users into its proprietary ecosystem, the Libra Colour embraces EPUB files and integrates with Instapaper for offline article reading. This open approach extends to a much wider range of supported formats than the Colorsoft offers.
Waterproof construction means bath reading or poolside sessions won't end in disaster, while 32GB of storage provides ample space for extensive libraries including audiobooks. The colors don't quite match the vivid quality of Amazon's display according to reviewers, but the adjustable natural light slider helps bridge that gap.
Retail availability across Amazon, Target, and Kobo's direct store suggests strong retailer confidence in the product. This wide distribution could help Kobo challenge Amazon's dominance in premium e-readers, especially as Black Friday shoppers compare options.
The elephant in the room remains Kindle book compatibility. Native support doesn't exist, creating friction for Amazon's massive user base. However, conversion tools do work for those willing to invest the time, potentially opening Amazon's content library to Kobo hardware.
