Read our full review of the Kobo Libra Color.
Color Lover: With so many strong contenders, choosing the best color e-reader wasn’t easy. But when considering who really wants a color e-reader, the choice was clear: the Kobo Libra Color. Libra is also specific to color interpreters. Besides the Kindle Scribe, it’s one of the only e-readers with writing capabilities, making it ideal for color-coding highlights and annotations.
Expert Approved: Apart from the Kindle Paperwhite, the most popular e-reader among the Mashable team is the Kobo Libra Color. Its seven-inch display provides ample space for reading graphic novels in detail, and the built-in gyroscope lets you switch between vertical and horizontal reading—a flexibility unique to Libra. Needless to say, it has the most sought-after feature for e-reader users: the page-turning button.
The Kobo Libra Color is one of our favorite e-readers. And when it comes to color e-readers specifically, this is the clear winner. It’s known for its large display, screen rotation, and writing capabilities – but beyond that, it’s a thoughtfully designed device.
Like all color e-readers, the colors appear more muted than in a physical book. This is unavoidable, but the Libra maintains strong color accuracy despite the soft tones.
Like many e-readers, the Kobo Libra Color increased in price, but even at $259.99, it’s still cheaper than any of Kindle’s color e-readers. While Kobo offers more budget-friendly color options with the Clara, the Libra is worth the extra cost for its writing features, internal gyroscope, and page-turn button. It has plenty of storage (32GB) and is waterproof.
If you were disappointed by the closure of the Kindle Oasis, the Kobo Libra Color offers a similar design, including a page-turn button. Ergonomically, this is the best e-reader I’ve tested. It’s more square than the Kindle, with extra room on one side for a page-turning button, making it easier to hold — especially when lying down and reading with one hand. This is the only e-reader (besides the iPad) on this list that has an internal gyroscope, so when you rotate the device, the display rotates with it. When reading in bed, if I roll over, I can rotate the device so I can hold it on the side with the page-turning buttons.
Finally, the Overdrive (aka Libby) integration is great. Log in with your library card, and your borrowed e-books will immediately appear in the Overdrive tab.