10 Shocking Reasons People HATE the Kobo Libra Colour! (And My Thoughts)

[@requeteque1970]

the slow pages turn is due to the epub format instead of the Kepub format that can be converted from Calibre with the proper Kepub extension..then you will see the difference night and day...Reddit Kobo will explain better

[@TheEmmaHouli]

for anyone wondering it is called the "Kobo Touch Extended Driver"

[@Jera07]

@@TheEmmaHouli Thank you!!

[@Jera07]

@requeteque1970 Thank you, I wasn't aware. This info is so valuable to me!

[@j.p.m.3541]

100%

[@sarah_pings_witherby]

Yes, came here to say this ❤

[@robfleming5588]

I've owned several ereaders starting with a Kindle Paper white years ago, then a Kindle Oasis, and a Kobo Libra H20 (B&W). I liked them all for various reasons, but now I have a Kobo Libra Color device due to be delivered today. Your review was very refreshing and matches my experiences with the eariler readers. I enjoy your plain speaking explanations of your uses of the various readers and find they match mine for the most part, except for the color reader which I'm now even more eagerly awaiting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Kobo Libra Color ereader. When I read the title I thought, "Oh no! Maybe I made a mistake buiying this reader." Then I viewed your comments in response to the 10 Shocking Rasons People HATE the Kobo Libra Colour and breathed a sigh of relief. I'm good.

[@keljo60]

I really like your review. I have the Clara Colour and I totally agree because I bought my various readers (Kindle, Kobo, Boox Palma) for reading ebooks, nothing else.

[@AnAverageReader07]

thank you for this comment :D

[@koirena]

I've just got the kobo libra - for me the biggest selling point: I have close to 1000 epubs on my i pad that I can import into kobo easily. Also I'm in the UK and can connect my library books to my kobo. Additionally, the button feature is brilliant as my fingertips always start hurting when I'm using my I pad or phone too long. So having a button is a big plus. I also like the "retro" feel of buttons. It's small things like this that can make all the difference. Lastly - if there's an alternative to amazon, use it. I think I will continue to reading my manga on my I pad - just because you need the double spread and it's the perfect size to read - but all my e books found a new place with the kobo.

[@sarah_pings_witherby]

Great video! I’ve had mine for about a month and I’ve used it every day and absolutely love it, so good to have buttons and to be out of the Amazon ecosystem. Conversion to kepub through Calibre was easy and I love being able to use so many years’ worth of collected epubs as well ❤

[@dgutie8]

Thanks for your review. I just got my Kobo device about a week ago, still learning, but so far really like it! I got this for traveling and be able to load many books, which I’ve had no problem with doing so.

[@robynbarnett1793]

I've ordered the new Kindle Color. But I have two Oasis and so used to the buttons. Before the Oasis I had the Voyage. So my concerns with the Kindle Color is no buttons and can I deal with that. So I've been looking at the Kobo Color. It has page turn buttons. But will I have a problem transferring all the books I've bought from Amazon. Why didn't Amazon put buttons on their new color??! Grr!

[@gmano]

I got the kobo for the same reason that you’re considering.. the page turn buttons. My main ereader used to be the oasis and I tried using the Paperwhite but I couldn’t handle the lack of buttons. I was so hoping that they’d release a color oasis but I guess Amazon just wants to do away with buttons?? There is another ereader called the Boox Go Color that is a similar design to the oasis and it’s android so you can read kindle on it. Just another option for you!

[@alaaf11]

I have owned several Kobo's, not the Kobo Libra Colour (but I did buy it for my mum). Currently using a Kobo Forma. What I do miss about the current colour models is the size that the Forma has, that's the perfect size to me. And about the storage, if 8Gb isn't enough (which of course is enough for everyone in the world), you can also still connect a Google Drive or Dropbox account to it and add several more hundreds of Gb with that.

[@hash23z]

Really enjoying the chill vibes of your videos. Enjoyed his one too, I have a Kobo Libra Colour and agree with eveything you've said, with one exception; I have had the device crash a few times when I have been using the Overdrive feature. But it's not the end of the world as I just reload it and then it works fine.

[@cathym3708]

Agree. Mine has crashed maybe 3 times so far but it’s easy enough to reboot.

[@nat4465]

Same here. I love it so much still lol it’s so enjoyable to use (I had it freeze when I think I added a epub3 file ebook from an online library… then I removed it and I don’t think it happened since, I don’t have experience with that so maybe I didn’t do it right)

[@AnAverageReader07]

sorry only just seen this, sorry to hear you've had this issue. The reason I didn't mention it is because it isn't something I have experienced, and still haven't. Have you contacted Kobo for any advice? maybe they can sort it for you, happy reading! :D

[@sbiswas0227]

Thanks for your review! My libra should show up in the next few days. Now I am really worried when I heard that it does not handle pdf well. I read a lot of pdf articles and textbooks on my scribe! Thought it would be nice to see them in color. What about ghosting? I returned a few boox devices because of terrible ghosting!

[@gjhwebb]

What is ghosting,I keep hearing about it on e-readers but not sure what it is.

[@thomashirschmann5033]

​@@gjhwebb That's when you still can see shadows of the previous page after having turned over.

[@cathym3708]

I have a neuroscience textbook on mine and it looks wonderful.

[@kristinkatsuye4792]

Thank you for having such a well rounded review of the device. I currently have a kindle & read from all genres & medias of books. I don’t own a tablet but opt to also read manga, graphic novels, & comics on my kindle. With color being introduced I would love to see some for graphic novels & comics even with the coloring limit. However, what I didn’t know was that kobo does not offer that feature with panel reading. That is something I didn’t quite realize that other brands didn’t have coming from a kindle. That alone with sometimes dissuade me from purchasing & possibly waiting for some of the technology to further. In manga it isn’t a problem since those books are about the size of ereader screens, but things like full page comics that feature is heavily needed.

[@Malin01Borg]

I got my first e-reader one month ago, and chose the Kobo Libra colour. At first I thought the screen was way too small. I have mainly free download pdf books and I had to zoom in and scroll all the time, which became so tedious, that I stopped using the Kobo altogether. Then I realized that if I turn the devise 90 degrees, so that I have the buttons at the bottom egde, this problem disappeared! The pages of the pdfs got nicely devided in two halves and I could use the buttons to turn the pages. I have also seen a lot of people not knowing where to put the stylus when using this sleep cover. If you hold the device with the buttons on the bottom edge, not only will you get a lot better weight balance of the devise, but the stylus also fits perfectly on the top edge! When I am holding my devise I always have the sleep cover propped up, and use it as a pop socket. It is very comfortable and I can keep on reading for longer before my hands gets tired. Thank you for a really nice, informative and positive video!

[@bzylarisa]

I love my Kobo Libra Colour and have never regretted buying it. This is my first Kobo, so I did have to adjust to the differences from Kindle, and I struggled a bit for the first week. But after a while, I got used to it. Things that initially bothered me don’t bother me at all anymore, or I’ve found a way around them. There are still a few minor things that I don't like, but they're small compared to all the amazing functions this device provides. Maybe not for everyone, but it works for me. As for the stylus, I do think it's overpriced, and I wasn't sure how much I'd actually use it, so I went with an alternative--the Metapen for about $30 and it works great so far. I don't worry about scratches because I always use a screen protector. I'm enjoying the experience more and more. Of course, it won't fit in the cover case with a pen holder, but I only use the pen at home, where I do most of my reading, so it isn't an issue.

[@AnAverageReader07]

wow I never even considered a screen protector, you may have just solved my problem! thank you!!

[@bzylarisa]

​@@AnAverageReader07You're welcome. I've seen many Kobo users opposed to using screen protectors, but I've always used one with my Kindle devices, and I continue to do so with my Kobo. I've seen some screen protectors cause issues with sensitivity when using a stylus, though. I’m using the Moko matte protector. No problems so far.

[@TheArk12345]

There is a cover with a stylus holder for 10 bucks more than the sleep cover

[@cheryleann58]

I just ordered one . Do the pages really turn too slowly. If change it to is it public why do you lose your books. Iwas told. I've never used it I appreciate any help.thanks for your videos

[@causticmuse]

Thank you for the point by point review! I have owned more than half a dozen Kindles (up to the first gen Scribe and 11th gen 6.8" Paperwhite), three Nooks, an early AA battery powered epub reader with allll the physical butrons and no light, and the Kobo Libra H2O, and I have ebooks from multiple sources that I eventually need to load into Calibre and convert to epub without DRM. I think, at this time anyway, that I don't need to have color on a 7" e-ink screen as I read mostly novels and BW manga at that size, not full color PDFs, comics, and photo-heavy texts and books. If I didn't already have the 7" Libra H2O, I'd be tempted to get the Color model just because, but my BW version still works perfectly, is the same size, and only lacks the dark mode of the Libra 2 as far as features go. For the people complaining about PDF support... Why are they trying to read PDFs on a dinky paperback-sized 7" screen anyway? Having to zoom in constantly is a horrible user experience IMO. That's what a 10" reader like the Kindle Scribe is for, or a 10" tablet if E-ink isn't required. I actually love the design of the Kobo Libra line, from the button navigation to the Overdrive and Pocket integration and the ability to adjust brightness by swiping up or down on the left edge of the screen. If they decide to drop an 8" or 10" color reader with pen support down the line, I'll probably cave and get one then.

[@kevyan76yt]

Haters will be haters no matter how good or bad the product is. I have no issue reading it with 20% backlight too.

[@cheryleann58]

Did you use a plugin on it or just use it without?

[@verifiedmilk]

I’ve been enjoying my Libra color. I’d say my only annoya-HAATE has been that the lock screen pin moves slightly with the first digit. But it’s still a good reader, and I love the user experience of it.

[@BenjaminKuipers-g8o]

I have a really old Kobo and the numbers drift apart slightly more with each digit you enter. That being said, I don't have the lock screen pin function on normally.

[@cathym3708]

I love my kobo! I still use both my kindle and the kobo, but definitely reach for the kobo more.

[@coziimobile]

I also haven't had any issues either and I bought it at launch, I read graphic novels and everything and I don't have any of these issues. My only semi gripe in the beginning when I first bought it is the darkness of the screen but Ive adjusted to it now.

[@Optimusprime1993and2]

Thanks for the explanation. For me, I got recommend from KZbin because I was curious about the e-ink and e-reader. I have wishlist it and other cheap accessories in the future me to buy them or not.

[@Sophie-dh6xr]

Has anyone found a way to save/store/backup the annotations and highlighting? I'd be scared after putting all the effort into annotating and taking notes that they would disappear (apparently they disappear if you log out, restart the device) and I'd also just like the piece of mind of backing them up somewhere

[@vantecore697]

are your books sideloaded?

[@Sophie-dh6xr]

@@vantecore697 nope! don't have any books - I actually haven't bought the device yet. I've just heard if you reset it or log out you lose everything so I wouldn't want to buy it unless there was a solve or back up for to save annotations and highlights somehow..

[@vantecore697]

@Sophie-dh6xr if its a factory reset then yes it will definitely erase everything on your ebook no matter the brand. i dont get with the log out part tho? is that logging out your account? your annotations should be safe since there's a cloud for that (non sideloaded books)

[@daniboi79]

Ok. So I got the Kobo Libra Colour and overall it's not bad. I really like the UI and the ergonomics of the device. The colors are washed, and there is a haze due to the color layer, but overall it's not bad. The thing that got me and will likely be the reason I return the device, is because when I turn the e-reader I can see the lights on the side of the screen. It just adds a really cheap feel to it. I'm not turned off from Kobo (this was my first), but I'll be waiting for the next iteration.

[@mtlvmpr]

The only times I've encountered crashes are when I transfer a ton of books at once or when I scroll past books that don't have their cover loaded yet. Most of my books are comics so that will play into it. Oh and yeah I did buy it specifically for comic reading as I use them to compliment my language studies. I do plan to read some books as well but only after my reading speed gets faster and comprehension better. Btw if you'd ask me what's closest thing I hate about the reader, it would most likely be the fact that there are 2 case designs where other has a space for the stylus and other has a kickstand. I only realized this after I got the pen and kickstandy cover. (There's also a third one but it doesn't have a flap)

[@thomaslange2262]

I am in the market for a new e-reader to replace my lost Paperwhite. Casual and never got ingrained in the Kindle store so I am flexible to try other options. Paperwhite felt a tad to small for me and the Oasis I can't get past that it has not been updated for so long and does not even have C-Type charging yet. Kobo seems to have come a long ways with the book and audio store (even though I will likely try to use library more and more) so it is pretty attractive to me over other options. I don't plan on needing color persay, but I would LOVE the idea that the book covers look so nice to flip through. Most manga is black and white anyway past the first few pages sometimes. I don't plan to read a ton of Manga, but I do plan to do so a little, and the Paperwhite was really not great because the text is so small. That is why I am torn between two devices right now. The Libra Colour and the Sage. Although I don't "need" the color, I find the option desirable and it seems to be an easy to handle device. While the Sage with the larger screen will handle the times I do read manga so much nicer I am betting, but at the expense of worse battery life and a bit bulkier to handle. I don't really care about the scribe stuff. I think if there was an updated Forma, it would be a no brainer for me, but for now, I am so torn between these two devices.

[@oxjuliaaaxo]

I’m hoping to get a Kobo Libra Color for my birthday, and I will say that my Kindle Paperwhite Signature is so glitchy and slow. Idk why people are pressed. Kindles glitch so much. And it’s updated when it needs it. It’s just slow 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@egylengyelno]

Did any of you have a problem with a dead pixel on you Kobo Libra Colour screen? And did you decide to return / exchange it? Is is a common problem with E ink screens?

[@rsedan]

I don’t have it, but my older son does. I’ll ask him to elaborate, because I don’t remember all details, but I know his numbers are colors, and also people’s names, but I’m not sure if all words are, or just names.

[@-pierogi-9070]

I like the vibe of your channel!! Great video. Keep them coming. I have both Libra Colour and Kindle paperwhite and I love them both. They each have their redeeming qualities.

[@AnAverageReader07]

I agree, I LOVED my Paperwhite. It got me into ereaders, so I will always be a fan :D

[@gilbertlynds3930]

had Kindle DX then first Kobo that came out. Stayed with Kindle until Kobo Forma came out and loved it. Bought OASIS 2017 but had to charge daily. Bought the updated one in 2021 and still daily charge. Bought Libra 2 and now the colour and love them. Not going back to Kindle and still use Forma each night reading in bed. Never had screen protector. After seeing your colour Kobo screened scuffed bought one for mine. But I love Kobo and "touch wood" never had a crash or lockup. Kindle Oasis I had lockups where had to do hard resets. So Kobo only for me now

[@yuklimka7251]

Things I hate about my KLC: - Can't add and toggle between keyboard languages. Come on Kobo, you already support them as UI languages. How many more steps does it take to arrive at adding keyboards to make searching for those books fast and hassle-free? Phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs all have this functionality. - Built-in dictionaries are meh. I don't know (yet) how good the custom ones are. Just give me decent dictionaries by established publishers, not something an internet rando created. (Sorry if you're an internet rando who's passionate about making a dictionary about a less popular language with fewer speakers/learners.) - Why do I have to install Nickel Menu, download Nickel Clock (which I then still have to configure!) just to see the time on the page of the book I'm currently reading, download and install KOReader and/or Plato to get (some of) the same functionality I get out of the box with Kindle?! I tried myself and failed. Handed the KLC over to a tech-savvier friend who failed. Now our techie at work is trying to set things up for me. Congratulations to the users who got it done in one go. BUT why do I as an end user have to go to such lengths messing around with code in the root folder in the first place? - Sideloading with a cable and USB in 2025?! Wireless transfer via Sendtodjazz exists, but it takes the internet connection (hidden in Settings under Beta features), this website not many people seem to know about, and a unique code for Every.Single.Book you want to transfer. I consider this a last resort. - Books perform better when Kepubified as mentioned. So I needed to spend time watching tutorials and/or reddit threads on which plugins to install for Calibre and how to configure them to get the best reading experience and meta data. Why so extra? - Not specific to the KLC: I'm underwhelmed by both the desktop app for PC (no covers of any kind) and the store (esp. when looking for freebies, but for the latter that may become less of an issue with time and familiarity) For my use case, it's a very vanilla device -- and not the good French Vanilla either.

[@Timlagor]

Even if Kindles weren't supporting appallingly locked to Amazon and atrociously denying you ownership of your books, I'd be resistant to supporting the very evil Bezos monopoly effort. The Kindle hardware is decent but has never come close to justifying picking one over the alternatives (Sony T1 was great but it died eventually and didn't have lights or good reformatting)

[@maureenb7399]

If you have used a Kindle Scribe and that stylus, you likely won't enjoy the Kobo stylus experience. The writing is nowhere near as good on the Kobo. Just a FYI. I don't "hate it" - just thought I'd mention this.

[@gjhwebb]

I have both and I totally agree but the notes I take on my kobo are not that detailed so it doesn’t really matter too much.

[@cathym3708]

Agree it’s not as nice as a Wacom pen experience, but I like that I can write on my books with it easily and take basic notes. It’s definitely not for writing your memoir, though! lol.

[@lopezkeren]

Yesss that’s the only thing I seriously dislike about the Kobo. I know my handwriting is not that terrible lol 🙈

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I have a Microsoft compatible stylus that works great on my kobo. It still requires too much charging so I’ve bought a used kobo stylus for $30.

[@thefoxhouse]

People are going to complain. It is what it is. When kindles dropped the keyboard, people complained. All readers are slow, but it can still flip faster than you would with a physical book. Everyone complaining about storage, 32gb is HUGE. Unless you’re going somewhere without a computer for weeks at a time and had nothing to do but read then sure, I can see it. In regards to the stylus, the Metapen M2 is worth a look. With a screen protector it would be half the price.

[@nat4465]

I do hope that someday we can hand write in the add note to highlight feature. Overall, I’m so happy with mine 😁

[@Mnemik1]

thank you for this video

[@angelsrosena]

The “lining space” never works, it takes a lifetime for you to see any advance on the minutes or pages progress while you’re reading (which it makes the reading experience a never ending one) Every time I add a new book I have to customize the font and its size over and over. Anyway, kindle will always be better at this.

[@aaronc1746]

Loved your content

[@duKamzyy]

Hello!! That's the first video of yours that I watch and I love the way you express yourself and the passion you have about reading. I am quite lost on this subject and I'm asking for your help! I have an old Kobo Aura 2 which I probably bought about 8 years ago, and I love it! It still works fine, and I enjoy reading with it. However, I mainly read at night because my brain has decided that reading is a night-time activity, so I'd like to have a new e-reader that comes with a night light. I would like to have an e-reader with the shape of the Libra Color, but here comes the dilemma. I seldom read any color content. I might read some manga if I had a bigger screen (and most of them are B/W anyway), and I'm a bit concerned that the Libra Color may not offer a great B/W experience. Unfortunately, they discontinued the Libra 2. I really do not want to get involved with anything Amazon sells since I like to have freedom with the repositories and libraries I can get books from, and I love the Kobo OS and general experience. What should I do? Wait for Kobo to release a new device, hoping they will make a B/W version? Upgrade to the Libra Color? Or just keep the one I already have that works perfectly?

[@AnAverageReader07]

The libra colour is pretty good for reading at night as it has the warm light function that protects the eyes, so it's my go to before bed. I also don't read many colour books but I do a lot of highlighting so it's nice to select different colours etc. I'm not sure if the Libra device before this one also has a warm light, could be worth a look? Sorry I can't be of more help I'm very new to Kobo. Also, thanks for your kind words 😄

[@ninap451]

Gave you a like to try and increase the chances of Kobo giving you that free stylus 😄

[@robynbarnett1793]

Great video!

[@NhiepKen]

The thing that people treat an ebook reader today just like a LCD phone or tablet with the light on all the time just makes me sad. They forget that the core value of an e-ink screen that it represent paper (which has no light on its own) and battery last forever. Now with these color e-ink screen that has worse contrast and has to use the light all the time It doesn't look like paper anymore and reduce battery life by a lot

[@cheryleann58]

I like books . I dont have space for books there way more expensive usually. I still buy some . Since my eyes are bad I use my ereaders more. I buy my comics and manga In paperback too. I've only had one for a few years

[@TRUEEEEET]

Great video. There are just some people who complain about anything 😂

[@fizzefazzehandstand2]

I hope that doesn't sound too grumpy ^^ Just a small comment / observation from my side on the subject of PDF. Almost all e-reader reviews totally skip the matter of pdf - ignoring a probably huge target group, assuming "nobody does that". I would assume, the most downloadable text files on the internet might be pdfs. If there are enough people who are upset about the poor handling of PDF, there are also more than enough people who want to read PDF. For example, that's the only reason I look for reviews on e-readers, because I have over 3000 PDFs on my computer, well structured and organized, and don't feel like reading them on a normal display. Most of them are science literature or scientific papers etc. And I won't constantly convert PDFs into a format (ePub, mobi...) with some paid service or shady freeware that doesn't work in the end anyway. I even bought the Onyx Boox Mira Pro for almost 2000 euros for copywriting and mainly ... reading PDF. Also bought the smaller Onyx Boox Mira 10 inch for 800 euros for work (PR agency). And I would really love to have a suitable ebook-reader (pdf-reader lol) for just reading in public transport etc. Anyways, thanks for the conclusion :-)

[@peepers4763]

I switched to Kobo not for the e-reader but to move out of the Amazon ecosystem. All of my books are in ePup. Kindle Oasis went to my niece. Audible is controlled but those files are huge.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I love my kobo Libra color and my 11th gen paper white kindle. People sure sound finicky.

[@Tiffs-bookshelf]

I’m not a fan. I returned the Libra color. My paper white is amazing. I also do not need color since I only read books.

[@ramsesg]

Probably the only thing I “hate” that prevents me from switching back kobo is the lack of sync with your own books

[@bretebey]

Curious what you mean about lack of sync with your own books.

[@ramsesg]

@@bretebey well if you add your own books to you can only read them in that device if you for example want to read in your kobo app in your phone you can’t

[@bretebey]

@@ramsesg ahh ok. No cloud solution provided by kobo. I've read that google drive and dropbox will connect, but you lose the metadata such as page reads and notes.

[@ramsesg]

@@bretebey yeah exactly you lose the current reading position etc. it is funny how every body talks about how Amazon locks you but to me that’s even more locking into kobo store

[@Juhjuh96]

pocketbook is the one who has all these things