🌈 Kobo Libra Colour Unboxing & Review 📖

Thank you so much for watching, it helps me continue to make videos like this! Timestamps below if you want to jump around!
00:00 Intro
00:46 Unboxing
02:51 Review Starts
03:05 Price
03:35 Form Factor
03:54 Examples of annotating with colour
05:18 The Stylus
06:33 Build of the Device
07:44 Features - waterproof, auto rotate, brightness, battery life
08:44 Overdrive (library books)
10:01 Notetaking
11:13 Can you use a digital planner?
13:39 How this works if you already have kindle books
16:24 Can this work with kindle unlimited?
17:48 Final Thoughts

[@xandriamonique]

Now this is a thorough review! You even talked about things I didn't even think about (changing font size when having already annotated)!

[@papernroses]

Thank you so much! 💗💗

[@redforcelist]

I want to get one but don't want to leave Kindle.

[@Sweetpeajolz]

My thoughts exactly. It’s an expensive change if it’s not as good as Kindle

[@gel5037]

Same! Will wait for Kindle to release something like this! Hopefully they release a white device

[@trident2020]

I ordered the Kobo Libra Colour and I absolutely love it in white like this reviewer has. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite and will keep it because I have most of my books in the Kindle ecosystem. I will keep both e-readers, the Kobo will be for reading library books through Overdrive and EPUB book downloads from other websites like Z-Library, Project Gutenberg and other online places. I also have the Calibre program in my computer and have an archive of past converted EPUB books saved in there which I’ve uploaded onto my new Kobo so I already have plenty of books to read right in my Kobo without having to buy anything. Amazon’s Kindle in my view is still king because of the vast number of Kindle books in every subject imaginable which nobody else really has, especially Kindle exclusives and obscure e-books not found anywhere else.

[@papernroses]

I’m desperately hoping the rumors about a color e-ink kindle is true because it would be a dream - especially if they allowed annotation directly on the page!

[@sfs825]

@@papernrosesI have the Kindle Scribe and was super bummed that you cannot annotate directly. Only in sticky notes. Hopefully a future update will change that. I ordered the Kobo Libra Colour as well, I’ll probably keep both 😂

[@ECA-14]

Alright. The fact that you can actually annotate on the book pages instead of leaving hand written notes in a separate pop up window may have sold me. I have so many books on kindle but…….this may have been enough to convince me to switch.

[@morgiescorner]

I was having the same problem with my palm changing the page. I just went to settings and turn off tap and swipe to go to the next page to swipe only. That fixed it 90% of the time!

[@andreluissoriano]

You’ve covered a lot especially things directly on my mind when I saw this product. Thanks for that!

[@portzblitz]

Great, thorough review, sheesh 👏🏾 Best one i've seen by far. You answered almost all my lingering questions, and talked about many other things nobody else even mentioned. Thanks so much. I'm off to get me one! Cheers 🥂

[@shybunnymia]

This is extremely helpful! I wanted to by the colored e-reader since it came out. Thank you for the very detailed review!

[@arielwhittle]

I’m in love with mine. I’m keeping my paperwhite for KU, but I have enough books to where I’m gonna be using just the kobo for a while. The annotating is so much fun

[@giak890]

EXACTLY what im doing too!

[@papernroses]

Honestly this is what I’m going too, the annotating is too fun but I do still love my kindle lol

[@DLL_C_DLL]

Hi, I just randomly showed up to see a review, but I just wanted to say the unboxing was really well done.

[@greentea0956]

Love this video! A very thorough review with great visuals, great editing, and just great vibe overall. just one critique: while you were talking the camera shifts a lott, i find that a bit distracting, but thats the only downside to this video. great job!

[@lailapatel8197]

Such a detailed review ! So helpful, Loved it !!!

[@RoVicD]

I have a kindle and for the first time I'm considering changing. Personally, I don't know that I would bother transfering my books. Most of them I wouldn't reread, and I can access them on my phone for refrence. I'm waiting to see if kindle announces a new device before making my decision.

[@QueenKattz]

FANTASTIC review !! Thank You !! xx

[@kritischelezer]

Thanks for the review! The one thing holding me back upgrading my Libra 2 to the colour version, is that I want to be able to annotation scientific papers as well, which I import as A4-sized pdf's. But judging from your test with a planner, it looks like the pinch&zoom you need for that are still not really workable. So for that, I would probably need the Boox, for a bigger screen, if that one even is big enough. Annotating with colours is my way of working as well, great to see it works so well in regular books.

[@kou_isthatyou]

This is my next dream to get this haha thanks for the review

[@WritersLike]

This is so thorough and helpful, thank you! I would buy this based on the direct-borrow from library option ALONE, that is my dream.

[@kayvalentine]

I just ordered mine today so excited

[@kalistaputri491]

wow this is such a complete review! it's interesting indeed for your e-reader to have colours and you can even write in it

[@Seolhwaneul]

Why does the camera keep moving when you move omg im getting dizzy LOL

[@papernroses]

lol my camera has a gimble, oops! 😅

[@Seolhwaneul]

@@papernroses might have to turn face tracking off since it's just a sit-down video? 😅gimbals may be helpful if you're on the go hehe

[@loveycricut]

Your review is very good, I just wondered if you know one thing, can you use multiple cards with he overdrive? I currently use 6 on my Kindle.

[@mackbranum]

omg im so excited i cant even wait until after the video finishes to comment

[@LilRoseMadder]

Thank you for such a great review.

[@janinebradbury648]

Great video brought one a few days ago I love it 😊

[@IsouDMI]

I’ve been converted and gonna pick one out this afternoon. However I have so much stuff on my kindle that it’s going to take forever to transfer lol. But gotta do it for the buttons, white colour and coloured screen!!

[@esthereley6808]

Loving your eReader reviews. Accessible and thorough! I've gone for the Boox Palma as I'm so invested in Kindle (probably have a 1,000 books) and it allows me to use Libby and BorrowBox too. I'd love it if Kindle made something similar.

[@papernroses]

Thank you so much! That is something I absolutely love about the Boox e-ink tablets the Palma is such a great device - I love mine, so many options for reading applications! I should try borrow box!

[@WillieComment]

I picked a Palma even though I knew this was coming out. I don’t regret it, but I’m still envious of the colour.

[@St_Fish]

Thanks for this review! Is it possible to easily export highlighted text and annotations to your PC or are they trapped on the device?

[@michelles.7804]

Such a great review!!! This kobo is very temping and I was dying to hear your review before I even thought to consider it. ❤

[@papernroses]

You just made my day! 💗

[@AlexSedevie]

Great video! Not sure if you said this and I missed it, but do you get to view annotations made on library books that have been returned?

[@viridianapena4584]

Cool features would love to have these options in libby or hoopla.

[@chimmypark1603]

Thanks for the informative video!

[@omeyettebaguette1968]

For your issue with removing DRM from your Amazon kindle library, have you tried to input your kindle's serial number on the DRM remover plugin? I've reset my pc a couple of times and each time I attempted to setup the plugin on Calibre, it was the only step I always completely overlooked, so you might want to check on that.

[@delacari444-re7dt]

I have a very old Kindle that I haven't used in years and am ready to start reading again so I'm on the market for a good ereader for me. Does the Kobo Libra have the dyslexia font and the lighting that is easier on the eyes? Also, In terms of audio books does Kobo libra or Kindle work better for listening to books? Thanks! This video is very helpful.

[@PlantingAshley]

Just wanted to say i love ur videos

[@papernroses]

Omgosh thank you! 💗💗🥹

[@Kimmy_Bee]

Very informative! The thing I find the most unfortunate is that when some of us annotate, we do so in order to go to that particular color/tab/etc. in order to revisit certain passages for reference, to re-experience, or whatever other reason. If a reader geared towards annotating doesn't have some kind of sorting function to find not just the highlights, but specifically search highlights by color, then it sort of just defeats the purpose for me. I appreciate your review, and I think I'm going to wait around for the Kindle to think about these sorting/finding kinds of features.

[@joseeblanchard]

i have kindle and kobo. and love kobo, having both is fun :)

[@mikaelastefkova]

How do you use both, please? Do you have a specific use for them or does it simply depend on the day? ^^

[@irinajones7348]

Just something that could be helpful - you can change the setting for how the screen responds. E.g. you can turn off the "tap" and swithc to only "swipe" or "buttons" for page turning. Could be useful when you're writing and pressing down with your hand.

[@irismaye5992]

I want this too. I plan to buy them.

[@cpepos]

Great video! I like how you can annotate on any book. For some reason Kindle Scribe can only do the same on PDFs but on epub/mobi only sticky notes :/

[@steverolfeca]

I bought this just to get library synch (Amazon stiffs Canadian customers!), and can’t get over how well it works. My Paperwhite and Scribe are sitting idle.

[@melissarodriguez2062]

Rumors is 2005 Amazon is coming with two color e- reader. Definitely I can wait

[@papernroses]

I hope that’s true! Would be a dream!

[@ericzacharyryder6453]

@@papernroses More than a rumour. It's been announced. A 6" and a 10" version, as I recall.

[@tori8108]

Hi, I was able to go to my content on Amazon’s website and download the files and upload directly to calibre and convert to epub. Unsure if this epub can now be uploaded to the kobo though

[@maureenb7399]

I use Kindle and Kobo - they both have their pros and cons. Great review. I agree, the new Kobo Colour is a great device.

[@papernroses]

I agree with you! Both definitely have their place, personally will be using both too haha

[@jessicanicolle9882]

I had the same issue with Calibre. I was able to google how to fix it. I think I had to download an older version of the dedrm plugin

[@eleonoragiannetti3603]

I have the Kobo libra in black and white and I like it a lot, although I am a paper fan and I tend to lean towards paperbaks instead of ebooks. The most annoying thing about ereaders so far is the notetaking part: I hate having my notes separate from the page. Maybe having them on the page and the possibility of switching colors will make me use my ereader more :D One thing I didn't notice is how easy it is to switch colors? How do you do that? Btw the last con you talked about is the only reason I will never purchase a kindle, or in general an "amazon only" product.

[@warnerblair]

I will be using both kobo and kindle

[@papernroses]

Same!! Haha

[@JirehGerch]

You probably used a broken DeDRM plugin. I used the wrong one and had the same problem happened to me as well, as soon as I downloaded the plugin from another source it worked perfectly. I have the Kobo Clara Colour. I really enjoy your videos ☺️

[@RianFloyd]

Great review, very thorough. I’m also super keen for an easy way to mark up my ebooks with handwritten annotations. The only thing preventing me from picking up the Libra Colour is that there’s currently no way to export/sync handwritten annotations (Kobo refers to this as Markup), unlike highlights/notes which you can export and sync to services like Readwise. I use a Supernote with its ‘Digest’ function currently which lets you export handwritten notes to PDF. It would be nice if Kobo let you do the same. Right now, if something happens to your Kobo and you have to replace it, those scribbled notes on your books? All gone. This is especially problematic with library books which you only have access to temporarily. Also, quick tip I saw from Reddit: If you swipe down from the top of the screen, you can access a menu to quickly jump between your last few items. e.g. to switch between a book and a notebook.

[@papernroses]

Wow! That’s a great point! Seems like an oversight to not allow annotations to be exported! Hopefully we get a software update!

[@MagpieCrafter]

Thank you for taking the time to write about the exporting annotations issue. It is a deal breaker for me even though I’m looking for a way out of the Amazon/kindle environment.

[@Rsmin]

Great review. Are you still enjoying the Libra?

[@msmuniz23]

Wow I want one. I will get one in the future

[@mikeyofplanet80]

Did you keep clear case on when you put in the notebook? It fits that way?

[@ez7019]

what case would you recommend? the sleep cover or the clear one?

[@currentlyreading_]

If I annotate and then I change the font size, what happens to what I scribbled ? Do you mean it stays the same even if the font size is smaller/bigger? thank you

[@missumarocks]

Hey! Would you know how to set up screensaver in this device so you don’t see the book cover on this front?

[@valeriarota6029]

I download my books on my Kindle, it's still EPUB format on Kobo or it changes?

[@AsReadByAlex]

Would you say that you have the same issue while making annotations, in regards to the palm rejection?

[@powerpuff4ever]

I wonder if they’ll be able to address the hand pressure problem when writing with the stylus. This looks so fun but I know my writing habits and it would jump all over the place 😅

[@SweetAngelPinay06]

Does your highlighter in the notebook fade after you highlight?

[@colleencasey3904]

I have the Libra colour and the Kindle Paperwhite for KU.

[@zam9262]

hi, do you know if the Kobo Libra Color is compatible with other electronic pencils by any chance?

[@pumpkinsspiced]

Do you think that the next Kindle Scribe will have similar capabilities? I want this, but I am in WAY too deep with Kindle lol.

[@nolongerhavetowork]

I want a coloured e reader but I currently have kindle. What is the best coloured e reader to go for?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Great review. I’ve found Calibre can be a bit tricky in the past too, but it seems to be working for me at the moment so I’m stripping DRM off about 2000 books 😂

[@tancycampbell]

Same I’m doing a couple a day.

[@jamienewman4881]

I feel your pain...I've been going through mine. I think I FINALLY got all the twitchy plug-in pieces first.

[@rodrigocalisto8025]

Fantastic, amazing this kobo😊

[@gabimoon107]

Loved the review! (Its only me or her camera is moving too? Like every hand movement the canara ajusts a bit??)

[@katsayshii]

Can you make a comparison between Kobo Libra Colour and BOOX Tab Mini C?

[@jorawillemsen1847]

If kobo would make a big one for students, i’ll be to first one to buy one!

[@steverolfeca]

BTW, I installed the Bookerly font, and it helped with readability.

[@ShanDaniwills]

Im wanting to get this, but the issue i have is how am i supposed to transfer my kindle books off my kindle to the kobo when i dont have a computer 😭

[@giselleyves]

Can you compare it to the scribe?

[@RennMief]

can you compare boox tab mini c and kobo libra color?

[@TheLucyannaVIP]

Im just going to wait for kindles colour as they are making 1 coming between this year to next year

[@papernroses]

Can’t wait for the kindle color! So exciting!

[@samydperu8947]

I want to annotate as well. I hope if the rumors for the color kindle are true, that you are able to annotate in the kindle. How is the battery life?

[@Sharrk13]

How do you think about the organization on kindle vs kobo? I'm considering switching because of the annotation abilities, but if kobo had better book organization than Kindle that would push me over the fence.

[@kritischelezer]

What I love about the Kobo book organising features is that you can make custom 'collections' and add books to one or multiple collections (e.g. I have collections for : fantasy, philosophy, climate crisis, children's books, science fiction, etc). Other than that, you can sort by 'recent, date added, title, author, series, file size and file type' and filter by: all, ebooks, unread, reading, finished, purchased, previews, imported and downloaded

[@nanskugirl1762]

why is the camera moving around? hahaha thanks for this review tho! I have a 2012 kindle keyboard i got for free from my mom. I love annotating my physical books tho so this is really tempting hahahaha

[@Seolhwaneul]

apparently she has a gimbal that might have face tracking on lol I recommended that she turn it off for just sit-down videos hehe

[@CozyGirlyGames]

I want to get this or the mini c for my bf because he LOVES manga but it hurts his eyes when he reads on his phone. But I literally can not decide which to get! 😅😅

[@brilliantminds19]

Hi, Chantal! I've recently discovered your channel (specifically because of your Onyx Boox Mini Tab C review). Is there a way that you can do a side-by-side comparison of the said device and this e-reader? Thank you!

[@papernroses]

This is a great idea! I’ll add it to my list of video to film! 💗

[@brilliantminds19]

@@papernroses Thank you! Looking forward to it!

[@weirdfi]

Yes, I'm tossing up between those two now I found a few retailers in Australia actually do sell some Onyx Boox...

[@reerariree]

Would love to see a comparison of this kobo vs the boox tablet 💕

[@jessicasblack]

I had a Boox tablet. It's not really comparable because Boox does so much more than a basic e-reader. The color is the same because Boox is now using the kaleido 3 color eink but that's kind of where it ends. Boox uses Android OS so you will download the Kindle and Kobo apps and it works like the apps would on any other tablet but you can't annotate in the books unless you convert them to pdf and then load them back onto your Boox.

[@aianio4932]

I really really want this but I am also waiting for a colored Kindle. I’m not rich enough to have both 😭

[@ReadingWheNeva]

I plan on getting this specifically for library and stuff your ereader day books. I won’t be getting rid of kindle unlimited because I use it too much to actually get rid of it.

[@papernroses]

This is a great idea! I’m keeping kindle and kindle unlimited too - too hard to leave behind haha

[@SpikeSpiegel29]

I do have a question about annotations on library books. Will they be lost once you have to give the book back to your library or will you still have access to them but them but without the link to the specific section in the book?

[@drivenspirit416]

You have to re-check out the book, or buy it in order to see your annotations

[@SpikeSpiegel29]

@@drivenspirit416 Thanks a lot for the answer. And fair enough. Was hoping that you keep them in your notebooks section. But that is not really a dealbreaker for me since I usually buy a book if I like it enough to even make annotations in it.

[@taifrasier]

do you like this better than the boox mini tab c?

[@papernroses]

For annotating I do because it has a built in book store and overdrive that allows you to directly write on your books! But I still always recommend boox for anyone who reads on multiple applications because you can do it all on one and always read with the e-ink display! I hope that answers your question!

[@arthurbarreto8221]

Great video

[@marasi99]

Can you use multiple library cards with the built in Overdrive?

[@colleencasey3904]

No you can only load one library card at a time but you can load the rest. I have Paperwhite for that reason too.

[@simsationelle]

wheres the link

[@TrailBlazer5280]

i love this size but the big side bar totally ruins it for me. All that space for two buttons, just make it larger if you need more room for computing and give us a full size screen.

[@classicappetite]

I'm a converted long time Kindle user too like you haha

[@papernroses]

I could not resist haha 😆

[@kategraceewing1029]

I asked my mom to order this for my Christmas gift

[@classicappetite]

From reading distance you can't notice what's so called "screen door effects" at all! Many other reviewers just took camera shots at a close and max zoomed out distance and made it a big deal! May I ask how much brightness you put on? The screen looks naturally off white for me! :)

[@papernroses]

I had my brightness on 50% I believe for most of this video! ☺️

[@classicappetite]

@@papernroses Yours is the clearest video on the color screen! I was tossing up pre-ordering between black or white, but finally ordered white, even with the same sand beige cover as yours. I had always used black Kindles but with your video I think I'll be very happy with the white device - time for a complete getaway from the past (Amazon)! :)) Thanks a lot.

[@abbycrossing13]

I wish this had all of the big book apps available (libby, hoopla, cloud library, audible, etc.) Because i love the idea of this over the boox one i ordered. And its more affordable. Ugh. Why cant all ereaders just run android

[@Linreads143]

I want one so bad but i bought my kindle just 1 1/2 years ago 😭

[@jonaekyoshee]

❤

[@Grace-Grace-]

You didn’t review at all how you feel about the color and how it looks 😅 which is the reason the device is called the Libra color lol…how does it do with color reading such as graphic novels or do you see any differences good or bad with screen quality of black or color display?

[@papernroses]

I thought the color reading was great, I did have a clip of a comic but must have forgot to insert it into the video but I know a ton of images are circulating. I would say and I think I did mention in the video it’s something to manage your expectations on because it doesn’t compare in vibrancy to the LED screens we’re used to when it comes to how many colors there are. But for e-ink is a really awesome experience! At least for me personally!

[@Grace-Grace-]

@@papernroses Do you think the color and note pad app is on par with the tab mini c you have? I’m torn on which device is for me and this is the main two things I’m looking forward to is journaling/to do lists and color reading for graphic novels. Thanks!

[@Drsameh-vh1qd]

Nowadays i keep watching videos about ereaders so i dont have time to read

[@arcturianoracle784]

I’m a kindle user but this looks amazing 😭 lol. I paid like 200 I think for the kindle I have 😭. It’s not worth that now at all if I wanted to sell it 😢 lol.

[@arantxavaleriarierazalnier1213]

Cool but not for my one thing I love about kindle is simplicity

[@ava103]

i really enjoyed this review but whatever was going on with the camera moving was almost nauseating, like being on a cruise ship

[@jenniferlyngrant8635]

You made no mention of the color. That’s shocking, as that’s the only new feature for an ereader device

[@winterwoods6406]

would someone buy me this or kindle please 😢

[@florenciaguzzanti3231]

Te cansa la vista??

[@Alaska_Eshmadai]

so dark the screen...better B/w version. Isn't the right moment for color ink screen yet. Then the battery is so few. zi have a Kobo Libra 2 which I must recharge once a week if it's always in standby and reading 4-5 hours per day ( it has 1500mhA)...the color has just 2000mh. Better wait new technology