Kobo is expected to release a new ebook reader later this year called the Kobo Clara HD.
Yesterday one of Kobo’s Canadian retailers, Chapters.Indigo, uploaded the first video on YouTube showing the Kobo Clara HD.
Unfortunately it’s not a real video, more like a commercial with computer generated images, but it does reveal some interesting details about Kobo’s upcoming new ereader.
Well, maybe not so much interesting as disappointing but at least it’s something.
The Kobo Clara HD is another 6-inch ereader, but unlike Kobo’s current model it has a Comfortlight Pro to adjust the frontlight color. One would also assume that it has a 300 ppi E Ink screen since they refer to it as HD, but that’s never specifically stated in the video.
They also bumped the onboard storage space up to 8GB, but other specs are still unknown at this point.
The design is very basic, and unfortunately it lacks page buttons just like all other Kobos. I was hoping they’d do something different for a change but that didn’t happen, and putting a large power button on the bottom edge is a questionable decision considering how easy they are to accidentally press in that position, especially when using a stand.
There’s still no word on a release date and I’m not convinced that it’s going to get released anytime soon (I thought they’d wait until around September) but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Update: Sorry folks, the video got removed but there wasn’t much to see anyway. Just picture the current Kobo Aura 2 with slightly rounder edges and the power button on the bottom instead of the back. It’s what the Kobo Aura 2 should have been in the first place, instead of being the equivalent to the older Kindle Paperwhite 2 in terms of specs.
No video, sadly.
You aren’t missing anything…really. Just a basic looking ereader. Not very exciting.
BTW….that is not meaning to knock Nathan at all. It just seems like a “meh” offering from Kobo.
It seems to be his opinion too 😉
I was waiting for the new Kobo, but I got bored of waiting, and ordered Pocketbook InkPad3 from their webpage, expected to be in my hands on Monday! Glad I didn’t wait for the Kobo.
Thank you Nathan, again, for this blog! You were the first with this info on the Kobo Klara HD. And because of you I landed on the Pocketbook, with 7.8″ screen, and page turn buttons.
I wrote comments here, if you want to know more about the Pocketbook InkPad3:
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2018/03/09/pocketbook-inkpad-3-pdf-review-video/
I had a feeling the video would get pulled. I don’t think Kobo is ready to release it yet.
What the heck with all these 6″ readers?!
I guess they kept the blind eyes on market demands for more advanced and bigger screens and have no idea why?
unlike the rest of gadget industries, ebook readers are ways behind the technology’s edge and that’s very sad …
Kobo needs a better 6″ model so this isn’t surprising. Their current model is basically equivalent to the Kindle Paperwhite 2 with the low resolution screen. They should have just kept the Kobo Glo HD around instead of discontinuing it for an inferior version.
Hmm … Kinda sounds like the rumored PaperWhite 4, doesn’t it?
Probably not a coincidence.
More to the point, assuming it thast is, will said PW4 be equally disappointing to you?
The Paperwhite 4 rumors were fabricated by a blog desperate for attention; they said the same thing last year. It’s obvious they know absolutely nothing of Amazon’s plans. And yes, if all Amazon did was add adjustable frontlight color to the Paperwhite 4 and double storage space it would be extremely disappointing. Quite frankly at this point I’m done using ebook readers without page buttons. Some folks criticize the unusual design of the Kindle Oasis but after using it for half a year I don’t want to go back to these type of ereaders with the same old boring designs.
Again no white bezel.
The Clara HD looks like an old Tolino, just black instead of brown.
I just realized the photo is the new Kobo model. It looks exactly like my Kindle Paperwhite 2!
It also looks like the original Kobo Touch from 2011, minus the home button and memory card slot. Way to innovate, Kobo. At least Amazon gives us a little variation with Kindle designs, and B&N with the Nook. Kobo just keeps redoing the same thing over and over again.
“One would also assume that it has a 300 ppi E Ink screen since they refer to it as HD”
Sadly you’re wrong to assume that. I have the Aura 2 and the box says HD but it is not 300 ppi. I think it would be safer to assume that the Clara is a reskinned Aura 2.
To call a screen HD it just needs to be able to resolve at least 720 lines of resolution. That means that a 1024×768 resolution qualifies. And in fact there were plasmas sold back in the day that had that resolution and advertised themselves as being HD.
It seems that the italian Feltrinelli store announced the release and characterics of this reader : quoilire.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/la-nouvelle-kobo-clara-hd-sannonce/
It’s an entry-level product, presumably designed to compete against the PaperWhite 4.
It is what it is and I agree with you that it leaves a lot to be desired but the problem isn’t with the device itself, the problem is with your expectations for an entry-level device.