If you’re one of those people that really likes the Kobo Libra 2 and missed out on getting one before Kobo discontinued it, or if you just want to get a backup, you’re in luck, sort of.
Kobo is selling the Kobo Libra 2 directly from their website again, but it’s listed as certified refurbished, so it’s not new. It’s selling for $159 with free shipping. That’s $30 less than what it sold for new.
This is the second time Kobo has stocked refurbished units for the Libra 2 since it was discontinued, and last time they didn’t last long so you might want to make it a priority to get one if you really like the Libra 2.
There’s also a listing on Amazon where you can get new ones for $196.09, but they’re being sold by a third-party seller. BlueProton, Kobo’s official reseller in the US, is also selling refurbished units on Amazon, but they are $199, which is $10 above the retail price when they sold them new.
Soon after Kobo released the Kobo Libra Colour, they phased out the Kobo Libra 2 without replacing it with a new black and white version (which is weird considering they did release a new BW Clara at the same time they released the color version). Some people are still holding out hope for a new Libra BW model in the future, but so far there’s been zero indication of that happening.
Some people prefer the superior contrast and clarity of black and white E Ink screens and don’t care for the look of color E Ink on the Libra Colour, so some were disappointed by the discontinuation of the black and white Libra model.
The Libra 2 is still a nice ereader and it really isn’t outdated even though it’s over three years old now, but Kobo is good about continuing to support older models, and E Ink products evolve very slowly. Even with the older Carta 1200 screen, the Kobo Libra 2 still has one of the best screens on the market as far as clarity and contrast are concerned, and the Libra models tend to have a more even frontlight than other Kobos for some reason. Plus the page turn buttons are nice to have.
Check out my comparison between the Libra 2 and the Libra Colour if you want to see how they stack up against each other: Kobo Libra Colour vs Libra 2 comparison review. Other than the screens, they’re the same in a lot of ways, but the Libra Colour adds support for using a stylus to take notes so that’s one advantage it has over the Libra 2. Here’s the link to my Kobo Libra 2 review if you want to learn more about it.
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