If you frequent certain segments of the interwebs, it’s surprising how often you hear people wishing Kobo would release a new Kobo Libra with a regular black and white E Ink screen, but so for there’s been zero indication that that is going to happen anytime soon, if ever.
Last year at this time everybody knew that Kobo was about to release new models because they had turned up for approval on the FCC website months in advance, and leaks of product pages started appearing a month before Kobo officially announced and started accepting pre-orders for their three new models, two with color E Ink screens.
The Kobo Libra Colour is closing in on its one year birthday later this month, and yet Kobo still hasn’t released a BW version to compliment it, despite releasing a Clara BW at the same time as the new color models last year. At this point it’s looking less likely by the day a Libra BW will ever come along.
As I’ve said in the past, I think Kobo not releasing a Libra BW was a big mistake, especially considering all the people that recently wanted to switch from Kindles to Kobos. Kobo not offering anything comparable to the Kindle Paperwhite is head-scratching.
Not everyone wants to settle for the cheapest model that Kobo sells, and not everyone that just wants to read regular ebooks is willing to sacrifice screen clarity and overall contrast for color E Ink just to have covers and highlights in color.
There’s still a chance that Kobo could release something new this fall, and if they find a way to hide their FCC listings they might be able to pull off a surprise release, but let’s face the facts: Almost every new Kobo that has been released has had information leak months in advance. So far this year there’s been nothing but crickets on the new Kobo front.
Sorry to say, but it’s not looking good for a Libra BW in 2025. It looks like Kobo is doubling down on color E Ink, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they didn’t release any new models at all this year. At this point a color Elipsa is probably more likely than a Libra BW.
Agree on possible color Ellipsa. I am a probable buyer. Not so sure about not getting a B and W Libra. Seems like low hanging fruit to me…not much needed to use the same Libra chassis and have a compelling lineup for many buyers.
Kobo is in dire need of a management change. Not having a 7” e-reader to compete with the Paperwhite is the latest inexcusably bad move by Kobo. I’ve tried to switch to Kobo over the last year and a half, but I’ve given up on them as they are too screwed up. As Nook is an even bigger mess, I am stuck with Monopoly-zon.
Loving my Libra 2 more and more every day…
These companies don’t listen to what their customers want. Most people who are avid readers of fiction (and that’s the primary reason to get one of these devices) don’t care so much about color as they do about the contrast and quality of the screen.