Kobo Released Revised Kobo Clara BW Made By Different OEM

At some point earlier this year Kobo started selling a new revised version of the Kobo Clara BW and they didn’t bother to announce it or even update their website with the new details.

Someone on reddit noticed a new listing for a second Kobo Clara BW with a different model number on the iFixit website. The new version, which was apparently released in April of 2025, is identified by the model number P365. The original Kobo Clara BW’s model number is N365.

All the key specs between the two models appear to be the same, except for one. The new revised version has a larger battery. The iFixit website shows the P365 model having a 2000 mAh battery, whereas the original N365 has a 1500 mAh battery. It’s unclear if there were any other hardware revisions, but switching to a battery that’s 500 mAh larger is a pretty big change.

Another interesting detail, as pointed out at MobileRead, is the fact that Kobo switched to a different OEM to make the revised Kobo Clara BW. Kobo’s devices have always been made by Netronix since the very beginning with the first Kobo ereader, which was a rebranded Netronix EB-600. This new Clara model was made by a company called Top Victory Electronics, according to the FCC paperwork.

It’ll be interesting to see if Kobo continues to use TPV moving forward. If so, it doesn’t look like any new Kobo models will be coming out this year because there aren’t any new submissions pending on the FCC list, and the revised Kobo Clara BW was first listed in December of 2024. There aren’t any new listings on Netronix’s FCC page either.

It makes you wonder why Kobo switched to a different manufacturer. They’ve been having a lot of problems keeping their devices in stock so maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe there was an issue with Netronix’s quality control, as Kobos have had a long history of frontlight issues, but that seems to affect most brands (after more than a decade these companies still can’t get frontlights right with uneven lighting and inconsistent color tones still prevalent).

It’s also strange how Kobo revised the Kobo Clara BW but they seemingly haven’t revised the Kobo Clara Colour, which is exactly the same as the Clara BW except for the screen. There’s no indication of a revised Clara Colour anywhere. Why wouldn’t they add a larger battery to it too, especially since color E Ink tends to use more battery because it requires more refreshing to avoid ghosting.