Kobo is currently running a Spring Sale and the Kobo Libra 2 is their only reading device that’s on sale this time.
During the sale you can get the Kobo Libra 2 for $169.99 with free shipping. That’s only $20 off the regular price so it isn’t anything to get excited about, but I don’t think Kobo has ever taken more than $20 off the Libra 2 since it was released.
You’d think they could take more than $20 off of a device that’s going on three years old, especially after they raised the list price by $10 last year, but Kobo never deeply discounts their ereaders. Even after they replace it with a new model they’ll still probably only take $20 off. Meanwhile Amazon has some Kindles on sale for $30-$100 off for their Spring Sale, but Amazon always beats Kobo on sale prices.
According to Kobo’s website, the sale on the Kobo Libra 2 ends on April 4th. The deal is valid at Kobo and from authorized resellers at Amazon and Walmart.
The Kobo Libra 2 is one of my favorite ereaders of all time. It has a 7-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen, and the contrast is better than most other ereaders thanks to the lack of an additional flush front layer. It has Dark Mode as well for white text on a black background.
The device also has a frontlight with adjustable color temperature, and the page buttons work well. It has 32GB of storage, a USB-C port, there’s Bluetooth for streaming audiobooks, it’s waterproof (IPX8 rated), and battery life is really good, a lot better than the more expensive Kobo Sage.
The only thing I don’t like about the Libra 2 is the plastic casing feels kind of cheap, but that can be said for a lot of Kobos over the years, and at least the plastic is holding up well and it doesn’t show scratches and smudges as easily as Kindles.
I wish they would release the new stuff already. I have been desperately stretching the life of my current clara for the last 6 months trying to make it to the new releases, but the battery is so bad it’s barely good for the whole day at this point. If they don’t release soon I may be e-reader-less for bit (I hate buying right before a new product releases. I am a poster child for the Osbourne Effect).