Last week I posted about how the new Carta 1300 screen on the new Kobo Clara BW isn’t a worthwhile upgrade, at least not from a contrast standpoint, so I put together a video showing how it compares to other E Ink Carta screens.
On the product page for the Clara BW, Kobo says it has an E Ink Carta 1300 HD screen, and the page also says, “Enjoy faster page turns, deeper contrast, and optional Dark Mode for better nighttime reading.”
The faster page turns part is true, and the device is a bit zipper to navigate the interface overall compared to previous Kobos, but I’m not buying the “deeper contrast” claim.
In fact, I think it’s pretty clear from the video below the Carta 1200 screen on the previous gen Kobo Clara 2E has darker blacks, and maybe it even has a slightly lighter background, but they’re both so close it’s hard to tell for sure.
Like usual when it comes to changes with E Ink screens, the difference is very subtle, and probably a little more subtle in person than the video shows. But to my eyes the screen on the Clara 2E is slightly better strictly from a contrast standpoint.
I also compare the Carta 1300 screen to an original Carta screen on the Kindle Voyage from 10 years ago when 300 ppi E Ink Carta screens first started coming out. The difference is surprising.
Where Carta 1300 is Better
So based on what I’m seeing with the Carta 1300 screen on the Kobo Clara BW, I’m not buying the deeper contrast statement, but I am noticing some other areas where the screen seems better.
I don’t know if it’s the screen or if it’s some other hardware change with the Kobo Clara BW, but it does turn pages and refresh the screen a little faster than previous Kobos, and ghosting (afterimage effects) are less apparent as well, so it seems to do a better job of cleanly refreshing the screen, both in regular mode and when using Dark Mode.
Why Isn’t Contrast Better?
Ever since Carta 1300 screens first showed up in China, the word on the internet is they have better contrast than previous E Ink screens, and people have been waiting for the new “upgraded” screen to show up on more models.
Maybe Carta 1300 screens really do have better contrast and there’s just something about Kobo’s implementation that doesn’t show an improvement on the Clara BW.
Perhaps something changed with the way Kobo makes their frontlight layer or touchscreen layer. Who knows. But when I compared the Carta 1200 screen on the PocketBook Era it looked way worse than the same Carta 1200 screen on the Kobo Libra 2 because of the way the flush screen was implemented (presumably).
One thing I’ve learned over the years, E Ink screens are weird and they can sometimes look different on two exact same devices. Frontlights, ambient lighting, flush front layers, capacitive touchscreens, manufacturing variances—they can all have an effect on the appearance of E Ink screens.
Carta 1300 Video Comparison
So here’s the screen comparison video showing the Carta 1300 screen on the Kobo Clara BW (always on the left) and the Clara 2E with a Carta 1200 screen. The Kindle Voyage makes an appearance as well, with an original E Ink Carta screen. Spoiler alert, the Kindle Voyage’s screen still looks clearer and blacks look darker than any ereader I’ve seen since it was released in 2014, despite “upgrades” to E Ink Carta screens every few years.
Love the Kindle Voyage! Thank you so much for posting this. I have an ol’ Voyage and was looking at the new Carta 1300 models with major FOMO. Now I can relax and fixate on whether or not I absolutely need a Libra Colour instead.
Your article on Carta 1300 was insightful, as well.
Cheers!
The Voyage vs 1300 comparison is appalling. I think if I had to replace my Voyage today, I think the only readers I’d consider are all also discontinued. That’s sad!
You’d think these companies would prioritize screen quality more considering the entire purpose of ereaders is to stare at the screen, but they’d rather focus on changing things that really don’t matter that much. I don’t even know why the Clara BW exists when it’s 95% the same as the Clara 2E. I guess they wanted the Clara to be repairable? Then why not release reparible versions of the other models as well? I don’t get it.
I bought the new Clara BW and the screen is way better in dark mode than the Clara 2E and my Libra. I read exclusively in dark mode because of eye floaters. The newest Clara I received is a vast improvement over the other Claras and the Libra I had.
Oh my God!!! You are totally right!! You just saved me a TON of money. Carta 1300 looks much worse to me. I’m sticking with my Paperwhite 5. Carta 1200 is way better.
You’re right about the Voyage, the King of E-readers. If Amazon made a 10 inch Voyage, I’d pay $700 for it, lol.
Thank you, Nathan. This video was so helpful. What are your thoughts about the quality and evenness of the frontlight of the Kobo Clara BW compared with the Kobo Clara 2e? The frontlight on my Kobo Clara 2e is pretty good except for a little bit of shadowing at the bottom of the screen, which does bother me. If the frontlight on the new Clara BW is more even, I would be tempted to switch, just to get rid of the shadows. Thanks again for your insights!
I think it’s kind of the luck of the draw with frontlights but it’s pretty standard to have some unevenness with Kobo’s frontlights, and the Clara BW is no different. There are some slightly brighter areas on mine but it’s pretty subtle. The Libra 2 has the most even frontlight I’ve seen on a Kobo; I don’t know why they can’t replicate that on other models. Even the more expensive Sage I had had a noticeable gradient.