If you’re looking to score a new ebook reader for cheap, the Kobo Clara BW is currently on sale for the first time since it was released at the end of April (it might have gone on sale in other regions, but this is the first time it’s been on sale in the US).
The Kobo Clara BW is marked down to $109 with free shipping. That’s $20 off the regular price. It’s on sale directly from Kobo and from Kobo’s reseller, BlueProton, via Amazon. The sale ends on August 15th.
The Kobo Clara BW has a 6″ screen with 300ppi, and it uses the latest Carta 1300 screen tech from E Ink. It has a ComfortLight Pro, which is just a fancy way of saying it has a frontlight with adjustable color temperature.
It has 16GB of storage space, and it supports Kobo’s audiobooks in addition to ebooks. The device is also waterproof so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.
See my Kobo Clara BW review for a full rundown of the details, along with a list of pros and cons and a video walkthrough.
At $109 it’s a much better deal than the entry-level Kindle that sells for $99 with ads. For an extra $10 you get a warm frontlight, waterproofing, a newer screen with slightly better contrast, and no ads on the lockscreen. Plus the battery and other parts are user-replaceable, unlike with Kindles.
It’s the smallest Kobo ereader in the lineup so it’s highly portable and easy to take with you. It supports Dark Mode and all the main Kobo reading features. The plastic casing feels a bit cheap but it’s a nice device for the price.
The “BW” in the name stands for black and white. Kobo also sells a color version for $149, but it hasn’t gone on sale yet.
Norval says
Can we say user repairable or replaceable if ifixit still doesn’t have parts for sale? Sure you can view all 5 parts but they all say out of stock. Other than that lie from Kobo I do agree in this being a better value than the entry level Kindle and even more so now with a price drop.
Nathan says
Yeah, it’s totally ridiculous that parts still aren’t available after 3 months, but they’re bound to be available eventually.
Norval says
Thinking about it, could the reason ifixit has no parts is because the new units are still under Kobos warranty thus the responsibility of kobo to fix or replace?
Nathan says
No, broken screens aren’t even covered by warranties so they should at least be selling those.
Norval says
Might have to scour “for parts only” listings of these new kobos on ebay.
Klein says
Also discounted at Walmart and eBay from the seller BlueProton.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/5597369049
https://www.ebay.com/itm/156162333880
Klein says
Shouldn’t the post also be filed under Sales and discounts? I have it bookmarked and didn’t see this post show up and noticed it was missing.
Nathan says
Sorry about that. Apparently I forgot to file it under anything so it went under news by default.
Kafka says
Will never ever buy from blueproton on Amazon. They have so many insane fees attached to any return even if the item was defective and they say as such. Terrible customer service too.