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Kobo Clara 2E Review: Affordable eReader gets big upgrades including audiobook support, water resistance, and eco-friendly design

Kobo Clara 2E Review: Affordable eReader gets big upgrades including audiobook support, water resistance, and eco-friendly design
Written by adrina

In the Kobo eReader lineup, the Clara series has occupied something of a sweet spot. It’s compact, affordable, and a step up from the entry-level Nia. While other models like the Sage (reviewed here) are aimed at die-hard fans of digital reading with features like an oversized 8-inch screen and physical buttons, the Clara aims to offer a solid, mainstream eReader experience. It even includes premium features found on the more expensive Kobo eReaders, namely the company’s excellent ComfortLight PRO. The latest version of the Kobo Clara is the new Clara 2E and it features some serious upgrades over the previous generation Clara HD.

Upgrades for the Clara 2E

The Clara 2E’s basic form factor hasn’t changed significantly from the model it replaces. It’s a black hard plastic device with a 6-inch display. There are minor changes like a different textured pattern on the back and it’s slightly larger (fractions of an inch and a fraction of an ounce heavier).

It still has advanced Kobo features, including the excellent ComfortLight Pro (with adjustable color temperature), TypeGenius, and built-in OverDrive support (for borrowing eBooks from libraries). It’s designed as a no-frills eReader, but with some high-end features for a better user experience.

For 2022, Kobo managed to keep the Clara HD’s introductory price of $129.99 (no small feat in these times) while delivering an impressive list of upgrades. Here’s what’s new:

  • Gets a new E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen with dark mode
  • The integrated memory doubles to 16 GB
  • 802.11ac WiFi
  • Bluetooth with audio book support
  • USB-C charging
  • IPX8 water resistance (up to 60 minutes in six feet of water)

Any of these would be a win, but together they make for a vastly improved eReader that’s equipped for the modern user. However, there is one more change worth highlighting on its own.

Kobo’s first e-reader made from ocean-bound and recycled plastic

It’s not a functional feature, but the Clara 2E can influence you with its green approach. According to Kobo, the Clara 2E’s case is made from more than 85% recycled plastic, including 10% from the ocean. With the move, the company aims to remove over 200,000 plastic bottles from the oceans and keep more than a million CDs and DVDs out of landfills over the next year. SleepCovers for the Clara 2E are also made from recycled material.

Being eco-friendly won’t improve your reading experience, but it can make you feel better using an electronic device than you would a paper book.

Handy with the Kobo Clara 2E

The Clara 2E is a compact e-reader. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket (it fits in both the front and back pockets of most of my shorts) so you can take it with you wherever you go. That includes the bath if you want – I confirmed that being submerged in water wasn’t a problem. The patterned back offers some grip, but it’s a hard plastic, so you won’t get the same effect as with softer material. However, this eReader is so small that I just held it in one hand like a smartphone, so I had a secure grip on the sides.

The E Ink Carta 1200 screen (at 300 PPI) ensures crisp text and the touchscreen responds perfectly to a tap to turn the page. I did notice that the Clara 2E was a little sluggish when it comes to page turning and screen switching compared to the Sage, but I might not have noticed if I hadn’t had the other eReader to compare. This is perhaps one area where Kobo has kept costs down – there’s no spec for the processor other than 1GHz, and that’s the same speed as the outgoing model.

The customized reading experience with Kobo’s TypeGenius remains the best in the business, and ComfortLight PRO (with its ability to switch to a warm amber hue to avoid sleep-disrupting blue light when reading at night) remains one of my favorite features of Kobo. This new display also supports dark mode if that’s what you prefer.

I’m not an audio book fan, but if you enjoy listening to books then the addition of Bluetooth will be a great asset.

Kobo Clara 2E key specifications

  • 6-inch HD E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen with a resolution of 1448 x 1072 (300 PPI)
  • Dark mode
  • 16GB onboard storage
  • Dual band 802.11ac WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • IPX8 water resistance
  • ComfortLight PRO with adjustable brightness and color temperature
  • Charging via USB-C, battery life estimated at weeks
  • TypeGenius (12 fonts and > 50 font styles)
  • Supports 15 file types including EPUB, PDF and TXT
  • Supports Kobo audiobooks
  • Built-in OverDrive support, built-in Pocket support for offline reading
  • 4.4 x 6.3 x 0.34 inches, weighs 6.0 ounces
  • Sleep covers sold separately
  • MSRP $129.99

recommendation

Here’s the usual disclaimer for any Kobo eReader: if you’re an Amazon Kindle owner and have built a library of Kindle eBooks (with their proprietary file format), you probably won’t be switching platforms.

If you’re not stuck on Kindle and are looking for a solid eReading (and audiobook) experience in a compact and affordable package – and one that’s “greener” than most – the new Kobo Clara 2E is worth considering. You get a lot of features for this $129.99 price. And if you’re looking for a more elevated experience, don’t forget that Kobo also stock the Libra 2, Sage, and the unique Elipsa.

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