8.7 Score
Look, when it comes to reading, I love a good physical book, where I get to feel every page when I flip through, write down notes, mark words I want to look up and sentences that hit home or resonate with me. But when I travel, with limited cargo space in my carry-on, things can get a little heavy. It’s one area I don’t mind having an eBook reader, and so for the past few weeks, I have been travelling with the Kobo Clara Colour, and as a former Kindle user, who sold his Paperwhite not too long ago, the Kobo Clara Colour puts the Amazon Kindle to shame in so many ways, and I just might get one.
Kobo Clara Colour Review
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It’s no Paperwhite, because it’s the Entry Model
Coming from Kindle Paperwhite, the Kobo Clara Colour is no Paperwhite, so comparing to the Paperwhite isn’t quite fair. So, the best comparison would be to pit it against the normal Kindle, which I got for my mum. That said, both the Kindle and the Clara Colour share similar design cues. The recessed display, a polycarbonate shell which can take a beating and is certified for IPX8 water resistance, is a great thing to have.
And for those who want a non-basic eReader, then you could pick up the Clara Colour in a white finish, which is pretty nice. Apart from the simple looks, there are some thoughtful design choices. You have the USB-C port at the bottom for charging and data transfer, and then the power button is not located on the side, but it’s on the back.
Not just that, the button is recessed, so you won’t turn the device on by accident. And when you do want to turn it on, the button naturally falls under your index finger, making it a thoughtfully designed product I have seen. All that aside, don’t let the simple look fool you because this Clara, well, she packs a punch.
But you get a Lot for an entry-level eReader
For an entry-level eReader, it packs more features than one would expect. Now, obviously, this is the Colour version, so you do get a 6” eInk Kaleido 3 display with FastGLR and Dark Mode, which has variable ppi depending on the content. Comes in a 16GB variant with support for WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth and is rated for IPX8, which means it can take 2 meters of submersion in water. Interestingly, the Black Clara Colour we have here has a 1500mAh battery, whereas the white variant gets 400mAh more.
All that decked out for an eReader like this is pretty much amazing. You could probably get a similar specification with the Kindle; however, there is one thing you cannot get.
My Favourite: The OS and Experience, Extremely user-friendly
What truly caught me off guard and surprised me was the Kobo OS because it is truly the most user-friendly interface and is more open to be able to be used however you like it. That all starts with the books it can support, and say if you do want to read your DRM-Free books and want to upload them to the Clara Colour, you don’t have to use a dedicated app, or go through extra hassles to upload as you do with the Kindle.
You have the option to upload via wired transfer, which is exactly what I did minutes before boarding my flight, and to have reading material on the Clara, or you can use Cloud storage like Google Drive and Dropbox to synchronise your books. Say, if you do have DRM books, they can also be uploaded, though the steps to do it are a bit of a hassle, but better this than not being able to upload at all. Once you drag and drop the book you want to read, bam, it’s on the reader.
And then you have the interface, which is so easy to use. On the top end, you have all the toggles: Brightness/Natural Light, WiFi, Bluetooth, Battery, Sync and Search. Under the My Books toggle and Discover, it is super straightforward to access everything, which made me realise that you could give this to someone who isn’t tech inclined and they would be able to get in and out easily.
Once you do start reading, the number of things you can do with it makes it truly a great travel companion. From annotating sentences, literally tapping the corner to book mark a page, customizing the font down to exactly how you love it, and say if you accidentally skipped pages, it gives you the option to go back to the previous page you were on, searching meaning for words without an internet connection – all of these features sets a good foundation and a distraction free reader for everyone.
In fact, throughout my time reading on the Clara Colour – I did put my phone down and found myself engulfed in the book I was reading through and through. Immediately made me realise what I was missing out on with my Kindle.
The Colour eInk has it’s Trade offs
Having a colour display is great, but having a colour eInk display is a totally different experience. Compared to the monochrome e-ink display, which you can find in their B&W Clara, the contrast with monochrome content is a bit lacking. In fact, the colour eInk display does feel different.
The eInk Carta 1300 display found in the black and white Clara does have fantastic clarity and tack-sharp, darker black and brighter whites while still maintaining the same DPI as the Kaleido display. Since the black and white Clara can’t do visual novels, the Clara Colour can, however, at a lower 150ppi, which might not seem like a great deal until you read something.
With the natural light, it does become a little hard to enjoy, and once you toggle that off, the comics are pretty decent to read. I enjoyed reading Eight Billion Genies, and the fact that I can change the orientation and even zoom in and out made it so much easier to read on the smaller 6” display. So, while the display has its tradeoffs, I would say getting the Colour over the Black and White only is worth it if you really do read Visual Novels.
In my case, preserving my comic issues to read on my eReader definitely does give me peace of mind for my head as a collector.
Integration with InstaPaper is Genius
This is the feature that made us want to try Kobo eReaders out because the InstaPaper integration is pretty genius. To be able to read articles you save online and then read on your ereader, which synchronises over wifi – man, what a treat. So, in a pinch, say you are a little bored or not in the mood to read, you could always turn to your InstaPaper to read some of the saved articles, which is truly going to keep you occupied.
Though you won’t get all the features like accessing the Folders and tags, it’s still better than nothing. We posted a video on how to set it up on our Instagram, which you can check it out by clicking here.
What could be Better?
Honestly, it’s hard to find fault with the Clara
Because for what it is, Kobo designed it to be a great product for the price point it’s being offered at. In fact, too good, I might add – because you cannot get this level of flexibility and versatility on a Kindle. Reading should be easy to access, and gatekeeping it within their ecosystem is a bad idea. So, for those who buy books through Humble Bundle, you can load all of that over to the Clara Colour and read it. Or, if you buy your Manga or Comics in the CBR format, then you could load them up too and take complete advantage of the colour display.
Personally, I do love the idea of reading comics on the Clara Colour, because from a collector’s perspective, I’d like to keep my physical copy of the comics as pristine as possible. So, owning the copies and also being able to read them through the eReader, man, what a time to be alive.
Conclusion – Get the Kobo Clara Colour if:
Priced at RM 977 – on Shopee, at the time of writing on 28th January 2026, I would highly recommend going for it if you want an eReader with a colour display that expands the horizons to read not just literature but also colourful visual novels and comics that tickle your fancy. Though I do admit that it does touch the sub RM-1000 mark, you don’t get the amount of flexibility you get with the Kobo on a Kindle, trust me on this.
That said, now that I am going to return this to Rakuten, I might get the Clara Colour for myself. However, my eyes are fixed on the Libra because it supports Stylus which is up my alley. Time will tell, that’s for sure.
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