kobo Aura HD Pro Reviews

Although rather plasticky just like the Amazon Kindle, the Kobo Aura HD felt to us like a better quality product – even with all the snags and problems we experienced getting our own books onto it. In the end comfort of reading is what e-readers are also all about, and this device can provide just that.

The Kobo Aura HD’s high-resolution screen improves the reading experience by making fonts crisp and clear at any size. Unfortunately, the Nook and Kindle E Ink readers already do a pretty good job of this and the Aura’s display doesn’t surpass them by much. Luckily, the Aura’s ComfortLight is evenly distributed across the screen, something neither the Nook nor Kindle can claim. While it can’t boast as many in-book extras as B&N or Amazon, it is solid on the basic features that e-book readers want. Bottom line: the Aura HD is the e-reader to get if fitting more text on the screen is important to you and if you want the best lighted screen. The $170 price is far from ridiculous, but only worth it if this e-reader offers you exactly what you want.

When Kobo first unveiled the Aura HD, it felt as though the company was shooting itself in the foot by announcing it as a limited edition, niche product. After playing around with the device, it's easy to see how the company came to that decision. While the product really does offer up some best-in-class features, including a 1,440 x 1,080, 6.8-inch display and 4GB of storage (expandable by up to 32GB), such things may be outweighed by the reader's size and $169 price tag for most casual readers. And if you're already tied into the Kindle or Nook ecosystems, it's an even more difficult sell. If you're a Kobo owner looking to upgrade -- or someone who hasn't made the jump to e-books -- and you find yourself with your nose in a book every chance you get, the specs offer a compelling proposition, even if Kobo's still got a ways to go on the software front. If you can manage to squeeze a few more months out of your reader, however, it's not hard to imagine Amazon and Barnes & Noble getting their hands on E Ink's latest high-res display, which would make the Aura HD much less novel indeed.

Kobo strikes gold with the well-designed Aura HD, a premium ebook reader with high-quality edge lighting and a super-sharp display.

An e-reader that excels in every department and deserves to see off the Paperwhite – but the price is too high