kobo Aura Pro Reviews

In the United States at least, where you can buy a Kindle Paperwhite with Special Offers for $119, it's hard for the Kobo Aura at $149.99 to compete. I think Kobo's done a good job with the design of the Aura and its smaller form factor is certainly appealing. Kobo's ecosystem, feature set, and user interface have come a long way over the last couple of years. Except for the fact that has more memory -- 4GB vs. the Kindle Paperwhite 2GB and a microSD expansion slot for additional memory -- it can't beat Amazon on any of those fronts. But the core reading experience is quite good and feels more flushed out with added extras and functionality. The screen and lighting scheme are also decent, but the Paperwhite's screen and lighting are simply better -- and noticeably so. In other words, despite the Aura design advantage, it's hard to choose it over the Paperwhite, especially given the price differential (at least here in the U.S.) and the overall superior Amazon e-book ecosystem. That said, especially for those looking for an Amazon alternative, it's still a very good e-reader. It's just not as good as the competition.

A conveniently compact ebook reader that does the job, but the price is slightly too high

The Kobo Aura is the best flagship e-reader on the market. There are, however, some caveats here. First, it's still a hard sell if you're locked into Amazon, as the Paperwhite's recent tweaks have made it all the more compelling a proposition. Second, the $150 price tag makes the device decidedly not mainstream. Kobo just can't compete with Amazon's subsidized reader prices, particularly not with the Kindle's Special Offers ad model, which shaves even more off the price. If you're already locked into Amazon, it's best to wait it out. If you're a Kobo devotee or someone who has yet to pull the trigger on an e-reader (and don't mind paying for quality), do yourself a favor and take a serious look at the Aura.

Kobo's latest Aura ebook reader brings the Aura HD's technology down to a smaller device size and lower price point. It adds a few tricks of its own, but it's still not enough to switch from a Kindle.