Kobo Libra Colour

Kobo’s latest colour e-reader fills a niche that has surprisingly still not been met by Amazon’s Kindle range. But maybe there is a reason for that. Although the technology has been on the market for more than 10 years, some basic hurdles are still to be overcome – and Kobo’s offering is no exception.

Muted colours and poor contrast ratios have long plagued devices relying on displays such as this. When compared to the high-quality LCD and OLED screens everyone has become accustomed to, colours consistently fail to ‘pop’ on e-ink displays.

But while the technology still needs work, Kobo should be given some credit for what they’ve done with the Libra Colour. I tried Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One – a well-regarded classic for graphic novel fans – and the experience was mixed. The colours were definitely muted, although some might find the low-grade 1950s comic book aesthetic charming in a certain way. Yes, it doesn’t look as nice as opening a PDF version on a tablet,...