This page discusses the Rakuten Kobo brand in relation to their range of e-ink tablets (e-readers that provide note-taking functionality by writing on the screen with a stylus).
Overview
Kobo*
+ Supports 3rd-party DRM-Protected ebooks (ADE)
+ Products are made from recycled materials
+ Products are repairable
- Focused on reading
- Below average customer service
- Limited firmware capabilities
Kobo are one of the few e-ink tablet brands that have native support for reading ebooks purchased from third-party bookstores (via ADE). They also use recyclable plastics.
Whilst they offer a decent reading experience, the writing experience is not so great, and my own experience with customer support has not been pleasant.
Kobo has been designing, manufacturing and selling devices with e-ink screens since launching their first e-reader in 2010, and became one of Amazon’s closest competitors.
It was not until 2021 that they released their first e-ink tablet with writing support (the Kobo Elipsa).
Ecosystem
The main difference between Kobo and Amazon was (and still is) their ecosystems.
Kobo gives you more freedom in where you buy your ebooks from and how you get them onto your e-reader. Amazon does not support DRM-Protected e-books purchased from third-party bookstores (thereby forcing you to use the Kindle Store or finding a free – and perhaps illegal – copy of an ebook). Kobo, on the other hand, supports Adobe Digital Editions (ADE), which allows you to read DRM-Protected e-books purchased from any third-party bookstore.
Similarly, Kobo has native support for ePubs (one of the most common file formats for e-books), so you can sideload or download any ePub onto your Kobo and read it instantly. In contrast, Kindle only allows you to read ePubs if you send them to your Kindle via email or their app (where it converts them into a Kindle-proprietary format).
Customer Service
My own personal experience with Kobo Support has not been a pleasant one (but that is not to say this is typical of Kobo support).
In short, I bought a Kobo Elipsa 2E from Rakuten and the screen broke within a few weeks. The Initial response from Kobo customer support was that I had broken it and there was nothing they could do, other than offer me a small discount on a new device. After disputing this and making an official complaint (following several emails back and forth), they sent out a replacement, which had a battery fault. More emails, more wrangling, and they finally sent out a third device which worked (but I was too fearful to use it for fear of breaking it, so it mostly just sits in its original packaging until I need to check something out).
So, overall, I felt that their customer support were constantly fobbing me off in the hope I’d cut my losses and go away, only relenting when they realised I wouldn’t give up without a fight.
However, please bear in mind that this was just my personal experience – and, of course, that is all I have to go on. I’ve had a lot of e-ink tablets and e-readers and have only ever had one device break on me; the Kobo Elipsa 2E. So, Kobo is the only brand that I’ve had to request a return due to a malfunction – although the experience was not nice, I’ve never been in the same situation with other manufacturer’s products, so I cannot say whether it would be the same (although I would hope not!)
A positive that I can say about Kobo customer support is that they are (initially) very quick to respond and are very knowledgeable and helpful with general support queries.
Kobo also have a very comprehensive online knowledgebase that can be used to answer many questions and queries. They also have an AI chatbot, which switches to a human advisor if the bot cannot help with the query.
Tablets
Here is a list of current Kobo e-ink tablets:
| My rating | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kobo Libra Color* | 7" color | |
| Kobo Elipsa 2E* | 10.3" monochrome | |
| Kobo Sage* | 8" monochrome | |
| Older Kobo tablets may be found here | ||
Firmware
Kobo used to rollout several improvements to their firmware over the course of a year, but in recent years, there have been only one or two small updates (disregarding general bugfixes).
| My rating | Firmware version | Tablets using this firmware |
|---|---|---|
| 4.44 (current version) Dec 2025 | Kobo Libra Color Kobo Elipsa 2E Kobo Elipsa Kobo Sage | |
| Older Kobo firmware versions may be found here | ||
Buying options
Kobo e-ink tablets can be purchased from several different outlets, however, the most popular are Amazon* and buying directly from Rakuten Kobo* themselves.
Buying direct from Kobo is usually slightly cheaper, and they occasionally run sales events for further discounts. However, when you buy from Amazon, it is usually shipped more expediently, and is easier to deal with returns.
Pre-used units may be available from eBay or other second-hand marketplaces.
