Kobo Libra Colour vs Kindle Paperwhite
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These are the two e-readers most Australian buyers end up choosing between, and they are both very good. They are also built on different ideas about what an e-reader is for, which is what actually decides it.
For the wider picture, see Kobo vs Kindle in Australia. This one is device to device.
At a Glance
| Kindle Paperwhite | Kobo Libra Colour | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7", greyscale | 7", colour |
| Resolution | 300 ppi | 300 ppi mono, lower in colour |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes |
| Page-turn buttons | No | Yes |
| Stylus support | No | Yes, sold separately |
| Native ePub | No | Yes |
| Library borrowing | Via the Libby app | Built into the device |
| Ecosystem | Amazon | Rakuten Kobo |
The Screen
Both are excellent for text and you will not notice a difference reading a novel. The Libra Colour adds colour, which is genuinely useful for comics, illustrated non-fiction, cookbooks and highlighting. Colour on e-ink is muted rather than vivid, so set expectations accordingly: it is closer to a printed page than to a tablet.
Both have adjustable warm light for reading at night. Neither is better at it.
Edge: Libra Colour, if you read anything with pictures in it. Otherwise a draw.
How They Feel to Hold
This is the real difference. The Libra Colour has physical page-turn buttons and an asymmetric grip, which makes one-handed reading comfortable for long stretches. The Paperwhite is touch only. Most people adapt to that in a day, but readers who have used buttons rarely want to go back.
Edge: Libra Colour.
Books and Ecosystem
Amazon's catalogue is the largest in the world, buying is seamless, and Kindle Unlimited and Whispersync only exist on that side. If most of your books come from the Kindle Store, that is a strong argument on its own.
Kobo's advantage is openness. It reads ePub natively, so you can load books from anywhere without converting anything, and library borrowing is built into the device rather than routed through a separate app. If you borrow from your local library often, that is a daily convenience rather than a footnote.
Edge: Kindle for catalogue and subscriptions. Kobo for library borrowing and file freedom.
Price
The Libra Colour sits above the Paperwhite, and the colour screen is most of that gap. Whether it is worth it depends entirely on whether you will use colour.
Which One
Kindle Paperwhite if:
- You buy most of your books from Amazon
- You use Kindle Unlimited or Audible
- You want the widest choice of cases and accessories
- You read novels and only novels
Kobo Libra Colour if:
- You want physical page-turn buttons
- You borrow library books regularly
- You read comics, illustrated or reference books
- You want to load your own ePub files without converting them
Either way it is going in a bag. A Kindle Paperwhite case or a Kobo case is the cheapest insurance you will buy this year.