This is the only Kobo e-reader I’d recommend...

When you want to buy an e-reader, there are valid reasons on either side to go with a Kindle or a Kobo device. Both brands have been around long enough that they offer solid hardware and eBook stores full of the books that most people want to read. In terms of sheer flexibility, though, only one e-reader wins out.

Kobo’s simple but flexible software makes it the obvious answer, compared to a Kindle. It does more, and it generally gives you more options, whether you’re reading or trying to take notes. The best way to capitalize on

Kobo’s platform
is by picking a device that’s as multi-functional as the software is, so that you can take advantage of all of it. The best device for the job is without a doubt the Kobo Libra Colour, an e-reader that can do everything the larger Kobo Elipsa 2E can, while still having all the portability of a much more compact e-reader.

The Kobo Libra Colour gives you plenty of reading material

Articles, library books, audiobooks and more can all be added

Most e-readers offer ways to read things other than books, whether it’s letting you sideload files or email things directly to your device.

Boox e-readers and tablets
, which run Android, offer the most options, but if you set those aside, your next best bet is Kobo. On a Kobo e-reader you can import documents directly from Dropbox and Google Drive, which works great if you need to annotate something for work or class. You won’t find a similar integration on the Kindle, even on Amazon’s productivity-focused

Kindle Scribe
.

The same goes for how Kobo handles library books. Thanks to an integration with OverDrive, the predecessor to Libby, you can connect your library card to your Kobo and check out books directly from your device. You can also manage any holds you’ve placed on library ebooks, and navigate a curated storefront created by your local library system with reading recommendations. If you’re interested in reading more than just books, your Kobo can also connect to the read-it-later service Pocket so you can read any articles you’ve saved. And that’s not even mentioning audiobooks, which you can also use a Kobo to listen to.

Color E Ink and stylus support

In terms of its design, the Kobo Libra Colour is similar to Amazon’s

Kindle Oasis
, with a wedge-like shape, a 7-inch touchscreen, and physical page-turn buttons. The Kobo Libra Colour uses a Kaleido 3 E Ink display for displaying books, PDFs, and other reading material in more than just black and white. Kaleido displays use a different technique for creating color images than the Gallery display the

reMarkable Paper Pro
uses, applying a color filter over normal E Ink tech rather than using color ink in the display itself. The result is faster refresh rates without having to deal with duller images and, for reading things like comic books, it works pretty well.

It’s more than just the screen, though. The Libra Colour has physical buttons, which means you can navigate most books with one hand, a great option when you’re standing on public transportation, or lazily working through some pages before bed. The e-reader’s support for stylus input lets you write on any books you’re reading and take notes in custom notebooks. Unlike the

Kobo Elipsa 2E
, the Libra Colour doesn’t come with a stylus, but if you purchase one it makes the reader feel like a compact little digital Moleskine. You can get a better writing experience on a device with a larger screen, and it might take some getting used to fitting your handwriting on the Kobo Libra Colour, but the portability is often worth it.

Kobo’s e-reader is hard to beat

You might as well get something that does everything

The Kobo Libra Colour has just about every feature you could possibly want from an e-reader and while that would normally feel like overkill, as the in-between device in Kobo’s lineup in terms of price, it’s the only one worth buying. If you’re considering getting a Kobo, the Libra Colour combines the best of Amazon’s smaller Kindles with a note-taking device and color E Ink display.

Kobo Libra Colour

The Kobo Libra Colour is a combination e-reader and pocket digital notebook, with a color E Ink screen and easy access to library books.

If, after looking at the Libra Colour, you’re interested in something with a larger screen, you might want to look at the reMarkable Paper Pro, or even the Boox Go 10.3. For an option that’s more of a pure e-reader, Amazon’s latest

Kindle Paperwhite
is one of the best options out there.