If you require to corrupt one ofthe best atomic number 99 - readers , a solid option is the Kobo Clara , a mid - sized east - reader that come in two distinguishable flavors . The first of which , theKobo Clara Colour , I ’ve reviewed antecedently , and found to be excellent . But what about the Clara BW , the black and white - sort sib of the colorful Colour ? gratefully , Kobo sent me both so I could put them to the test and find out .
Much of the Clara BW is selfsame to that of the Clara Colour , so I wo n’t be going into intimate point like I did with the Colour . advert back to that review if you ’re interested to know the details on how it feel and how the software work . In this followup , I ’ll largely be covering the differences between the two twist , after in brief covering the identical arena . However , you ’ll also find out why I ’m hesitant to recommend the Clara BW after spending so much time with the Clara Colour .
Kobo Clara BW specs
300ppi ( black and white )
150ppi ( color )
The Kobo Clara BW is an excellent e-reader
The Kobo Clara BW is n’t the most exciting looking gadget out there , but it is a well crafted one .
It ’s build from stout ignominious charge card , and shiftiness aside , I love it . The heft is reassuring , and the deep-set power button on the back is a victory . There ’s a USB - C porthole at the bottom which have in mind it can partake in a battery charger with your speech sound . Like its stablemate , it ’s repairable with guides and part from iFixit . And like every e - reader , the calendar week - long electric battery biography means it wo n’t need charge all that much . The small size of it think it ’s portable in a way larger tocopherol - readers like theKindle Paperwhitearen’t , and while it ’s a small dull , you ’ll forget all about its looks when you start digging into account book .
The 6 - column inch showing is clear and kinky , with a 300 pixels per inch ( ppi ) resolving that mean even small details are well legible . As a result , reading on this gimmick is great . The night mode can complain in at a specific time , and strain out gamy light , so you’re able to settle down easier for bed . The audiobook experience is … basic . It exercise well , but those who like hatful of options and ways to tweak their listening experience will probably recover it a moment wanting . It will work o.k. for casual audiobook listeners though , and you’re able to mind through a Bluetooth connection , whether that ’s throughwireless earbuds , headphones , or aBluetooth talker .
This is a great e - reader so far . But something was bugging me while I was using it . The more I used it , the more I realised I do n’t quite translate why this e - reader exists .
It’s too similar to the Clara Colour
The Clara BW has a large shadow cast over it , and that shadow belongs to the Clara Colour .
The Clara BWisan fantabulous equipment . But so is its counterpart , the Clara Colour — and in a quite a little of ways , the BW is so goodbecausethe Color is too .
These two devices are identical . I do n’t mean “ so standardized as to be very ” , I think really identical . Turn the screens off and place the two devices side - by - side and it ’s out of the question to recite the two apart . If it were n’t for the color screensaver on the Clara Colour I would n’t actually hump which I was face at . This wo n’t necessarily be an issue in most mass ’s lives , since you ’re only likely to run into job if you and someone you live with own one of each , but it does play up the major issue I have with this e - reader ; it’stoosimilar to the Clara Colour .
The BW ’s look are just the head start . It ’s exactly the same size , with exactly the same software program , and the same looking at and feel . The Clara BW has a longer estimated battery time , likely because it does n’t need to deliver king intensive color , and obviously , there ’s a conflict in display technical school . I do prefer the Clara BW ’s display . I had no issues with the Clara Colour ’s screen , but the Clara BW somehow looks and feels good , despite the two of them having the same answer and spectacles . Would I have remark if I was n’t using the two of them side - by - side and one after the other ? Not at all , and this should not be a reason to prefer the biological warfare by any means . And on the flip side of this preference is the BW ’s 1.0 GHz processor , which is massively overshadowed by the Colour ’s three-fold 2.0 Gc CPU .
The Clara Colour overshadow the Clara BW — and so what ? Is that really such a braggart deal ? After all , theKindle Colorsoftovershadows the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition , and they ’re essentially the same twist . Why should n’t that be the same for the two Clara devices ? The key is cost : The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is $ 200 , while the Colorsoft is priced at $ 280 . That ’s an $ 80 gap between the two . The same can not be said for the Clara Colour and the Clara BW , where the gap is just $ 20 .
While this means the Clara Colour is a bang-up deal , it cast some doubt on whether the Clara BW is too . While the Clara BW is an excellent e - reader , so is the Clara Colour , and the Colour get along with a more potent C.P.U. and a color display , for just $ 20 more . It ’s hard to see why anyone would pick the Clara BW . Only those who dislike semblance display , or who reallyreallywant to save $ 20 should consider the Clara BW .
Should you buy the Kobo Clara BW?
No , you should n’t corrupt the Kobo Clara BW . Not because it ’s a regretful e - lecturer , but because it ’s too close in Leontyne Price to the Kobo Clara Colour , which youshouldbuy .
The Clara BW is a victim of the Colour ’s success . There would absolutely be elbow room for more than one Clara poser in Kobo ’s offerings , but when it ’s being sold for $ 140 , just $ 20 less than the Kobo Clara Colour ? It ’s hard to see who would forgo drop $ 20 for avoid having a stronger CPU and a color showing .
The Clara BWisan fantabulous tocopherol - reviewer , but when the monetary value difference of opinion between it and the Clara Colour is so low , it ’s unimaginable to advocate .
This would change dramatically if the Clara BW was available at a lower Mary Leontyne Price . If it was $ 40 less , and cost $ 100 , it would be a much more viable option and it would be much comfortable to justify the BW ’s weaker processor and black and blank display . But at this monetary value ? Absolutely not , buy the Kobo Clara Colour instead .