Kindle Paperwhite Vs Kobo Libra H2o

Kobo Libra 2 vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021): 2 brilliant ereaders - which is best?

(Image credit: Future / Kobo / Amazon)

The Kobo Libra 2 is the best all-round ereader there is. It has far more than storage than the Kindle Paperweight, Bluetooth support for audiobooks, and is packed with useful features the Kindle doesn't have, such every bit OverDrive support to permit you borrow library books. If you're looking for the most value for money, this is it.

For

Asymmetric blueprint
32GB storage
Audiobook support

Against

Erratic battery charging

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021)

The Kindle Paperwhite offers a very comfortable reading feel, with a articulate brandish that's easy to await at for hours at a time. It beats the Kobo Libra 2 on bombardment life (ten weeks versus 6), just it's more complicated to upload books that haven't come up from the Amazon shop and falls short on features in comparing.

For

Large and articulate display
Faster USB-C charging
Reading feel

Confronting

Limited to Amazon's store

Choosing the best ereader is not easy. Exercise you go for the market leader, Amazon'due south Kindle, and if and so, what's the all-time Kindle? Or do you endeavour a unlike brand, like Kobo (which has also been around a long time, since 2010)?

Both Amazon and Kobo sell ebooks and audiobooks, equally well as their stable of ereaders, merely it'due south the Kobo Libra 2 and the latest Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) that are the nigh popular.

Here's everything y'all demand to know nearly the Kobo Libra two and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2021, looking at how they compare to each other and, crucially, which one is right for y'all.

Kobo Libra 2 vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) ereader pricing

These ereaders both launched in September 2021. The Kobo Libra 2 costs $179 / £‎160 / AU$279 and has 32GB of storage. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) sells for $139.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.99 and has 8GB storage.

However, in addition to the standard Paperwhite, there'due south also the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2021), which sells for $189.99 / £179.99 / AU$289, and has 32GB storage, wireless charging and an machine-adjusting front calorie-free.

Kobo Libra 2 vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) blueprint and display

Both ereaders accept large displays, with the Libra two offering a vii-inch screen to the Paperwhite's 6.viii-inch. At 144.vi ten 161.6 x 9mm and weighing 215g, the Libra 2 is slightly heavier even so has a smaller footprint.

The Paperwhite measures 174.2 ten 124.6 x eight.ane mm and weighs 205g. The Libra 2 has a plastic screen while the Paperwhite'due south is glass.

Comic frame on the Kobo Libra 2 — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Something else to think about when choosing between the Libra 2 and the Paperwhite is capacity, The Libra 2 offers 32GB as standard, which is good for thousands of ebooks or about 140 audiobooks.

That will be overkill for many. The default Paperwhite offers 8GB – a respectable 35 audiobooks – while the pace-up Paperwhite Signature Edition offers the same 32GB every bit the Libra 2.

On displays, it's a fairer fight. Using an Hd E Ink Carta 1200 screen, boasting a 1264 10 1680 resolution (nearly 2.i megapixels), the Libra 2 offers ComfortLight PRO, with adaptable brightness and color temperature. Though there'southward no auto-adjust selection, it's very simple to adapt while reading.

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2021 — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Amazon doesn't land what brandish is inside the Paperwhite, but we know both displays are 300dpi, so look very similar in terms of detail. The Paperwhite also has a forepart calorie-free that's manually adjustable on both brightness and color.

Both of these ereaders have a 'dark mode', which has white text appear on a black background. The two are besides identical when it comes to handling h2o.

Both are IPX8-certified, which ways they can be immersed in up to 2 meters of freshwater for hour. That's helpful if you similar to read in a bath/hot tub/pool. They can also cope with 25cm of seawater for up to iii minutes.

The Libra ii comes in either black or white while the Paperwhite is sold just in blackness.

Kobo Libra 2 vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) ereader connectivity and battery life

As y'all might wait, both ereaders have a USB-C connectedness for recharging and syncing files. They also come equipped with Bluetooth so that wireless earphones can be fastened for listening to audiobooks. Neither accept wireless charging (unless you opt for the Paperwhite Signature Edition).

Elsewhere on connectivity the Libra 2 has Wi-Fi while the Paperwhite offers dual-ring 2.iv GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi. That's a mere detail. Information technology'southward the start Paperwhite model not bachelor with cellular connectivity (if you want to download ebooks away from Wi-Fi then endeavor 2019's Kindle Haven).

It's tricky to judge the Libra 2 and the Paperwhite on battery life, since the former has a one,500mAh battery – a slight step-up on previous ereaders – and the latter quotes an ambitious-sounding x weeks if you read xxx minutes each twenty-four hours. Both will terminal a week or two at to the lowest degree, which is plenty to neutralize this potential trouble.

Kobo Libra 2 vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) ereader software and performance

The Paperwhite has an all-new processor and the Libra 2 does not, so the former is slightly faster when it comes to page turns. Notwithstanding, merely the Libra 2 has dedicated folio-turn buttons and a large margin, meaning it's easier to hold in 1 hand.

Comic frames Kobo Libra 2 in landscape orientation — (Image credit: TechRadar)

These ii ereaders are near easily separated past their stores. The Paperwhite can access over five million books via the Kindle store and offers unlimited reading to Prime members. It primarily supports Kindle Format 8 (AZW3) and Kindle (AZW), and though information technology's possible to convert and transfer other formats onto it, that's a time-consuming process.

The Paperwhite also has some comprehensive digital note-taking features. Kobo's eBookstore has over 7.five million titles and freely supports all kinds of file formats from EPUB and MOBI to PDF and CBZ and CBR Comic Book formats. For the Libra ii there's an optional Kobo Stylus ($39.99/£39.99/AU$129) for writing and drawing on the page while reading.

Kobo Libra two vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) ereader takeaway

Both of these ereaders are upgrades on the mid-range ereaders they supervene upon, but which one is best? Both accept front lights, both are waterproof and both have a 'dark way'. The Libra ii is practiced value with no disruptive options, more than storage by default and a better ergonomic pattern. Information technology'due south likewise got a very slightly larger display.

The Paperwhite may lack page-plough buttons but information technology has a drinking glass front and a faster processor – if you get for the more expensive Paperwhite Signature Edition y'all'll also get wireless charging and an auto-adjusting display.

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and infinite journalist based in the Britain. He's been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the Southward China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine too as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Infinite and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites, TravGear.com (opens in new tab) and WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com (opens in new tab) that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the writer ofA Stargazing Programme For Beginners (Springer, 2015),