Nevertheless, it does a good job for those nighttime reading sessions where you don’t want to disturb your partner. In addition, I still don’t believe the light – which is a frontlight, rather than a backlight – is as bright or as evenly spread as it is on the Kindle Voyage, with the corners of the Aura H2O noticeably brighter than the middle. But the Voyage is slightly more expensive. I do much prefer the Kindle Voyage‘s screen in that it sits flush with the bezel the dip on the Aura H2O is the perfect place for dust to become caught. That ppi figure is lower than the Kindle Paperwhite and Voyage, both of which have a 300ppi display – but unless viewed side-by-side, you’re unlikely to notice any difference. It’s sharp, too, with a 256ppi resolution for crisp text in books and detailed pictures in comics. The Aura H2O’s 6.8-inch Carta E Ink display is nearly an inch bigger than any Kindle, and it does make for a much roomier reading experience. Its water-resistance is the biggest reason to buy this e-reader. Kobo says the Aura H2O will happily survive a dunk in 2m of water for up to 30 minutes, and having dropped it in the bath on a few occasions, I’m pleased to say that it hasn’t suffered any detrimental effects. This is a feature I’ve been calling for Amazon to add to its Kindles for some time now, and one that seems an obvious choice for a device that’s likely to be used in the bath or around the pool on a holiday. Still, it’s light enough (210g) to not add much weight to a bag and comfy enough to hold for extended periods.Īs the name suggests, the Aura H2O is water-resistant. It also isn’t of a size that will slip into your back pocket – something I do actually find myself doing with the Kindle Voyage.
I can comfortably hold a Kindle Paperwhite in one hand, but the width of the Aura H2O makes this difficult. I like the fact that you actually have to press the button quite hard for it to respond, meaning it won’t accidentally burst into life in your rucksack.Īt 6.8 inches, the Kobo Aura H2O has a larger screen than any Kindle model currently on the market, and the generous screen size does make for a device that’s bigger, thicker and wider overall. Kobo’s logo is stencilled into the rear of the device, while there’s a blue power button in its top corner. The black plastic body is strong and well built, while the dimpled rear is grippy if a little basic. Kobo’s industrial design edges on being more durable than stylish – which, for a device that’s likely to spend much of its time being thrown into a bag alongside other items, isn’t the worst thing. But if you’re after a water-resistant model then the Aura H2O offers a decent alternative to the overall superior Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a shame, then, that the new Aura H2O falls a little short, notably with its strange battery life and sluggish performance. I was a huge fan of the Kobo Aura One and the older Aura H2O, and the new Kobo Aura H2O (2017) adopts many of the features that made those previous models so good.
Aside from Kobo, that is, which has been churning out some rather decent e-readers of late. Amazon seems to have settled on its Kindle lineup and there isn’t much in the way of competition. Like tablets, e-readers have seen minimal innovation in the past few years.
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