ISSUE389|COMPUTER SHOPPER|JULY2020 97
JUSTASTHEKoboForma(Shopper375)
tookontheKindleOasis,theKoboClaraHD
aimstousurpadifferentAmazone-reader:
themid-rangeKindlePaperwhite.
Thisapproachhasbeencomplicatedby
thearrivalofanew,standardKindle,which
bringswithitanimpressiverangeofupgraded
features; the Paperwhite, meanwhile,hasn’t
been refreshed since 2018.
MAKINGAMESS
Still, the Clara HD certainly looks like the
Kindle Paperwhite: take awayeach device’s
front logo and you could be fooled into
thinking theywere the same product. The
differences are there,however, such as how
the Kobo Clara HD’s 6in displayisslightly
inset behind the bezels. We admittedly prefer
the flush design of the Paperwhite.
The bigger problem isn’t how it looks,
but how it feels. There’s no Forma-style
rubberisation to provide extra grip,making it
easier to drop when jostled, and the back
panel is pockmarked with what must be
thousands of tiny craters. This doesn’t feel
particularly pleasant, and the holes inevitably
trap dust and debris that’s difficult to clean
out. Compared to the latest Kindle,let alone
the 2018 Paperwhite, Amazon hasdoneafar
better job on build quality.
As on the Kindle,the Clara HD has no
page turn buttons, so you have to swipe with
the touchscreen to progress through your
ebooks. There’s asingleportfor the microSD
charging cable,and this sits next to the
power button on the bottom edge.
Anyone accustomed to using an up-to-
datesmartphone willfeel as though they’ve
travelled back in time when using the Kobo
Clara HD.It’s slow to respond as you browse
between menus, and searching forbooks
within the Kobo Store requires anot
insignificant level of patience.
This sluggishness isn’t uncommon among
e-readers, though it was enough to drive us
to do most of ourebook-browsing on aPC.
The Kobo Store hasover five million titles
to choose from, so it’s unlikely you won’t be
able to find what you’re after.Having made
your selections, you can then just tap Sync
on the Kobo Clara HD (so long as it’s
connected to Wi-Fi) and the titles will
download to the device’s library.
Reading on the Kobo Clara HD is a
pleasant experience,ifnot as enjoyable as on
the Kobo Forma. It’s light enough to hold in
one hand without strain, and turning pages
just requires aquick flick of the thumb in
the desired direction. Occasionally it misreads
KOBO ClaraHD
★★★★★
£110•Fromwww.johnlewis.com
VERDICT
Bluelightreductionandeasyreadingmake
this astrong alternative to the Kindle family
the swipe and turns backwards rather than
forwards, something that could have been
avoided with physical page turn buttons.ANY COMFORT
The 300ppi displayisincredibly crisp –more
so than the 167ppi Kindle –and thanks to its
customisable lighting, we never experienced
any eyestrain. Fontsare highly adjustable,
too: there are 12 to choose from, including a
dyslexic-friendly font called OpenDyslexic,
and font sizing,line spacing and justification
can all be toggled to suit your preferences.
Kobo provides lots of detailed statistics
on your reading behaviour,and these can be
accessed with aquick couple of taps while
reading. Alternatively,you can ignore all this
and make the interface as clean as possible,
removing the header,footer and page
numbers. Another nice little feature is that
holding down on awordbrings up the
Merriam-Webster dictionary definition.
By farthe best thingabout reading on
the Kobo Clara HD,compared to both the
Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite, is the
ComfortLight Pro backlighting. In addition to
the whiteLEDs it uses forstandard front
lighting, there’s an arrayofbothblue and –
like the more expensive Kindle Oasis –orange
LEDs forwarmor‘natural’ light. Punch in
your bedtime and the ComfortLight will
slowly but surely take over as the clock
ticks down towards evening, reducing the
amount of sleep-disturbing blue light that
shines intoyour eyes.This happens
gradually and is barely noticeable.Sometimes, when we wanted to go to bed
earlier,wemanually loweredwhite lightand
cranked ComfortLight right up to achieve that
sleepycandlelit look. It’s great that the more
affordable Kobo Clara HD has afeature that’s
currently exclusive to the top-end Kindle; the
Kindle Paperwhiteusesanambient light
sensor to automatically lower brightness
depending on lighting conditions, but this
doesn’t eliminatebluelight as effectively as
the ComfortLight Pro.SIGHTSAND SOUNDS
If this sounds like something you’d appreciate,
the Kobo Clara HD might well be asensible
middle ground between the £70 Kindle and
the Kindle Oasis. Then again, it’s disappointing
that there’s no waterproofing on this,
something that’s present on the Paperwhite
and only absent on the basic Kindle.The latter
can also download Audible audiobooks and
playthemvia Bluetoothspeakers or
headphones, so you’re not always getting
better functionality with the pricier Clara HD.
With the improved Kindle on the scene,
the Clara HD now has to competewith a
more affordable e-reader as well as the
Paperwhitemodel it originally targeted.
Focusing just on the newer Kindle,there are
meaningful differences between the two,
and often –whether it’s resolution or the
low-blue light mode –these work out in
Kobo’s favour. However,its less convincing
build quality and lack of audiobook support
mean it never truly feelslike an outright
better e-reader in general.