Clara BW eReader, 6” Touchscreen, Waterproof, 16GB, Black

This is my first ereader, and I must say I'm very impressed. I've never been much of a reader and after enjoying a few paperbacks, I decided to give an ereader a go to help increase my reading habit. I opted for Kobo Clara BW as it allowed me to side load books, connect to digital library (Libby) directly and it has the best Eink screen currently avaliable. I've had it 3 weeks and have read 3 books already, books with over 400 paperback pages, which is unbelievable for me! I find it so easy to read, and read everywhere and anywhere. It's so light to hold with one hand, and I've set it up so I only need to use a thumb to turn pages and activate the reading options, which is essential for reading in bed. I have a clear tpu case with a pop socket on the back so I just need to wedge it between my fingers and it won't slip out of my hand when I nod off! The battery appears to last ages too, reported to be about a month or more. 3 weeks and its on 80%. It has the warm light setting which I use in a dark bedroom and it doesn't disturb my sleeping husband, it is so much easier on my eyes and I don't get eye strain. I'm looking forward to taking it on holiday as it waterproof too, I've added a screen protector just incase sun tan lotion effects the screen. It's also so small it will fit in my tiny handbag or bum bag and is so easy to read in bright sunlight. I really am a convert and don't think I will look back at paperbacks! The ereader takes up less space than books on a shelf and makes reading effortless. My favourite purchase this year so far.

Buying the Kobo Clara BW is easily one of the best things that could have happened to my reading habits. I genuinely cannot believe I waited this long to get one! I have travelled with this little device multiple times now, and it has proven to be the ultimate companion. The compact 6-inch form factor makes it effortless to hold comfortably in one hand for hours on trains or flights without any fatigue. The glare-free touchscreen is pin-sharp and reads just like real paper, even in direct sunlight. The battery life is phenomenal - lasting weeks (or even months) on a single charge - so you never have to stress about carrying extra chargers. It is also packed with handy adjustments, allowing you to easily customise font sizes, margins, and screen warmth for comfortable late-night reading. With 16GB of storage, you can keep thousands of books with you wherever you go, and being fully waterproof means you can read by the pool or in the bath without worry. An absolute game-changer for any reader!

I've had two Kobo ereaders before and the reason I bought this was to replace an 8 year old one which died. I've found they have everything I need in an ereader. This one has a particularly lovely screen with the same excellent interface. Page turning is fast. The display constrast is the best I've seen: it's clear, crisp and glare-free. The size & weight of the reader makes it ideal for putting it in my coat pocket. Reading on it is a pleasure. I can't comment on the audiobook feature as I don't use them. I do have one gripe which didn't apply to my previous readers. The display screen is a little recessed which makes it difficult to get at the small pull down menu right at the top of the reading screen. It's no deal breaker though as I rarely if ever use that menu and all the info in it is available elsewhere. For that reason I would have liked to give 4.8 out of five stars. All in all it's great value .

Beautiful e-reader. It’s light, with a clear & crisp bright screen. It’s waterproof so I can use it in the bath without worrying. It’s easy to put my books on it via calibre. I have a lot of fan fiction and books bought direct from publishers and authors so wanted an e-reader outside of Amazon for them and this is perfect. It’s a small size so very portable and great for my handbag and I think it’s excellent value for money. It’s easy to use, I can sort books by series which is much easier on a Kobo than a Kindle (sorry Amazon it just is) plus the swiping up and down the screen for brightness levels is one of my favourite features. It’s a perfect little e-reader.

I have had a number of book readers over many years and so my expectations were based on what I have used already, from the time before any lighting was offered, to that of the most recent models. Please see my included photos of the book reader. Firstly....The overall build quality is adequate. Yes, it is plastic and not, seemingly, the most robust, but nothing that would cause concern. It does not seem to flex or make any noises when the screen is pressed. Happy enough with that, and the grip on the rear of the case. The screen is also recessed a little and not flushed, for me that is great as it offers protection. I do not like a flushed screen unit for that reason. Powering up for the first time and you are invited, not compelled, to create an account with Kobo. Wi-fi connected without issues and updates done. I use Calibre to manage many of my books and that works with no issues with this Clara BW reader, the latest version of Calibre being used. The reader is quick to populate its library and responsive when looking through the list and selecting the book to read. It is also quick and immediately responsive when opening a book and turning the pages. Some of my books have been converted from epub to Kepub, Kobo's native file format, as that provides additional book reading statistics not offered by other formats. Again please see my screenshots. The conversion was done by using the software "Calibre". The screen on my unit has been exceptional. I compared it to my wife's Libra 2 and I also have a previous Kobo reader, the Clara HD. I did not know that it would have been possible but when compared next to each other this Clara BW seems crisp and more "detailed" in how clear and precise the font appears. The white background is evenly lit, using the backlight and natural light (for warmth settings) it works really well. I do very much enjoy a 6" book reader. It fits in my pocket and can be held with one hand in comfort. What I was also impressed about is the fact my Clara HD book cover fitted perfectly on this Clara BW model. It works a treat, both opening and closing the cover will wake the device and also place it in sleep mode. The battery life is very good, having had the device since the 7th May and only charged once when first bought. I understand that is not long, but from noting how much I have used it, including the backlight, I can see that it is going to be very good. Using the reader outside in bright light, no lighting is needed on the device. I would struggle to find and fault with this book reader. It simply does everything that would be reasonable to expect and do that well. The only aspect of this reader that I will probably not make use of is the sketch pad, see screenshot. It works with my finger, do not have a suitable pen, and can be used to draw or add notes that can be saved, they appear on the home page. Perhaps some will make use of that feature, can be found within the beta section of the settings. I do use the dark mode whilst reading in bed at night, that inverts the screen and text colours, see photo. Overall I very much recommend this book reader. It offers exceptional value, great amount of storage space, I do not use audiobooks, and the responsiveness and clarity of screen is exceptional. I do hope that this review helps you. Happy reading :)

Absolutely amazing device! It has everything I needed- warm light, waterproof, small device that allows you to access and borrow library books and sideload books. If you are planning to switch or looking for a new device- this is it! Text is clear and sharp even on 0 brightness with day light (picture). Its very responsive & very user friendly ( menu is easy to navigate and use it). I returned many ereaders over few weeks due to various reasons- no warm light, too bight (i have small hands), or not a great contrast (colour screen), however this is amazing and I really hope this will last me a while!

A fantastic e-reader, really glad I bought it. Perfect for holidays or travelling around. Great size and very light weight. Very easy to use and the light automatically adjusts to your environment, but you can also change it manually. Great selection of books available.

I bought this device to upgrade from Kindle Paperwhite 2018. It was a device I didn’t particularly enjoy using. It worked well but it was so unresponsive that I just assumed that’s how all ereaders were. Fast forward to the Kobo Clara BW and it’s so much snappier that I actually enjoy reading on it. I thought I would hate the recessed screen but text seems to look much better (at the cost of the device looking a bit cheaper). You can buy books through Kobo, or use a library card to borrow books with Overdrive. You can also sideload books or manage your library with Calibre, you could even install KOReader, or wirelessly sync the device with Calibre Web; it doesn’t try to actively prevent you from using it to do whatever you want. There’s no read progress syncing for sideloaded books with the built in reader, and there’s no Goodreads (or Hardcover or whatever) support, but you could work around that with Calibre. My only gripe with this device is the quality. The Kobo logo on the front seems slightly slanted on my device, but I didn’t think this was worth replacing the device for. My top left corner had black adhesive coming out of it, but I just used a thin piece of plastic to wedge it back inside. My bottom left corner has a dark spot when the front-light is on, but this seems like a design defect rather than something limited to my unit (if you Google this you’ll see everyone has this - the Colour model seems to have fixed this issue, but if you use the night light then it has two yellow botches in both sides instead). If you can ignore those issues, this is a great ereader that looks crisp, has great battery life, and lets you tinker with it however you like. If you don’t care for that, and want a better quality device, and don’t mind only using Amazon to get your books, then get a Paperwhite (it’s slightly larger though).

I couldn't decide for years whether to buy an e-reader or not, but I finally gave in. I think it was one of the best purchase decisions I've ever made. I'm an avid reader and have a big library. I also love public libraries. So there are plenty of options for physical copies of books. But I was so tired of constantly carrying books everywhere. I decided on the 6-inch version. It is compact but not too small, ideal size for me really, and very light. I take it with me wherever I go. I haven't experienced any software or charging issues since I bought it almost seven months ago. You can read pdfs on it, but it works best with epubs, highly customizable. And one of the best features is the light adjustment. I constantly adjust the warmth depending on the light source, which really optimizes the reading experience. Definitely recommend.

Muy bueno, hasta ahora tenía kindle pero este es igual o mejor. Pequeño, ligero y muy buena calidad de imagen, con ajustes de intensidad y temperatura de color de la luz. Funciona perfecto con calibre.

i used to contempltate bringing my phyisical book with me all the time since it does take up a lot of spaces in my purse and heavy. but now i can read everywhere love it!

Lo adoro! Funziona alla grande. Come si legge dalle specifiche, ha la funzione di regolazione dell'intensità luce e della sua modalità (fredda, calda). Si può regolare la grandezza dei caratteri e i font, si può cercare agevolmente una parola sul vocabolario dopo averla sottolineata. Ha una grande memoria. É molto bello! Appare leggermente satinato (la copertura del Kobo Clara 2E era più liscia e lucida e più sensibile a subire graffi). Il processore é veloce. Kobo offre molta libertà di utilizzo e anche la possibilità di prendere in prestito degli e-book dal sistema Media library on-line delle biblioteche pubbliche (MLOL). Il catalogo di Kobo offre offerte interessanti! Sono davvero soddisfatta e adoro leggere con il mio Kobo Clara BW.

I absolutely love this eReader and take it with me everywhere. The Kobo Clara BW is lightweight, comfortable to hold, and very easy to use, which makes it great for travel and everyday reading. The screen is smooth, durable, and truly glare-free. I can read for long stretches without eye strain, even in bright light. It has replaced doom-scrolling on my phone before bed, which has made my sleep better. One of my favorite things about this device is how customizable it is. Beyond the standard settings, there’s a hidden menu that lets you fine-tune the reading experience even more, which I really appreciate. The dark mode (inverse reading) is excellent and something I use all the time, especially at night. I have two minor complaints: 1) when switching between menus in dark mode, the screen briefly flashes as it refreshes. 2) response time when clicking is not lightning speed, just normal speed. This sometimes makes me click things twice accidentally. Both are noticeable, but not dealbreakers, and they're the only issues I’ve had after 6+ months of near daily use. I love that I can load PDFs and EPUBs directly from my computer without needing a subscription. For me, that freedom alone sets it apart from other eReaders. It seems like a well-built device that does exactly what I want it to do. If you’re looking for a simple, flexible, and enjoyable reading experience, this one is hard to beat.