In this post, I talk about the Kobo Libra H2O e-reader after using it for more than two years!
Note: this version is no longer available in Belgium.
I received the Kobo Libra H2O for my birthday two and a half years ago. The idea of owning a small and light device that holds dozens of books was music to my ears. Now, after using the e-reader regularly, I want to recap all my thoughts on this e-reader (and e-readers in general).
Review
Weight
This e-reader is immensely light. This makes it nice to hold when lying in bed or sitting on the sofa.
Interface
The Kobo interface is easy to work with. Using the Kobo Libra H2O is very simple and self-explanatory. In the blink of an eye, you can find your own books.
Discover function
The ‘discover’ tab allows you to look up and buy books. The home screen consists of three sections – recommended, now popular and daily deal. I’m not often in this tab because I mainly get ebooks as review copies or lend via Cloud Library (more on this later). Buying books is done through the Kobo Rakuten shop or another shop of your choice. If you want to buy books from another site, this cannot be done via your e-reader itself and you have to buy them on your computer and then transfer them via USB cable.
Browsing through categories has improved tremendously in the past two years and a half. I remember when I used to really struggle with just browsing. You had one category; now take fantasy for example and you had to search for a book in that. Now there are subcategories which makes browsing much more pleasant.
Font, font size and brightness
Like any e-reader, in the Kobo Libra H2O you can also adjust the font in terms of style and size. You can also adjust the brightness of the screen as well as the colour; warm versus cold light.
Screen and speed
My Kobo e-reader has a large screen, a whopping 7 inches and is non-mirrored. This ensures that I can read in the sun without too much trouble. The large screen also means I don’t have to scroll through an e-book too much or set the font too small.
In terms of speed, I think the Kobo Libra H2O is no different from other e-readers. Occasionally a bit slower and I sometimes have to click on something several times before the e-reader responds. But this is mainly when browsing and not so much when reading.
Cloud Library
cloudLibrary is your library’s digital collection. In my case, cloudLibrary contains all e-books and audiobooks available in Flemish and Brussels libraries. So through my membership at the library, I can easily go here to borrow e-books.
Audiobooks
The only thing I miss a bit about the Kobo Libra H2O is the ability to listen to audiobooks. This is because my e-reader does not have built-in speakers or the like.
Would I recommend it (an e-reader)?
Yes anyway, I use my e-reader regularly. I also find that Kobo e-readers are of very good quality. I have had my Kobo Libra H2O for over two years now and it still works as it should. If you like listening to audiobooks too, then I would rather look at a version that offers that option.
Rating
8,5/10
Do you use an e-reader or do you still stick to hardbacks and paperbacks? Let me know in the comments!
heavenlybookish 