E-Readers · owner-verdict comparison

Kindle Colorsoft vs Kobo Clara Colour: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Kobo Clara Colour: 60% of 321 owners recommend it, vs 49% of 41 for the Kindle Colorsoft.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Kindle Colorsoft

49%of 41 owners recommend
49% recommend · 10% neutral · 41% don't
Owners praise
  • Color E Ink makes covers, comics, graphic novels, and magazines genuinely enjoyable to read
  • Page turns and navigation feel fast and snappy, comparable to or quicker than the Paperwhite
  • For the right reader, it's a fun, satisfying device that owners say they love using
Owners complain about
  • A yellow band or discoloration along the bottom of the screen plagued many launch units, leading some owners to return the device
  • Quality-control defects like dead or stuck pixels, dark screens, and charging quirks turned up on a number of units
  • At around $280 it's pricey for an e-reader, and several owners felt the color didn't justify the cost
Full owner report →

Kobo Clara Colour

60%of 321 owners recommend
60% recommend · 15% neutral · 25% don't
Owners praise
  • Color covers, comics and highlighting
  • Compact, light and portable
  • Easy sideloading and library support
Owners complain about
  • Grainy texture, lower B&W contrast
  • Freezing, crashing and bugs
  • Dark screen needs backlight on
Full owner report →

What Kindle Colorsoft owners say

I bought it. It’s expensive but I can make up for it by using Libby, plus I don’t drink or smoke or anything so I feel it’s a justified splurge.
@Skate_noir on YouTube
Actually impressed with the color screen
@afrothundar on YouTube
I've had two Colorsofts and sent both back because of screen issues.
@gsogymrat on YouTube

What Kobo Clara Colour owners say

Thank you kobo for the ease of use for someone with thousands of ebooks already in a (non-amazon) library.
@ljroberts83 on YouTube
I have the same one and I’m so in love with it!! everyone hates the screen but for me I can read perfectly and the colour is huge for me
@log81427 on YouTube
I just bought The Witcher omniubus, and it is basically unreadable on my Kobo Clara Colour. The font is far to small for comfortable reading. There is a zoom option, but that is not a good experience with eInk.
davyyd on Reddit