The Kindle e-reader was the original ‘Amazon device,’ and the heart of its e-reading lineup has long been the Paperwhite. So much so that Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices, described it as the “most loved Kindle” and the one that, as he admitted, owners with the current or previous-gen models are hesitant to upgrade.

That reluctance notwithstanding, Amazon has set out to make the best Paperwhite yet, with the all-new Kindle Paperwhite and more premium Kindle Paperwhite Signature. There are a lot of similarities between the two – both are thinner, lighter, and faster than the previous Paperwhite, with a better, larger 7-inch display that’s designed to be easily readable in any conditions.

It’s still only black-and-white, though – you’ll need to opt for the new Kindle Colorsoft if you want a color display for comics and the like – and is only for reading – get a Kindle Scribe, or maybe a Remarkable, if you want to write.

The new Paperwhite's colors are fantastic, and Raspberry is certainly my favorite. While I haven’t read a book on it yet, I got to spend some time with the Signature Edition at Amazon’s hands-on launch event. So, let’s talk through the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.

Pricing and Availability

If you’re a Kindle lover, here’s some good news – the new Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are shipping now. The Kindle Paperwhite costs $159.99 / £159.99 (we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in a matte, soft-touch Raspberry, Jade (a green), or Black.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition costs a bit more at $199.99 / £199.99 (again, we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in metallic variants of those same three colors – aptly named Metallic Raspberry, Metallic Jade, and Metallic Black, which have some extra sparkle thanks to aluminum flakes being sprinkled in. That extra spend also doubles the storage to 32GB, and adds wireless charging capabilities and an auto-adjusting light sensor.

Both are shipping now, and Amazon has also debuted a bunch of new cases, including color-matched ones.

Kindle Paperwhite (2024): One Minute Review

As soon as I lifted up the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – technically now the 12th generation – it was clear that Amazon has focused on refining an already successful model. It’s the most popular e-reader in the Kindle lineup, and the one we’ve recommended for most people, at least with the last generation.

It’s still very comfortable to hold with just a hand, and while the back is more reflective on the Signature Edition, it’s still easy to get a grip. Amazon says the Paperwhite weighs in at just 211 grams, which is a good bit under half a pound at just 0.47lbs or 7.5oz. I found it easy to navigate the interface with just one hand, though I think most folks will use both. You’ll still turn pages, scroll through your library, and adjust settings like font size, brightness, or warmth, by touching the screen.

The thinness here shouldn’t be underestimated either – it’s super portable, and at just 7.8-millimeters thick, which is a small but considerable decrease from the 8.1mm of the previous Paperwhite. Just take a look at the photos; it’s thin, and it has a good center of gravity for easily holding it. It’s also still waterproof, so you can safely read in the bathtub or by the pool, and with an anti-reflective coating over the display, it’s easy to see the screen even in bright sunlight.

The display here is a bit bigger than on the last-gen Paperwhite, and feels more front and center thanks to thinner bezels all around. It measures 7 inches diagonally, up from 6.8 inches on the previous version, and has 300 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution. Amazon says it also boasts a higher contrast rate, making it easier to read displayed text in any lighting.

I found that the text looked plenty inky, and it was easy to make out what was on the page… err, screen. The same goes for scrolling through Manga or a Comic on the Paperwhite; this is still very much a screen that’s easy on the eyes, and it’s even easier if you have the Signature Edition, thanks to its light sensor, it will automatically adjust the brightness and temperature throughout the day for better clarity.

What might be most impressive, though, is the speed, and how close to instant the new Paperwhite feels. Thanks to a new custom processor under the hood and a new Oxide back panel, the Paperwhite can refresh and update the E Ink display in record time. It’s 25% faster – at least what Amazon promises for both models – and it really shows when scrolling through a library or zooming through pages.

The Kindle Paperwhite simply flies. Unless you’re a speed reader, being able to quickly flip pages may not help, but it should make the Kindle Paperwhite feel more like a real book, or faster, since it can update what’s being displayed even quicker. This could make a really big impact, especially if you’re upgrading from an older model.

You’ll also have plenty of room to store your books and other documents, with 32GB of storage on the Paperwhite Signature Edition or 16GB on the standard model. Remember, you can offload books to the cloud as well, should you run out of space.

The only physical button for the Kindle Paperwhite still lives on the bottom, slightly off-center to the right, next to the USB-C port. You’ll use this to jump into the Kindle’s interface from the lock screen’s E Ink lock screen or to put the Paperwhite to sleep. The USB-C port may not see much action either, as Amazon promises up to 12 weeks of use on a full charge, and judging by my experience with previous models, it may last even longer, depending on use. This is also an improvement of the previous generation, which topped out at 10 weeks. You can also charge your Kindle wirelessly if you get the Signature Edition, which is convenient as you can simply lay it on a charging pad to ensure it’s always topped off.

All-in-all, with a larger display to let you see more of whatever you might be reading (it’s likely a reread of Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen for me, or diving into The World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian), an even lighter design that does indeed suggest ‘paper’, faster performance, and even better battery life, there’s a lot to like here.

And at $159.99 / £159.99, or $199.99 / £159.99 with the bells and whistles of the Signature Edition, it’s a bit more than the previous generation, which was $149.99 for the standard and $189.99 for the Signature Edition. We’ll need to spend a bit more time with it, and do some serious reading, but from our early impressions, fans of previous Paperwhites will be happy with the latest one, and those looking for a Kindle that can go anywhere will be equally pleased.

Amazon Kindle (2024): One-minute review

I was initially a little surprised that Amazon is calling the 2024 Kindle the “11th generation”, which was what the 2022 model was designated as. Delving deeper into the specs of the new entry-level Kindle – a lot of which Amazon hasn't actually revealed – and after spending some time with it, I can see why it's more a 2022 Kindle version 2.0.

I love the new Matcha Green color, though. It looks so much brighter than last year’s Denim Blue, but after years of seeing only black ereaders, any deviation from that is a breath of fresh air. I wish the rear plastic panel had some texture. It’s so smooth that I feel insecure when using it on public transport – a case to add some grip is definitely called for.

While Amazon isn't revealing what screen technology has been used here, a side-by-side comparison with the new 2024 Kindle Paperwhite and the Kobo Clara BW tells me it's still using the E Ink Carta 1200 display from the previous 2022 Kindle. That's not a bad thing, but it means you can get more contrast – and thus darker and sharper text – on other models that use the E Ink Carta 1300 screen. And the Kobo Clara BW, which does, isn't much more expensive than the 2024 Kindle.

The only thing different about the screen is the maximum brightness it's capable of and that’s likely not because of upgraded technology, but rather the addition of an extra LED. This improvement, to me, isn’t particularly a big deal as it will be the rare reader who needs the display set to maximum brightness. I, personally, found it hurt my eyes at full bore if there wasn't much ambient light around.

Like the previous model, there’s still no waterproofing and there’s still just 16GB of storage on board. While that’s plenty for hundreds of ebooks and some audiobooks, only 11.5GB of that is available for use as, I think, Amazon has done something with the operating system that's using approximately 2GB more than on the 2022 edition.

I can’t tell what the changes with the OS are exactly, as the interface is still quintessentially Kindle with no new features, but it's possible that these are performance changes. In testing, I found the 2024 Kindle to be a touch faster and more responsive than the previous generation, with no ghosting whatsoever. That said, it could also be because Amazon may be using a new processor, but that's another spec the company isn't revealing.

All said and done, the 2024 Kindle, to me, is just matcha ado about nothing (sorry, I just had to let that one out) as it truly is just version 2.0 of the previous model and I'm struggling to justify the price increase over the 2022 Kindle.

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: Price & availability

• Priced higher than the 2022 Kindle
• Listed at $109.99 / £94.99 with ads, or $129.99 / £104.99 / AU$199 without ads
• Available now directly from Amazon and some third-party stores

The 2024 Kindle might come in a lovely new color but it’s essentially still the same 11th generation model that was released in 2022, which is why I’m disappointed that Amazon saw fit to increase the price of its entry-level Kindle.

The 2024 release now costs $109.99 / £94.99 with ads or $129.99 / £104.99 / AU$199 without (note that, in Australia, only the ad-free version is available). In comparison, the 2022 edition cost $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 for the non-ads model before it was discontinued.

Another point of comparison could be the Kobo Clara BW, which is the same size, offers the same amount of onboard storage, but has an updated screen and IPX8 waterproofing too. It will set you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95. That’s the same price as the 2024 Kindle in the US, but more expensive in the UK and Australia, although I'd argue that it easily justifies the higher cost.

The good news is that Amazon will always discount its Kindles during major sales in your location, which is when I think it might be worth considering the 2024 Kindle over the Kobo Clara BW.

There are two colors of the 2024 Kindle to choose from – a lovely Matcha Green and the usual Black – and both cost the same. I would recommend getting a case for the Kindle as it’s not very grippy, so be prepared to spend a little bit more – you can always pick up a third-party option which would be cheaper than buying an Amazon-made one.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: specs

Amazon hasn’t disclosed a bunch of the usual specs for the 2024 Kindle, like which specific E Ink screen is being used here, the processor under the hood or the battery capacity. I’ve listed the official specs that Amazon has chosen to release, but have also added my thoughts in parentheses where necessary.

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: Design & display

• Match Green in a lovely, bright color
• 6-inch display makes for a very compact and lightweight ereader
• Lacks any kind of grip

I suppose it’s fair to say that ereader design, particularly the entry-level ones, are getting very dated, but Amazon has countered that by offering a brand-new color for the 2024 release of the basic Kindle. The Matcha Green is a breath of fresh air – it looks bright and beautiful, more so than the Denim Blue from 2022, and makes quite the statement. There is the usual black version too if you prefer, but why would you when you can have something different for the same price? Another reason to opt for the green model is that oily fingerprints and smudges aren’t as visible as they would be on a darker version.

Other than that, not much else has changed physically on the Kindle, including the rear plastic panel that is smooth and makes me feel rather insecure when I’m using it during my daily commute. A case could solve the lack of grip easily enough, but that’s an additional cost you will need to bear.

As lovely as the 2024 Kindle looks (in green, specifically), I’m a little concerned about its longevity based on what I’m seeing on the 2022 edition. Two years on, the older model’s plastic chassis is cracking, with hairline breaks clearly visible along both curved edges.This is despite the fact that the 2022 Kindle has always been in a case since it was sent to me for testing and I can’t remember ever dropping it. I’m not saying this will happen to the 2024 version, but it would be remiss of me to not mention it.

I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of a 6-inch ereader – I find the screen too small, personally and prefer a 7-inch display – but there’s no denying that, at just 158g, the Kindle is very compact and portable. It would easily slip into a large pocket of a jacket or any bag for that matter, but you might want to keep it away from water. The entry-level Kindle still lacks waterproofing, which is a shame as Kobo’s counterpart is IPX8 rated and won’t cost you too much more. In fact, the Kobo might offer more value for money considering it also boasts the latest E Ink monochrome screen (Carta 1300) that the new Kindle seemingly misses out on.

While Amazon is tight-lipped about which screen is being used on the 2024 Kindle, I compared it to its Kobo competition and the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite – there’s a visible difference in contrast that makes text appear darker, sharper and clearer. That’s not to say reading on the entry-level Kindle is bad, far from it. The 6-inch screen still gives you a lovely 300ppi resolution and text looks great… it’s just that there’s something ever so slightly better out there for about the same cost.

Amazon claims that there’s 25% more screen brightness on the 2024 Kindle, and that’s definitely true, although I suspect it’s not because of a screen upgrade, but rather the addition of an extra LED. Again, the number of LEDs being used for a Kindle’s frontlight is something I can’t remember Amazon having ever revealed, so I can’t give you an exact number, but it’s an improvement I don’t think was necessary. I doubt there are too many users who will want to set their ereaders at maximum brightness. I usually have my Kindles set at brightness level 5, which is perfect for nighttime reading without straining the eyes, and you usually don’t even need a screen light in bright sunshine. I did try the maximum brightness setting on the device (which is level 24) and found it hurts my eyes on a cloudy day. It’s not too bad in bright sunshine when everything else around you is well-lit too, but it’s physically painful for me in a dimly lit room. That said, I’m sure there will be the rare reader who appreciates the extra brightness.

Another thing to note about the Kindle’s frontlight is that there are no amber LEDs here, so you won’t be able to adjust the light temperature to warmer tones for evening or nighttime reading (something you can do on the Kobo Clara BW). However, there is a dark mode that you can use to further reduce the effects of white light on your eyes.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: User interface

• Easy-to-use interface
• Can feel cluttered to some users new to the Amazon ecosystem
• Native EPUB support, but still requires extra steps to load files

I’ve been a very strong proponent for simple ereader interfaces – after all, these are devices designed for the main purpose of reading, so anyone should be able to use them. Amazon nails this for the most part, with the Kindle OS quite easy to navigate and find what you need.

In fact, the entire setup process is simple – you just need to follow the on-screen instructions and choose the right options. In my case, I just had to sign in with my Amazon account (which is a paid Prime subscription) and my existing library – which at this point is still in the cloud – is displayed. Any of the books I want from there, I just have to tap and they download to the device.

While I love the Library tab of the Kindle, I’m not a huge fan of the Home screen – I find it excessively cluttered with too many recommendation options. It feels like I’m being forced into entering the Kindle Store every time I go to the Home screen. In comparison, Kobo’s Home screen is a little less recommendation heavy and, in my opinion, looks a little cleaner.

I wish there was a way to make the Library tab the default Home screen (something you will find on some Onyx Boox ereaders running an Android OS), but there’s no option for that in the Settings. However, if you set the Kindle to sleep mode with the Library pane open, that’s what will show when you wake it up again. Or, if you have a book open, it will wake up to the page you left off at, so you really don’t need to interact with the Home screen unless you need to access the Kindle Store to find your next read.

Settings are accessed by swiping downward from the top of the screen, where the screen brightness slider and dark mode button also sit. What I really appreciate about the Settings options is that it’s not overkill like I’ve seen on Boox devices – a handful of useful options that are easy to understand is exactly how it should be. I love the fact that I can remove practically all page furniture from a book, leaving me a clean display with just the text or comic frame I’m reading.

Speaking of comics, all Kindles have a frame view that is fantastic, even on a small ereader like the entry-level Kindle. Open the comic or graphic novel of your choice, double tap on the page and each frame will open separately so you can read the speech bubbles comfortably. Without this feature, speech bubbles would be nigh impossible to read on a full-page view as they’d be too small on a 6-inch screen.

Gone are the days of Amazon's dislike of the EPUB file, the most common ebook format there is. With MOBI nearly dead now, there is native EPUB support on the Kindles, but you still have to jump through hoops to sideload them. You can either send them via email using the Kindle address you get set up with when you first start using the ereader, or you can use the Send To Kindle desktop app. Both have file size caveats, though, but you can also always use software like Caliber to convert EPUBs to AZW/AZW3 formats, which are Amazon’s proprietary files.

You can listen to Audible audiobooks if you have a subscription, but you will need to pair a set of Bluetooth headphones to the Kindle first. The pairing, I found, needs a few tries, but once connected, you can listen to the stories rather than read. With Whispersync turned on in Device Options, you can stop reading at a page and, if you also have the audiobook version, the narration will start on that page. It will even sync to your Echo device if you have one.

While you can connect to a Goodreads account if you use it, there are no other third-party options available for either cloud sync or borrowing library books, While readers in the US can use a Kindle to borrow from a local public library, it’s a limited feature that’s not available elsewhere, which makes a Kobo a compelling alternative if you don’t want to spend money on book purchases or subscriptions.

• User interface score: 4 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: Performance

• Slightly faster page turns and overall performance
• Lacks contrast compared to the competition
• Decent battery life, depending on brightness setting

Performance measurement for an ereader is simple, really – you determine how well the tap (or swipe) to turn functionality works and if there’s any ghosting (or overlay of previous page) on the screen, something that’s been very common with ereaders for years.

On both counts, the 2024 Kindle excels. In fact, I think the overall performance is a wee bit faster on the new model over its predecessor. While I’d love to say that’s because of a new processor, I don’t have that knowledge, but it could be software tweaks that have improved performance. Again, this is just a theory I have based on how large that OS is on the 2024 Kindle, so don’t quote me on that.

Whatever the reason, page turns are snappy and not once did I have any overlay while reading or typing via the on-screen keyboard. The latter also feels quite responsive – entering my WI-Fi password at setup and typing out my Amazon credentials happened with barely any lag. So while I might say that this doesn’t feel like an ‘upgrade’, I appreciate whatever Amazon has done to improve performance over what was already a pretty good budget ereader.

I also appreciate that downloading books from the Kindle Store is also very speedy compared to what I’ve experienced when sourcing titles from the Kobo Store on a Kobo ereader.

Battery life remains the same as before, with Amazon saying you’ll get up to 6 weeks of use on a single charge, although I think it’s more like 4 weeks. That, though, will depend on how bright you like your screen set at.

On my Kindle, I had the brightness set to 5 at all times and page refresh set to each page turn and saw an average drop of 2% per hour of reading. That increases to about a 3% to 4% drop each hour with Kindle Store browsing thrown in as well. With the brightness level set at 24, which is maximum, I found battery levels drop by an average of 7% per hour. So, depending on brightness settings and how long you read per day, I’d say you’ll get a top of 4 weeks between charges and that’s still pretty good.

Using a 65W wall charger and a good quality USB-A to C cable, the 2024 Kindle took 1 hour 52 minutes to go from 9% to full, which is average for an ereader. I haven’t had the opportunity to try charging it via a USB-C to C cable yet, but that might speed things up a touch, as long as you’re still plugged into the wall socket and not using your computer or dock.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle (2024)?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Amazon Kindle (2024)

• Used as main reading device for one week
• Viewed both graphic novels and regular books
• Checked performance at various settings

I didn’t have the 2024 Kindle with me for too long before first publication, but I made sure I spent as much time as I could reading on it. Over the course of 7 days, I read an average 4 hours per day on it, reading history and fantasy novels, as well as my favourite The Sandman graphic novel.

These were already available in my Kindle library, so I only needed to sign into my Amazon account, then sync to the device via the cloud. I didn’t sideload any new titles to the 2024 Kindle though.

While I don’t have a Kindle Unlimited or Audible account, I used the free trial of the former to find some titles to read, but mostly used my Prime Reading subscription to borrow some books. I found one audiobook available on Kindle Unlimited to try pairing a set of wireless earphones to test audiobook functionality, although I’m not much of a listener.

I also repeatedly changed light settings to see how the battery held up, and did direct screen comparisons with the Kobo Clara BW and the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed November 2024]

Kobo Clara BW: Two-minute review

The Kobo Clara BW is the first big-brand ereader to feature the latest E Ink grayscale screen tech. While the screen resolution remains at the standard 300ppi, the E Ink Carta 1300 display promises a 25% increase in screen responsiveness and better contrast than the previous Carta 1200 panels being used in the current crop of ereaders, and these improvements are on full display on the Clara BW.

I initially began using the ereader without removing the plastic screen protector that comes stuck on newly-purchased tablets, and every light tap was registered by the Clara BW with the function correctly implemented. That’s an improvement over the Kobo Clara 2E and the base Amazon Kindle (2022) model, both of which sport the Carta 1200 screen and did have a few misses when I tried them with the sticky plastic film still on.

There’s also a visible difference in contrast between older 6-inch models using the Carta 1200 screen and the Clara BW, meaning the text on the device appears sharper and clearer, no matter how small or large you like your fonts to be, or how bright you set the frontlight. And that makes reading on the Clara BW an absolute pleasure, although some users might prefer a slightly larger screen.

The Kobo interface, as always, is easy to use and navigate around, which adds to the Clara BW’s appeal, and the ecosystem doesn’t keep you as locked in as Amazon does with its Kindles. Where you do get locked in with Kobo is audiobook support – the only ones a Bluetooth-enabled Kobo ereader will play are those purchased from the Kobo Store or downloaded as part of a Kobo Plus subscription.

Unfortunately, there’s no support for cloud file transfers via either Google Drive or Dropbox, as is available on the Kobo Libra Colour – you can, however, easily sideload content via a USB-C cable linking the device to a laptop or PC. You do, of course, get OverDrive support to borrow digital content from a public library that supports the platform.

It's also a shame that Kobo hasn’t improved the battery life or increased the storage from 16GB. It also still uses a 1GHz processor. While none of these affect how good the ereader is, it does make a difference to the overall value of the Clara BW over its color sibling, the Kobo Clara Colour. With similar specs but a color display, the Clara Colour costs more, but offers you a little more too.

That said, if you don’t need a color screen, then the Clara BW is competitively priced considering it’s boasting a much-improved display, and the ability to repair it to prolong its lifespan makes it easy to recommend to anyone looking for their first ereader.

Kobo Clara BW review: price and availability

• Announced April 2024
• Launch price of $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95
• Repair kits and guides available from iFixit

Available to buy now directly from Kobo for $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95 apiece, the Clara BW is only a little more expensive than the 2022 release of the Amazon Kindle (which costs $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 for the non-ads option), despite boasting a better screen. That’s good value for money where performance is concerned. 

To give it another point of comparison, the Kobo Clara 2E had a launch price of $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95, but was last listed for $139.99 in the US (UK and Australia pricing remained the same) on the Kobo Store, so the Clara BW is well priced compared to its predecessor too.

Moreover, the Clara BW is repairable, which can increase its life once its warranty has expired. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to provide both spare parts and the repair kits you will need, plus there are step-by-step instructions you can follow to perform the self-repair.

The parts – screen, motherboard, front and back covers, and battery – aren’t cheap, but they’re not what I would call terribly expensive either. For example, a new battery will cost you $39.99 / AU$67.99 (price not listed for UK and Europe at the time of writing), plus you need to factor in the repair kit too. However, it’s definitely cheaper than buying a new ereader when you’re still happy with the one you have… and you’re comfortable with self-repairing the tablet.

Value score: 5 / 5

Kobo Clara BW review: Specs

Kobo Clara BW review: design and display

• 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display – the latest in E Ink’s grayscale screen tech
• Same design as used in the Kobo Clara line since 2018
• 85% of the body is recycled plastic

The Kobo Clara series of ereaders all look the same, resembling the Amazon Kindle, including raised side bezels that provide just enough room to hold the tablet without accidentally touching the screen while reading. The sunken screen also helps in reducing glare from overhead lights and can hide smudged fingerprints better than a flush screen.

According to Kobo, the Clara BW comes in just one colorway – black. Strangely, though, my test unit had black bezels on the front but a navy-blue rear panel. I’m going to assume this is an anomaly with just the test sample, but it looks a little odd – I’d much prefer a single-color body for an ereader or something with a bit of trim or detail using a lighter color, like silver maybe.

I personally think the overall design is getting a little stale, although I understand that not a lot can be done to make the 6-inch ereaders look more modern, other than perhaps making the screens flush with the bezels, like on the Onyx Boox Poke 5.

Using recycled plastic to make the body is a good trajectory, though, and Kobo says the Clara BW, like the Clara 2E before it and the Clara Colour, has about 85% of recycled plastic in its body. Even the packaging it comes in is fully recycled and recyclable, with the soy ink used to print the boxes being biodegradable.

Its eco-friendly credentials aside, the device’s repairability is also a good move by Kobo, making it an industry first. There are parts available on iFixit in some countries, with very detailed, step-by-step guides on how to go about self-repairing the tablet when the need arises. These parts include a rear panel, which might also explain why my test unit looked like it was cobbled together.

The display here, though, is the headline. The 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 screen makes its debut on the Kobo Clara BW, with a 10-inch iReader note-taking model being the only other ereader to boast this screen technology thus far. The Carta 1300 makes the screen more responsive and adds more contrast. The screen resolution remains at 300ppi, but the text on the display appears clearer and sharper than older models using the Carta 1200 screens.

The Clara BW shares the same proprietary ComfortLight Pro screen lighting tech as the other Kobo ereaders, and this adds to the device’s readability. Boasting both white and amber LEDs, the Clara BW can be set to automatically change its frontlight to warmer hues for evening and nighttime reading, or you can adjust it manually whenever you feel the need – a feature missing in the current base Kindle (2022) model. Brightness, too, is adjustable.

The dimensions here are identical to the Clara Colour, with the BW model also tipping the scales at 174g, a mere 4g more than the Clara 2E. It’s still light in the hand, comfortable to hold for long periods of time and the perfect size for a travel partner that can carry your entire digital library for you wherever you go. The fact that it’s got an IPX8 waterproof rating helps with giving you some peace of mind.

Design and display score: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara BW review: user interface

• Simple, easy-to-use UX
• Good font and file support
• No Google Drive or Dropbox support

I’ve said this several times in my previous Kobo reviews and I’ll say it again – I’m a fan of the interface. Kobo’s UX is user-friendly and easy to navigate around. There’s no extraneous options in the settings to confuse matters and anyone can quickly learn their way around, even if they’ve never used an ereader before.

More importantly, I like how open the ebook ecosystem is – you can sideload your own collection of titles if you already have a bunch, and good font support means EPUB and MOBI are both natively supported (unlike on a Kindle where you need to jump through a few hoops to sideload an EPUB file). PDF and TXT files are also natively supported, plus two comic formats help display manga well.

The only audio format that any Bluetooth-enabled Kobo ereader supports, though, is the Kobo Audiobook, so you can’t sideload audiobooks you’ve sourced from outside the Kobo Store. This is the only part of the ecosystem that’s closed and, to me, that’s a little disappointing from a company that has always been more open than Amazon.

Font support is also excellent and you can sideload any that you think is missing, including Amazon’s own Bookerly and Ember fonts. 

Whether it’s file transfer or font upload, getting the Clara BW loaded up is as simple as plugging it into a laptop or PC with the files already stored via an USB-C cable, then hitting the Connect button on the ereader screen, and finally dragging and dropping what you need onto the device. You can then move any fonts you’ve transferred to the Fonts folder or, if it’s missing, just create a new one. Disconnect, allow the ereader to finish a sync and you’re ready to get reading. Sadly there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox cloud transfer support on the Clara BW – these are only available on Libra Colour and the more premium Kobo models.

Like the Carta 1200 screen, a dark mode is available here, so if you prefer, you can switch that on and the colors get inverted to white text on a black background.

One interesting feature on all Kobo ereaders is the Activity option in the Settings pane. This displays the total time you’ve spent reading, although specific stats are only related to ebooks you’ve purchased from the Kobo Store or read via a Kobo Plus subscription. Importantly, Kobo rewards you for reading more, awarding you badges as you hit specific targets and milestones. This goes a long way in developing reading into a habit.

As with all Kobo ereaders, OverDrive and Pocket support are baked in. The former allows you to borrow titles from a public library directly from the device – you just need a library card from one that supports OverDrive. The latter is essentially a browser plugin that allows you to save longform web articles for reading offline and you can access these on a Kobo ereader by just signing into your Pocket account on the ereader.

If you are buying the Clara BW for your child, Kobo allows you to block access to its store and the web – a very basic browser is available in the Beta Features section under the More tab. Kobo also allows you to lock the device by applying a four-digit PIN.

Bluetooth connectivity is also available so you can pair a set of wireless headphones or earbuds to listen to Kobo Audiobooks.

User interface score: 4.5 / 5

Kobo Clara BW review: Performance

• Improved screen responsiveness
• Best-in-class contrast and readability
• Good battery life

I’ve barely ever complained about a Kobo ereader’s performance – they do what they do well. With the Clara BW, that performance has gone up a notch because of the Carta 1300 screen. Despite still using a 1GHz processor, it’s faster than the previous Clara models or the Kindle. As I’ve said previously in this review, even with a plastic screen over the display, the Clara BW registers taps correctly and implements them without any lag. 

Even when it comes to displaying text, there’s none better. Not yet at least, as I’m sure other brands will follow suit by adopting the new generation of screen technology soon enough. Even if they do, not many ereader makers give you the option to add ‘weight’ to the fonts or make them slightly thicker, making them even easier to read.

I compared the 2020 Amazon Kindle with the Clara BW and, to make sure it was a fair comparison, I sideloaded Amazon’s Bookerly font onto the Kobo. Displaying a page from two different books but in the same font, with the frontlights switched off and no weight to the font on the Kobo, the Clara BW was still superior, with the text looking darker and crisper on the screen. Even at full brightness, the Clara BW screen was the clear winner when comes to readability. I also did a side-by-side comparison with the 6-inch Onyx Poke 5 and, again, the Clara BW wins hands down.

Other functions are also snappy – opening a title (ebooks or audiobooks), turning pages, or navigating around the UX is quick. Even inputs via the on-screen keyboard didn’t have any lag during my testing period. 

Kobo hasn’t changed the battery pack inside the Clara BW over the Clara 2E, meaning you still get only a 1,500mAh battery. This isn’t too bad but it’s not quite earth-shatteringly good either – you can get approximately six weeks of use if you read about an hour each day, depending on how bright you have the screen set and how often you keep turning pages. 

During my testing, I had the Clara BW set at 15% brightness with auto light temperature change for 9:30pm local time, Wi-Fi always on, Bluetooth only on when listening to audiobooks, and the refresh rate set to every chapter. Reading for approximately 2 hours each day at these settings gave me 35 days of use – five weeks. This is good but I should point out that I didn't do a lot of listening during my testing period, which would have made a bigger dent on the battery. So I'd say you can get anywhere between 4-6 weeks of use from a full charge, depending on your use of the device.

Topping up the 1,500mAh battery in the Clara BW doesn’t take long – about 57 minutes to go from 19% to full during my testing period. I saw no trickle charging here, which I’ve seen in other Kobo ereaders, including the 2024 Clara Colour and Libra Colour. This seems a little strange for Kobo to not have trickle charging here as well when its other ereaders do, but I suspect a future firmware update might change that. Trickle charging will help maintain battery health, so it's not a bad thing, but if this happens, the charging time will likely double.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Kobo Clara BW?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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How I tested the Kobo Clara BW

• Used it as my main reading device for five weeks
• I used it to listen to some preloaded audiobooks
• Sideloaded my own ebooks and fonts

The Kobo Clara BW test unit that was sent to me for this review came preloaded with a few ebooks and audiobooks. I didn’t reset the device to sign in with my own Kobo account, but I sideloaded a few titles that I was reading on another ereader. So while I didn’t read any of the preloaded ebook titles, I did listen to a couple of the audiobooks that Kobo had set up for me. For the latter, I paired a set of Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to listen.

I used the Clara BW to read more than listen though, spending about two hours each day over a period of 5 weeks to finish a book. Through this testing period, I spent approximately three hours listening to audiobooks.

To see how different the new screen is, I did a side-by-side comparison with the Amazon Kindle and the Onyx Boox Poke 5 – both 6-inch ereaders – and, to make the comparison as fair as possible, I sideloaded Amazon's Bookerly font onto the Clara BW. This also gave me an idea of how easy it is to add new fonts to the device.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed May 2024]