Kobo Libra Colour Review: The E-Reader That Makes Sense for Commuters and Comic Fans

By Editorial Team Editorial | April 2026

The Kobo Libra Colour wins because it solves the boring parts of reading on the go: glare, awkward one-handed page turns and a library that does not fit in your bag. At £209.99, it is the e-reader I’d buy if I wanted colour covers, better comfort and fewer compromises than a tablet.

Our picks at a glance

Pick	Product	Price	Best for
Best overall	Kobo Libra Colour	£209.99	Commuting, library borrowing and comic-heavy reading
Best upgrade	Kindle Colorsoft	£249.99	Kindle loyalists who want colour and a sharper-looking screen
Best budget	Amazon Kindle (2024)	£109.99	Plain text reading at the lowest sensible price

Based on hands-on research, expert review consensus (RTings, Wirecutter, relevant subreddits), and current pricing.

Best overall: Kobo Libra Colour

Kobo Libra Colour — £209.99

This is the sweet spot if you want an e-reader that feels easier to live with every day, not just nicer on a spec sheet. The £209.99 price buys you a 7-inch colour E Ink display, physical page-turn buttons, 32GB of storage and IPX8 waterproofing, which is exactly the combination that matters if you read on trains, in baths or in bed with one hand.

Its score of 8.1 is deserved because Kobo got the basics right. Colour covers and highlighted notes are actually useful here, OverDrive and Pocket support make it friendlier for library readers, and Bluetooth audiobook playback gives you another reason to leave your phone in your pocket.

Why we picked it:

• The 7-inch Kaleido 3 display makes covers, comics and annotations more useful without dragging you back to tablet glare.
• Page-turn buttons and the ergonomic grip make one-handed reading genuinely comfortable on a commute.
• 32GB of storage plus waterproofing means you can load a proper library and stop worrying about rain, spills or the bath.

The trade-off: colour E Ink still looks muted next to a sharp black-and-white Kindle screen, and if handwritten notes are your main use, this is not the best buy. If you want the reader that does the most useful things without becoming a tablet, buy the Kobo Libra Colour.

Best upgrade: Kindle Colorsoft

Kindle Colorsoft — £249.99

The upgrade path makes sense only if you are locked into Amazon’s ecosystem and want colour without changing how you buy books. The Colorsoft gives you a slightly brighter, more saturated colour screen than Kobo’s panel, and it keeps the familiar Kindle experience intact.

Worth it if: you already own a large Kindle library and you care more about staying in Amazon than getting the best button-and-library combo.

Best budget pick: Amazon Kindle (2024)

Amazon Kindle (2024) — £109.99

This is the cheap, clean answer for people who mostly read text-only books and do not care about colour, buttons or waterproofing. You give up the comfort extras and the bigger screen, but you keep the simplest path into ebooks at a much lower price.

Worth it if: you just want to read novels, keep spending under control and do not need a fancy feature set.

How we chose

We weighted the features that matter for real reading: screen comfort, one-handed usability, library access, storage and waterproofing. We also checked current expert consensus from Wirecutter, Engadget, TechRadar and other recent e-reader roundups to make sure the alternatives are current and the comparison is grounded.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Kobo Libra Colour good for comics and graphic novels? Yes, but with the usual colour E Ink caveat: it is useful, not dazzling. It is a better fit for covers, highlights and lighter comic reading than for anyone chasing tablet-like colour.

Is £209.99 good value for an e-reader? For this feature set, yes. You are paying for buttons, waterproofing, 32GB and colour in a compact body, which is a fair deal if you actually use those extras.

Can you use it by the bath or pool? Yes — it has IPX8 waterproofing, so it can handle splashes and short submersion without drama.