The Kobo Elipsa not an ebook reader further. It is an interesting proposal that combines the possibilities of an eReader with those of a notebook. As? Well, with an electronic ink panel on which you can paint thanks to its built-in styles.
Kobo Elipsa, video analysis
Kobo Elipsa Features
Well, now that you know what this Kobo Elipsa offers, here is a list of its main features:
- 10,3-inch e-ink display with 227 ppi pixel density (1404 x 1872 pixels)x
- Internal memory of 32 GB
- 1 GB RAM memory
- 1,8 Ghz multicore processor
- Battery 1.400 mAh
- WiFi connection and USB C connector for charging and data transfer
- Dimensions 227,5 x 193 x 7,6 mm (height, width and thickness)
- I fight 383 gr
- Supported formats: epub, epub3, pdf, FlePub, mobi, jpeg, gif, png, bmp, tiff, txt, html, rtf, cbz, cbr.
Book reader or tablet?
The first thing that will catch your attention about the Kobo Elipsa is, without any doubt, its size. It is closer to a tablet than to a conventional e-book reader such as Amazon's ubiquitous Kindle. Of course, it is understood that these are its dimensions if you want it to be comfortable when enjoying what would be its great function after serving as an eReader: the possibility of annotate with your styles. But before we delve into that feature, let's talk about design aspects.
Made of matt black plastic, the first feeling in the hand is quite positive and as the days go by it does not change. It is a pleasant device to hold and although it seems silly it is something that is appreciated. As well as that it is very balanced in terms of weight when holding it. Something you would normally do taking advantage of the thicker edge on the left side.
Thanks to that good balance of the weight when you hold it with one hand, you can stay longer without suffering that fatigue caused by other heavier devices such as iPad-type tablets, etc. Without forgetting that these devices also add the inconvenience of using an LCD panel that always strains the eyes more than one with electronic ink.
For the rest, the Kobo Elipsa only includes a single physical button that is intended to turn the device on and off. No buttons for forward or backward pages. Here there will be opinions of all kinds and for some those physical buttons for forward and backward will be essential, but the truth is that they are not missed here.
Because thanks to the touch capabilities of the panel you only have to slide to the left or right to go forward or back. Although you can also give a simple touch near the left or right edges to perform the same action of turning the page forward or back.
Finally, the device is charged through a USB C connection that also serves to synchronize data with the computer through the application available for both Mac and Windows, without forgetting the online options thanks to the device's WiFi connectivity.
The importance of the screen in the Kobo Elipsa
There is no doubt that we are facing a device with generous dimensions and that means that you cannot easily get the size of its screen out of your head. Still, once you know everything the device has to offer, it's easier to understand why it measures 10,3 inches.
The e-ink display of the Kobo Elipsa with its 10,3-inch diagonal offers a resolution of 1404 x 1872 pixels. This means that it is not the sharpest on the market, but with its 227 dpi density, it is true that it looks very good both when you read using different font sizes and when you use it to take notes with the pencil or draw on the notebooks that you will be able to create.
For the rest, it is a screen with a backlight system that with total freedom to adjust it between 0% and 100% brightness allows reading in all kinds of situations regardless of whether there is little or a lot of light.
An eReader with pencil to paint
Yes, there is no doubt that the most striking aspect of this Kobo Elipsa is its pencil. Thanks to this you will be able to use it as you would use the Apple Pencil or the styles of similar devices such as the reMarkable II.
In pencil it has a very correct design and when the battery is inserted it is also well balanced, making it comfortable to use. You are also interested in knowing that the tip is interchangeable and introduces two buttons that give quick access to the different functions it offers, such as text highlighting, deletion or the possibility of writing annotations or some type of drawing on the "sheets" of the book.
To give greater value to both the device and the pen itself, Kobo also allows you to create your own notebooks so that you can do whatever you see fit in them, from taking additional notes as if it were a blank sheet, drawing, etc. In those notebooks, the option of text recognition is also added, so that your handwriting can become text written with a keyboard.
However, not everything was going to be perfect, the use of the pencil implies accepting a series of compromises that are partly well justified and do not pose a big problem, but it is good to know them:
- The first is that the pencil does using a AAAA battery. Here it is true that you have the advantage that by changing the battery the pencil will continue to work like the first day and that extends its useful life. Because if it had an internal battery and it degrades, you would have to buy a new pencil. Although being an unusual battery, it may be that you always have to resort to buying it through online pages and make sure you bring a response if you use the pencil a lot. Because you could stay shooting at the most inopportune moment
- The second is that there is an obvious delay between when you make the stroke and it appears on the screen. Logically it is because it is an electronic ink panel, but if you are used to how a Wacom tablet or even an iPad works with its Apple Pencil, you will notice it quickly. So you will have to get used to it as soon as possible to achieve a good user experience.
For the rest, the truth is that the addition of a pencil to a product like this adds many positive points. Being able to be reading certain texts and making notes that go beyond the typical bookmark of electronic books is interesting.
Experience of use and the challenge to overcome
At this point, knowing how the product is physically, the quality of its screen and the functions of the pen, how is the user experience? Well, it can be summed up as remarkable, because practically everything it proposes does well. The only problem is that the reaction speed can sometimes be a bit slow, but otherwise no problem.
With the book sync app it is very easy to manage all the content of the book. And being able to synchronize the content with platforms like Dropbox or Pocket also adds quite a few positive points, because you can wirelessly connect and access material stored there. Which is interesting to read certain articles that you find while browsing the internet. Because there are posts that are much more enjoyable without distractions such as banners, notifications, etc.
So all this makes it a product that is very enjoyable and if you are an inveterate reader you will like it. Even so, there is a challenge that must be overcome and it will not be easy: justify its price. Because the Kobo Elipsa costs 399 euros. In other words, a significant amount of money compared to other eReaders that, although they do not have a pencil, are more affordable when the only thing that really interests you is being able to read.
Therefore, the pencil and its functions are the reasons that should make you decide to pay four hundred euros for the reader. Would you do it? Especially considering that there are devices like the iPad and the Apple Pencil that cost a little more depending on the model and range, but it is also true that they offer many more options if reading for long periods of time is not the most essential thing for you.
So that's the question you have to ask yourself, am I going to monetize the 399 euros that the Kobo Elipsa costs? If you read a lot and make notes constantly, it is clear that you do. But for the rest... we cannot guarantee anything, so you will have to assess who knows your needs best. What is undeniable is that the product is very well finished, with quality materials and a wide variety of options.