Kobo’s new E Ink tablet is a great and cheaper alternative

As excellent as the The reMarkable writing experience That is, the device is big, expensive, there is no e-book store, and it does not have a lighted display. With its new $ 260 Sage, Kobo presents a smaller, cheaper e-Note that remains a great e-reader with access to Kobo’s expansive e-book store and the added bonus of being able to enjoy audiobooks through wireless headphones.

Earlier this year, Kobo presented its 10.3-inch Elipsa, the company’s first e-note tablet. It was essentially a larger version of the Kobo Libra with the addition of a stylus holder, but without the very useful page change buttons on the smallest e-reader, and a basic illuminated display that lacked color temperature settings. While priced the same as the $ 400 reMarkable 2, the Elipsa didn’t offer such a solid writing experience, which made it a tough sell.

The new Kobo Sage is a more attractive alternative to both the Elipsa and the reMarkable. Priced at $ 260, plus an additional $ 40 for the Kobo stylus which is not included, the Sage will offer the same experience as the Elipsa: note taking, drawing, as well as the ability to tag ebooks and digital files. like PDFs, but on a smaller, lighter device with an 8-Inch E Ink display. Unlike most e-note devices currently available, the Sage also seems to serve as a very good e-reader, with a pair of page-turn buttons on the side next to a slight lip on the edge that should make the easier to use device. hold in one hand.

It is 8– 1200 inch E Ink Carta display offers 1 resolution440 x 1920 to 300 dpi which should be easy on the eyes (less bumps and aliasing) and includes Kobo’s “ComfortLight Pro”” characteristic, it’s what the company calls the ability of the front light to adjust between cold and warm color temperatures, depending on what time of day you use the device. You can’t expand the Kobo Sage’s 32GB of on-board storage with a microSD card, which is unfortunate, but it does have a USB-C port for charging and syncing, and the tablet maintains the IPX8 waterproofness. of the Kobo Libra, allowing it to survive an hour in two meters of water.

Another new feature for Kobo devices in general is the addition of Bluetooth, allowing audiobooks downloaded from the Kobo bookstore to be enjoyed using a pair of wireless headphones.

An optional $ 50 folio-style SleepCover case will be available in light green and black, but if you go with the Kobo Stylus, an $ 80 PowerCover seems like a more useful alternative. It works the same as the SleepCover, protecting the screen and automatically waking / sleeping the Sage when the cover is opened / closed, but also includes a pen storage slot and an extra battery on the back that will extend the life of 1,200 of the Sage. The internal mAh battery can go between charges.

Alongside the Sage, Kobo is also today presenting a new version of its waterproof e-reader, the Libra 2. Kobo promises faster performance compared to the e-reader 7– 1200 inch E Ink Carta touchscreen, but the resolution remains the same at 1264 x 1680, just like the ComfortLight Pro color temperature settings. The Kobo Libra 2 still boasts an IPX8 waterproof rating, the same as the Sage, as well as 32GB of non-expandable on-board storage, but with a slightly larger 1500mAh battery.

An optional $ 40 SleepCover case will be available in slightly different colors than those available for the original Balance, but the main reasons for upgrading to the new version are charging and syncing via USB-C instead of microUSB, as well as Bluetooth support so that, as with the new Sage, audiobooks downloaded from the Kobo bookstore can be listened to through a pair of wireless headphones. This isn’t necessarily a must-have upgrade for existing Libra users who stick with ebooks, but for those looking for their first e-reader, the $ 180 Kobo Libra 2 sounds like a best alternative to all new kindle that were announced recently.