Kobo’s Elipsa is the most recent within the Amazon rival’s e-reading line, and it’s an enormous one. The 10.3-inch e-paper show brings it as much as iPad dimensions and places it in direct competitors with the reMarkable and Boox’s e-reader tablets. It excels on studying expertise, will get by on note-taking and drawing, however falls a bit quick on versatility.

Kobo has been creeping upmarket for a number of years now, and although the cheaper Clara HD continues to be the decide of the litter for my part, the Forma and Libra H2O are worthy opponents to the Kindle traces. The $400 Elipsa represents an enormous step up in measurement, perform, and worth, and it does justify itself — although there are a number of necessary caveats.

The system is effectively designed however lacks any thrives. The tilted “side chin” of the Forma and Libra is flattened out right into a easy vast bezel on the best facet. The lopsided look doesn’t hassle me a lot, and far of the competitors has it as effectively. (Though my favourite is Boox’s ultra-compact, flush-fronted Poke 3)

The 10.3″ display screen has a decision of 1404 x 1872, giving it 227 pixels per inch. That’s effectively under the 300 PPI of the Clara and Forma, and the typography suffers from noticeably extra aliasing in case you look carefully. Of course, you gained’t be wanting that carefully, since as a bigger system you’ll most likely be giving the Elipsa a bit extra distance and maybe utilizing a bigger sort measurement. I discovered it completely comfy to learn on — 227 PPI isn’t dangerous, simply not the most effective.

There is a frontlight, which is well adjustable by sliding your finger up and down the left facet of the display screen, however not like different Kobo units there isn’t a strategy to change the colour temperature. I’ve been spoiled by different units and now the default cool gray I lived with for years doesn’t really feel proper, particularly with a hotter gentle shining in your environment. The necessary half is that it’s constant throughout the complete show and adjustable right down to a faint glow, one thing my eyes have thanked me for a lot of instances.

Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch

It’s onerous to contemplate the Elipsa unbiased from the equipment it’s bundled with, and in reality there’s no method to purchase one proper now with out the “sleep cover” and stylus. The reality is that they actually full the bundle, although they do add significantly to its weight and bulk. What when bare is lighter and feels smaller than an ordinary iPad is heavier and bigger as soon as you place its case on and stash the surprisingly weighty stylus on the prime.

Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch

The cowl is properly designed, if a bit stiff, and will certainly defend your system from hurt. The cowl, secured by magnets on the backside, flips off like a sheet on a authorized pad and folds flat behind the system, attaching itself with the identical magnets from the opposite route. A pair folds in it additionally stiffen up with additional magnetic association into a pleasant, sturdy little stand. The outdoors is a grippy fake leather-based and the within is gentle microfiber.

You can wake and switch off the system by opening and shutting the duvet, however the entire thing comes with a small catch: it’s a must to have the ability button, charging port, and large bezel on the best. When out of its case the Elipsa can, just like the others of its lopsided sort, be inverted and your content material immediately flips. But as soon as you place it within the case, you’re locked in to a semi-right-handed mode. This could or could not hassle individuals nevertheless it’s value mentioning.

The Elipsa, middle, with the Forma and reMarkable 2 to its left and proper.

The studying expertise is in any other case similar to that on Kobo’s different units. A comparatively clear interface that surfaces your most not too long ago accessed content material and a not overwhelming however nonetheless unwelcome quantity of promotional stuff (“Find your next great read”). Ebooks free and paid for show effectively, although it’s by no means been my desire to learn on a big display screen like this. I really want certainly one of these giant e-readers would make a panorama mode with going through pages. Isn’t that extra booklike?

Articles from the online, synced by way of Pocket, look nice and are a pleasure to learn on this format. It feels extra like {a magazine} web page, which is nice whenever you’re studying a web based model of 1. It’s merely, foolproof and effectively built-in.

Kobo’s new note-taking prowess

What’s new on the underside row, although, is “Notebooks,” the place unsurprisingly you may create notebooks for scribbling down lists, doodles, notes after all, and customarily use the stylus.

The writing expertise is satisfactory. Here I’m spoiled by the reMarkable 2, which boasts extraordinarily low lag and excessive accuracy, in addition to rather more expression within the line. Kobo doesn’t strategy that, and the writing expertise is pretty primary, with a noticeable quantity of lag, however admirable accuracy.

There are 5 pen suggestions, 5 line widths, and 5 line shades, and so they’re all wonderful. The stylus has a pleasant heft to it, although I’d like a grippier materials. Two buttons on it allow you to rapidly change from the present pen fashion to a highlighter or eraser, the place you will have stroke-deleting or brush modes. The regular notebooks have the standard gridded, dotted, lined and clean types, and limitless pages, however you may’t zoom in or out (not so good for artists).

Then there are the “advanced” notebooks, which you could use if you would like handwriting recognition and different options. These have indelible traces on which you’ll write, and a double faucet captures your phrases into sort in a short time. You may put in drawings and equations in their very own sections.

Close sufficient. Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch

The handwriting recognition is quick and ok for tough notes, however don’t anticipate to ship these on to your workforce with none enhancing. Likewise the diagram instrument that turns gestural sketches of shapes and labels into finalized flowcharts and the like — higher than the unique wobbly artwork however nonetheless a tough draft. There are a number of intelligent shortcuts and gestures so as to add or subtract areas and different frequent duties, one thing you’ll most likely get used to pretty fast in case you use the Elipsa repeatedly.

The pocket book interface is snappy sufficient going from web page to web page or up and down on the “smart” notebooks however nothing just like the fluidity of a design program or an art-focused one on an iPad. But it’s additionally unobtrusive, has good palm blocking, and feels good in motion. The lag on the road is unquestionably a con, however one thing you may get used to in case you don’t thoughts the ensuing product being a little bit sloppy.

Image Credits: Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch

You may mark up ebooks, which is good for highlights however finally not that a lot better than merely choosing the textual content. And there’s no method you’re writing within the margins with the restrictions of this stylus.

Exporting notepads could be carried out by way of a linked Dropbox account or over USB connection. Again the reMarkable has a leg up right here, for even when its app is a bit restrictive, the reside syncing means you don’t ever have to fret about what model of what’s the place, so long as it’s within the system. On the Kobo it’s extra conventional.

Compared to the reMarkable, the Kobo is basically simply a neater platform for on a regular basis studying, so in case you’re searching for a tool that focuses on that and has the choice of doodling or note-taking on the facet, it’s a a lot better deal. On the opposite hand, these simply searching for an enchancment to that stylus-focused pill ought to look elsewhere — writing and sketching nonetheless feels method higher on a reMarkable than nearly something available on the market. And in contrast with one thing like a Boox pill, the Elipsa is extra easy and targeted, however doesn’t enable the chance of including Android apps and video games.

At $400 — although this features a case and stylus — the Elipsa is a substantial funding and comparably priced to an iPad, which is actually a extra versatile system. But I don’t significantly take pleasure in studying articles or books on my iPad, and the simplicity of an e-reader generally helps me focus once I’m making notes on a paper or one thing. It’s a distinct system for a distinct goal, however not for everybody.

It is nonetheless most likely the easiest way proper now to step into the shallow finish of the “big e-reader” pool, with extra advanced or costly choices accessible do you have to need them.