Kobo Elipsa: Two-minute review
With a 3-inch screen, the Kobo Elipsa isn't the biggest e-reader ever (think the XNUMX-inch Onyx Boox MaxXNUMX, for example), but that's for Kobo. It's also the only device from the Japanese-Canadian e-reader maker to come with a stylus in the box.
Kobo pitches the Elipsa not just as an e-reader, but more of a research device you can take notes on, competing with models like the ReMarkable XNUMX and, more recently, the Amazon Kindle Scribe. The difference here, though, is that you have to jump through hoops to use the ReMarkable as a reading device (it's more of a digital note-taker than an e-reader), while the Kindle counterpart simply doesn't have the long note. -taking advantage of the capabilities of the Ellipse.
Despite its writing prowess, the Kobo Elipsa is an e-reader first, just one that can multitask, and that's evident in the way the Kobo Stylus works. While it's not fully responsive in real time, it's fast enough not to confuse you, but writing on the screen isn't quite as smooth as on newer E Ink note-taking tablets. That said, Elipsa's ability to recognize handwriting to transform it into text has always been outstanding, and it's now better and faster after a few firmware updates since its release in XNUMX.
For the most part, Elipsa does just what it says on the box: it lets you read, annotate, draw, create lists, purchase ebooks, borrow ebooks from a public library, and read web articles through Pocket. However, there are some caveats that make Elipsa rather difficult to advise.
Stylus support is locked to ebooks you buy directly from the Kobo Store, which means you can't annotate a downloaded EPUB. However, you can redact and draw on downloaded PDF files. For a company with a reputation for not locking down its ecosystem, it seems like Kobo is taking a step in that direction by letting you write only locked ebooks.
Then there are the size and weight considerations. Kobo claims the Elipsa is an e-reader first, but with a XNUMX-inch screen size and XNUMXg weight, it's not as portable as traditional e-readers. It's too big to use on public transport, even if you have a seat, and it feels heavy in the hand, even without a sleeping cover. And it's not developed for one-handed use. But that's not unique to Kobo: every XNUMX-inch e-ink tablet we've tested is going to be tricky as e-readers.
The stylus doesn't feel as natural as the experience we had with the Kindle Scribe. Where Amazon made typing smooth on its first big-screen eReader, Kobo fell short. To be fair, Kobo's model is a lot older and the technology continues to improve, which we hope to see in the Elipsa XNUMX, if there is one.
Still, for a first attempt at a pen-based digital notepad, Kobo did pretty well with the Elipsa, even adding a bit of cash over some of its contenders.
- Kobo Elipsa (32GB) at Newegg for €399.99 (opens in a new tab)
Kobo Elipsa review: Cost and availability
- Announced May 2021, XNUMX
- Introductory price of €99 / €599.95 / AU €XNUMX
- Comes with sleeping bag and stylus.
Kobo e-readers usually come as a stand-alone device, and you can then purchase accessories like sleeping bags separately. However, the brand took a different approach with the Kobo Elipsa, selling it as a bundle, which includes the sleeping case and pen as well as the tablet, in a bundle called the Elipsa Bundle. It's going to set you back $99 / $XNUMXK, XNUMX / AU$XNUMX, which is pretty competitive considering you get the accessories too.
By comparison, the ReMarkable XNUMX costs €XNUMX / €XNUMX / €XNUMX for the tablet alone. You will have to pay €XNUMX / €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX for assistants to get the marker (stylus). There's a free Folio for the ReMarkable XNUMX, but that's an additional expense, too.
The considerably newer Amazon Kindle Scribe that was announced in late XNUMX costs $XNUMX / $XNUMX / AU$XNUMX for XNUMX GB storage with a basic stylus. To put that in context, the Elipsa comes with thirty-two GB of storage by default, as well as a stylus that includes delete and highlight buttons. You do the calculations.
Though it can hold its own against direct competition, the Elipsa costs more than Apple's XNUMX-inch iPad, a considerably more versatile device with a color screen, multimedia support, and access to the App Store. However, it would be unfair to equate a traditional tablet with an E Ink device since their use cases are quite different and, just in case, it is cheaper than the XNUMX XNUMX-inch iPad.
Kobo Elipsa review: Design and display
- ten and three inch screen
- No hot LEDs
- USB-C charging port
If you've never used a ReMarkable or Onyx Boox Note Air tablet before, think of the Kobo Elipsa as a full-size Kindle Oasis on which you can write. The reason we're equating the Elipsa with Amazon's higher-end device is that, like the Oasis, the Kobo's screen is flush with the glasses, whereas all other Kobo devices have the screen placed in a hole under the glasses. And now that the Kindle Scribe is out, comparisons can be made between the two direct competitors.
Kobo Elipsa Key Specs
Screen Type: E Ink Carta 1200
Screen size: 10,3 inch
Resolution: 227ppi
Storage: 32GB
Battery: 2400mAh
Connectivity: Wi-Fi + USB-C
Front lighting: white LED only
Dimensions: 193 x 227,5 x 7,6 mm
Weight: 383g without accessories
Thanks to the E Ink Carta 1200 display technology used in the Elipsa, the screen is very sharp despite a resolution of 227ppi (1404x1872). The most popular e-readers today have a 300ppi screen resolution, but there are large screen E Ink devices with exactly the same 227ppi screen, like the Onyx Boox Note Air. This is the same screen technology used in almost all new eReaders available today, at least those released since 2021, and makes the touchscreen 20% more responsive than older Carta 1000 panels with 15% more contrast ratio.
The Kindle Scribe, however, has a much brighter and sharper screen, although it uses the same technology. There's a 300ppi resolution on the new device and it's really nice and bright.
Like all Kobos, the Elipsa's screen is also illuminated on the front, but there are no orange LEDs here. This means that while you can dim the brightness, there's no way to change the tint (temperature) of the light at night to warmer tones like you can on most Kobo devices - a major design flaw for a device. It costs as much as the Elipsa. . However, there is a "dark mode" available on board that changes black text on white to white text on black.
The large size of the Elipsa means that it is heavier than the most popular eReaders, which are also smaller. While most e-readers weigh around 200g or less, the Kobo Elipsa weighs in at a much heavier 383g for the tablet alone. It's lighter than the 10.3-inch Onyx Boox Note Air (which weighs 420g) and the Amazon Kindle Scribe (433g), but it still feels heavy in the hand. It takes some getting used to, but it's a bit bulky when worn in bed or on public transport. We also found that the most comfortable way to use it as a note-taking device was to have it on a table.
While its size and weight make it difficult to use one-handed, it would have been easier if there were page-turning buttons (as on the Oasis and Kobo Libra H2O). There is ample room for them as one side frame is wider than the other. Presumably that wider bezel is there so you can comfortably hold the device while you type, but if you find yourself doing it most of the time, that space could have been put to better use. That said, we have yet to find a 10,3-inch e-ink device from any brand with physical buttons to turn pages.
To the side of the wider bezel is the power button, which we found too small and poorly placed to find. Next to that is a USB-C port, the first Kobo eReader to adopt it, for charging and transferring files.
Unlike the plastic tablet, the Kobo Stylus is completely metal, made of aluminum. There are two buttons conveniently located where your thumb or forefinger would be: one for highlighting when reading, and the other for erasing. Clear triggers a refresh of the page, removing any ghosting or shading from the writing. The pen is powered by a single AAA battery, which means there will be ongoing costs to maintain the pen. It is important to note that the Kobo Stylus is proprietary and no other stylus will work with the Elipsa. Therefore, if the tip wears out, you will need to purchase replacement tips from Kobo.
Elipsa's sleeping case is different from the usual ones of most e-readers: instead of opening like a book, it stands up vertically. It has folds that convert the folio into a stand and a niche to safely store your Kobo stylus when not in use.
Kobo Elipsa review: Ease of use
- Easy to set up and sync
- 32 GB internal storage
- The notes are well organized.
If there's one thing Kobo does well, it's the user experience of the device. It's the same Linux-based software used here as on all Kobo e-readers, so if you've ever used one, you'll feel right at home with the Elipsa.
Everything is streamlined as we've come to expect from Kobo, with the ability to organize your library the way you want, lots of information from the Home screen (including recommendations and access to the Kobo Store), and all the important settings at your fingertips. To change the brightness settings on Elipsa, simply swipe up or down on the left edge of the screen, but note that this only works when a file is open and not on the home screen.
While the settings options at the top of the home screen remain unchanged, Elipsa has launched a dedicated My Laptops tab in the bottom navigation bar, which is now also in Kobo Sage. This is where you can draw, write, take notes, or create lists, all organized the way you want. You can have multi-page notes...