Kobo, Rakuten’s e-reader brand, has just launched a new product. The Clara 2E, which takes over from the Clara HD, improves some technical aspects of its predecessor, the device also boasting of being waterproof.
The e-reader market lives on to the rhythm of sporadic announcements. Kobo has just formalized its first fully waterproof six-inch reader, the Kobo Clara 2E. A seal that should allow it to withstand up to 60 minutes under two meters of water. It thus aims to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite.
According to Kobo, this eReader is made from more than 85% recycled plastic, 10% of which comes from the ocean. “During the year, Kobo plans to reuse more than 200,000 plastic bottles from our planet’s oceans and more than a million CDs and DVDs from landfills.“, is it stated in the press release. The company also has a goal of offsetting 100% of the carbon emissions related to the shipment of its e-readers to customers.
In terms of functionality, in addition to its waterproofness (IPX8 certified), the new reader supports Bluetooth to allow users to listen to audio books. It also has 16 GB of internal storage, which is double the Clara HD. It incorporates a Dark mode and ComfortLight Pro technology to adjust the brightness, color temperature and filter blue light if necessary.
However, the Kindle Paperwhite seems to retain a few advantages, including a battery life of “several months” versus “Several weeksfor this Clara 2E, or even a larger screen, 6.8 inches. Conversely, the Clara 2E does not come with ads and is also more affordable, with a launch price of $129.99 compared to $139.99 for its rival in the United States.
Kobo has launched pre-orders for its Clara 2E, and deliveries are expected to begin on September 22. In France, the indicated price is €149.99. This should penalize it, given that the Kindle Paperwhite is now often below the 100 € mark.