Max Buondonno/ZDNET
I was impressed with the Kobo Elipsa 2E as soon as I took it out of the box. The device, an e-ink tablet from Kobo (which is owned by Rakuten), is designed to be an alternative to the Kindle Scribe, reMarkable 2 and other pen-compatible tablets with this type of screen .
It’s also designed to be platform-independent, at least to a certain extent: you can read e-books, sync your notes with Dropbox and Google Drive, read articles you’ve saved in Pocket (the archiving service for web pages), etc.
The only real problem concerns one type of customer: regular Amazon users. Because you can’t read Kindle books on the Elipsa 2E, which is particularly annoying for me because so much of my digital library is tied to my Amazon Prime account… But if you’re not like me, This is a fantastic option if you want a no-frills e-ink tablet with plenty of freedom for note-taking, document annotation, and a stylus (with eraser) included in the box.
The Elipsa 2E offers a resolution of 1872 x 1404, or 227 pixels per inch (PPI)
The design of the Elipsa 2E is quite plain, which, honestly, isn’t a bad thing. Kobo uses recycled ocean plastics and magnesium alloy for its construction, with a rubberized back for added grip. I particularly like the thick frame on the right side: it helps a lot with grip and gives your thumb a place to rest.
With its large 10.3-inch e-ink screen, the Elipsa 2E offers a resolution of 1872 x 1404, or 227 pixels per inch (PPI). At this screen size, the resolution is dense enough to keep everything pleasantly sharp.
I really appreciated this screen in its use. It’s responsive, smooth, and great for general use, whether you’re reading your favorite novel or browsing articles on the web. The backlight can turn on automatically in low light, while the adjustable color temperature lets you adapt the screen to your surroundings and reduce blue light consumption during the night. This is a pretty complete set.
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From the advantage of the Pocket application
If we have to talk about Kobo’s personalized e-reading experience, it is true that there is not much different compared to the company’s other e-readers. You have some very basic navigation buttons at the bottom, some menus at the top, the Wi-Fi switch, Bluetooth settings, it’s all very easy to get the hang of. This is very comparable to the Amazon Kindle experience.
Of course, it’s not a Kindle. This is an e-reader that wants to adapt to everyone’s reading and writing habits, and Kobo has done a remarkable job of achieving that.
One of the main features is Pocket integration, which allows you to save articles and blogs from your account and read them later, without animation or other visual distractions, on an e-ink screen. Many of my friends really like this feature, because anything they don’t want to read on their phone (e.g. Slack messages every five minutes) can be saved for later reading on the Elipsa 2E.
Max Buondonno/ZDNET
A tablet for reading but much more
Support for Dropbox and Google Drive also allows you to save different types of files to these accounts and play them on the Elipsa 2E. This means you don’t have to worry about manually transferring documents to the device before reading them, although you can still do that if you want via a USB-C jack. They are also used to synchronize your digital notebooks.
The integrations don’t stop there. Because Kobo also supports Readwise, a service that can email you a weekly list of your best e-book favorites across various platforms. This list can then be linked to note-taking apps like Notion and Evernote, so you have one centralized place to store everything.
Max Buondonno/ZDNET
Besides reading, the Elipsa 2E’s primary experience is writing, hence the presence of a Kobo house-brand stylus in the box. The company has designed a set of interesting tools for writing down your thoughts, annotating documents and highlighting your favorite phrases in books. An entire section is devoted to notebooks, which can be organized into folders (better for preserving your sanity).
Lots of nifty gesture controls
Notebooks can be configured with basic notebook-style layouts or through “advanced” templates that can convert your manuscript to text. The software is surprisingly accurate: I have some of the worst handwriting in humanity and yet it was able to capture the nuances of my writing.
Kobo has added a lot of nifty gesture controls for editing your text. You are presented with a tutorial when you set up the pen. Flip the pen over and you’ll find an eraser, which the Kindle Scribe’s pen doesn’t.
It’s also easy to move the text (put down the pen and touch it with your finger), edit your converted text with the stylus, etc. It’s all very intuitive and easy to learn, and with all the layouts available (my favorite being the to-do list one), you can really make the Kobo Elipsa 2E an essential tool in your daily life.
Max Buondonno/ZDNET
The writing feels very natural
The best part of all this? The writing, which seems very natural. Many people have told me that it is not as good as the Kindle Scribe, which is said to be more responsive and efficient. However, I never felt like the Elipsa 2E writing experience was unfinished. The display adapted to the speed at which I was taking notes, and the textured finish of the glass covering the screen mimics the traditional feel of pen on paper.
As for the battery life, it is incredible, as you would expect. You can charge this device to 100% without having to worry about plugging it back in for at least two or three weeks. That’s what makes e-ink devices great: they never stop.
ZDNET’s purchasing advice for the Kobo Elipsa 2E tablet
Is the Kobo Elipsa 2E worth buying? Yes, if only you want a great e-ink writing experience on the go, and compatibility with Amazon’s Kindle library isn’t useful for you.
Indeed, if you don’t already have a catalog of e-books, the Elipsa 2E is an excellent starting point. Although the price, in my opinion, is a bit high for the product (especially because it is mostly made of plastic, not really a premium material), you cannot deny that it is ‘an excellent device. Just know what you’re getting into. And be prepared to take lots of notes!
Source: “ZDNet.com”