Pick the Kobo Clara if the lower price and 6-inch screen matter most. Pick the Kobo Libra Colour if you want page-turn buttons, a 7-inch screen, 32GB of storage and stylus support. All three models have IPX8 waterproofing and ComfortLight PRO.
Which Kobo to Pick
The Clara comes in two versions in this comparison: the Clara BW at $159.99 and the Clara Colour at $179.99. The Libra Colour lists at $259.99.
All three models carry the same IPX8 waterproof rating and the ComfortLight PRO front light, so those features do not separate them. The Libra Colour is also the heaviest, at 199.5 g against 174 g for both Clara models. It is the only one of the three with listed page-turn buttons.
Library borrowing appears on all three product pages. The Clara BW page does not name Libby, and availability depends on country and library.
What Each Model Costs
Kobo’s US store showed these prices on 2026-10-12: $159.99 for the Clara BW, $179.99 for the Clara Colour and $259.99 for the Libra Colour. Prices change, so verify at Kobo’s Clara BW page, Kobo’s Clara Colour page or Kobo’s Libra Colour page before you buy.
Adding colour to the 6-inch model costs $20.00 more than the Clara BW. The Libra Colour costs $80.00 more than the Clara Colour and $100.00 more than the Clara BW.
The Libra Colour’s stylus is sold separately. Kobo lists Kobo Stylus 2 at $69.99 on the Libra Colour page, so the Libra Colour with that stylus comes to $329.98 at the listed prices ($259.99 plus $69.99).
Screen Size, Resolution and Colour
Both Clara models have a 6-inch screen at 1448 x 1072 pixels. The Clara BW uses a glare-free E Ink Carta 1300 HD touchscreen that shows black and white only. The Clara Colour uses an E Ink Kaleido 3 colour display, the same display family the Libra Colour uses.
The Libra Colour has a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display at 1264 x 1680 pixels.
Kobo lists 300 PPI (pixels per inch) for black-and-white content and 150 PPI for colour content on both colour models. Dark Mode appears on all three pages, and FastGLR appears on both colour models.
If colour matters to you, the Clara BW drops out, since it is black and white only.
Storage and Audiobook Capacity
The Clara BW and Clara Colour each have 16GB of storage. Kobo says the Clara BW holds up to 12,000 eBooks or 75 Kobo Audiobooks. Kobo bases that on about 1.3MB per eBook and 6.5-hour audiobooks at 28.8MB per hour.
The Libra Colour has 32GB, which Kobo says holds up to 24,000 eBooks or 150 Kobo Audiobooks. That is twice the storage of either Clara model and twice the eBook count Kobo gives for the Clara BW.
On the Clara BW page, Kobo says Kobo Audiobooks play over Bluetooth headphones or a speaker, only in select countries.
Page-Turn Buttons, Rotation and Stylus Support
The Libra Colour is the only one of the three with listed page-turn buttons. It also lists left and right screen rotation, landscape mode and what Kobo calls an ergonomically curved form. The Clara pages do not name page-turn buttons.
Kobo says Kobo Stylus 2 is compatible with the Libra Colour. The stylus lets you mark up and highlight eBooks in colour. Integrated notebooks back up to Kobo Cloud through a connection to third-party cloud storage.
The Clara Colour lists multi-colour highlighting of eBooks. The Libra Colour lists colour highlighting through Kobo Stylus 2. Kobo lists Kobo Stylus 2, integrated notebooks and the Kobo Cloud backup on the Libra Colour page.
Battery Life as Kobo Lists It
Kobo’s battery figures are test-condition maximums. Kobo’s Clara BW figure uses a 10% front light setting, while both colour models use 30%.
The Clara BW has a 1500 mAh (milliamp-hour) battery. Kobo says one charge lasts up to 53 days at 30 minutes of reading a day, with the front light at 10% and WiFi and Bluetooth off.
The Clara Colour has a 1500 mAh battery on the black model and a 1900 mAh battery on the white one. Kobo says it lasts up to 42 days at 30 minutes a day, with the front light at 30% and WiFi and Bluetooth off.
The Libra Colour has a 2050 mAh battery. Kobo says it lasts up to 40 days at 30 minutes a day, with the front light at 30% and WiFi and Bluetooth off.
At the same 30% front light setting, the Clara Colour’s 42 days is 2 days longer than the Libra Colour’s 40 days. The Libra Colour has the largest listed battery and the shortest listed day count.
Size and Weight
The Clara models measure 112 x 160 x 9.2 mm and weigh 174 g. The Libra Colour measures 144.6 x 161 x 8.3 mm and weighs 199.5 g.
Compared with a Clara model, the Libra Colour is 32.6 mm wider (144.6 minus 112), 1 mm taller (161 minus 160), 0.9 mm thinner (9.2 minus 8.3) and 25.5 g heavier (199.5 minus 174).
Pick a Clara if you want the lighter and narrower of the two sizes. Pick the Libra Colour if the 7-inch screen and page-turn buttons are worth 25.5 g more and 32.6 mm of extra width to you.
Waterproofing, Front Light and Build
All three models carry the IPX8 rating, which Kobo lists as up to 60 minutes in up to 2 metres of water.
All three list ComfortLight PRO. On the Clara BW page, Kobo describes it as adjustable brightness and colour temperature for blue light reduction.
Kobo says the exterior of its eReaders contains a minimum of 85.5% recycled content: 75.5% post-consumer material and 10% ocean-bound plastic. Kobo also says the eReaders are repairable.
Library Borrowing and Kobo Plus
Kobo’s Clara Colour page says you can borrow eBooks directly from your local library with Libby. The Libra Colour page says you can borrow eBooks directly from your local library with OverDrive and Libby integration. The Clara BW page says you can borrow eBooks from your local library and does not name Libby. For the app side, see how to use Libby.
Kobo says the Libby and OverDrive features are available only in select countries, and eBook availability varies by library location. Whether your library works depends on your country and library.
Kobo Plus, Kobo’s subscription, is listed on the Clara BW page for select countries. For a subscription comparison, see Kobo Plus vs Kindle Unlimited.
Formats, Shipping and Returns
All three models read the same 15 native formats: EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR.
Kobo’s store cart area showed free shipping, a 45-day return window and warranty included on 2026-10-12. Those terms can change, so check them in the cart on Kobo’s Libra Colour page before you order.
Side-by-Side Specs
| Feature | Clara BW | Clara Colour | Libra Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price seen 2026-10-12 (US store) | $159.99 | $179.99 | $259.99 |
| Screen | 6-inch, black and white, E Ink Carta 1300 HD | 6-inch, E Ink Kaleido 3 colour | 7-inch, E Ink Kaleido 3 colour |
| Resolution | 1448 x 1072 | 1448 x 1072 | 1264 x 1680 |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| Listed eBook capacity | Up to 12,000 | n/a | Up to 24,000 |
| Page-turn buttons | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Stylus | Not listed | Not listed | Kobo Stylus 2, sold separately at $69.99 |
| Waterproof | IPX8, up to 60 min in 2 m | IPX8, up to 60 min in 2 m | IPX8, up to 60 min in 2 m |
| Front light | ComfortLight PRO, 10% in battery test | ComfortLight PRO, 30% in battery test | ComfortLight PRO, 30% in battery test |
| Battery and listed days | 1500 mAh, up to 53 days | 1500 or 1900 mAh, up to 42 days | 2050 mAh, up to 40 days |
| Dimensions (mm) | 112 x 160 x 9.2 | 112 x 160 x 9.2 | 144.6 x 161 x 8.3 |
| Weight | 174 g | 174 g | 199.5 g |
| Library borrowing | Listed, Libby not named | Libby, select countries | OverDrive and Libby, select countries |
Which Model Fits Which Decision
Pick the Clara BW if you want the lowest listed price and the longest listed battery figure, and you do not need colour. It costs $20.00 less than the Clara Colour and $100.00 less than the Libra Colour. Its 174 g weight matches the Clara Colour.
Pick the Clara Colour if you want colour on a 6-inch screen at $179.99. It has the same size and weight as the Clara BW. It has 16GB of storage.
Pick the Libra Colour if you want page-turn buttons, a 7-inch screen, 32GB of storage, the listed 24,000 eBook capacity and stylus support. At the listed prices, the Libra Colour with Kobo Stylus 2 comes to $329.98. Its listed battery figure of 40 days is the shortest of the three listed figures.
Neither Clara model is the pick if page-turn buttons are on your list, since the Clara pages do not list them. The Clara Colour is the pick over the Libra Colour if colour matters and buttons, a 7-inch screen and stylus support do not. It costs $80.00 less at the listed prices. If library borrowing through Libby is the reason you are buying, check it for your country and library on Kobo’s Clara Colour page or Kobo’s Libra Colour page first, since the Libra Colour page names OverDrive and Libby.
What Would Change This Answer
The $20.00 gap between the Clara models, the $80.00 gap between the Clara Colour and the Libra Colour, and the $69.99 stylus price would each shift if Kobo changes its listing. A lower Libra Colour price would narrow the gap to the Clara models, and a higher one would widen it.
If you stop needing page-turn buttons, the Libra Colour loses one of its listed differences from the Clara models. If you need colour, the Clara BW is out.
What Kobo Does Not Publish
Kobo’s listed specs leave several gaps that matter when you compare the models.
- Real-use battery life. Kobo’s figures are test-condition maximums.
- Whether a given library card works on a given device. Kobo says availability varies by country and library.
- Today’s sale prices, bundles and stock.
If page-turn buttons decide the purchase, start with Kobo’s Libra Colour page to confirm its current price, then compare that figure with the $179.99 Clara Colour.