As tablets get smarter there still seems to be a good amount of interest in standalone e-readers. Why? Primarily because many dedicated book lovers appreciate that there's fewer distractions on a e-reader, since many of them don't receive text messages or emails or social media notifications. While Amazon Kindle may get all the press, Canadian company Rakuten Kobo is a major competitor, and it’s just launched its newest e-reader for 2023, Kobo Elipsa 2E, which has a few upgrades and differentiators over the competition. In this review I will try out the new Elipsa, test it out for reading e-books and listening to audio content too. I’ll look at its special features (you get a stylus!) And see if I can recommend this e-reader for you.

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What’s special about Kobo Elipsa 2E?
There are several key differentiating factors that make Kobo Elipsa 2E stand out from the crowd. The first is its size; with a big 10.3-inch touchscreen with a matte, paper-like finish it’s bigger than your average e-reader. I know the trend is towards small and smaller devices, but when I sit down to read some thing, I don't like to squint. The size of this reader is great as far as I’m concerned, and despite its large screen size it’s ultra thin and light (just 7.5mm thick and just under 400g).

Like almost all e-readers, the screen is grayscale only.

Pen: Kobo Stylus 2
The next special feature of this is that there is a pen included in the package, known as the Stylus 2. The stylus allows you to do things like highlight text, or make notes in the margins, or to draw, create, or otherwise scribble your thoughts into the notebook… Which is our next key feature.

Notebook
With a built-in notebook feature that syncs with Dropbox and Google Docs, you can create handwritten notes, scribble thoughts, journal your days or organize notes from your books and reading materials, then sync it all to the cloud.


Price

The last key factor I will highlight here is that this e-reader is significantly more expensive than average. So far it seems like the reason for that is you're not just getting an E reader but you're also getting a digital notebook to… Something akin to Moleskine Smart Writing Set or Rocketbook, both of which I’ve reviewed and you can check out.

The price, for reference is $499CAD/$399US.

Set up
Getting the device set up, was actually quite easy; with it charged up and powered on, you will either sign into or create a Kobo account then connect to your homes Wi-Fi and you're ready to go. You can shop digital books on the reader or itself, or go to Kobo’s website to choose some thing and it will automatically sync to your tablet. You can also borrow library books using OverDrive too.


Reading experience
I started reading on the Kobo Elipsa 2E right away and found it comfortable, easy on the eyes and I really enjoyed the larger page size. Turning pages is as easy as swiping across the screen or tapping the edge of the page. I will note that, like some other dedicated the readers, there is a flash-like effect when the pages turn; it lasts a split second, but is noticeable, particularly early on. I can confirm, though that after reading for a while, I stopped noticing it.

Customizable reading experience

You can choose the orientation you prefer either vertical or horizontal depending on how you prefer to read. It will do this for you or you can lock the orientation too. There's plenty of other customization options to, including where are you prefer to tap on the screen, if you'd like to adjust font size by pinching, and whether or not you'd like to see more information on screen.

Adjustable light

The Kobo Elipsa 2E has adjustable light, which allows you to create a more comfortable reading experience, particularly at night or in the dark. You can adjust the light from warmer nighttime right to cooler brighter light easily using a simple slider bar. Or have the device manage this for you by turning on the Natural Light Auto feature. You can also choose your regular bedtime and the device will adapt light to that for you.

Highlight and annotate books
I chose to do some professional reading for work, and decided to use the experience to create notes and thoughts about the book I was reading using the stylus.

It has a great tactile pen-on-paper feel to it which I liked a lot. Plus it’s got pressure sensitivity like a ballpoint pen, so you can press harder for thicker, darker results. You can also adjust pen type, shade, line size and eraser size that suits your style.