Kobo Elipsa 2E Review: Write on the Money

At a look

Skilled’s Ranking

Execs

• Nice note-taking options 
• Glorious E Ink show 
• Spectacular efficiency 
• OverDrive and Pocket integration

Cons

• No waterproofing 
• Some software program bugs
• Audiobook choice extra restricted than Amazon’s

Our Verdict

Merely put, the Elipsa 2E is one of the best eReader you should buy for note-taking. The {hardware} is just like the Kindle Scribe, however the software program expertise is on one other degree. 

Value When Reviewed

$399.99

Finest Costs Immediately: Kobo Elipsa 2E

With most tech, there’s a wealth of selection and loads of high picks. For others, with eReaders being the living proof right here, one or two firms dominate.

Kobo’s Elipsa 2E is a note-taking eReader that has its sights set on the Kindle Scribe. Amazon’s system wasn’t launched till after the unique Elipsa went on sale, however the 2E and Scribe have lots in frequent – together with their costs. 

The Scribe obtained combined evaluations, so is the upgraded Elipsa 2E the go-to eReader with stylus help? The quick reply is a powerful sure, though it doesn’t get the whole lot proper. 

Design

• Light-weight, premium construct
• No water-resistance
• Stylus included. Sleep cowl bought individually

The Elipsa 2E is the largest eReader Kobo makes by far, however the further show space is critical for notetaking. A ten.3in display guidelines out any chance of one-handed use, however that’s not what this system is meant for. 

It retains the identical design language as different Kobos, with a plastic exterior surrounding the E Ink show. The again of the Elipsa 2E has a singular textured coating, which provides loads of grip and appears good as well. However like most eReaders, there’s just one color – black – and it’d be good to see different choices. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Kobo additionally has its eye on the atmosphere with the Elipsa 2E. It claims 85% of the outside plastic has been recycled, together with 10% that might’ve in any other case ended up within the oceans. That is nice to see, and hopefully the corporate can proceed to progress on this space sooner or later. 

Deciding in opposition to aluminium or glass additionally helps hold the Elipsa 2E comparatively skinny and lightweight. At 7.5mm and 390g, it’s simple to take nearly wherever with you, though you received’t need to get it moist. In contrast to another Kobos, there’s no water-resistance right here and it’s an actual disgrace. 

I used to be involved a couple of light-weight plastic construct feeling low cost, however Kobo has managed to keep away from that. The Elipsa 2E feels slick and premium, and may final for a few years of use. 

That sturdiness may be improved by pairing the system with Kobo’s personal SleepCover (an additional $69.99/£69.99). Because the title suggests, it mechanically places the Elipsa 2E to sleep when closed, offering all-important safety for the show. 

Attaching the system to the duvet is a bit fiddly, however works properly when you get used to it. There’s a devoted slot for the Kobo Stylus 2 (extra on that later), but it surely doesn’t double as a stand for hands-free use. You’ll additionally need to make do with none safety for the again of the system, so it’s removed from a necessary buy. 

The USB-C charging port is situated on the bottom-right facet, just under the textured energy button. However except for the Kobo emblem on the back and front, the Elipsa 2E has a really minimalist design.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Show

• Spectacular 10.3in E Ink show
• Nice visibility due to matte coating
• Adjustable heat mild

The Elipsa 2E expertise is centred round that 10.3in show. It’s one of many largest E Ink units you should buy, together with related measurement choices from Amazon, ReMarkable and Huawei. 

Particularly, it’s an E Ink Carta 1200 panel, with a decision of 1404×1872 pixels. That’s an identical to the unique Elipsa, though its 227 pixels per inch (ppi) is decrease than the Kindle Scribe’s 300ppi. 

However does that imply the standard of the show right here isn’t as much as scratch? Completely not. The whole lot nonetheless seems to be extraordinarily clear and crisp, with a dynamic distinction between mild and darkish colors. It may not be greatest in school, however the Elipsa 2E has a superb E Ink show that can serve you properly. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The matte end has two clear advantages. Firstly, it limits the build-up of fingerprint smudges and different marks. Regardless of a big facet bezel for holding the system, there aren’t any bodily web page flip buttons, so that you’ll have to faucet the display typically. 

It additionally means the Elipsa 2E is straightforward to make use of in vibrant environments. Even in direct daylight, you’ll nonetheless be capable to comfortably learn what’s on the display. An auto-brightness function makes it potential, though its main goal is for studying at midnight. 

E Ink shows are already simpler on the eyes than LCD or OLED panels, however you additionally get an adjustable heat mild right here. This shifts from white mild to hotter orange and yellow tones to minimise sleep disruption, and it’s also possible to set a bedtime for it to activate mechanically. The function works very properly. 

Studying expertise

• Nice in most conditions
• Not perfect to be used whereas travelling
• Works properly in portrait or panorama mode

If you happen to’ve ever learn something on a Kobo earlier than, you’ll be aware of the interface on the Elipsa 2E. It’s merely a bigger model of the corporate’s different eReaders, which itself is similar to the Kindle. 

The larger display doesn’t make it an excellent selection when you prefer to learn whereas mendacity down in mattress or travelling, but it surely’s nice in most different eventualities. That features when you merely desire to have the ability to see extra content material on the display or need to improve the textual content measurement with out consistently turning the web page. 

Whereas designed for use in portrait orientation (like an actual e book), the Elipsa 2E is surprisingly good in panorama mode. There aren’t any formatting points and it’s nonetheless snug to carry for lengthy durations. If you happen to typically learn comics or PDFs, it’s an excellent choice to have. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

And there are many methods to tweak the textual content you see on display. Select from a spread of main and supplementary fonts, then fine-tune the dimensions, line spacing, margins and justification to your liking. The default is okay for most individuals, but it surely’s price experimenting with this to discover a setting you want greatest. 

Writing expertise

• Kobo Stylus 2 within the field
• Create notebooks or annotate straight onto books
• Will be exported through cable or Dropbox

However the Elipsa 2E’s killer function is its pen help. The Kobo Stylus 2 is included within the field, and it feels nice for writing or annotating. It’s possible you’ll discover some occasional delays earlier than the display registers enter, however typically, latency is minimal. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The design of the Stylus 2 is in step with many different digital pens, so it’s snug to carry and feels pure to make use of. Don’t count on a pen-on-paper-like expertise, although – the dearth of stress sensitivity makes it very apparent that this can be a digital display. As a substitute, there are 5 totally different shades to select from, to simulate that stress, however it’s a must to choose these manually. 

Charging is through USB-C, however battery life isn’t a priority in any respect. Regardless of not charging when magnetically connected to the system, you’re a number of months earlier than needing to plug within the stylus. Pairing with the Elipsa 2E can be completely seamless, because it doesn’t depend on Bluetooth. 

Holding down the bodily button on the facet of the stylus prompts highlighter mode, permitting you to shortly choose textual content or sections of a doc. It’s additionally nice to see that the highest of the stylus now doubles as an eraser. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

There are two predominant varieties of notebooks you may create: a fundamental one freed from any restrictions, or a sophisticated model which incorporates further options similar to changing handwriting into textual content. The latter works properly more often than not, and makes it simple to go looking by means of your notes for one thing particular. 

Notes should be exported manually (as a PDF, PNG or JPEG), both by bodily connecting a USB cable or – extra conveniently – by connecting your Dropbox account. Having the ability to immediately entry them throughout all of your units is a good function, particularly with 2GB of storage on Dropbox’s free plan. 

These get saved to a selected folder inside Dropbox, which means you may edit or add any recordsdata to that folder they usually’ll mechanically seem on the Elipsa 2E. However you may nonetheless create folders and organise them direct from the system itself. 

In contrast to the Kindle Scribe’s sticky be aware method, Kobo additionally enables you to annotate straight onto any e book or doc. This feels a lot extra pure, particularly when mixed with the highlighter and eraser options.  

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Impressively, this extends to rented library eBooks, the place notes will nonetheless be there when you borrow once more sooner or later or resolve to purchase it. Having the ability to scribble notes on something is the large cause to purchase the Elipsa 2E over some other eReader on the market. 

Specs & efficiency

• 2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM
• Efficiency surprisingly glorious
• No mobile choice

Efficiency is the facet of the Elipsa 2E that’s shocked me essentially the most. I wasn’t anticipating a lot from a 2GHz processor and simply 1GB of RAM, however because it seems, that’s lots for an eReader. 

Nice efficiency on eReaders is not at all assured, however the Kobo Elipsa 2E is quick and responsive by eReader requirements, whether or not you’re navigating the shop, enjoying audiobooks or just turning pages in a e book. The character of E Ink shows means there’ll at all times be some hesitation whereas the display refreshes, but it surely by no means takes greater than a few seconds. 

Offered you have got a stable web connection, all content material will show and obtain shortly. However there’s no choice for mobile connectivity (similar to 3G or 4G), so that you’ll want Wi-Fi.  

The one mannequin of the Elipsa 2E options 32GB of non-expandable storage. This shall be lots for most individuals, and also you’ll solely run near capability when you obtain plenty of lengthy audiobooks.  

Software program & options

• Big vary of books accessible
• Kobo Plus now accessible in US and UK
• Glorious OverDrive and Pocket integration

The Elipsa 2E runs the identical software program you’ll discover on all Kobo eReaders. It interprets properly to the bigger show right here, and stays the principle cause to purchase one over a Kindle. 

Let’s begin with the obvious function: studying books. Kobo has its personal eBook file format, but it surely natively helps nearly all main file varieties: EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, and CBR. 

CBZ and CBR are comedian e book codecs, each of which work very properly on this bigger show. However you probably have any of the file varieties listed above, simply switch them from a pc utilizing the USB cable within the field – or sync them utilizing Dropbox.  

In actual fact, the one predominant file kind you received’t be capable to use is Amazon’s personal. If you happen to’ve purchased plenty of Kindle books beforehand, there’s no solution to learn them on the Elipsa 2E. It’s a approach of Amazon maintaining individuals loyal to Kindles and never switching to Kobo. 

However the choice of eBooks accessible on the Kobo Retailer is similar to Kindle. The whole lot I looked for was accessible on each units for the same worth. New releases arrive at roughly the identical time. 

Nevertheless, you don’t essentially need to purchase eBooks. The Elipsa 2E has integration with OverDrive, which means you may join a free native library card and borrow books – similar to you’ll for the bodily variations. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Not each e book is accessible utilizing this methodology, however I’m impressed with the choice which might be. My native library isn’t notably huge, though even the wait instances for common books (normally 4-6 weeks) aren’t unhealthy in any respect. 

Most libraries allow you to borrow books for 7, 14 or 21 days. If nobody else has requested the e book, you may renew it and hold studying. But when a maintain has been positioned, you’ll have to return on the waitlist. 

Even with some limitations, having the ability to borrow library books so seamlessly is a very glorious function. The price of eBooks can mount up, so this can be a nice different. 

Sadly, OverDrive doesn’t embrace audiobooks. The choice of these isn’t pretty much as good on the Kobo Retailer as Audible, and also you’re much less more likely to have the writer narrate the e book than on Amazon’s service. Nevertheless, there may be the choice to import your personal audiobook recordsdata (as much as 200Mb per e book) in MP3 or M4A codecs, which is helpful.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Each eBooks and audiobooks are included within the costly Kobo Plus subscription ($9.99/£11.99 per 30 days), however you’ll want to decide on one or the opposite on the cheaper plan ($7.99/£8.99). The service is now accessible within the US and UK six years after first launching, and there are greater than 1.3 million eBooks and 100,000 audiobooks to select from. 

It’s primarily Kobo’s reply to Kindle Limitless, which means you may learn or hearken to as many of those as you’d like. The choice accessible is commonly up to date, however you received’t discover lots of the hottest titles – no less than initially. Consequently, it’s greatest for avid readers, particularly those that are prepared to strive new authors or genres. 

One other helpful function is integration with Pocket, the favored “learn it later” app accessible on all of your units. After connecting your free account, any articles you’ve saved there’ll mechanically be accessible to learn on the Elipsa 2E. Until the article depends on photographs or movies, it’s an effective way to learn them – particularly as they help annotations.

Generally, the software program expertise feels slick and intuitive, however that’s not at all times the case. I bumped into a few bugs throughout testing, together with a one the place the Wi-Fi connection saved dropping. However points like these may be mounted with updates, and all different options work as meant. 

Battery life

• 2400mAh battery
• Round two weeks of battery life
• Gradual charging, no adapter in field

As anticipated, battery life on the Elipsa 2E is superb.  

The 2400mAh cell is massive by eReader requirements, and means it may technically dwell as much as Kobo’s claims of “weeks of battery life on a single cost”. Nevertheless, that’s solely actually potential when you flip off Wi-Fi, hold brightness low and restrict notetaking. 

To get essentially the most out of the Elipsa 2E, you received’t need to do any of these issues. Subsequently, a extra practical determine is round two weeks between full prices. That’s nonetheless very spectacular, although – battery life is one thing you received’t want to fret about on the Elipsa 2E.  

The Elipsa 2E prices through USB-C, however solely the cable is included within the field. Charging is comparatively gradual, however will get the job carried out when you’re not in a rush. 

Value & availability

At launch, the Kobo Elipsa 2E prices $399.99/£349.99 for 32GB of storage – the one mannequin accessible. You should purchase it from the Kobo web site within the US and UK. 

That seems like rather a lot, but it surely’s solely barely costlier than the most affordable Kindle Scribe ($339.99/£329.99). The equal 32GB model of Amazon’s eReader will set you again $389.99/£379.99. 

The Elipsa 2E consists of the Kobo Stylus 2 within the field, however the firm’s SleepCover will set you again an additional $69.99/£69.99. 

You’ll be able to’t actually evaluate it to most conventional eReaders, however the ReMarkable 2 (from $279/£279) and Huawei MatePad Paper (€499, approx. $530/£420) are additionally price contemplating. 

Verdict

The Kobo Elipsa 2E is a superb eReader that’s nice for each studying and note-taking. 

A crisp 10.3in E Ink show is among the many highlights, and it combines with nice efficiency for a superb person expertise. 

However it’s the software program that elevates the Elipsa 2E above its rivals. You’ll be able to annotate straight onto any e book through the included stylus, atone for net articles saved to Pocket and even borrow eBooks out of your native library.  

Nevertheless, the audiobook choice isn’t fairly as spectacular, and there are some software program bugs. You’ll additionally need to make do with none waterproofing. 

Nonetheless, except you’re deep within the Kindle ecosystem, that is the note-taking eReader to purchase. 

Specs

• 10.3in, 1404×1872 (300ppi) e-ink show 
• 2GHz processor 
• USB-C charging 
• Wi-Fi 
• Bluetooth 
• 32GB storage 
• 2400mAh battery 
• Kobo Retailer 
• 7.5mm thick 
• 390g