Rakuten Kobo has just announced the second generation Kobo Elipsa, which is referred to as the 2E. Many new advancements went into the construction of the hardware and a torrent of software improvements that fundamentally altered the writing experience. The all-new stylus now has a physical eraser on the top and a simple button for highlighting. Gone are the batteries of the first generation, and now use USB-C to recharge them. Kobo is heavily committed to hybrid e-readers with note-taking functionality, and we can expect future offerings.
The Kobo Elipsa 2E features a 10.3-inch E INK Carta 1200 e-paper display panel with a resolution of 1404×1872 with 227 PPI. The screen is flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of glass. It uses the ComfortLight PRO, an improved version of the original ComfortLight system found in the first Elipsa, with white and amber LED lights that provide warm and cool lighting or a mixture of both. There are five magnets alongside the bezel. The stylus will automatically attach itself to the side, limiting the potential misplacement on it. A new back platting with a textured design makes it easier to hold and will leave fewer fingerprints.
Kobo has continued with the trend of using environmentally friendly hardware and retail packaging. The Elipsa 2E uses 85% recycled ocean plastics, like those found on water bottles, old CDs, and DVDs. Kobo wanted to increase the percentage of ocean plastics, but using more than they are employing is a fire hazard due to the lithium-ion battery generating heat. The retail packaging uses almost 100% recycled cardboard, and the ink on the box and user manuals is made of 100% vegan ink. Kobo uses around 80% recycled magnesium alloy inside the hardware, similar to the new Kindle Scribe. The recent case covers designed for the Elipsa 2 are made of 100% ocean plastics and come in many colours.
Underneath the hood is a brand-new processor that Kobo has not used before. They are employing a dual-core 2GHZ Mediatek RM53. The single core count is 45% faster than the All-Winner one they utilized on the first-generation Elipsa. Kobo had to make several architecture changes to its Linux operating system to use the new processor. This has resulted in more compute power, reduced latency when using the stylus and better power consumption, preserving battery life. Will Kobo use this new processor on future products? Given the many positives, it would make sense, but Kobo never confirms plans for future developments.
Aside from the new processor package, the e-note uses 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The device has WIFI to access the Kobo bookstore and cloud storage providers. Speaking of cloud storage, Kobo provides access to Dropbox to save and import books and PDF files. When the Elipsa 2 reaches customers on April 19th, they will add Google Drive, too, since the average user is likelier to use it for their data.
Kobo offers its cloud storage solution. When you make highlights in ebooks or conduct highlights, these are saved to your Kobo account. When you use another Kobo device or access one of the Kobo reading apps for Android or iOS, you can view everything you have done. They are introducing a new feature, saving your notebooks to the cloud. When you create a new notebook, jot down notes, do freehand drawing, or solve complex math equations, all of this will be saved to your Kobo account. When you visit the Kobo website on your phone or tablet, you can view your notes, save them to the device, and share them via email with friends. The Kobo apps will not be able to view your messages on launch day, but the company did not rule out eventually rolling it out.
Audiobooks are a core part of the Kobo business. They offer audiobooks for sale on an a la carte basis and provide credits on a Kobo Plus subscription. Inevitably, with the Kobo Elipsa 2E launch, Kobo Plus will be launching for the first time in the United States. They have two different plans: Kobo Read, which offers access to over 1.3 million eBooks, and readers can use any Kobo eReader or the free Kobo app for just USD 7.99 per month. Kobo Plus Listen: Offering access to over 100,000 audiobooks, listeners can listen on select Kobo eReaders and the free Kobo app for just USD 7.99 monthly. How do you listen to audiobooks on the Kobo Elipsa 2E? Bluetooth 5.1 is on the device, which users can pair wireless headphones or earbuds to listen to audiobooks. Kobo sells audiobooks right on their device, and they are in the Kobo Store; they also have an audiobook player with several controls for a fluid listening experience.
The Elipsa is a part e-reader and part digital note-taking device. It all starts with the stylus, which has been altered from the original Kobo Stylus. The new model has a grip and design similar to the Apple Pencil in terms of the overall design. It is 25% lighter and is easier to grip. It is lighter because it no longer uses replaceable batteries and employs a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged via USB-C to your computer or laptop. Charging from low to full only takes about 30 minutes. The first-generation pen had two buttons on the side: an eraser and a highlighter. The eraser button has been removed and placed at the top, where the traditional WACOM stylus is positioned. This makes it more intuitive to draw and erase errant mistakes.
Kobo is making many improvements to the note-taking functionality. Now folders can be made, and messages can be copied or moved between nested ones. A lasso tool will allow you to reposition an image or body of text. Dozens of new templates are preloaded, which gives people an excellent place to start when creating a new notebook. One of the great new features that no other e-note in the world has is the ability to search handwritten notes. You can search for names, nouns or any keyboard on a handwriting note without converting the handwriting note to text. This bold move from Kobo showcases how committed they are to the future of the e-note brand. They told me they would be heavily involved in firmware updates, releasing new features and devices with note-taking functionality in the future.
Kobo Elipsa 2E, complete with Kobo Stylus 2, will retail for $399.99 USD at  www.kobo.com/ereaders and select retailers. Pre-orders will be available on April 5, 2023. Customers in Canada, the US, the UK and Australia who pre-order a Kobo Elipsa 2E on www.kobo.com from April 5-18, 2023, will receive a free $25 Kobo eGift card valid for eBooks and audiobooks. The device will be available in stores and online as of April 19, 2023, in Canada, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Turkey.
Regional MSRPs (Elipsa 2E):
- $499.99 (CAD)
- $399.99 (USD)
- €399.99 (EUR)
- £349.99 (GBP)
- $629.95 (AUD)
- $629.90 (SGD)
- 4199 kr (SEK)
- 449.99 (CHF)
- 2019 RM (MYR)
- 1849zł (PLN)
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
