The Kobo Glo HD was released earlier in the year, and people were really attracted to the high resolution reading experience. It is device is comparable to the 3rd generation Kindle Paperwhite, except with Kobo you can do more advanced things like load in your own fonts and have more flexibility in crafting your own unique reading experience. The only other device to be issued in 2015 by Kobo was the Touch 2.0, which is being marketed for a paltry $89 Canadian. Today, we look at the viability of these two devices and compare them directly against each other to give you a sense on what one might be best suited for your own needs.
The Kobo Glo HD features a six inch e-ink Carta screen with a resolution of 1448×1072 and 300 PPI. The Touch 2.0 on the other hand is running an older E Ink Pearl screen with a resolution of 800 x 600. Additionally, the GLO has a front-lit display, allowing you to read in the dark, while the Touch does not.
When you are reading the same e-book on both of the screens, sometimes it is hard to tell what screen is better. You have to jack up the fonts to the max in order to see the subtle pixelation of the letters on the Touch. A casual user would be content with either of these two e-readers.
In the video below, we present the reading experience in an EPUB book purchased from Kobo and a sideloaded PDF file. Please pay close attention to the PDF comparison if you are thinking about buying the Touch 2.0
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.
