The Kobo Clara BW has just received a small refresh in April. The e-reader now has a slightly larger battery. The old version had a 1500 mAh battery and the new one has a 2,000 mAh battery. This will allow users to enjoy another week of reading, without needing a recharge. This is the first time that Kobo has ever increased the battery midway through the life cycle of their hardware.
The original Kobo Clara BW with the smaller battery starts with the serial number N365. The refresh that came out in April starts with P365. On the Kobo website, in all international markets they still sell the old version, but many physical retailers are selling the new version. One of the best ways to figure out what one you are buying is the release date or when the e-reader was first available. You want to look for it being issued in April 2025.
There is an obvious advantage of the new Kobo with a larger battery, since it increases the amount of time that can be spent reading. However, this new model breaks many of the popular jailbreaking methods, including installing KOREADER, as an alternative reading app. It also seems that the new model number is only shipping to users in Europe and other international markets and not in Canada and the United States.
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.
