The Kobo Nia e-reader that passed FCC certification back in April, but due to delays with the global pandemic, the release was pushed back. In the past few days, many e-commerce vendors have started to add the e-reader and accessories, using placeholder images. From these listings, there is some new information available, regarding the tech specs.
The Kobo Nia will feature a six inch E INK Carta HD touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 758 with 212 PPI. It will be powered by a Freescale IMX.6 1 GHZ processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. You can transfer data and charge it via the MicroUSB port and connect it up to the internet with WIFI. It will be powered by a fairly underwhelming 1,000 mAh battery, which will result of about 2 weeks of constant usage, before you have to recharge it. The exact weight of the e-reader will be 260 g, but it remains to be seen if this is the e-reader weight or the entire packaging.
It is currently unknown if Kobo will be replacing the Kobo Aura Edition 2, which was recently discontinued, but I believe it will. Kobo will have a 4 SKU strategy going forward, the Nia, Clara HD, Libra and Forma. I also think that Kobo sill make another exclusive Walmart edition of the Nia, since they shuttered the Kobo Aura Walmart version a couple of months ago.
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.
