Kobo Clara BW review

The Clara BW is the simplest way into e-reading at a verified price. Kobo pairs a 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 HD screen at 1448 x 1072 with Dark Mode and ComfortLight PRO, which changes brightness and color temperature to cut blue light in the evening. The reader is IPX8 waterproof, weighs 174 grams and holds 16GB, which Kobo says is enough for about 12,000 ebooks. Battery life is rated at up to 53 days at 30 minutes of reading a day with the light at 10%. Books can come from the Kobo Store, a Kobo Plus subscription where offered, or your local library, and 15 file formats load natively, including EPUB, PDF and comic archives. Bluetooth lets it play Kobo Audiobooks through wireless headphones. What you give up are page-turn buttons, color and stylus support, which start at the Libra Colour. At $159.99, it is the best value pick for most new readers.

Who it is for

New e-reader owners who want a small, low-cost, waterproof reader that borrows from the library.

Price

$159.99 at the Kobo US store when checked.

Perfect Starter $159.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• 6-inch glare-free E Ink Carta 1300 HD touchscreen at 1448 x 1072 with Dark Mode
• Kobo Store, Kobo Plus subscription and local library borrowing
• ComfortLight PRO adjusts brightness and color temperature
• IPX8 waterproofing and up to 53 days per charge at 30 minutes a day
• Bluetooth for Kobo Audiobooks

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Lowest verified price on this list
• Strength: Reads 15 formats natively, including EPUB
• Strength: Exterior uses at least 85.5% recycled content, per Kobo
• Weakness: No page-turn buttons
• Weakness: No color or stylus support
• Weakness: 16GB of storage, half the Libra Colour

Key facts

• Display: 6 in E Ink Carta 1300 HD, 1448 x 1072
• Storage: 16GB
• Battery: Up to 53 days (30 min a day, 10% light)
• Waterproof: IPX8, 2 m for 60 min
• Weight: 174 g

Where it ranks

Kobo Clara BW is No. 3 in our Best E Readers verdict.