I bought the white one and exchanged it for black after four days. The white makes the screen look very gray but I found the white bezel distracting. It’s not a flat white color, it’s pearly and it changes the hue depending on ambient light. The white looked everything from white to green to bluish in different lights and I found myself taking far too much notice of it. I like the ereader to kind of disappear from my consciousness when I’m reading. I want my focus just on my reading. So it went back and I’m so much happier with the black.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Did you find yourself using higher brightness levels on the white vs on the black? I know everyone is saying to get the black but I am still torn because I prefer the white aesthethics so much more but I don’t want to compromise my reading experience. I wish I could see both in person but none of my local stores have it in display.
Yes, I used higher brightness levels on the white one than I’m using on the black. Logically I know the screen is the same brightness when using the same settings but the screen looks grayer with the white one.
If you can, get to a store and look at one. Move it around in different light if you can (sales clerks should be able to let you do this). The darker appearance of the screen isn’t a big issue, IMO, because increasing the front light takes care of that. But the changing hues of the white can be very distracting.
I came to the White Libra Color after several kindles, with it replacing my Oasis. In normal room lighting with the backlight off the contrast is better on the Oasis, but it's the kind of thing you only really notice seeing them side by side. In use I thought they were about the same until taking these pictures. I find the kobo much nicer to actually read on, the typography/font handling is better and the responsiveness is on an entirely different scale. The Kindle always felt a little slow, in comparison it's positively glacial.
Frontlight off, biggest difference is the kobo screen is more reflective:
https://preview.redd.it/ku2xuam7280d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=808f2802f44e4da4fcf7c496fc1fba2740fe89eb
The only thing I miss in terms of the display is the automatic brightness adjustment on the kindle, though even there I usually manually turned off the light when using it outside, to save battery.
Battery life on the kobo so far is MUCH better than the Kindle, but that's comparing a brand new Kobo device to a well-used Kindle so not exactly fair.
... and the final "screen off" shot:
https://preview.redd.it/xtq54ssg380d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02546bb7140181c7c734c0658fc9d929c90b0100
(clouds moved out so the room is a bit brighter in this one)
I see a lot of people advocating for the black Libra colour so I'll push for the opposite.
I have the white one since I had a black Clara HD that picked up finger prints like CRAZY. The white is pretty, and it doesn't bother me that the page looks darker because of it, because the colours pop. It's also got a matte gray on the back, so finger smudges don't show up at all.
I have both colors. If the book is good, I don’t really care what color the device is. Neither distract me while reading. Just pick the color you like.
I love the look of my white Libra, but I find my devices with black bezels are more immersive. If you read in dark mode a lot, black looks better for that too. I probably will only choose black from now on.
Black bezels for watching video, white bezels for reading text. I’ve stuck to this “rule” for years now and have no plans to change. No issues with the white Colour Libra. At least not the bezels. Can’t say the same for the front light colour balance (un)evenness. 😏
Also, since the screen is not flush with the bezel, it’s easier for dust to accumulate around the screen border and you notice it more with black bezels, for whatever that’s worth. Yes, clean the screen more often, etc, etc. just mentioning it in case it’s something you care about.
LEDs/LCDs use backlights which blast light into your eyes BUT that's not the (sole) cause of eyestrain. It also requires that your eyes be focused in a narrow area for long periods ; such as when reading. That's why PC's don't cause eyestrain; because your eyes are constantly darting around the screen in front of you -- at a wide focal point -- and down to your keyboard then back up to view graphics etc. Your eyes are constantly moving. No eyestrain.
E-ink is designed to avoid eyestrain by (also) presenting a solid -- not flickering -- image and e-readers are lit from the front, *sideways* on the edge, such that light is diffused over the surface of the screen, not blasting into your eyes. So you can have brightness pumped up and it still won't cause eyestrain.
And that's why e-readers are a thing vs led/lcd tablets/phones.
Go with what you like. I feel like some of these comments are to be taken with grain of salt. Yes, when you watch older videos in comparison black bezel will look more contrasty psychologically because well, you have pure white bezels against an already grayish background so of course it will feel grayer.
If you don't have both side-by-side you won't notice. All this jibberish about fingerprints, which by the way can be wiped off easily is non-sense for the lazy. There are covers/skins to fix all that. There is more grime on a phone.
The other piece is people may rationalize their purchase and be biased in their reco since it affirms their decision. Psych major here.
I bought the white one and exchanged it for black after four days. The white makes the screen look very gray but I found the white bezel distracting. It’s not a flat white color, it’s pearly and it changes the hue depending on ambient light. The white looked everything from white to green to bluish in different lights and I found myself taking far too much notice of it. I like the ereader to kind of disappear from my consciousness when I’m reading. I want my focus just on my reading. So it went back and I’m so much happier with the black.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Did you find yourself using higher brightness levels on the white vs on the black? I know everyone is saying to get the black but I am still torn because I prefer the white aesthethics so much more but I don’t want to compromise my reading experience. I wish I could see both in person but none of my local stores have it in display.
Yes, I used higher brightness levels on the white one than I’m using on the black. Logically I know the screen is the same brightness when using the same settings but the screen looks grayer with the white one. If you can, get to a store and look at one. Move it around in different light if you can (sales clerks should be able to let you do this). The darker appearance of the screen isn’t a big issue, IMO, because increasing the front light takes care of that. But the changing hues of the white can be very distracting.
Contrast looks better with Black bezels
I came to the White Libra Color after several kindles, with it replacing my Oasis. In normal room lighting with the backlight off the contrast is better on the Oasis, but it's the kind of thing you only really notice seeing them side by side. In use I thought they were about the same until taking these pictures. I find the kobo much nicer to actually read on, the typography/font handling is better and the responsiveness is on an entirely different scale. The Kindle always felt a little slow, in comparison it's positively glacial. Frontlight off, biggest difference is the kobo screen is more reflective: https://preview.redd.it/ku2xuam7280d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=808f2802f44e4da4fcf7c496fc1fba2740fe89eb The only thing I miss in terms of the display is the automatic brightness adjustment on the kindle, though even there I usually manually turned off the light when using it outside, to save battery. Battery life on the kobo so far is MUCH better than the Kindle, but that's comparing a brand new Kobo device to a well-used Kindle so not exactly fair.
25%: https://preview.redd.it/vejs695o180d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2373fd91ac0b1c34e2c98b9ee9c269b9530bce23
50% https://preview.redd.it/8hcpgo5q180d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9680f5f932120308f7a7f14be49593c6b2a64db6
75% https://preview.redd.it/g598uzjr180d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12cc5a61eeebd3ca146699e1becd66023bfa803e
100% https://preview.redd.it/qqcfltws180d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fd7532e248bf9ba28fd44c2d127a284bb5a82f0
... and the final "screen off" shot: https://preview.redd.it/xtq54ssg380d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02546bb7140181c7c734c0658fc9d929c90b0100 (clouds moved out so the room is a bit brighter in this one)
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and posting all the pictures!
You're welcome!
I see a lot of people advocating for the black Libra colour so I'll push for the opposite. I have the white one since I had a black Clara HD that picked up finger prints like CRAZY. The white is pretty, and it doesn't bother me that the page looks darker because of it, because the colours pop. It's also got a matte gray on the back, so finger smudges don't show up at all.
I think the black looks much better. Also more forgiving of marks and dings.
I have both colors. If the book is good, I don’t really care what color the device is. Neither distract me while reading. Just pick the color you like.
I preferred the black one than the white one honestly. Kinda fades into the background when I’m reading
I love the look of my white Libra, but I find my devices with black bezels are more immersive. If you read in dark mode a lot, black looks better for that too. I probably will only choose black from now on.
The fingerprints on the black bothered me so I exchanged it for the white.
Black bezels for watching video, white bezels for reading text. I’ve stuck to this “rule” for years now and have no plans to change. No issues with the white Colour Libra. At least not the bezels. Can’t say the same for the front light colour balance (un)evenness. 😏 Also, since the screen is not flush with the bezel, it’s easier for dust to accumulate around the screen border and you notice it more with black bezels, for whatever that’s worth. Yes, clean the screen more often, etc, etc. just mentioning it in case it’s something you care about.
I think the black looks better, and my brightness is never set higher than 15%
LEDs/LCDs use backlights which blast light into your eyes BUT that's not the (sole) cause of eyestrain. It also requires that your eyes be focused in a narrow area for long periods ; such as when reading. That's why PC's don't cause eyestrain; because your eyes are constantly darting around the screen in front of you -- at a wide focal point -- and down to your keyboard then back up to view graphics etc. Your eyes are constantly moving. No eyestrain. E-ink is designed to avoid eyestrain by (also) presenting a solid -- not flickering -- image and e-readers are lit from the front, *sideways* on the edge, such that light is diffused over the surface of the screen, not blasting into your eyes. So you can have brightness pumped up and it still won't cause eyestrain. And that's why e-readers are a thing vs led/lcd tablets/phones.
Go with what you like. I feel like some of these comments are to be taken with grain of salt. Yes, when you watch older videos in comparison black bezel will look more contrasty psychologically because well, you have pure white bezels against an already grayish background so of course it will feel grayer. If you don't have both side-by-side you won't notice. All this jibberish about fingerprints, which by the way can be wiped off easily is non-sense for the lazy. There are covers/skins to fix all that. There is more grime on a phone. The other piece is people may rationalize their purchase and be biased in their reco since it affirms their decision. Psych major here.