Kobo Nia
The Kobo Nia is a nice little handful. You won’t notice a lot of difference in the look and feel as compared to the Kindle. These two devices are quite similar.
It weighs in at six ounces and some change. That change is the 1/10th of an ounce that makes the Kobo heavier than Kindle.
Holding the two side by side, I can’t tell the difference.
You get 8GB of storage. 1GB holds roughly 1,000 books, so you’re looking at being able to store around 8,000 books. The same is true for the Kindle.
You’ll lay down around $100 for the Kobo which is generally a little more than you’ll pay for the Kindle.
The Kobo has a comparable set of features as far as settings go with the Kindle.
In fact, there are just a couple of differences between the two which most users will find insignificant. I’ll talk about these more below. That’s why it’s so hard to choose between these devices.
Kindle
When you hold the Kindle, it is apparent that you’re holding a device forged by user feedback and careful data analysis.
You can tell that Amazon is focused on the features that endear the Kindle to its users and they set the standard for other e-Readers.
The look, the feel, and the size of the Kindle are all satisfying. It’s a nice device…even the Basic model.
The main things that set it apart from the Kobo are the price point and accessibility to audiobooks.
Kobo vs. Kindle – One BIG Difference that Isn’t Big at All
The Kobo comes in at 212 PPI, that’s pixels-per-inch, and refers to the screen resolution.
On the other hand, the Kindle has 167 PPI.
That’s 45 pixels of difference in every inch. Will you notice it? For regular reading, no, but if you read a lot of image-heavy books, that’s where you’d notice the difference.
The odds are, this is not a big enough difference to make you choose one over the other.
In the video review, I load up the same book on both devices for an on-screen comparison of this difference to help you make an informed decision for yourself.
This Might Be the Dealbreaker for You
There is no denying accessibility when it comes to Kindle. Not only do you have full reign of the whole of the Amazon bookstore, you also have access to and can listen to audiobooks on Kindle.
That is not the case with Kobo. You won’t have access to audiobooks.
This isn’t the end of the world. If you’re an audiophile, you should probably invest in a device with more robust storage than either of these anyway. Eight gigabytes isn’t going to get you very far.
That being said, the Kobo has its finer points when it comes to access as well. For example, if you frequent your local library, you can get free access to Overdrive and check out eBooks directly on your device through that system.
While you can do this with Kindle as well, it’s a lot more complicated. Rather than just ordering via your device, you have to go through Overdrive, your library, and then it gets delivered to your Kindle. It’s an extra step you don’t have to take with Kobo.
Kobo vs Kindle – The Verdict on the Best?
It’s going to be a matter of your personal preference.
I’d recommend either of these devices. They are both good e-Readers.
A couple of factors make them better.
If you utilize the Overdrive service through your library, Kobo is the better choice and you’re going to save some cash going this route.
However, if you’re a Kindle Unlimited reader, the obvious choice is the Kindle.
I’m keeping an eye on Kobo Plus, a competitor to Kindle Unlimited. It’s not available in the U.S. as of this writing. That could be a game-changer.
Either way you go, if you’ve never owned an e-Reader before, you’re in for an entirely new, distraction-free, reading-focused experience.
Let me know which e-Reader you picked in the comments below!
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