Forma or Libra
 

So, my Kobo Aura One's screen just went bad yesterday. I've had it for 4 years and have loved it. I love the large screen size, especially. I am looking for a replacement and trying to decide on the Forma or the Libra.

I see the Libra is newer and from what I can tell in the forum, perhaps slightly better quality. But, it would mean downgrading my screen size.

I like the larger screen, because it gives more real estate for bumping up my font size so that I can read at night without my glasses.

I'd love to hear some opinions on the pros and cons of the two devices or anyone who has seen or used both.

Price-wise I'd prefer the Libra, but since I am currently using the my old original Kobo Aura, which has a 1" smaller screen that the Aura ONE, I know that the smaller screen is really noticeable.

Thanks for your opinions!

Firstly the Kobo Aura has a 6" screen, it is 1.8" smaller than the Aura ONE. That difference is very noticeable.

The Libra H2O is 7", which is less than an inch smaller than the Aura ONE. But, it is still noticeable.

The choice between the Libra H2O and Forma does come down to size. And cost. The physical layout is basically the same when reading. The firmware is the same. The difference is the 7" vs 8" screen. If weight might be an issues, the Forma is only slightly heavier than the Libra H20. That is 197g vs 192g. For comparison, the Aura ONE is 230g and the Aura 174g.

The reasons for the low weight of the Forma is the screen. It is a Mobius screen. This uses plastic backplane which is lighter and less likely to be broken.

The difference in cost is significant. Whether the above justifies the extra money, only you can tell. If you can get your hands on either for some testing, it should help you decide.

Where I live, the Forma is 160% the cost of the Libra. If it is similar where you are, that's makes the formula simple, as davidfor has said - is the "extra inch" worth that much to you? It wasn't for me, but it has been for many.

I guess my older Aura is actually the Aura HD, it is the larger 6.8 in. Screen. But I’m glad to know it really just comes down to size. Makes deciding easier. I’m thinking it does seem worth it to me.

Comment deleted.

There is another difference, you get Dropbox support from stock firmware with the Forma.

Forma more than 1.3 x price Libra here in Ireland. A decent 10" tablet is less than the difference. So I upgraded from H2O original to Libra. Worth it.

This is a selling point

The plastic screen on my forma means I worry less. Especially when I read in bed and the husband starts snoring and it gets wielded as a weapon to deliver a dig in his ribs to shut him up.

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I bought the Libra (white) because I wanted a smaller size to fit into my handbag on the go, but it soon became my main reader because it was very comfortable on my hands, and the on/off button on the Forma is difficult with my severe arthritis. I used the Forma mainly for PDFs.

But recently, I've felt annoyed at the very yellow light on the Libra, even with comfort light at zero. I think it wasn't so intruding at the beginning, but I do remember the Forma was still slightly cooler at the minimum then.

I've grown annoyed enough at it that I recently returned to the Forma as my main reader.

I recently saw a Libra in a shop (Darty, which is associated with Fnac), and the color was MUCH better than mine. I bought mine a year ago, and the guarantee is two years, but I don't know whether I can exchange it, and whether the new one would be better.

Anybody else have a Libra whose color changed over time?

As mentioned, an even larger price difference here, so in the case of my migration from H2O2 to Libra, my verdict is the same as yours - worth it, Ours is the minority view here it seems, money being no object to most, apparently. 😊

Given that you really liked the screen of the KA1, I suggest the Forma as it's almost the same size. I's .2" larger. The Libra is .8"" smaller and you will notice that.