Quote:
Originally Posted by SusanReads
I love Kobo devices, but to this date I have never seen a Kobo e-reader with perfectlty even lighting. Have you? So even though I would love to have a Kobo Libra (I returned mine), I don't think the lighting issue is ever going to be completely resolved. Lots of people aren't bothered by it, so I guess it's more a thing of what will you be able to accept.
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I bought a Libra last week and my overall impressions seem to be exactly the same at yours. For reference, my previous device is a Kindle Paperwhite 3.
I really like the software on the Libra, navigation seems a lot cleaner/easier/faster than what I am used to on the PW3. I have been a Pocket user for years, and I am getting a lot of use out of the Pocket integration on the Libra, something I never even knew I wanted on the Kindle. I like the form factor of the Libra, the 7" screen, and having physical buttons again. Being able to control both the brightness and color temperature of the screen is great for reading in bed.
But all of the positives have to balance against the fact that the lighting on it is not perfect. It's more noticeable when the brightness is in the 20-40% range, but I see uneven lighting at any brightness setting, it only goes away when the backlight is turned off completely. The screen has an overall gradient from darker on the edge with the buttons, to lighter on the opposite edge, and there's a pretty clearly defined strip of darkness down the edge closest to the buttons.
Nitpicky? Maybe. But on a $170 device the poor lighting uniformity feels like a dealbreaker to me, and an area where corners were cut to save on costs.
I don't know what to do now because it's hard to go back to the PW3's smaller screen/worse software after a week with the Libra, but my PW3 has perfectly even light and I am unable to read my Libra with the front-light enabled without being distracted by the fact that the light isn't even. The device is perfect when I am reading during the day with the backlight off, but I find myself dreading having to turn the brightness up as the day gets darker.
Based on what I have read in this thread, and discussions about other Kobo devices, I am not optimistic about my chances of getting a Libra with perfectly uniform lighting even if I were to return this one and/or wait a few months for a newer manufacturing batch. Maybe I'll just go old school and start using an external reading light with it.