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sniglom · 07-08-2020, 07:35 PM

So I bought the Libra and the Forma from two different companies with good return policies.
What I think about the devices? Sadly, I'm not very impressed.

Kobo Libra:
* Uniformity of the backlight is good. I like that you can switch between warm and cool light.

* 7" wasn't enough of an upgrade from 6", especially since the Libra isn't very nice to hold in landscape mode. Thus I have longer line lenght on my old PW3. At this size I appreciate line length over page length.

* The hard plastic material isn't as nice to hold as the rubbery surface on my PW3.

* The two front buttons feel a bit different and sound different as well. Both of them are too loud and clicky for my taste.

* The placement of the sleep button is a bit weird, since it's hard to reach depending on how you hold the device.

* Why can't I configure the buttons so that UP means next in portrait mode and right means next in landscape mode? Annoying.

* Why can't I override the line spacing of a book if it's predefined in the epub? Annoying.

* The touch is generally worse. Both in sensitivity and speed. Marking words is clunkier and I often manage to accidentally switch page. Trying to press a footnote was so bad that I had to check on my kindle that the footnote actually was a link before going back and try a few more times. Yes, it was that bad. I managed to switch page, mark the asterisk of the footnote but not click it. Using the slider for changing brightness is also finicky and often switches page instead.
I'm not a novice at using touch devices. I don't have these or similar issues when using my PW3. Nor have I similar issues of accidental inputs using my smartphone or laptop touchpad.

* The dictionary is clearly worse. I noticed this already for the first 5 words I needed to lookup.

* Wake/Sleep is slower. On my first try to wake the device, I thought the click didn't register and pressed again, just to see the device wake up and go back to sleep again. This has never happened to me for the 5 years with the PW3.

* Overall the interface feels a bit less polished. A good example is the small brightness slider, that is slower, harder to use due to size and seems to have a less than optimal mapping between percentage and actual light flow.

Kobo Forma
* 8" is a really nice step up from 6". This size is great, for the first time I enjoy reading in portrait mode.

* The front has a nice rubbery feel, but the back still has this hard plastic.

* The front buttons has the same issues as the Libra. Different sound/feel and too loud clicks.

* The sleep button has a better placement on this unit. But mine isn't tactile. I can't feel whether it's been pressed or not. I don't know wether this is an issue with quality control or bad design, but I don't like it.

* My screen has issues. Using the white leds, it's a bluish line along the same edge as where the buttons are. I guess I lost the panel lottery:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=312149

*The corners on that edge have issues producing blacks. Looking at the device from just the slightest angle, the corners glow white when they should be black. This screen should not have passed quality control. Turning on the yellow light makes uniformity and corner issues better, but not good.

Verdict?
I'm sad to say this, but I don't think the Libra is much of an upgrade to the reading experience of my PW3.

The Forma has a really nice screen size, but I have to return the unit due to the quality issues with mine. It's just too noticeable on this unit.

I now know that there's no point for me in going for a Kindle Oasis. 7" isn't enough of an upgrade to spend that money.

I will try the pocketbook inkpad 3 as well, but I don't hold my hopes high.

07-08-2020, 07:35 PM	#4
sniglom Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 100 Join Date: Jul 2020 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3	So I bought the Libra and the Forma from two different companies with good return policies. What I think about the devices? Sadly, I'm not very impressed. Kobo Libra: * Uniformity of the backlight is good. I like that you can switch between warm and cool light. * 7" wasn't enough of an upgrade from 6", especially since the Libra isn't very nice to hold in landscape mode. Thus I have longer line lenght on my old PW3. At this size I appreciate line length over page length. * The hard plastic material isn't as nice to hold as the rubbery surface on my PW3. * The two front buttons feel a bit different and sound different as well. Both of them are too loud and clicky for my taste. * The placement of the sleep button is a bit weird, since it's hard to reach depending on how you hold the device. * Why can't I configure the buttons so that UP means next in portrait mode and right means next in landscape mode? Annoying. * Why can't I override the line spacing of a book if it's predefined in the epub? Annoying. * The touch is generally worse. Both in sensitivity and speed. Marking words is clunkier and I often manage to accidentally switch page. Trying to press a footnote was so bad that I had to check on my kindle that the footnote actually was a link before going back and try a few more times. Yes, it was that bad. I managed to switch page, mark the asterisk of the footnote but not click it. Using the slider for changing brightness is also finicky and often switches page instead. I'm not a novice at using touch devices. I don't have these or similar issues when using my PW3. Nor have I similar issues of accidental inputs using my smartphone or laptop touchpad. * The dictionary is clearly worse. I noticed this already for the first 5 words I needed to lookup. * Wake/Sleep is slower. On my first try to wake the device, I thought the click didn't register and pressed again, just to see the device wake up and go back to sleep again. This has never happened to me for the 5 years with the PW3. * Overall the interface feels a bit less polished. A good example is the small brightness slider, that is slower, harder to use due to size and seems to have a less than optimal mapping between percentage and actual light flow. Kobo Forma * 8" is a really nice step up from 6". This size is great, for the first time I enjoy reading in portrait mode. * The front has a nice rubbery feel, but the back still has this hard plastic. * The front buttons has the same issues as the Libra. Different sound/feel and too loud clicks. * The sleep button has a better placement on this unit. But mine isn't tactile. I can't feel whether it's been pressed or not. I don't know wether this is an issue with quality control or bad design, but I don't like it. * My screen has issues. Using the white leds, it's a bluish line along the same edge as where the buttons are. I guess I lost the panel lottery: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=312149 The corners on that edge have issues producing blacks. Looking at the device from just the slightest angle, the corners glow white when they should be black. This screen should not have passed quality control. Turning on the yellow light makes uniformity and corner issues better, but not good. Verdict?* I'm sad to say this, but I don't think the Libra is much of an upgrade to the reading experience of my PW3. The Forma has a really nice screen size, but I have to return the unit due to the quality issues with mine. It's just too noticeable on this unit. I now know that there's no point for me in going for a Kindle Oasis. 7" isn't enough of an upgrade to spend that money. I will try the pocketbook inkpad 3 as well, but I don't hold my hopes high. Last edited by sniglom; 07-08-2020 at 07:39 PM.