KOBO SD Card reliability

GRHE · 11-06-2021, 07:07 AM

First time poster here. Intending to purchase an eReader shortly (Black Friday, probably). Looking at recent models it will either be 11th gen Paperwhite or Kobo Libra 2 - really, the only two brands available in South Africa, both orderable through Amazon. I really prefer the Kobo Libra 2 (buttons) of the two but have some concern as to the reliability of the internal micro sd card it uses.

My other two hobbies are photography and playing around with single board computers - both make extensive use of micro SD cards. I have had expensive class 10 SD cards fail after minimal use on rare occasions which is a nuisance but does not render a camera or SBC dead. However a failure of the sd card in the Kobo would kill it from my understanding - am I wrong?.

I am equally unsure whether the sd card in the Kobo is only used for book storage or whether it is also used to store the Linux operating system. I guess what I am asking long time Kobo users, have there been issues of card failure on the device(s)? Is it a valid concern or shouldn’t I be worried? Having a dead device would cost me more than the device itself to send it back to Europe or Canada for repair from South Africa. Thanks.

davidfor · 11-06-2021, 07:47 AM

The internal storage on Kobo devices is used as a drive. It is partitioned to have root partition for the OS, a recovery partition and a partition for the books. And if that storage dies, so does the device. But a lot of them have an internal SD card that can be replaced. Images for all the devices with internal SD cards are available.

The Libra 2 does have an internal SD card. But, the device is waterproofed and there is sealant or glue around the card. So far I know of only one person who has tried to remove it and they had difficulties. But, as the device is brand new, and it was mainly for curiosity, I don't think they wanted to force.

GRHE · 11-06-2021, 01:23 PM

Pretty much what I thought. I think I'll take a chance. Thanks Dave

11-06-2021, 07:07 AM	#1
GRHE Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: South Africa Device: Currently Libra 2	KOBO SD Card reliability First time poster here. Intending to purchase an eReader shortly (Black Friday, probably). Looking at recent models it will either be 11th gen Paperwhite or Kobo Libra 2 - really, the only two brands available in South Africa, both orderable through Amazon. I really prefer the Kobo Libra 2 (buttons) of the two but have some concern as to the reliability of the internal micro sd card it uses. My other two hobbies are photography and playing around with single board computers - both make extensive use of micro SD cards. I have had expensive class 10 SD cards fail after minimal use on rare occasions which is a nuisance but does not render a camera or SBC dead. However a failure of the sd card in the Kobo would kill it from my understanding - am I wrong?. I am equally unsure whether the sd card in the Kobo is only used for book storage or whether it is also used to store the Linux operating system. I guess what I am asking long time Kobo users, have there been issues of card failure on the device(s)? Is it a valid concern or shouldn’t I be worried? Having a dead device would cost me more than the device itself to send it back to Europe or Canada for repair from South Africa. Thanks.

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11-06-2021, 07:47 AM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	The internal storage on Kobo devices is used as a drive. It is partitioned to have root partition for the OS, a recovery partition and a partition for the books. And if that storage dies, so does the device. But a lot of them have an internal SD card that can be replaced. Images for all the devices with internal SD cards are available. The Libra 2 does have an internal SD card. But, the device is waterproofed and there is sealant or glue around the card. So far I know of only one person who has tried to remove it and they had difficulties. But, as the device is brand new, and it was mainly for curiosity, I don't think they wanted to force.

11-06-2021, 01:23 PM	#3
GRHE Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: South Africa Device: Currently Libra 2	Pretty much what I thought. I think I'll take a chance. Thanks Dave

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