Sage Kobo Sage opinions

[elomire678]

I just got mine today, and I have a few thoughts and comparisons to the other e-readers that I currently have (Oasis 3, Forma, Libra 2).

1. The Sage screen is decent. I'll compare it to the Forma, Oasis 3 and Libra 2:

Vs Forma:

Much better lighting than the Forma with no band on the side of the buttons. It does have some "white emphasis" or maybe light bleed on the button side that is slightly distracting though. The lighting is much less bright than the Forma though. 75% on the Forma equals 100% on the Sage. There is a bit more contrast than the Forma too.

Vs Libra 2:

Basically exactly the same screens except for size, lighting and whether or not the screen is inset. I prefer the 8" size, and the fact the screen is flush on the Sage. But the lighting is better on the Libra 2. There is no "white emphasis" or bleed on the Libra 2. The Libra 2 also has the same level of brightness as the Sage.

Vs Oasis 3:

Well this is no contest, the Oasis 3 is as bright as the sun and has perfectly even lighting with great contrast.

2. Feel and Build Quality.

Vs Forma

The Forma is better built besides the screen lighting than the Sage. It's lighter and feels like it's made of higher quality materials. The back feels rubbery and soft where the Sage feels hard and plasticy.

Vs Libra 2

The Sage feels like a just larger Libra 2 with a flush screen. Honestly if you aren't big on the stylus or 8" screen get the Libra 2 it's the better device overall.

Vs Oasis

The Oasis is solid and light and just feels well made. Amazon is giving a higher quality feel for the extra price that Kobo just doesn't.

Software:

Vs Forma

The new dark mode is great! It's a ton better than the old invert screen hack.

Vs Oasis

Yeah, Amazon's software sucks and isn't hackable to make work correctly. It's fine if you don't care about book metadata (like series) or don't care to finely tune your fonts or margins, or don't care to know how many pages are in the book or chapter.

Overall, I'd have to say the Sage is a little disappointing. This is mostly because the Libra 2 is darn good and the Sage really doesn't provide $100 extra value over it. So I'm gonna have to spend more time with both and figure out which one I'm gonna keep. I feel like they're both good enough to replace my Oasis 3, but which one I choose I don't know.

[Uncle Robin]

I am increasingly in desperate need of more OOBF examples from Sage purchasers. If I don't hear of more negative experiences/reactions, it's nearly certain I'll be ordering a Sage on Monday when I get paid. Save me from myself, please!

[Deobulakenyo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I am increasingly in desperate need of more OOBF examples from Sage purchasers. If I don't hear of more negative experiences/reactions, it's nearly certain I'll be ordering a Sage on Monday when I get paid. Save me from myself, please!

I was in the same boat since the release, but I jumped the gun.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I am increasingly in desperate need of more OOBF examples from Sage purchasers. If I don't hear of more negative experiences/reactions, it's nearly certain I'll be ordering a Sage on Monday when I get paid. Save me from myself, please!

I wish someone had saved me

I doubt I’d risk a sage again tbh. I might risk a Libra 2 when I can get one locally. I have a beautiful Libra H20 and a very nice Forma. I just wanted a kobo with 32GB storage. But maybe I don’t need that after all.

I just wish buying an e-reader wasn’t a screen lottery all the time. The only e-reader I’ve every bought where I kept the first one was my Voyage.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I wish someone had saved me

I doubt I’d risk a sage again tbh. I might risk a Libra 2 when I can get one locally. I have a beautiful Libra H20 and a very nice Forma. I just wanted a kobo with 32GB storage. But maybe I don’t need that after all.

I just wish buying an e-reader wasn’t a screen lottery all the time. The only e-reader I’ve every bought where I kept the first one was my Voyage.

Your sad experience is the one giving me some pause. I am not very sensitive to/aware of screen issues, but your Sage was a shocker.

There's nothing at all wrong with my Libra H20, but even before the Sage was released, I'd been muttering here that a "fixed Forma" could tempt me. And it seems like that Sage is that, for most. Since I've never had an ereader with a screen that was bad enough to trouble me, I'll probably end up cravenly capitulating to consumerist capitalism's constant clamor. Curses!

[Deobulakenyo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Your sad experience is the one giving me some pause. I am not very sensitive to/aware of screen issues, but your Sage was a shocker.

There's nothing at all wrong with my Libra H20, but even before the Sage was released, I'd been muttering here that a "fixed Forma" could tempt me. And it seems like that Sage is that, for most. Since I've never had an ereader with a screen that was bad enough to trouble me, I'll probably end up cravenly capitulating to consumerist capitalism's constant clamor. Curses!

It's a choice between:

WHAT IF i bought a Sage and got a good one and now enjoying it

vs

WHAT IF i had not bought this Sage with ugly screen


Your choice, man.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Deobulakenyo

It's a choice between:

WHAT IF i bought a Sage and got a good one and now enjoying it

vs

WHAT IF i had not bought this Sage with ugly screen


Your choice, man.

Exactly - and so far, the good screens outnumber the bad. And the bad was clearly SO bad as to be defective. I once had a friend who worked at a cellphone retailer and who bought 4-5 OOBFs IN A ROW, all from different manufacturers. Perhaps Josieb1 is his ereader spirit twin.

[Deobulakenyo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Exactly - and so far, the good screens outnumber the bad. And the bad was clearly SO bad as to be defective. I once had a friend who worked at a cellphone retailer and who bought 4-5 OOBFs IN A ROW, all from different manufacturers. Perhaps Josieb1 is his ereader spirit twin.

There is no going back for me now as I already ordered the Sage along with the stylus. I consider myself an unlucky guy so i am betting i will get a bad one, but still hoping i win the screen lottery this time. At least I can say, I tried instead of What if I bought one...

If only i live in Canada or Us or somewhere in Europe where there are return policies, i would have bought five, choose the best one and return the other four.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Deobulakenyo

There is no going back for me now as I already ordered the Sage along with the stylus. I consider myself an unlucky guy so i am betting i will get a bad one, but still hoping i win the screen lottery this time. At least I can say, I tried instead of What if I bought one...

If only i live in Canada or Us or somewhere in Europe where there are return policies, i would have bought five, choose the best one and return the other four.

My country has pretty good consumer protection laws so I'm fairly confident of getting a quick replacement or worst case a prompt refund. If I give in to temptation, the Sage won't be getting a case or a stylus, my Libra H20 in its case will be my out-and-about reader, the Sage will be safe at home. More than a decade of using e-readers and the number of uncased ereaders I've damaged in that time stands at zero. So I'm sure the Sage will be safe.

[scegghy]

Originally Posted by rogerinnyc

I have been very happy with my Forma, but after the Sage came out I managed, truly accidentally , to gouge the screen on my Forma -- so, of course, I ordered the Sage.

Arrived today, and here are my first impressions:

1. The screen is lovely. The font is deep black, clear and has excellent contrast. Side by side to the Forma, it's a definite, albeit marginal, step up, but if you weren't looking at them both at the same time, the Forma is still lovely.

2. There is a TINY bit of white emphasis on the button side of the screen. Way less, and way less defined than the "stripe" on the Forma. Not distracting at all (but I wasn't particularly bothered by it on the Forma either). Frankly, the Sage screen is about as good as one could expect (with apologies to JosieB).

3. The background is a touch darker/greyer than the Forma -- but very pleasant. Not sure which I prefer.

4. So glad to be rid of the fiddly power button on side of the Forma. Ideally, though, I would have liked Sage's power button on the back in the upper right side (same side as the buttons), as was the case for the KA1 (still the perfect machine in my book). Muscle memory, however, still has me going to the side of the device to turn it on/off!

5. I got the Kobo case, too, and it's a magnetic snap in -- much nicer than the way you had to press down the Forma into it's case and then peel it off (which is still the way the Libra 2 works with its cover). Not quite as easy as the Kindle Voyage with it's origami magnetic cover, but very close.

6. I'm on the fence about not having the rubber separation around the buttons that existed on the Forma. I kind of liked its feel. On the other hand, the Sage, with a single piece of glass, looks more premium (but does pick up a fair number of prints near the buttons).

7. Ditto being on the fence about the new buttons. I've had a few times pressing them and not registering. Quite clicky -- not as spongy as the Forma buttons, and I may prefer those a tiny bit. But, again, the new style looks more premium.

8. USB-C for charging and syncing on the Sage. Major improvement over micro-USB of the Forma.

9. Ah, the weight. A big issue on first impression, but I'll live with it a bit and see how much it matters. The Sage clocks in at 8.5 oz or 239 grams. The Forma was 7.0 oz or 197 grams. For reference, the KA1 is 8.1 oz. There was something magical about the lightness of the Forma, and I may end up missing that more than I want.

10. Finally, battery life. It arrived at about 60% and, of course, I immediately began playing with it, installing the patches (all seem to work fine), etc. and it ran down VERY quickly. Too soon to tell -- I'll let it run out, then fully recharge and then observe. But I'm concerned battery life may be an Achilles heel.

Initial conclusion? If you have a Forma in good condition/working shape, I'm not sure it's worth the upgrade -- unless you absolutely have to have USB-C or it doesn't particularly stress your disposable income.

I bought from Kobo so, even though it's a PITA to work through them, I presumably can return it and exchange it for a new Forma if I decide that the weight difference is important or if turns out that the Sage battery life is subpar.

I do, however, wish Kobo would revamp and reissue the KA1!

Thanks!!! So reading your review, I have decided to keep my Forma . I love Forma because is so good to keep in one hand and I don't mind about USB-C as I have other devices with same USB charger of Forma.

Thanks

[Deobulakenyo]

The Sage is now available at Amazon US.

[strico]

Originally Posted by elomire678

I just got mine today, and I have a few thoughts and comparisons to the other e-readers that I currently have (Oasis 3, Forma, Libra 2).

1. The Sage screen is decent. I'll compare it to the Forma, Oasis 3 and Libra 2:

Vs Forma:

Much better lighting than the Forma with no band on the side of the buttons. It does have some "white emphasis" or maybe light bleed on the button side that is slightly distracting though. The lighting is much less bright than the Forma though. 75% on the Forma equals 100% on the Sage. There is a bit more contrast than the Forma too.

Vs Libra 2:

Basically exactly the same screens except for size, lighting and whether or not the screen is inset. I prefer the 8" size, and the fact the screen is flush on the Sage. But the lighting is better on the Libra 2. There is no "white emphasis" or bleed on the Libra 2. The Libra 2 also has the same level of brightness as the Sage.

Vs Oasis 3:

Well this is no contest, the Oasis 3 is as bright as the sun and has perfectly even lighting with great contrast.

2. Feel and Build Quality.

Vs Forma

The Forma is better built besides the screen lighting than the Sage. It's lighter and feels like it's made of higher quality materials. The back feels rubbery and soft where the Sage feels hard and plasticy.

Vs Libra 2

The Sage feels like a just larger Libra 2 with a flush screen. Honestly if you aren't big on the stylus or 8" screen get the Libra 2 it's the better device overall.

Vs Oasis

The Oasis is solid and light and just feels well made. Amazon is giving a higher quality feel for the extra price that Kobo just doesn't.

Software:

Vs Forma

The new dark mode is great! It's a ton better than the old invert screen hack.

Vs Oasis

Yeah, Amazon's software sucks and isn't hackable to make work correctly. It's fine if you don't care about book metadata (like series) or don't care to finely tune your fonts or margins, or don't care to know how many pages are in the book or chapter.

Overall, I'd have to say the Sage is a little disappointing. This is mostly because the Libra 2 is darn good and the Sage really doesn't provide $100 extra value over it. So I'm gonna have to spend more time with both and figure out which one I'm gonna keep. I feel like they're both good enough to replace my Oasis 3, but which one I choose I don't know.

I have the Oasis 2, and I think it's great, but I have that urge to buy a new reader after a long period with it (again, it's great).

I wanted to buy the Sage, but you practically convinced me that I shouldn't, because the Oasis is superior in all aspects.

Why did you say in the end of your post that you'd still opt for a Kobo?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by strico

I have the Oasis 2, and I think it's great, but I have that urge to buy a new reader after a long period with it (again, it's great).

I wanted to buy the Sage, but you practically convinced me that I shouldn't, because the Oasis is superior in all aspects.

Why did you say in the end of your post that you'd still opt for a Kobo?

Actually the Oasis 3, which the poster used in their review, has a noticeably better screen than the Oasis 2. So I guess the Sage also has better contrast than the Oasis 2. And it has adjustable color temperature, which the Oasis 2 doesn't have.

(I had the Oasis 2 until a year ago and have compared it to the Oasis 3, which I currently have).

[strico]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Actually the Oasis 3, which the poster used in their review, has a noticeably better screen than the Oasis 2. So I guess the Sage also has better contrast than the Oasis 2. And it has adjustable color temperature, which the Oasis 2 doesn't have.

(I had the Oasis 2 until a year ago and have compared it to the Oasis 3, which I currently have).

I saw many comparisons of the two, and I understood their screen is identical (same spec, just added warm lights). So in your opinion, maybe the Oasis 3 will be the best buy.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by strico

I saw many comparisons of the two, and I understood their screen is identical (same spec, just added warm lights). So in your opinion, maybe the Oasis 3 will be the best buy.

The specs are the same, but the Oasis 3 has better contrast and more even frontlight.

Yes, if you're fond of Kindles, the Oasis 3 would probably be the best for you, unless you absolutely need the 8'' screen.