Aura ONE Alternative to Kobo Aura One?

[Mercador]

Hello! My wife is using my old Kobo Aura One but the battery doesn't stand more than 3 days now. I was waiting for the new models to be announced and there's no Sage 2. Afaik, the Aura One is 7,7" so I guess the Sage is the best alternative for her? She don't want my Elipsa, it's too big for her. Thanks!

[Aleron Ives]

Your wife might also be interested in the Forma. It's 8", lacks the pen functionality of the Sage, and it has better battery life. If she can stand 7", the Libra 2 is a fantastic device.

[Rid]

I am in the same boat leaning towards the Libra due to the price difference. Hoping they bring out the Libra in B\W.

[Mercador]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Your wife might also be interested in the Forma. It's 8", lacks the pen functionality of the Sage, and it has better battery life. If she can stand 7", the Libra 2 is a fantastic device.

Weird, Kobo site didn't offered me that device with 8" selected..?

Edit: it's sold out, that's why. There's refurbished one at 189CAD though.

[Aleron Ives]

Yes, the Forma has been discontinued for some time, but it still has fans, as the Sage has poor battery life and flaky buttons.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Yes, the Forma has been discontinued for some time, but it still has fans, as the Sage has poor battery life and flaky buttons.

That's hyperbole. The battery life isn't poor, just poorer than many eink. Also the buttons are no more flaky than the Libra 2. They might not "wake" if you stare at one page too long.

[Aleron Ives]

Yes, the software is flaky, not the physical buttons themselves, but in the end it makes no difference to the user: the page turn buttons don't always turn the page when you press them, likely due to the aggressive power management Kobo uses to try to compensate for the inadequate battery and power-hungry CPU.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by Mercador

Hello! My wife is using my old Kobo Aura One but the battery doesn't stand more than 3 days now. I was waiting for the new models to be announced and there's no Sage 2. Afaik, the Aura One is 7,7" so I guess the Sage is the best alternative for her? She don't want my Elipsa, it's too big for her. Thanks!

I think your wife would like a Sage. The screen is so, so nice! I thought the device might be too heavy for me initially (in my 60s with hand/wrist issues), but I've coped just fine with the extra weight and love the device. Plus, it's very light feeling when you lift it out of the magnetic case, which I sometimes do if I'm tired.

Screen is better than Forma. Aura One screen was ALSO better than Forma.

However, depending on her reading habits, she might not get more than 3 days of battery life. I'm a heavy reader, one who usually does 1-3 books a week, and I charge my Sage every few days.

I still consider the battery life decent enough. I've never owned a reader (and I've owned a full baker's dozen since 2011) that I didn't have to charge at least weekly if I was actually reading on it.

With Sage, I'm not running out midway through most books, unless they are very long ones. Usually, I read a couple books before I need to recharge. Realistically, the ballyhoo over battery life is because people have certain expectations about that with ereaders. These same folks manage to put their cell phone on to charge as often as needed, with nary an outcry.

I also own a Forma, and like that, except for the awful power button, but it has been having battery drain issues lately, where I charge it, and then before I next want to read on it, usually several days after it's been charged, I pick it up and find it totally drained. At any rate, I don't trust it to always be ready for a reading session now.

I hope you can find her a reader she loves, whether Sage or Libra 2. They may not have been updated, but they are still both fine readers.

[JSWolf]

And the battery is so poor on the Sage. That could be the drawback that makes the Sage no all that good.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And the battery is so poor on the Sage. That could be the drawback that makes the Sage no all that good.

It's true, if she hates putting a reader on a charger, the Sage might not be ideal. It does depend on just how much reading is done. There are days I need to charge at the end of a day, because I've been reading obsessively, there are also weeks where I've read lightly and it has lasted out the week.

There's not tons of 8" screen options, so Sage is worth considering. There's always a trade-off.

[Dibbler]

My wife has a Libra 2, most impressive in use, the clarity and consistency of the screen is lovely.
Thankfully my Aura One battery seems as capable today as it did when first bought around 2016.

I did buy a Sage recently, when on a clearance sale. But it was returned and refunded. I could have managed fine with the poor battery but the screen quality was not on par with the Libra 2 nor was it as good as my Aura One.
Having such good screens on those devices does raise the bar in terms of expectations.
If I wanted to replace my Aura I would strongly consider the Libra 2.

[Mercador]

But does the Libra 2 still available? Last week, it was sold out.

Edit: I found one at Staples near me. Let's hope she'll like it even if it's a bit smaller.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Mercador

But does the Libra 2 still available? Last week, it was sold out.

Edit: I found one at Staples near me. Let's hope she'll like it even if it's a bit smaller.

Yes it's smaller, but I think she'll like it.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by Dibbler

My wife has a Libra 2, most impressive in use, the clarity and consistency of the screen is lovely.
Thankfully my Aura One battery seems as capable today as it did when first bought around 2016.

I did buy a Sage recently, when on a clearance sale. But it was returned and refunded. I could have managed fine with the poor battery but the screen quality was not on par with the Libra 2 nor was it as good as my Aura One.
Having such good screens on those devices does raise the bar in terms of expectations.
If I wanted to replace my Aura I would strongly consider the Libra 2.

Interesting. I also have an Aura One, but text on my Sage is most definitely crisper and sharper!

I did find the Forma screen a bit less sharp than the Aura One however.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by graycyn

I did find the Forma screen a bit less sharp than the Aura One however.

Well, that helps reconcile me to the choices I've made!

I was happy with my Aura One (whee! 7.8"!) but I always thought I'd get a Forma, most likely when it got cheaper once an upgraded device was released. But when the Sage came out, the Forma never did get much cheaper, so I didn't pull the trigger. Now, there are refurbished Formas and they're cheap, but I can't see buying such an ancient device when my Aura One is still perfectly serviceable. And as for the Sage, I don't like the blocky shape of devices with buttons.

Here's the thing about the Aura One: the improvements made since then are marginal. It's virtually the same size as the Sage, with a 300 dpi screen, warm light, waterproofing. The battery life is pretty lousy, but it always was pretty lousy and at 7.8" it's not an out and about device. It lives next to my armchair and can be charged as needed. And the Sage wouldn't be much of an improvement at that.

So long life to my Aura One! I'm encouraged in that all five of my Kobos of which the Aura One is the newest are still in decent working order.