Clara BW Clara BW Touch Detection Problems – Hardware or Firmware?

cewood · 02-20-2026, 09:18 AM

I’m a recent Kobo convert after spending ~16 years in the Kindle ecosystem. The removal of the ability to download Kindle books from Amazon’s website was the final straw for me, along with the continued hardening of Kindle firmware against jailbreaks and De-DRM.

I picked up a Clara BW because I like the form factor, which is almost identical to my Kindle 11th Gen Matcha. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities seem to end. The reading and interaction experience on the Clara BW has been very frustrating compared to what I’m used to coming from a Kindle.

Similar to other reports here and elsewhere, my Clara BW frequently misinterprets touch inputs. When trying to create an annotation, it often registers a page turn instead. Other times it doesn’t register anything at all, and after several attempts it may either register the annotation or trigger an unintended page turn. Even with tap-to-turn disabled, annotation attempts are sometimes ignored entirely, which makes the experience quite frustrating.

I’ve tried factory resets, manual resets, and the usual troubleshooting steps, but the issue persists. I’m hesitant to request a replacement because I’ve seen reports of similar behaviour on replacement units.

My suspicion is that this may be a software-level touch interpretation issue rather than hardware, particularly given reports that there are two hardware variants of the Clara BW and that the issue seems concentrated in one of them.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Does this sound like a known firmware issue, or more likely a hardware problem? I’m trying to determine whether it’s worth pursuing a replacement or waiting for a software update.

My Clara BW is a P365 variant, running the 4.44.23552 firmware version.

baw · 02-20-2026, 04:33 PM

I got the Clara BW right after it was released. I like it a lot but it has always had the problem of going 2 pages forward instead of 1. Not all the time but around 2 to 3 times per every 100 pages. I tap the screen to turn the page and nothing happens no matter how long I wait. I tap again and it goes 2 pages forward. Then I have to tap back a page to continue reading.

Aleron Ives · 02-20-2026, 06:58 PM

Yes, somebody else posted about the same problem recently:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=372015

It seems like it's a defect with the P365 variant. The N365 doesn't have this problem. Whether it's a hardware problem or a software problem remains to be seen, but there doesn't appear to be a solution at present.

If it's a software bug, you might be able to work around it by using KOReader if you enjoy experimenting.

hyperdimensional · Yesterday, 04:23 PM

Can you test if yours exhibits the issues when wifi and/or bluetooth are on? On another forum someone with a P365 tested the same thing and theirs had no issue according to them and on Reddit I asked a person who got a Clara BW p365 as well and they didn't have it either. I on the other hand got it on the device I ordered and then as well on the replacement unit for said device.

I've been thinking of ordering it from another store or trying out a demo unit in-store to see if those also have issues but haven't really had time to do so yet

02-20-2026, 09:18 AM	#1
cewood Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Kindle 11th Gen, Kobo Clara BW	Clara BW Touch Detection Problems – Hardware or Firmware? I’m a recent Kobo convert after spending ~16 years in the Kindle ecosystem. The removal of the ability to download Kindle books from Amazon’s website was the final straw for me, along with the continued hardening of Kindle firmware against jailbreaks and De-DRM. I picked up a Clara BW because I like the form factor, which is almost identical to my Kindle 11th Gen Matcha. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities seem to end. The reading and interaction experience on the Clara BW has been very frustrating compared to what I’m used to coming from a Kindle. Similar to other reports here and elsewhere, my Clara BW frequently misinterprets touch inputs. When trying to create an annotation, it often registers a page turn instead. Other times it doesn’t register anything at all, and after several attempts it may either register the annotation or trigger an unintended page turn. Even with tap-to-turn disabled, annotation attempts are sometimes ignored entirely, which makes the experience quite frustrating. I’ve tried factory resets, manual resets, and the usual troubleshooting steps, but the issue persists. I’m hesitant to request a replacement because I’ve seen reports of similar behaviour on replacement units. My suspicion is that this may be a software-level touch interpretation issue rather than hardware, particularly given reports that there are two hardware variants of the Clara BW and that the issue seems concentrated in one of them. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Does this sound like a known firmware issue, or more likely a hardware problem? I’m trying to determine whether it’s worth pursuing a replacement or waiting for a software update. My Clara BW is a P365 variant, running the 4.44.23552 firmware version.

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02-20-2026, 04:33 PM	#2
baw Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2024 Device: none	I got the Clara BW right after it was released. I like it a lot but it has always had the problem of going 2 pages forward instead of 1. Not all the time but around 2 to 3 times per every 100 pages. I tap the screen to turn the page and nothing happens no matter how long I wait. I tap again and it goes 2 pages forward. Then I have to tap back a page to continue reading.

02-20-2026, 06:58 PM	#3
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,839 Karma: 17000000 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	Yes, somebody else posted about the same problem recently: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=372015 It seems like it's a defect with the P365 variant. The N365 doesn't have this problem. Whether it's a hardware problem or a software problem remains to be seen, but there doesn't appear to be a solution at present. If it's a software bug, you might be able to work around it by using KOReader if you enjoy experimenting.

Yesterday, 04:23 PM	#4
hyperdimensional Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2026 Device: Kobo Clara BW (P365)	Can you test if yours exhibits the issues when wifi and/or bluetooth are on? On another forum someone with a P365 tested the same thing and theirs had no issue according to them and on Reddit I asked a person who got a Clara BW p365 as well and they didn't have it either. I on the other hand got it on the device I ordered and then as well on the replacement unit for said device. I've been thinking of ordering it from another store or trying out a demo unit in-store to see if those also have issues but haven't really had time to do so yet

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