Kobo’s E Ink slate is chomping at Amazon and ReMarkable’s heels with its big screen and pen in tow
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(Image credit: Kobo)
(Image credit: Kobo)
T3 Verdict
Reasons to buy+Supports ebook annotation unlike Scribe+Lighter than the competition+Optional backlight unlike ReMarkable 2+Pen included, complete with eraserReasons to avoid-Inconsistent pen accuracy-Stylus needs charging-Palm rejection could be better-Unrefined styling
Reasons to buy+Supports ebook annotation unlike Scribe+Lighter than the competition+Optional backlight unlike ReMarkable 2+Pen included, complete with eraser
Supports ebook annotation unlike Scribe
Lighter than the competition
Optional backlight unlike ReMarkable 2
Pen included, complete with eraser
Reasons to avoid-Inconsistent pen accuracy-Stylus needs charging-Palm rejection could be better-Unrefined styling
Inconsistent pen accuracy
Stylus needs charging
Palm rejection could be better
Unrefined styling
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Kobo is the underdog e-reader maker that many readers already love to love, in no small part because it isn’tAmazon. And the company’s Elipsa 2E feels like a direct response to the well-known shopping giant’sKindle Scribe.
But Amazon isn’t the only player in the E Ink tablet game, with others including theOnyx Note Air 2and ReMarkable 2 to name a few. So what has Kobo got over the competition, and what does the Elipsa 2E bring to the table that was missing in the original?
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: WHAT’S NEW?
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
With a huge selection of books in its library and a new all-you-can-read subscription service, called Kobo Plus, the Toronto-based firm is clearly going all-in across hardware and software to woo early adopters of E Ink tablets. After all, the Elipsa 2E launches in a relatively new market with a handful of strong offerings.
In addition to Kobo’s services, the tablet has a large 10.3-inch E Ink touchscreen, which is backlit, unlike the ReMarkable 2’s display. It also runs with Kobo’s proprietary smart interface, so sports a web browser, Dropbox, and Pocket app integration, outsmarting Amazon’s Kindle Scribe.
Unlike the Elipsa 2E’s predecessor, Kobo’s latest is built for note-taking as well as reading and annotating.
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
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Costing a little more than Amazon’s Kindle Scribe, you can pick up the Elipsa 2E for £349.99 in the UK, $399.99 in the US and for AU$629.95 in Australia. It’s available in just one version that sports 32GB storage, and it comes with a pen, so you won’t need to buy one separately.
You can choose to pick up the Elipsa 2E SleepCover, which you can see pictured below. If you’re in the UK, that’ll set you back an extra £69.99, while in the US it costs $869.99, while in Australia that’s an additional AU$89.95.
When it comes to getting books on the Kobo Elipsa 2E, of course, you can buy them individually through the Kobo store. Alternatively, the new Kobo Plus service gives you unlimited access to a selection of content, and costs £8.99 a month for ebooks, or £11.99 a month for both ebooks and audiobooks. Kobo Plus in Australia has just the one tier for ebooks for AU$13.99.
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: DESIGN AND DISPLAY
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo Elipsa 2E is a clunky thing when set against some of its main competition. While other E Ink tablets enjoy metal construction and super-thin frames, the Elipsa is made of black plastic and is chunkier than we expected it to be.
This plastic build isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The 2E is the grippiest E Ink slate on the scene, with a slightly soft-touch back that feels almost rubberised without clinging onto dust like actual rubber might. The back is also textured for an even more secure hold, and the flat sides matched with rounded corners complement the balanced weighting, so it feels like Kobo wants you to spend a long time holding its latest creation.
Despite being chunkier than the competition, the Kobo Elipsa 2E weighs just 390g. That’s versus the 433g Kindle Scribe, the 403.5g ReMarkable 2, and the 445g Onyx Note Air 2 Plus.(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Despite being chunkier than the competition, the Kobo Elipsa 2E weighs just 390g. That’s versus the 433g Kindle Scribe, the 403.5g ReMarkable 2, and the 445g Onyx Note Air 2 Plus.
Despite being chunkier than the competition, the Kobo Elipsa 2E weighs just 390g. That’s versus the 433g Kindle Scribe, the 403.5g ReMarkable 2, and the 445g Onyx Note Air 2 Plus.
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
With a subtle wedge shape, the Elipsa 2E is thickest along the side with the USB-C port and power button and thins out towards the side the pen magnetically affixes to. This might suggest you’re forced to use it in one orientation, but with responsive page-flipping depending on how you’re holding the tablet, left- or right-handers should be able to use it comfortably.
If you don’t have the Kobo SleepCover, then you can magnetically secure the pen vertically along the back of the Elipsa. This is reminiscent of how an S Pen stows on aSamsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
Personally, I prefer the way the E Ink competition stows the pen on the side within easy view. One upshot of Kobo’s rear-pen-mounting mechanism, though, is that when the pen is secured around the back, it angles the screen up slightly, making for a comfortable landscape viewing experience when the whole thing’s rested on a surface.
Image1of2When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of2When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of2
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
When in the SleepCover, the pen sits in a groove along the folio spine(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a magnet around the back of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that the pen adheres to(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Onto the screen: clocking in with the same size and resolution as that of Amazon’s Kindle Scribe – 10.3-inches with 1404 x 1872 pixels – and with both sporting mighty backlights that shine warm or cool, it really is splitting hairs when choosing between the two tablets' mighty similar core hardware.
What might swing you in the Kindle Scribe’s direction is the fact it features auto-brightness, so can dial brightness up or down depending on your environment. If you don’t mind manually toggling it, though, viewing angles on Kobo’s slate are strong, even without a backlight, and we actually kept it off in most conditions, which also saves battery. After all, the screen’s matte texture diffuses glare well, making it easy to see indoors or out, so you’ll only need to pump up the brightness when the lights go down.
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: PEN AND WRITING
The Elipsa 2E’s pen experience is the tablet’s weakest area. On paper, the pen should be a best-in-class addition. After all, it has a buttonandan eraser on the back. And it’s included in the box. Neither Amazon, Boox, or ReMarkable offer that level of value. So what’s wrong with it?
For starters, you have to charge the pen, unlike competing tablet styli which are battery-free. This is a small bugbear, but it’s worth mentioning, especially given the fact there’s no obvious way of checking how much battery is left in the pen.
Image1of2(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of2(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of2
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
More frustrating than the pen needing charging, however, is the fact we had serious inconsistencies when it came to pen tip accuracy.
Occasionally, the writing experience was spot-on. Writing on it was accurate and we could easily doodle, knowing exactly where our pen strokes would end up. Other times, most frequently when the Elipsa 2E was in the case or in hand, there were a couple of millimetres between our tip and the on-screen stroke.
Less frustrating, but still worth mentioning, the Elipsa 2E has weaker palm rejection than its competition, so a resting palm would flip the page before the pen tip would flip the virtual screen on a few occasions.
Then there’s the note-taking app. With a total of 20 paper types to choose from (updated from four when we first tested it), as well as a range of pens which support pressure sensitivity, you can easily take notes that live on your Elipsa.
As of yet, you can’t access your notes in the Kobo app. Your in-book annotations are also only visible on your Elipsa oriPhone, so aren’t synced with your KoboAndroidapp just yet.
Image1of4Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of4Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Image1of4
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
Annotation in action on the Kobo Elipsa 2E(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Kobo annotation experience is a much more old-school meets new tech approach than Kindle’s sticky notes(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The back of the pen erases notes, but not highlights – that requires a long-press on highlighted content(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The button on the side of the pen supports highlighting within books, just like the Kindle Scribe(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
For me, the Elipsa 2E’s best feature is that it supports actual handwritten annotations in books bought through Kobo’s store. I’m not talking about sticky notes like Amazon’s solution for the Kindle Scribe (which doesn’t even support handwritten notes in all books). I mean old school: writing in the margins and circling diagrams. That’s how I like to read, and that’s the area of the Elipsa 2E experience that won me over the most.
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The Elipsa 2E runs with Kobo’s software, which updates what we’ve seen on past Kobo devices, adding all the new note-taking tools to the mix.
At the bottom of the user interface is a bar with shortcuts to Home, My Books, My Notebooks, Discover, and More. Home is where you can access your recently-read content. It should be where saved pages from the Pocket app appear too, but the interface wasn’t able to connect the dots in our time with it.
The More tab is actually packed with features that go way beyond settings. Dropbox and Pocket shortcuts, reading statistics, a web browser, and games are all nested within this section. If you’re wondering what your game options are on the Kobo Elipsa 2E, they include Sudoku, Unblock It, Solitare, or Word Scramble – all fun, simple brainteasers.
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
We’ve alluded to the fact that syncing handwritten notes taken on the Kobo Elipsa with other devices is a pain. While your library, bookmarks and reading location are synchronized across the app, web, and the Elipsa 2E, handwritten content needs to be manually exported. This puts Kobo on the back foot behind all the note-taking competition.
So what are your exporting options? Dropbox via Wi-Fi, and if you don’t use Dropbox, to the device’s internal storage as a PDF, JPG or PNG file, after which you can offload them when plugging it into your computer. It all just feels a little 2015.
As with all E Ink tablets, battery life on the Elipsa 2E will entirely depend on your backlight use. We hardly dented the battery in our time with it, but seldom used the backlight as we mainly read on the slate in public with plenty of ambient light. In turn, it’s reasonable to expect between one to three weeks on a single charge, though ramping up the brightness will shorten this significantly.
KOBO ELIPSA 2E REVIEW: VERDICT
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
There’s a lot right with the Kobo Elipsa 2E, especially for anyone who loves annotating their books as they read.
However, this tablet does fall behind the competition in a handful of key areas: pen accuracy, cloud syncing and design. But in a relatively small market, it has a place as an alternative to the Kindle Scribe and other e-readers.
The Elipsa 2E is the only option with a comprehensive bookstore that lets you buy books and scribble directly on them. While you can sideload books onto the ReMarkable and Onyx Boox Note series for annotation, Kobo’s book solution is more self-contained. This is especially true now it’s launched Kobo Plus for subscription-based, unlimited reading.
The tablet is also light and comfortable to hold, and has a great E Ink screen, showcasing everything from traditional books to textbooks and comics well.
ALSO CONSIDER
If you want a dedicated note-taking E Ink tablet and don’t need a backlight, the ReMarkable 2 is the most polished option out there. It’s incredibly thin, and benefits from the highest-quality accessories around, though doesn’t ship with a pen, so you’ll need to pick one up separately.
Amazon Kindle fans can opt for the Kindle Scribe or the Boox Note Air 2 Plus. The Kindle Scribe is the better option for those who want to keep it simple, with its much more limited features and very basic note-taking app.
The Note Air 2 Plus runs Android, so you can load up the Amazon and Kobo app, or sideload EPUB files for a versatile reading experience, making it a more powerful, but more complicated alternative to the E Ink tablet competition.
Today’s best Kobo Elipsa 2E, ReMarkable 2, Amazon Kindle Scribe and Boox Note Air 2 Plus dealsKobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all pricesreMarkable Tablet 2$449ViewSee all pricesAmazon Kindle Scribe$339.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Kobo Elipsa 2E, ReMarkable 2, Amazon Kindle Scribe and Boox Note Air 2 Plus dealsKobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all pricesreMarkable Tablet 2$449ViewSee all pricesAmazon Kindle Scribe$339.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Kobo Elipsa 2E, ReMarkable 2, Amazon Kindle Scribe and Boox Note Air 2 Plus dealsKobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all pricesreMarkable Tablet 2$449ViewSee all pricesAmazon Kindle Scribe$339.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Kobo Elipsa 2E, ReMarkable 2, Amazon Kindle Scribe and Boox Note Air 2 Plus deals
Kobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all pricesreMarkable Tablet 2$449ViewSee all pricesAmazon Kindle Scribe$339.99ViewSee all prices
Kobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all prices
Kobo Elipsa 2E$399.99ViewSee all prices
Kobo Elipsa 2E
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Amazon Kindle Scribe$339.99ViewSee all prices
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