Kobo is preparing a new e-reader for release in the coming months. Although no release date has been announced, we can still make a few predictions about this future e-reader and its specifications.
UPDATE 8 april 2024: this e-reader will be called Kobo Libra Colour and the release date is set to May 2024 (read more here).
This new Kobo e-reader is a revelation that comes to us from an FCC document.
The FCC is the organization that certifies electronic products in the USA. This certification is necessary before any commercialization, and lets us know that a Kobo e-reader will be on the market in the coming months.
Unfortunately, the document reveals little information. There's a "KBN428" serial number, the presence of a Wifi connection and the integration of Adobe services, which enable ebooks protected by Adobe DRM to be read.
However, this "KBN428" number already tells us a lot if we look at the history of Kobo releases.
Kobo has already released the Kobo Elipsa 2E in 2023. This is a large e-reader that is above all an electronic notepad that allows note-taking with a stylus on a large 10.3-inch e-ink screen.
We can therefore be fairly certain that this new Kobo e-reader is not an Elipsa-type e-reader.
On closer examination, the number "428" is strongly reminiscent of the Kobo Libra 2 reference number "418".
The Kobo Libra 2 is one of the best e-readers in the Kobo range and has been available since 2021. So it's not really old, but if Kobo offers a new version, it could arrive in early 2024.
As this e-reader doesn't have a name, I think it could be called Kobo Libra 2E (like the Kobo Clara 2E and the Kobo Elipsa 2E) or Kobo Libra 3.
In my opinion, the technical evolution won't be very significant, since there hasn't been a major advance in e-ink screens since 2021 - with the exception of the Carta 1300 e ink screen.
Another hypothesis: if this new e-reader is not a new Kobo Libra, I think it would be interesting for Kobo to offer a new version of its Kobo Nia, which is a little dated and has been supplanted by the recent Pocketbook Verse and Kindle.
The Kobo Nia was released in 2020 and I think a new version with a better screen and a USB-C port would be a good thing to face the competition on affordable ereaders.
Also, note that a new Kobo Sage is also coming in 2024.
UPDATE 8 april 2024: this e-reader will be called Kobo Libra Colour and the release date is set to May 2024 (read more here).
