Kobo Sage

A delightful e-reader that’s packed with features and storage space, but battery life lets it down

- DAN GARDINER

The new E Ink display enables faster page turns and has a higher contrast ratio

PRICE £208 (£250 inc VAT) from uk.kobobooks.com

The Kobo Sage is a more refined version of the three-year-old Kobo Forma, two-upping Amazon’s 7in Kindle Oasis by offering an 8 in display that also boasts stylus support. It’s the first mainstream Kobo e-reader to offer the latter, but you’ll need to buy the Kobo Stylus separately for £40.

The Sage has a noticeably improved chassis compared to the Forma. It’s still made of plastic, unlike the metal body of the Kindle Oasis, but with a cleaner and more elegant look; it’s effectively only one front piece and one back piece sandwiched together. Even the page-turn buttons are a step up from the Forma. They’re sleeker and more distinct, reminiscent of the Kindle Oasis, and provide a cleaner and more satisfying click action.

Fitting into the sleeker chassis (7.6mm vs 8.5mm) is the latest in E Ink displays: a Carta 1200 panel that enables faster page turns and has a 15% higher contrast ratio. Text appears sharper as a result, but impatient readers will appreciate page turns that are 20% quicker than the previous-generation E Ink display.

Create virtual notebooks and add notes to text using the £40 Kobo Stylus