The Kobo Clara BW e-reader device has been enhanced with a bigger battery. The e-reader, which originally came fitted with a 1500 mAh battery, now features a slightly bigger 2000 mAh battery, the Good e-Reader Blog reported. This makes for a slight bump in battery capacity, which should translate to another week of reading time over what it was originally capable of.
Kobo claims the Clara BW can last 53 days on a single charge of its 1500 mAh battery. This is based on 30 minutes of reading time every day, with brightness set at 10 percent while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off. However, real-world tests of the device have pegged the battery life at around 3 weeks. With the bigger battery, that should translate to a month-long reading time easily.
Such a mid-life refresh is unprecedented, as this is the first time that Kobo has provided a hardware update for any of its devices so far. It has only been in April 2024 that the Clara BW was launched along with the Clara Colour. The initial lot starts with the serial number N365. The latest version of the Clara BW with a bigger battery has its serial number starting with P365.
That said, Kobo is still selling the older model via its website in several international markets, including the US and Canada. However, some of the retailers are offering the newer model. Check for the release date to find out which model it is. All versions that have been issued since April 2025 come with the larger battery. As Good e-Reader stated, such devices seem to be shipped to Europe and some international markets.
What remains to be seen now is whether Kobo will offer a similar battery upgrade for the Clara Colour as well. The Clara Colour also comes with a 1500 mAh battery, and a similar upgrade will add a few more days of reading time, it must be said.