Kobo may soon release a new variant of the Kobo Clara Colour, possibly in a shade of white. Currently, the company offers the Clara Colour in a black shade. The above speculation stems from a Reddit post that cited a recent listing of a white Kobo Clara Colour on a Canadian retail site. Kobo is yet to make any official announcement regarding the new variant.
However, as Nathan of the eBook Reader Blog mentioned, this is the usual trend whenever Kobo launches a new product. The product first makes an appearance on a website that not many have heard of before, before getting pulled down on the pretext that it went online earlier than it was supposed to. So, it’s hardly surprising the listing has since disappeared, though not before Nathan managed to get a screenshot of the same.
Needless to say, there is no mention of the white Kobo Clara Colour on the official Kobo site. That is expected to change soon, now that the variant has already started to appear on a retail site. There have also been two FCC listings that we came across before, which revealed two Kobo devices being readied for launch soon. The said devices are going to be revised versions of existing models instead of anything new.
However, before you commit to a white Kobo Clara Colour for your next e-reader, here is something to consider. While the listing showcases an attractive white variant of the Clara Colour, the same might not be true in real life. That’s because color e-paper displays have a slightly darker hue compared to their black-and-white counterpart. With white bezels surrounding the screen, the display tends to look a bit darker than it really is. That’s an optical illusion, but it’s something that can’t be ignored entirely.
The illusion is reduced, to some extent at least, when the front light is turned on. This makes the display appear brighter, which in turn creates a better visual balance between the screen and the surrounding bezels. You will have none of this with a black bezel, which is why many recommend buyers to go for the black shade for e-readers with having color e-paper display.
On the other hand, a white bezel goes best with a monochrome e-paper display as it makes the display seem to extend right up to the edges. Case in point, the 2024 Kindle Scribe model, which comes in tungsten and metallic jade color options but has the bezels done up in white for both. Meanwhile, there is no word yet if there is going to be a white version of the Kobo Clara BW as well.
Stay tuned for more on the upcoming Kobo device.
