A beautiful case is like putting fresh paint on a house with a leaky roof
At a moment when the digital notebook market is accelerating, Kobo arrived at BookCon not with new hardware but with ornamented cases bearing names like Botanical Bliss — a choice that speaks to a company navigating the tension between aesthetic appeal and technological urgency. The Kobo Elipsa 2E, unchanged since 2023, now stands in the shadow of rivals who have iterated steadily, raising a quiet but consequential question about whether Kobo is resting, regrouping, or retreating. In the longer arc of consumer technology, the gap between a brand's identity and its ambition rarely stays invisible for long.
- Kobo unveiled limited-edition decorative cases at BookCon while its flagship Elipsa 2E sits untouched since 2023 — a mismatch between what the company offered and what its users were waiting for.
- Amazon released two generations of the Kindle Scribe in the time Kobo has stood still, and Onyx has flooded the market with Boox models, leaving Kobo's hardware looking increasingly dated.
- The Elipsa 2E now trails competitors on nearly every measurable front — display sharpness at 227ppi versus the 300ppi now standard, a stylus that feels stiff and unnatural, and no ambient light sensor.
- Users who have crossed over to the 2025 Kindle Scribe or even the frontlight-free Onyx Boox Go 10.3 report a noticeably better experience, signaling that Kobo's software strengths can no longer compensate for aging hardware.
- With the Sage discontinued and the Libra Colour as the company's best current offering, Kobo's product lineup is narrowing just as the competition is widening — and no hardware announcement is yet in sight.
Kobo arrived at BookCon in New York with something genuinely lovely to show — a collection of limited-edition cases for its e-readers, dressed in designs like Green Canopy and Botanical Bliss. The smaller cases, fitting the Libra Colour, Clara BW, and Clara Colour, are priced at $29.99 in the US, with a larger Libra Colour case at $39.99. Available now in America and Britain, Australian customers can order starting May 12. They are pretty. They are also not what anyone was hoping for.
The Kobo Elipsa 2E, the company's 10-inch flagship digital notebook, has not been updated since 2023. In that same window, Amazon released new Kindle Scribe models in both 2024 and 2025, and Onyx has maintained a steady drumbeat of Boox releases. Kobo, by contrast, skipped its traditional spring launch window last year entirely. For a brand once known for near-annual hardware refreshes, the quiet has become conspicuous.
The hardware gap is no longer abstract. The Elipsa 2E's 227ppi display looks soft beside the 300ppi screens now standard on competing 10-inch tablets. The 2024 Kindle Scribe introduced an ambient light sensor that meaningfully improves readability. And Kobo's Stylus 2, with its hard nib, simply does not feel as natural to write with as Amazon's Premium Pen or third-party alternatives that deliver a smoother, more ballpoint-like experience.
For users who depend on these devices daily, the decline is hard to overlook. The Elipsa 2E was a credible Kindle Scribe rival when it launched — thoughtful interface, strong note-taking software, genuine ambition. But those strengths are aging. Users who have moved to the 2025 Kindle Scribe describe a noticeably better experience for both reading and writing. Even the Onyx Boox Go 10.3, which lacks a frontlight, has emerged as a preferred choice for digital note-taking.
Kobo's Advanced Notebooks feature remains excellent, but software can only carry a device so far. With the Sage discontinued, the Libra Colour is the company's strongest current offering — and it ships with the same stylus that continues to frustrate. A hardware refresh is no longer a wish; it is overdue. Whether Kobo is quietly preparing one, or has chosen to compete on accessories and software while rivals extend their lead, remains the open question.
Kobo showed up to BookCon in New York last month with something to announce, and it was beautiful—just not what anyone was waiting for. The company unveiled a collection of limited-edition cases for its e-readers, each one dressed in designs with names like Green Canopy and Botanical Bliss. They're genuinely lovely to look at. The smaller cases fit the Libra Colour, Clara BW, and Clara Colour models and will run you $29.99 in the US, £24.99 in the UK, or AU$44.95 in Australia. The larger Libra Colour case costs $39.99, £34.99, or AU$49.95. They're already available for purchase in America and Britain, with Australian availability starting May 12.
But here's the thing: nobody was asking for prettier cases. They were asking for better hardware. The Kobo Elipsa 2E, the company's flagship 10-inch digital notebook, hasn't been updated since 2023. It's starting to feel old. Really old. While Amazon released new versions of the Kindle Scribe in both 2024 and 2025, and Onyx has been churning out multiple Boox models at a steady clip, Kobo has gone quiet on the hardware front. Last year the company skipped its traditional May release window entirely, opting instead to launch the Kobo Remote later in the year. For a brand that once refreshed its lineup nearly every spring, the silence is deafening.
The gap matters because the competition has moved on. The current Elipsa 2E's 227-pixel-per-inch display looks fuzzy next to the 300ppi screens that have become standard on 10-inch note-taking tablets released in 2025. The 2024 Kindle Scribe added an ambient light sensor that makes the screen appear noticeably brighter and more readable. The stylus situation is even more frustrating. Kobo's Stylus 2, with its hard nib, doesn't feel as natural to write with as Amazon's Premium Pen or most other styli on the market. Competing pens from brands like ViWood deliver a smoother, more ballpoint-like experience—the kind of tactile feedback that matters when you're taking notes or sketching for hours.
For someone who actually uses these devices, the decline is impossible to ignore. The Elipsa 2E was genuinely competitive when it launched. It had a thoughtful interface, solid note-taking software, and a real claim to being a Kindle Scribe alternative. But that was three years ago. A user who switched from the Elipsa 2E to the 2nd-generation Kindle Scribe in 2025 found the Amazon device offered a noticeably better experience for both reading and writing. Even the Onyx Boox Go 10.3, which lacks a frontlight entirely, felt like the better choice for digital note-taking. Kobo's Advanced Notebooks feature is still excellent, but excellence in software can only carry a device so far when the hardware underneath is falling behind.
If you're set on buying a Kobo note-taker right now, the Libra Colour remains the best option the company offers—the Sage has been discontinued. But even that device comes with the same Stylus 2 that doesn't feel quite right in your hand. A refresh of the core hardware, the pen, and the display resolution isn't a luxury request anymore. It's overdue. The question now is whether Kobo is planning to deliver one, or whether the company has decided to focus on accessories and software while its competitors lap it in the race for the best digital notebook experience.
Citações Notáveis
I replaced it with the 2nd-generation Kindle Scribe in 2025 as the latter offered me a better reading and writing experience— Kobo Elipsa 2E user, explaining why they switched to Amazon's device
Nearly every other stylus I've tried offers a smoother ballpoint pen-like experience that you won't get from the Kobo Stylus 2— Same user, on the stylus experience gap
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that Kobo didn't release new hardware? Aren't the 2024 models still functional?
They are, but functional isn't the same as competitive. When your stylus feels worse than devices that cost the same, and your screen resolution is noticeably lower than what everyone else is shipping, you're not just behind—you're visibly behind.
The cases are beautiful though. Doesn't that count for something?
A beautiful case is like putting a fresh coat of paint on a house with a leaky roof. It's nice to look at, but it doesn't fix what's broken underneath.
What specifically makes the Kindle Scribe better at note-taking?
The pen feels more natural. The screen is brighter because of the ambient light sensor. The resolution is sharper. It's the sum of small things that add up to a noticeably better experience when you're actually using it every day.
Has Kobo always released new hardware every May?
Not always, but it was the pattern. The company used to move quickly. Last year they broke that rhythm entirely. Now we're in 2026 with no new Elipsa, and competitors have released multiple updates in the time Kobo has been quiet.
What would a refreshed Elipsa 2E need to be competitive again?
A 300ppi display like everyone else has. A better stylus. An ambient light sensor. Basically, they need to catch up to where the market already is.
Is there any sign they're working on one?
Not yet. That's the frustration. The announcement was cases, not hardware. That tells you where the company's focus is right now.