Kobo Nia review: Is this entry-level ereader any good?

Name: Kobo Nia
Brand: Kobo

Chris Stead

Last updated: Aug 14, 2020

Quick Verdict: Rakuten Kobo's new ereader, the Kobo Nia, has arrived in the ebook marketplace as a solid, if unspectacular, entry-level option.

Affordable at $149.95
Very light and portable
A significant step up from the Kobo Aura
8GB of internal storage can hold up to 6,000 books
The Clara E-ink 212ppi screen is better than base Kindle

Can be a little slow
Screen often pulses an unsightly dark colour when thinking
The Kobo Clara HD offers a 300ppi screen and more RAM for only $40 more
Kobo doesn't have quite the same library as Kindle
Missing Bluetooth and audiobook support

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Finder score: 3.5

How we score our reviews

Where to buy

Buy at Kobo

The Kobo Nia is arriving at a good time for the ebook industry. Despite the movement towards a more environmentally friendly future, digital books haven't found the popularity we all expected when they first emerged on the scene a decade ago. However, that's all changing.

Kobo has seen up to 100% year-on-year growth of ebook sales since the coronavirus pandemic began. Stuck at home and distanced from buying new physical products, should we be surprised the world has responded in this way?

Into this environment, Kobo has launched the Kobo Nia. It's a new, entry-level ereader for the Kobo range that replaces the old Kobo Aura and sits just below the Kobo Clara HD. It's small, lightweight, affordable and provides a comfortable, streamlined way for readers to enter the vast Kobo ebook marketplace. However, it lacks the little extra kick in power that could have seen it truly find its place.

Kobo Nia design

Design

Slightly bigger than the palm of your hand
6-inch Carta E-Ink 212ppi touchscreen
Lightweight 172g
Comfortable bevelled edge
Not waterproof

The Kobo Nia sticks tight to the design we've seen in previous models such as the Kobo Clara. Don't expect a whole new experience here. Coming only in classic black (albeit with three different coloured cases; Black, Lemon and Aqua), it's comfortable to hold thanks to its bevelled edge and 172g weight. It effortlessly sits in any adult's hand, and it's easy to wrap a thumb around to engage with the touchscreen.
The Kobo logo at the bottom has also seemingly been toned back a bit. It's all black, helping it hide away a bit better in the frame of the device. It's great having the power button at the bottom, just next to the charging port, too. Here it can't be accidentally triggered while holding the device, which can be a common frustration when reading on phones.
The Carta 6" E-Ink 212ppi touchscreen is the same as what we saw in the Kobo-designed Tolino Page 2, but a step from the entry-level Kindle and the Kobo Aura. The 1,024x768 pixel, 212ppi screen is perfectly fine for standard novels. However, it's lacking when dealing with more complicated or coloured works, such as children's picture books, activity guides or anything picture driven, such as non-fiction books.
The Kobo Nia is not waterproof. It seems like a moot point because who reads in the rain, right? But this is just the kind of device you might leave on the kitchen bench moments before a child spills their drink. And other likeminded devices do offer that feature.

Kobo Nia performance

Performance

8GB on-board storage holds up to 6,000 books
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
1,000 mAh battery gives two to four weeks of life
Front ComfortLight
NXP i.MX 6ULL CPU with 256MB RAM
No blue light filter

While the pixels-per-inch (ppi) is down on higher-end models, reading novels is clear and easy on the eyes. There are 12 fonts to choose from (and you can sideload more), and a multitude of options you can experiment with in order to alter the text and get it to your liking.
The ComfortLight is also welcomed and we really like how easy it is to slide your finger up and down the screen to adjust the brightness. While the screen's glare-free nature makes it perfectly suited to outdoor reading, it's the ComfortLight's flexibility that really gives the Kobo Nia legs as you move to different parts of the home through the evening.
This is an entry-level ereader and we must note that the memory isn't up to the same standard as you'd expect, even from the Kobo Clara HD. We did notice a slight lag as a result. It doesn't impact the functionality of the Kobo Nia, but the ereader doesn't deliver the instantaneous zip and load speed you desire when bringing up new books or switching between chapters.
Flipping between pages, however, works fine.
Perhaps a little more juice could have let the device flow a little better. But then again, that's what you pay for if you go for a higher tier model – as well as other exotic features such as colour screens, blue light filters and audiobook integration.
At least the 8GB of storage space is a step-up from the Kobo Aura's 4GB and won't be filled anytime soon.
One performance bug we did find in our review unit was a tendency for the screen to flash frequently, kind of like it's switching from black text on white, to white text on black for an instant. This happens between loading into different parts of the UI or between sections of a book. It's annoying, but also hopefully easily fixed with a system update. We will update this text if a fix is released.

Kobo Nia user-interface and features

Features

Access library books for free via OneDrive
Full store integration (except audiobooks)
Sync book position across multiple devices
Use Pocket to download articles from the Internet

The Kobo Nia ereader only has one job and it serves it well. Full integration with the Kobo marketplace allows you to easily search for, purchase and download ebooks directly to the ereader with a minimum of fuss. Handy discovery options such as Top Picks and Daily Deals, as well as recommendations of like-minded books, are also great.
Interacting with the search and inputting details with the touchscreen keyboard is functional, but again, it feels a little laggy and requires you to be bquite precise.
Elsewhere, it's good to see the integration of OneDrive. If you have a library card from a compatible local library, this can give you the ability to access thousands of free ebooks. It's also nice that you can sync your Kobo account with your Pocket account and then download articles from the Internet to your device for later reading – handy for when you're heading out of mobile range, such as flying or camping.
It's definitely a win for the Kobo Nia that it's not trapped in the one ecoystem like the Kindle. And indeed, the list fo supported files is very impressive. It includes EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR.

Should you buy the Kobo Nia?

Finder score: 3.5

There's a fair argument to say that Kobo could have stretched its legs a bit better with the Kobo Nia. It's effectively a reskinned version of the Tolino Page 2, where the opportunity could have been taken to add a bit more oomph to help it feel like the next evolutionary step. Perhaps it could have even added support for audiobooks, given how they're booming even more than ebooks.

In this regard, it does feel like the Kobo Nia should have been a bit cheaper to better distance itself from the other models.

That said, it's a fully functioning, well-integrated entry point for consumers who want to get into the ebook space with a minimum of fuss and expenditure. While Kobo as a store doesn't have quite the depth of choice as Amazon, it's not far off, and the Kobo Nia ereader plugs into that massive library with a user-friendly interface.

Kobo also has the benefit of now being partnered with Booktopia, Australia's biggest online bookstore, which should improve access to local authors on the Nia. That's certainly something you can't help but be happy about.

If you're on a tight budget but have a reading habit that needs easy, simple, portable access, the Kobo Nia achieves that goal without ever over-reaching.

Pricing and availability

Price

RRP: $149.95

Where to buy

Kobo

Chris Stead

Chris Stead is the innovations editor at Finder. He is a gaming, tech and sports journalist with more than 24 years of writing and editing experience. He has previously worked at Game Informer, GamePro, Maxim, MCV Pacific, Gameplayer, Grab It, the University of New South Wales, Krash, It Girl and Fortnite Magazine. He has contributed to IGN, GameSport, NBN, Rooster Teeth, Fandom, Sydney Morning Herald, FilmINK, Brag, Popular Science, Foxtel, PC World, Hyper and Red Bull. Chris has a Bachelor of Advanced Science in Biology from the University of Sydney. A father of three, Chris has a passion for travel, photography and surfing.

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Kobo Nia review: Is this entry-level ereader any good?