Competing against companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Kobo’s eReader is up against some giants in the industry. Luckily, the product compares very well to the Kindle, Nook, and other big-name eReaders. The Kobo eReader is so much like the Nook from Barnes & Noble that many people don’t even notice a difference between the two. Both tablets are smaller than the Kindle due to the presence of a touchscreen. The Kobo eReader is actually almost an entire inch thinner than the Nook, however, making it ideal for those who need to slip their reader into their pocket. Here are some more pros and some cons of the Kobo eReader:

The Good:

One of the biggest pros of the Kobo is the storage ability. The Kobo eReader can be expanded to hold up to 32 GB of storage, far more than the Kindle. On top of that, the Kobo is faster than the Kindle. The former is equipped with a 800MHz Freescale i.MX508 processor, while the Kindle has just a 532MHz processor. When zipping through pages to get to a specific spot, this speed difference is very noticeable.

Another feature of the Kobo that many users like is the simplicity. The reader is extremely easy to use; pressing the Home button always takes you to the homepage, and that’s actually not true on most other readers. The homepage has all of the necessary functions to use the Kobo eReader.

One of the apps on the homepage of the Kobo is the “Reading Life” service. This app displays all of your reading statistics and provides awards for specific tasks. This can provide motivation to finish books and beat personal bests.

The Kobo also has a “hidden” Web browser in all its latest versions. The browser allows for quick web surfing. Finally, the Kobo also allows you to read PDF files, whereas many readers only allow for ePub files.

The Bad:

Due to the Kobo eReader’s small and thin design, it can be a bit more difficult to hold than other readers. The trade-off is being able to place the reader into smaller areas, so the choice is really up to you. Still, the Kobo has a latticed back to enhance grip.

The other con of the eReader is that it doesn’t have a physical page turner. Pages must be turned using the touchscreen, and some users find this inferior to pressing a button. Again, this is a matter of preference.

The Final Verdict:

Ultimately, the Kobo eReader stacks up very well with the other major readers on the market. It is very similar to the Nook, possessing a sleeker, thinner design. If you need a small eReader to fit into your pocket or purse, the Kobo is for you. It is faster than the Kindle and can be equipped with greater storage. On top of that, the Kobo is more affordable than both the Kindle and Nook.