I love Kobo's E Ink writing tablets, but there's one fundamental aspect in which Kindle surpasses them.
It's a small detail, but essential for the overall writing experience.
After seven years of testing e-readers, I have had the opportunity to experiment with most of the models from major brands, including Amazon Kindle, Kobo, reMarkable, Onyx Boox, and PocketBook. While all of these companies offer some of the best reading devices and writing tablets, I have a slight preference for Kobo due to its user interface and the option to borrow eBooks from public libraries in Sydney, Australia, where I reside. Additionally, I have a subscription to Kobo Plus.
Currently, my daily e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E. I prefer its writing features compared to the Kindle Scribe, and its interface feels much more streamlined than any Onyx Boox device I have tried. It also includes a light on the screen, something that the reMarkable 2 lacks, allowing me to read at night or jot down ideas late at night without having to turn on the lights.
Despite this affinity, if you were to ask me to recommend an e-paper writing tablet, I would probably suggest any model other than the Elipsa 2E, and the reason is quite simple: the feel of the Kobo Stylus 2 on the screen. If Kobo could improve one small aspect of the hardware, I am convinced that all the writing tablets from this Japanese-Canadian brand, such as the Libra Colour, the Kobo Sage, and the Elipsa 2E, would become my most recommended devices.
This hardware aspect refers to the tip or nib of the stylus. While most brands use plastic for the tips of their styluses, the Kobo Stylus 2 features a harder tip compared to the soft plastic pencils of Amazon's Basic and Premium models, as well as those from Onyx Boox and reMarkable. The softness of the plastic in other models allows for a smooth glide over E Ink screens, particularly noticeable on the 2022 Kindle Scribe.
The Kobo Stylus 2, on the other hand, offers an experience with more friction than any other brand tested. It doesn't feel exactly like writing on paper; rather, it feels more like writing on a plastic surface. Although the overall writing experience on the Elipsa 2E, the Kobo Libra Colour, and even the Sage is not bad, other brands seem to offer a better experience.
Regarding the durability of the stylus, the hard tip could translate to less wear compared to softer tips. Although I initially noticed some wear on the tip of the Stylus 2 after several days of use, this wear stabilized over time, and in the year of use, it has not worsened. This could depend on the pressure I apply while writing, as I have observed that some users are more aggressive with their instruments.
The evolution of the Kobo stylus is not new. The first version of the Kobo Stylus used a AAAA battery, making it a bit heavier and less accessible, as it is not a commonly used battery type. Additionally, it lacked an eraser, featuring only buttons for highlighting text.
The Kobo Stylus 2, launched alongside the Elipsa 2E in April 2023, represented a significant improvement by eliminating the battery in favor of a USB-C port, making it lighter and thinner. It also includes an eraser on top and has only one button for highlighting text, which has been aesthetically enhanced in white.
If Kobo continues to innovate, I would really like to see a softer tip in a potential Stylus 3 that provides a smoother writing experience, hoping that this does not imply frequent replacement of the stylus.
