If you’re looking for an e-reader that doesn’t fall under the Amazon or Apple umbrella, Kobo is a solid option. The company today unveiled the Clara2E, the successor to the affordable, 6-inch Clara e-reader it released in 2018. The new model is waterproof and features a shell that is made of 85 percent recycled plastic, which the company says makes the e-reader more “eco-conscious” (for comparison, the 2021 Paperwhite is made of 60 percent recycled plastic and 70 percent recycled magnesium.) Kobo says it plans to source the material for the Clara 2E from plastic bottles found in the ocean, along with CDs and DVDs from landfills. At $130, the Clara2E is cheaper than Kobo’s other waterproof models and more compact.
Similar to the older Clara, the Clara2E also has a 6-inch screen and a blue light reduction feature known as ComfortLightPRO. It has an upgraded HD E Ink Carta 1200 glare-free screen and Dark Mode, making it adaptable for both reading outdoors and late at night. It comes with 16 GB of storage (about double that of the original Clara) and is Bluetooth-enabled, allowing for easy listening of audiobooks.
The Clara2E won’t go on sale until September 22nd, but you can pre-order one now on Kobo’s website. The e-reader will will be sold in Canada, the US, the UK, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.