The Kobo Elipsa 2E brings back the stylus that made the previous model unique amongst the company’s eReaders, including the big screen. This may be the newer model but it retains much of what was in its predecessor.
Not all that surprising considering Kobo wants to position its larger eReaders as more than just reading materials. Targeted upgrades for both the device and the stylus combine to make the experience of actually writing on it more engaging. There’s a lot to it when breaking it all down, but you’ll need to want to use the stylus to make it worth your while.
Familiar design for the Elipsa 2E
Kobo continues to take an eco-friendly approach by using 85% recycled materials for the device’s casing—up to 10% of which was derived from ocean-bound plastic. The Clara 2E started this trend, and now that it’s also here, it may be one reason why the overall design doesn’t change all that much.
The Elipsa 2E basically shares the exact same dimensions and 10.3-inch E Ink Carta display as its predecessor. The USB-C port and power button are also situated in the same spots, though one big difference is in the rear. The previous Elipsa came bundled with a SleepCover case that wrapped around the sides and back, whereas no SleepCover comes with this one. You have to buy it separately, but if you do, it functions as more of a folio covering the front. And in keeping with the eco theme, Kobo says it’s made from 95% recycled materials. Part of the reason for that is because Kobo used a textured back this time that’s much easier to handle—not dissimilar to other Kobo eReaders from the past.
It’s big enough to read just about anything, and like the original, I found the Elipsa 2E very useful for reading PDFs and other documents because of the extra screen real estate. Those documents don’t generally benefit from the same controls, so there were times when switching to a landscape orientation made a big difference.
Unfortunately, this eReader also retains the lack of water resistance. You won’t be reading with this in the tub or the pool, and you’ll want to be careful you don’t splash a drink over it.
The new Kobo Stylus 2
This is probably the biggest difference between the two Elipsa models. The newer Stylus 2 is thinner, lighter and runs on a rechargeable battery instead of the single AAA battery the original required. The tip is different, and it features a stub at the other end to emulate an eraser. A single button also returns to highlight text.
It’s nice to not have to slide in an actual battery, though it can take up to an hour to fully recharge this one after it’s dead. It has a built-in magnet to attach to the side of the eReader , but I couldn’t fully trust how much it would rigidly stick to it. The SleepCover case’s stylus slot does give a lot of peace of mind that way.
Writing on the screen doesn’t necessarily feel different, it just feels a little faster because of a slightly speedier processor. Faster as it may be, there’s a slight delay when writing (or erasing) something onscreen, partly because E Ink displays don’t respond as quickly as OLEDs or LCDs do. You can’t help but notice it by the way the screen flashes with every input. That’s pretty much unchanged from the previous Elipsa, which is why the response time forces you to write a little slower to keep the flow going.
As before, you can create notebooks to write in—including smart ones to convert handwriting to text. Notebooks also give you more flexibility over pen type and thickness, whereas notetaking in ebooks and documents uses the same thickness all the time. If you have good penmanship, you’ll be fine staying within the margins, but just the ability to write on ebooks is a big plus. As an example, Amazon’s Kindle Scribe doesn’t let you do that.
Reading on the Elipsa 2E
The previous Elipsa didn’t have ComfortLight Pro, so there was no way to switch to a yellow tint on the screen to make reading a little easier in the dark. It was a big omission, in my opinion, and turns out to be one of the biggest additions to the Elipsa 2E, putting this device more in line with Kobo’s lineup. You can still choose Dark Mode if you want to inverse the text and background, but now you don’t have to go that route in dimmer lighting.
The basics haven’t otherwise changed all that much. Pages turn quickly, and the menu layout is still the same. If you’ve never used an eReader this size before, I would say that’s the biggest (no pun intended) adjustment. It’s just considerably bigger than the others are, even compared to a fairly sizeable model like the Kobo Sage, for instance. It’s not unlike a tablet, in that regard, especially if you’re thinking of taking the Elipsa 2E with you on a commute or trip.
But you still get other conveniences, not least of which is how open the device is to various formats. Connect it to a PC or Mac and transfer over PDF, EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, TXT, HTML or RTF files. Images in JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG and BMP formats, plus comic books in CBZ and CBR also work, albeit with no colour, of course. If you prefer, you can also utilize the Dropbox integration to copy files over that way too.
With 32GB of storage, there’s plenty of room for whatever you want to throw in there. You can still borrow ebooks through OverDrive from your local public library, while Pocket lets you integrate articles from the web like other Kobo models do.
Taking notes with the Elipsa 2E
While you can write annotations for ebooks you buy through the Kobo store, you can’t for ebooks you sideload onto the device yourself. Scribbling notes on the pages themselves won’t disappear—including for ebooks from the store—so you can always jot down thoughts or points anywhere within the margins. Highlighting text is super easy, but I would like to see Kobo allow users to highlight text and then attach specific handwritten notes to the passage, maybe through a pop-up or something. Your only option is to do it the old school way: Put your finger on any word where you can add a note by typing it in rather than actually writing it.
As is, you can write notebooks instead under the My Notebooks section. It retains the same menu and structure from the previous Elipsa, with basic notebooks for standard writing/doodling and advanced ones that convert handwriting to text. You would also choose the latter if you want to create a chart, diagram or equation. While you could draw on a notebook in a free-flowing way, I can’t say for sure how much you would enjoy it since I’m not an illustrator myself.
Much like I noted with the previous model, I could see teachers potentially liking the setup here. Transfer student assignments over to the Elipsa 2E, mark them, and then transfer them back to a computer or Dropbox. Anyone who needs to write notes on the margins for any job can make use of this setup, which is where the pen proves useful.
Battery life
Kobo doesn’t give you an approximation on how long the battery lasts per charge, only saying it lasts “weeks”. That is true, though it depends on a number of factors, like how long the device is on, screen brightness and pen input. I can’t give you a ballpark figure, but assuming you’re reading an hour per day, you won’t have to recharge it for quite a while.
Final thoughts
The Elipsa 2E doesn’t take a dramatic turn from its predecessor, but it felt more complete to me. Part of that has to do with the improved pen, as well as the ComfortLight Pro display and slightly faster performance. If you like the idea of an eReader with a big screen, they don’t get much bigger than this, but I would also suggest that you need to make good use of the pen too. You could consider the Boogie Board Blackboard Letter if you just want a canvas to write on, or a Google Pixel Tablet if you prefer a tablet.
The Kobo Elipsa 2E is available now.
Two features that would help me the most while going to school would be the ability to highlight text and make notes in the margins with the stylus, and the ability to create notebooks where I could convert handwritten notes to text.
I love the feature of being able to add my own side notes to the current book, which would have made homework much easier, plus the long battery life is something everyone can appreciate!
the two features that would help me are the conversion of handwritten notes and battery life
I would have loved the following two features:
1. The rechargeable lightweight stylus
2. The ability to take notes and highlight right on the page
My favourite features are:
1. The Stylus to let me me take notes for future reference and
2. The long battery life so I had it available throughout the day as well as the evenings
The two features I like the most are:
i) the note taking feature which allows me to directly write on the page of sideloaded ebooks
ii) a bigger screen for reading textbooks with comfortlight to read at night
My two features I like the most are:
1. The converting handwriting to text making it easier to read and
2. long battery life
The two features I like the most are 1. converting handwriting to text making it easier to read and #2
The long battery life
The two features I like the most are
The converting handwriting to text making it easier to read and long battery life
The two features I like the most are
1. converting handwriting to text making it easier to read
2. long battery life
Great prize
Amazing converting handwriting to text so practical and long battery life
Having the Kobo Elipsa 2E while going school in my day would have been awesome (we didnt even have computers) the making notes is the best and love the light so much better when reading in bed trying to get a good light
The long battery life as well as the comfort light Pro for my older eyes:)
The two features I like the most are
1. converting handwriting to text making it easier to read
2. long battery life
Taking notes and ComfortLight Pro.
Having the Kobo Elipsa 2E while going school would be very helpful specifically because of the long battery life that would allow me to take it wherever I need to go without needing to charge it, and the ComfortLight Pro feature since having the yellow tint would come in handy after looking at multiple screens for a long time.
Note taking and converting texts
QUESTION 2
As a first year university student, I would love the following Kobo features:
1. With access to over 6 million titles easily downloadable from the Kobo store and millions more that you can quickly and easily “borrow” from your local library, from academic textbooks to bestselling novels
2. Ability to convert handwritten notes to typed text
………
As a side note, Davies was truly influential in his thought process.
“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”
― Robertson Davies
………
Thanks for this amazing opportunity!
Posted on Twitter: JASZY101
If I were to use this for school the two MOST IMPORtant features for Me are the note-taking AND the LOng battery run
The note-taking would ALLOw Me to create cheat sheets for course textbooks
The LONG battery run is ALWAYs important because when you forget to charge it that is when you NeeD IT
The two features I like the most are
i) the note taking feature which allows me to directly write on the page of sideloaded ebooks
ii) a bigger screen for reading textbooks with comfortlight to read at night
The thinner, lighter stylus would be great if I was still in school, the old one was bulky and heavy. Also, the ComfortLight Pro display would have been great on the eyes for those late nights spent studying.
My favourite features of Kobo Elipsa 2 are the comfort light and the ability to convert handwritten notes to text.
I like long battery and Comfortlight.
The Comfortlight and converting handwriting to text, would come in very handy in school
The Comfortlight and handwriting to text conversion would be the most useful features.
The battery life and the stylus would help me the most if I had this device while going to school.
Having a way to annotate and highlight text, as well as convert my handwritten notes to text, would have been so helpful when I was in school.
The Goddes Solution and I
Am learning Italian so this would be such an amazing addition to my home . It would make learning easier
ComfortLight Pro and the ability to write or type notes are two great features!
Two feature I like are Comfortlight and being able to write in the margins, that is so awesome..
If I were using this device while going to school, two features that would help me the most would be:
1) The ability to create and write notebooks
2) Dark mode!
Taking notes on the screen and Converting handwritten notes to text would be so helpful.
The Stylus to let me me take notes for future reference and the long battery life so I had it available throughout the day as well as the evenings sitting at the library doing homework.
The DropBox and OverDRive integration.
The fact that it has a rechargeable Stylus and its ability to convert handwritten notes to typed text, both would be very helpful
Converting handwritten notes to text would help me as would the Comfort light pro which makes it easier to read in the dark.
As a teacher, I woud love to put the notetaking feature to use for reading and marking! Plus the ComfortLightPro feature is just what I need for late night reading (after all that marking!)
take notes on the screen and the ComfortLight for darker areas.
Converting handwriting to text is one feature that would help me in school. The second is being able to write in the margins.
The first feature that would help me the most if I were in school is converting handwriting to text. The second is the ability to write in the margins.
Converting handwriting to text is one feature that would help me the most if I were in school. The second would be the ability to write notes in the margins.
My favourite features of Kobo Elipsa 2 are the comfort light and the ability to convert handwritten notes.
Two feature I like are Comfortlight and converting handwriting to text.
The rechargable lightweight stylus and the ability to take notes and highlight right on the page would be my two top features.
I love that it makes it easier to read in the dark and to create notebooks! That is very cool and would come in very handy while studying. Even the slightly slower processing it good – it would force me to slow down a little.
The 32GB of storage and the ComfortLight Pro would help me the most.
The two favorite features I prefer are the long battery life and converting handwritten notes.
I would use if with The Buddhist Chef by Jean-Philippe Cyr, to take additional notes on the recipes
I like the battery life and ability to make notes on pages.
Two features that would help me the most if I had the Kobo Elipsa 2 while going to school are the Comfortlight and converting handwriting to text.
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