Kobo goes back to basics with its latest Nia eReader to cater to anyone who wants to read without needing all the extras. This device isn’t about offering something entirely new, but rather something tried and tested. As some eReaders push the boundaries of what they can do, the Nia is more about the content itself, which becomes obvious as you use it.

There is a new subscription service called Kobo Plus that coincided with the Nia’s launch, and some familiar features remain. You won’t have anything else to get excited about except for the stuff you want to read.

What the Kobo Nia feels like

Kobo went bigger with the Forma and Libra H2O, where 8-inch and 7-inch displays made for larger models. It’s not fair to compare the Nia to those larger models, but doing so with the Clara HD is appropriate. The Nia has a 6-inch display with reasonably-sized bezels to make it the most diminutive eReader available.

That small size comes with some sacrifices. There’s no water-resistance, so you will need to keep it clear of a pool or tub. It doesn’t have the ComfortLight blue light filter, so you won’t get that yellowish tint that makes reading in the dark easier on the eyes. Its 212ppi pixel density also doesn’t make it as ideal for viewing content with images, like comic books.

All that puts more of an onus on actual text. Not to mention the portability relative to the other choices. Kobo designed this in an understated, yet effective way. The plastic body doesn’t feel cheap, and the back has a decent grip to it. If you want to protect the screen, you can always get a SleepCover case in one of three colours.

It is a little unfortunate Kobo stuck to a microUSB port for charging, given that USB-C is now the industry standard. With 8GB of storage, there’s plenty of room for eBooks and other content you can load onto the device. That integration looms large here because it’s the one thing that narrows the gap with Kobo’s other models.

Finding content to read

Kobo’s eBookstore now has 4 million eBooks available, and you can access them while connected to Wi-Fi. About a quarter of those are free to download, which is a good place to look for a gem or two. Otherwise, Kobo’s service partners are also available.

OverDrive remains one of the best features for Kobo because it taps into the plethora of titles held by public libraries. Borrow a digital version of a book from your participating local library, so long as you have an active library card and OverDrive account.

Then there’s Pocket, which is great for taking articles from the web to read later on the Nia. Save the links to your Pocket account while browsing on a computer, tablet or phone, and you can then see them on the eReader.

If you have your own documents or files, Kobo’s format support is broad and extensive. You can load and up and read PDF, EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, TXT, HTML or RTF, and getting them onto the Nia isn’t hard. You can see JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG and BMP images, as well as CBZ and CBR comic books, but the smaller display isn’t as conducive to that.

Introducing Kobo Plus

In addition to launching the Nia, Kobo also opened its Plus subscription service in Canada. This is an all-you-can-read platform you pay $9.99/month for access to hundreds of thousands of eBooks. There is a 30-day trial to give it a shot first before committing to anything, though you can glean a little insight about what’s available by browsing on the eReader.

Mind you, the Nia isn’t the only Kobo device getting the service. It’s available on every Kobo eReader (except the older Kobo Mini and Kobo Wi-Fi), plus the mobile app and desktop web browsers. The eBooks available won’t necessarily include some of the best-sellers and top authors. It’s a mixed offering, and you can see it for yourself when you browse through.

If you do try Plus out, note that Kobo limits you to 15 eBooks for offline reading over a 30-day period. It will reset when you reconnect to Wi-Fi after you’ve either opened 15 eBooks or reached the end of the 30-day period of offline reading.

Reading on the Kobo Nia

By now, any eReader with a 6-inch display is going to feel small. The Nia feels smaller because of the thinner bezels and lighter weight. While commuting isn’t quite what it used to be for most people under current conditions, this is the kind of device you can slip into most pockets.

From a feature perspective, nothing has really changed as to what you can do while reading. The scrubber to navigate across a book (introduced in the Libra H2O) is the same, as are the ways you annotate or look things up.

Unlike the Libra H2O and Forma, however, you can’t read in landscape when tilting it sideways. For a screen this small, it’s probably not worth including anyway, but still something you should know. However, I have to admit I did miss the ComfortLight Pro. When you’ve used the amber light regularly, it’s hard to get used to the blue light in the dark.

I will say, also, that documents don’t always translate as well to the smaller display. PDFs definitely look better on the larger models, where there’s less of a need to scale down. To me, the Nia is at its best when reading eBooks, no matter where you get them from. It’s less work to manage the text onscreen, and it’s the easiest thing to do on it anyway. I wasn’t crazy about how images looked on it, largely because of the screen’s size, but also because they look sharper on the other models.

None of that may matter much if you’re just looking for a basic eReader to go through some books. In that regard, there’s not much holding the Nia back. It retains most of the important features Kobo is known for, and doesn’t skimp out in spite of the price.

Final thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a successor device. Kobo hasn’t gone this basic with an eReader in years, but it couldn’t come at a better time. The company says it saw a 93% increase in readership between March-July 2020 over the year before due to lockdowns. If you’re among that statistic, then the Nia is a good choice on a budget, or if you just want something basic and portable. If this is too small or basic, then you have other options in Kobo’s lineup.

You won’t have to worry about battery life here, either. Even with regular reading, it will last for weeks, so you won’t have to charge it often. But if you want to keep it safe and protected to last longer, I recommend getting one of the SleepCover cases.

The Kobo Nia is available now at Best Buy.

Ted Kritsonis
Ted Kritsonis
Editor Cellular/Mobile Technology
I’m a fortunate man in being able to do the fun job of following and reporting on one of the most exciting industries in the world today. In my time covering consumer tech, I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Yahoo! Canada, CBC.ca, Canoe, Digital Trends, MobileSyrup, G4 Tech, PC World, Faze and AppStorm. I’ve also appeared on TV as a tech expert for Global, CTV and the Shopping Channel.
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392 COMMENTS

  3. This reader sounds good. It would be fun to win one so I could read differents books that otherwise I wouldn’t read in their hardcove format

  8. I need a new ereader. This sounds like a good one.

    I like the Kobo Libra H2O.
    The first book I would add is American Demon by Kim Harrison

  12. The Kobo Libra H2O 7″ Digital eReader is my favourite. The first book I would add to the eReader is Off Script: Living Out Loud by Marci Ien.

  13. I like the Kobo Libra for its Carta display that makes it easy on the eyes. I would read the latest Sandra Brown book with it.

  21. My favourite Kobo is my Kobo Touch (you can probably tell why I’d like to win a new Nia huh?)
    The first book I’d download would be A Beautifully Foolish endeavor by Hank Green.

  22. My Kobo Aura has made reading physical books impossible for me (physical books don’t glow in the dark).
    The first book it would read on the Nia would be The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray.

  23. All the Kobos look wonderful, but I’d choose the Kobo Clara since it’s the lightest at 166 g. My first book would be “Silent Bite” by David Rosenfelt or “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

  25. I’ve never owned an e-reader, so the Kobo Nia would be the perfect starter device for me! I would love to load up The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins to get me reading again during my mat leave!

  27. I love the Kobo Libra H20 ereader. It fits in my hand and the buttons are beautifully placed for easy navigation.

    My current favourite series is the Clifton Chronicles. Would love to read that on my Kobo ereader.

  29. Looking d
    Forward this colored version of Kobo,l until then happy with this one.
    I would read 5am club by Robin Sharma.

  30. I used to read a lot and would love to get back into it. The Kobo Libra H20 would be my choice and I would begin with Michelle Obama’s Becoming.

  31. I appreciate the review, to know exactly what is available on the new Nia. My favourite ereader was the Aura second edition, although I do like the buttons and charging placement on the Libra. My next book I would liad is The Living Dead by George Romano & Daniel Kraus

  34. I do prefer the extra features offered by the KoboLibra H20, because I like the built-in dictionary, larger screen and easy-to-use buttons on the side. However, I never really use lots of its features like the page-turning, waterproofing, passage-highlighting, or passage saving features. The Nia is perfect for those who just want to read an ebook.

  35. Good review. I decided to buy the Kobo Clara over the Nia because of the Comfort Light Pro blue light filter.
    I would love to get the Kobo Forma for the 8″ screen but the price is out of my range. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is the book I would like to load on my eReader.

  38. I would like to choose Kobo Clara HD 6″ Digital eReader with Touchscreen and add The Handmaid’s Tale to read.

  39. Ted – Youre review of the Kobo Clara makes it so enticing – I’m looking forward to reading more of the Canada Reads selections. thanks so much for your insight!

  40. I love the Kobo Libra H2O 7″ Digital eReader with Touchscreen. I would read Science of Success by Wattle!

  41. I select the Kobo Clara HD 6″ Digital eReader with Touchscreen and read Once Upon a Time in Shaolin by Cyrus Bozorgmehr as the first book.

  42. My favourite is the white Kobo Libra H2O 7″ Digital eReader with Touchscreen. The first book I would load would be Atomic Habits by James Clear!

  45. After owning a Kindle in Canada, I’m would really love a Kobo Nia. The Overdrive Integration and Kobo+ is what is luring me into the platform. I would read Thrawn Ascendency: Chaos Arising by Timothy Zahn

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