Kobo Glo

alaTest has collected and analyzed 47 reviews from magazines and websites. Opinions about the storage and build quality are overall positive. The screen and usability also get good feedback, whereas the performance and design get critical views.

portability, usability, screen, build quality, storage

value for money, design, performance

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other eReaders the Kobo Glo is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 99/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 48 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Review Ratings

  (16% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews   (64% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews   (11% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews   (no reviews)
    (9% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

Portability
  Show positive (65%)Show negative (4%)(Show all)
Usability
  Show positive (73%)None yet(Show all)
Value for money
  Show positive (27%)Show negative (36%)(Show all)
Screen
  Show positive (64%)None yet(Show all)
Design
  Show positive (25%)Show negative (38%)(Show all)
Build quality
  Show positive (83%)None yet(Show all)
Storage
  Show positive (60%)None yet(Show all)
Size
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
Performance
  None yetShow negative (100%)(Show all)
More features

Showing 15 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 15 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (33)

Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

The Kobo Glo backlit E Ink e-reader attempts to rattle the cages of Amazon and Barnes & Noble with a brighter backlight and gamification.

Brighter and more even backlight than Kindle or Nook; Large e-book selection; Unique Reading Life Stats

E-books more expensive than competition; Can't share book passages or lend books; Very small periodical selection

Click to EnlargeThe Kobo Glo offers a good reading experience with an extraordinarily bright backlight and a large selection of content. However, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite offers less expensive books, more social options and the ability to lend your...

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

Barnes & Noble calls the integrated light in its Nook Simple Touch e-reader a GlowLight . Amazon dubbed its self-illuminated Kindle reader the Paperwhite because it aimed to approximate the look and feel of real paper. Now Kobo has introduced a new...

The Kobo Glo is a lightweight, Wi-Fi-enabled e-reader that has an impressive front-lit, high-res e-ink display with a touch-screen interface. It also features an expansion slot for additional memory, supports EPUB files, and is compatible with any...

Kobo's selection of e-books lags behind Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's. Loading library loaners and third-party e-book purchases requires tethering to a PC.

The Kobo Glo is an excellent Kindle alternative, especially for readers seeking EPUB compatibility and international options.

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

Not to be left out of the edge-lit ebook reader party, Kobo brings us the Glo ($129.99 direct), a midrange reader with the chops to go up against the competition from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It offers a slightly smaller design and better lighting...

Lightweight. Sharp on-screen fonts. Bright edge lighting. Memory card slot. Well-stocked store is simple to navigate. Compatible with ePub format

Slightly stubborn touch screen. Pedestrian design. No headphone jack or audiobook support

The Kobo Glo is an impressive ebook reader with solid edge-lighting and a surprisingly robust app ecosystem.

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market

 

More Info Hands-on with Kobo's Glo and Mini e-readers Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight review Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review There's nothing like a good underdog story. Aside from last year's failed Vox tablet, Kobo has made some quality devices, but...

Excellent front-light display ; Expandable storage ; Lightweight

Uninspired design ; Slightly cheap feel ; Pricier than the competition

Kobo's got a solid e-reader on its hands, but the company may have already missed the boat.

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

If you've happened to venture into an independent bookstore in the past few years, you may have noticed an e-reader for sale that isn't produced by an online retailer or a giant bookstore chain. Those e-readers are made by Kobo, a Canadian company that...

Best-looking light-up screen. High-level font and page-refresh management. Physical light switch will have you all aglow. Support for ePub format. Kobo offers the Glo with four differently colored backs

Navigating the on-device bookstore is wonky. Kobo has most books you want, but not all of them — Amazon is still the ecosystem king. Light is too bright for really dark rooms

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

You've heard of the Nook. You've definitely heard of the Kindle. But what's a Kobo?

Evenly lit screen ; Smaller, lighter than Amazon and B&N equivalents ; Sturdy and easy to hold ; Superb font controls ; Supports ePub ; Incorporates reading metrics and awards ; SD-card slot

No audio features ; Slightly higher price than competing models

The Kobo Glo is smaller, lighter, and brighter than the Kindle Paperwhite and its competitors. It's a compelling e-reader for those seeking ePub support and an alternative to Amazon's walled garden of content.

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo Review

 

The Kobo Glo is among the first wave of ebook readers to incorporate a frontlight to achieve better radiability in low lighting conditions, especially at night. It is the first lighted ebook reader from Kobo, and is very much akin to Kobo's other two...

The frontlight ; Lots of customizable font settings ; It feels well-built and comfortable to hold ; MicroSD card slot ; Noticeable speed boost with the 1 GHz processor

Kobo's overall approach still isn't nearly as polished and streamlined as Amazon with the Kindle; Kobo isn't as easy to deal with and learn for newbies and non-techies ; Lots of wasted space when reading, needs option for fullscreen mode and removal of...

The Kobo Glo is the sleeper pick of the year. It doesn't have quite the ease of use as the Kindle Paperwhite, nor some of the advanced features, but it has a lot more font settings, a more uniform frontlight, no annoying advertisements, and it supports...

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Consumer review by:

"Evenly-lit, responsive, and easy-to-navigate device"

 

Overall a great device. Perfect size, the weight nice and light, perfect for reading in bed. I'm able to turn the light off and on at my leisure, and I'm able to use it at a very low setting in a completely dark room (so when I want to use it in an...

1) The built in light is the best part. It is very even with no visible imperfections, and the color is just right.

The material on the sides and back seems to show fingerprints very easily and they don't rub off easily. More of an aesthetic annoyance than anything.

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Expert review by:

Kobo Glo review

 

When we first saw a prototype of the 6-inch, touch-screen Kobo Glo and its built-in ComfortLight a few months back, we asked a simple question to its makers: why didn't anyone think of this idea before? As it turns out, they did – you only have to...

Smooth and streak-free lighting, general reading experience, file format freedom

Syncing files too manual, online shop can be slow

An excellent lamp and build coupled with a highly customisable reading experience make for a great product, though it does need manual syncing with a computer

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Recommended!

Expert review by:

Kobo Glo

 

An E-ink reader with light that's out to kill the Kindle Paperwhite.

Great integrated light ; Pretty interface ; Light ; Good value

Rear not as pretty as previous model ; Kindle offers slightly better contrast

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