Kobo Glo

745 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
performance (137)
portability (111)
usability (103)
screen (52)
size (35)

Negative

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 745 reviews of Kobo Glo. The average rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviews about the size and screen are generally positive. The portability and usability also get good feedback. There are some mixed comments about the reliability.

performance, usability, portability, screen, size

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Kobo Glo is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 91/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 745 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Showing 153 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 122 of 153 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (591)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Kobo Glo

alaTest has collected and analyzed 43 user reviews of Kobo Glo from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.9/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Reviewers are impressed by the screen and size. The performance and portability also get good opinions, but some have doubts about the reliability.

usability, portability, performance, size, screen

reliability

81% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Kobo Glo

alaTest has collected and analyzed 69 user reviews of Kobo Glo from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.1/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the price and screen. The usability and portability also get good views, whereas some have doubts about the reliability.

performance, portability, usability, screen, price

reliability

57% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Brian Heater (engadget.com)

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

More InfoHands-on with Kobo's Glo and Mini e-readersNook Simple Touch with GlowLight reviewAmazon Kindle Paperwhite reviewThere's nothing

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.

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by (digitaltrends.com)

Kobo Glo Review

Light is evenly distributed on the screen ; High quality E Ink display ; Light and slim design ; Plenty of font, size, and page design options

Text washes out when light is at full brightness ; Light is somewhat harsh ; On-device bookstore tough to navigate

At $130, the Kobo Glo costs $10 more than the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, $10 more than the Kindle Paperwhite with ads, and $10 less than the Paperwhite without ads. Its biggest win is that the Glo’s light is evenly distributed across the screen,...

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Expert review by : David Carnoy (cnet.com)

Kobo Glo: A worthy Kindle alternative

While the Kindle and the Nook get all the notoriety, Kobo's new Glo is an impressive e-reader that also features a self-illuminated screen. And unlike the Kindle, it supports books bought from multiple online stores.

The ; 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 e-book...

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.

Jan, 2013

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Expert review by : David Carnoy (cnet.com)

Kobo Glo review: A worthy Kindle alternative

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.

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

Kobo Glo

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

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.

Apps, Other Features, and Conclusions Kobo's ecosystem is surprisingly robust. There are apps available for the iPhone and iPod touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows PC, and Mac. The Kobo Instant Reader, meanwhile, works as a plug-in inside your...

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by : Roberto Baldwin (wired.com)

Review: 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...

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by : Chip Chick (chipchick.com)

Kobo Glo Review – The Best Front-light eReader Yet?

In two areas the Kobo Glo clearly outdoes its competitors. Firstly, it offers better and more even lighting than both the Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight, and the Paperwhite. It also offers a MicroSD card slot that the Kindle Paperwhite lacks. Does...

Lighting is very bright and very evenly distributed, text is very sharp, ePub support, no ads, as lightweight as it gets for an eReader with a backlight, dedicated button for controlling the lighting system and battery is solid and on par with its...

No headphone jack, design isn’t very exciting, not the best build quality and not the most ergonomic to hold and does not beat the Kindle’s ebook pricing. No 3G option

Dec, 2013

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Expert review by : cellphones.ca (cellphones.ca)

Kobo Glo

The number of e-book readers with built-in backlighting used to be zero. No longer. There are now over half a dozen e-book readers with backlit screens, and one of them is the Kobo Glo . It comes with a rather sizable 6-inch e-ink Pearl touchscreen...

Feb, 2013

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Expert review by (the-ebook-reader.com)

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...

Dec, 2012

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Expert review by : Campbell Simpson (goodgearguide.com.au)

Kobo Glo e-reader

The Glo has an integrated light for its e-ink screen

Utterly simple to use ; Screen lighting is excellent ; Accessible price

Kindle Store offers more books at better prices ; Wi-Fi easy to forget

The Kobo Glo is an incredibly simple device, matching Amazon’s Kindle in its user-friendliness and gradual learning curve. It makes finding and buying books nearly seamless, although Amazon still has a slight edge in pricing and range of books. The Glo...

Nov, 2012

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