Having tested ereaders for about seven years now, it's fair to say I've tried most models from the mainstream brands – Amazon Kindle, Kobo, reMarkable, Onyx Boox and PocketBook. These companies make some of the best ereaders and writing tablets, but I am partial to a Kobo because of the user interface and the fact that I can borrow ebooks from public libraries in Sydney, Australia (where I am based). I also have a Kobo Plus subscription.
At present, my daily e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E – I prefer the writing features over the Kindle Scribe and its interface is far more streamlined than any Onyx Boox device I've tested. It also gets me a screen light that the reMarkable 2 doesn't, so I can read in bed at night or jot down an idea at 2am without turning on the lights.
However, if you were to ask me for a recommendation for an e-paper writing tablet, I'd probably suggest anything but the Elipsa 2E for one simple reason – how the Kobo Stylus 2 feels on the screen. If Kobo can fix one little hardware bit, I dare say all the writing tablets from the Japanese-Canadian brand – the Libra Colour, the Kobo Sage and the Elipsa 2E – would become my most-recommended devices.
That little hardware bit is the stylus' tip or nib.
Softly does it
While most brands use plastic for the styli tips, the Kobo Stylus 2 has a harder point than the ones on Amazon's Basic and Premium Pens, Onyx Boox's Pen Plus, and reMarkable's Markers. The softer plastic makes gliding over the various E Ink screens of the respective writing tablets very smooth, and this is particularly true for the 2022 Kindle Scribe (we are yet to fully test the new 2024 Kindle Scribe).
The Kobo Stylus 2, on the other hand, creates a lot more friction than any other brand I've tested. It's not quite reminiscent of a pen – fountain or ballpoint – on paper because it feels like you are actually writing on a sheet of plastic. Let me be clear, though – the overall writing experience on the Elipsa 2E, the Kobo Libra Colour, even the Sage, isn't too bad; it's just that the other brands do it better.
That said, I think the harder nib might also mean there may not be as much wear and tear compared to the softer pen tips. When I initially started using the Elipsa 2E, I found the Stylus 2 tip began to show signs of wear quite quickly (within days), but it plateaued out after that and, in the year that I've been using it, it hasn't gotten any worse.
That could be because I don't apply as much pressure on pens when writing as I've seen other people do. Take my colleague's experience as an example – Philip uses the reMarkable 2 for notes and "burns through the plastic pen nubs [sic] quicker than expected". So he turned to third-party titanium alternatives which, unfortunately, ended up being a "pen-destroying mistake". I have another friend who wore through the reMarkable's Marker Plus tip in about two months, nearly flattening it! This might sound like a reMarkable thing, but I have seen similar conditions on Kindle Scribe Pens.
The pen is mightier
Kobo is no stranger to redesigning its digital pen. The first iteration of the Kobo Stylus was a AAAA battery-powered pen, which meant it was a little on the heavy side. Moreover, most people would likely have a spare AA or AAA battery lying around, not necessarily a AAAA. So not only did you need to take into consideration the ongoing cost of nib replacement, but also the battery.
This older pen didn't feature an eraser on the top, but had a button on the side (or is that 'length' on a cylindrical object?) close to where the thumb would be. It also had a second button close to it for using as a highlighter.
The Kobo Stylus 2, which debuted with the Elipsa 2E in April 2023, was a significant improvement over its predecessor. Gone is the battery; instead a USB-C port helps keep it topped up, so it's both lighter and a wee bit thinner in comparison. There's an eraser at the top of the Stylus 2, so it features just one button for highlighting. I also love the touch of white on the eraser – it adds a little something to the design aesthetic I think.
If Kobo is still keen on innovations, the one change I'd really like to see is a softer nib for a potential Stylus 3 that offers a smoother writing experience. Although I hope it doesn't come at the cost of needing to replace it often.
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