Review for the Kobo Aura HD

I am often asked what the difference between a kindle, Kobo and a Nook is but obviously because e-readers are not cheap I don’t have one of each so I can never give my opinion on them. I used to have the first Kindle that came out which was the Kindle 3g with keyboard which I loved but after owning it for 13 months it died on me, I then received the Kindle Fire HD as a gift and this is what I currently have.

I have now had a great opportunity to try the Kobo Aura HD. The one I was sent is white, and looks very modern and sleek. I was surprised how lightweight it was, it is lighter than the Kindle Fire Hd and also lighter than a book.

It did take a bit longer to find my way around the device but once I had got used to the layout and where all the functions were then it was really simple to use so would be a great all rounder especially for older readers who are a bit put off by technology this is simple enough for them not to be put off.

What I preferred with the Kobo Aura HD is the light. You can choose to turn the light on and off or control the brightness of the light. There was no eye strain ever which is sometimes a problem for me on my Kindle Fire HD.

I love the home screen on the Kobo, you get to see a selection of your books covers which also tells you what percentage you have read and how many hours until you would finish reading the book. There are also books recommendations on the home screen based on the books you have read.

I personally found browsing for books on the Kobo hard, if you know the book and author you want then this is easy you just pop it in the search and then when it comes up you just press buy SIMPLE! But if you are just browsing I found it easier to go onto the WH Smith website and brows on there.

The one thing that drives me mad with my Kindle Fire HD is how quick my battery goes. I charge my kindle every other day. With the Kobo I read a whole book and played games and was looking books up over the period of a week and the battery has only come down to 87% so this would be perfect for taking away on holiday without worrying about having to keep  recharging the battery.

There are also some great classic games which play well on here such as Sudoku and solitaire. I also loved the reading Stats ( book geek here!) On the reading Stats page it keeps track of the hours you spend reading, how much of your library you have read and how many books you have finished!

All in all this is a great little e-reader. I do think it is slightly on the high price I would be happy to pay £80-£90 whereas this retails for £139.99.

If I was just looking to use the e-reader for reading then I would definitely prefer the Kobo but because I use the Kindle Fire HD as a tablet to surf the net and deal with emails etc this is more beneficial for me especially as it is cheaper than the Kobo too so I feel like I get more for my money.

A big thank you to Chloe Parker over at Cherish PR who gave me the opportunity to try out the Kobo Aura HD

Available to buy at WHsmith by clicking HERE

Or available on amazon