Given that I wanted to escape the Amazon ecosystem and I wanted a 6-inch e-reader with maximum openness and format support, I had basically two choices: PocketBook Verse Pro and Kobo Clara BW. In the end, I actually ended up buying both, just to see which one I like more. So today I’m going to tell you about the differences that I see between them, but also how they compare to the old Paperwhite.

PocketBook Verse Pro

PocketBook is definitely not a major global player, but has been relatively successful especially in Europe. The Verse Pro model from 2023 uses an E-Ink Carta 1200 display with 300 PPI, which is a noticeable step-up from Paperwhite’s 212 PPI. The display is also whiter, so there is definitely a much more paper-like feel. A huge plus is PocketBook’s USB-C charging and IPX8 waterproof rating. It also offers by far the best format support: Paperwhite does not support EPUB natively, which is a remnant of the format wars when Amazon was pushing the MOBI format. Verse Pro supports over 20 formats, of course including EPUB, MOBI, PDF and a bunch of others. It will read whatever you throw at it.

Unlike either the Kobo or Kindle, PocketBook also has physical buttons. Most modern readers did away with buttons, which is a shame. That said, PocketBook buttons are at the very bottom of the device and are quite tiny, which makes them difficult to use. The build feels quite premium, no creaks or flexes when you hold it and use it.

The default OS experience is fine, albeit not amazing. There are no major issues, but the UI sometimes feels a little unfinished. I also didn’t like that a significant portion of the home screen is dedicated to random tips from the PocketBook store; I understand the need to promote more books and sell through their shop, but that should not be at the expense of the user experience. PocketBook’s home page experience is comparable to that on a Kindle: Close to half of your screen are ads.

One more slightly annoying thing about the PocketBook is that when it goes to deep sleep, it takes a few seconds to wake up. After waking up, the device feels fairly responsive.

Kobo Clara BW

Kobo is perhaps the only serious global competitor to Amazon in e-readers, and their offering is quite polished. The Clara BW model (not to be confused with the many other Clara models) is from 2024 and uses a slightly newer Carta 1300 E-Ink display, also with 300PPI. I have spent a lot of time comparing the displays of the PocketBook and the Kobo, and I’m struggling to find differences. Kobo’s display is supposed to have higher contrast, but in reality I am struggling to see any practical differences. Kobo feels a little nicer overall, but the difference is so subtle (and sometimes depends on lighting conditions too) that I think there may be more variation between individual Kobo units than between the two models.

Kobo also charges via USB-C and has an IPX8 rating too. The format support is quite wide, and even though it “only” supports 20 formats, it probably won’t limit you in any way.

In terms of physical build, the Clara BW is definitely more plasticky than the PocketBook. Don’t get me wrong, both are made of plastic, but the Kobo just looks a little cheaper. However, it doesn’t creak or flex, which is a good sign. Unlike PocketBook, it has no physical buttons apart from the power button at the back. On the upside, despite the cheaper looking build, it’s actually more pleasant to hold the Kobo. Maybe it’s the rounded corners, the slightly textured body or the very slightly bigger space at the bottom for your thumb, but the ergonomics of holding the e-reader are very different, at least to my hands. Note that this completely changes the moment you put on a cover, which you absolutely should.

The default OS experience is definitely more polished than with PocketBook, and mostly feels a little faster too. It’s not a night and day difference, but it’s something. Kobo also has an ad for the Kobo shop on the home screen, but it is minuscule compared to what you’re getting in the other devices.

KOReader

One of the universal recommendations in the online e-reader communities was to install KOReader on whichever reader you get. At first I found the KOReader interface a little spartan, but the customizability and little extra features make up for it. I installed KOReader on both devices, which was a fairly straightforward process in both cases once you find the right forum post from the KOReader wiki. I highly recommend at least trying it out, you can always delete it and never look back.

Having KOReader on both devices also gave me perfect comparison conditions: The same book loaded in the same reader interface, using the same fonts and rendering settings. One of the things I wanted to test was the speed of page turns. I don’t think it realistically matters, as turning a page in a physical book usually takes longer than turning a page on an e-reader, but this is one of the small things that could easily get annoying. Below you can see a video where I test them side by side, turning the pages of the same Alice in Wonderland EPUB file. It seems that Kobo Clara BW is slightly faster when turning pages than the PocketBook Verse Pro, but the difference is probably only noticeable in a direct comparison.

Sending books to your e-reader

I have already talked about my pipeline for reading online articles on my e-reader, which is made possible by KOReader’s integration with Wallabag (another good reason to use it). However, Wallabag is not really meant for books. I buy or download books from various sources, so having an easy way of getting my books onto the device is crucial. And I can tell you, connecting my reader to a notebook via a cable is not it!

PocketBook has a system really similar to Send-To-Kindle: You get an @pbsync.com address that is connected to your PocketBook Cloud account, and books sent to that address will be downloaded to your Pocketbook e-reader when you connect to Wi-Fi. Setting this up is really easy and fast, and it has worked flawlessly for me. Indication of which books are in your PocketBook cloud storage and which are downloaded on the e-reader is a bit confusing, but you quickly get used to it.

Kobo does not have an e-mail -> e-reader pipeline out of the box, and you need to hack your way into achieving something similar. One way is to use KOReader’s integration with Calibre (in case you have a Calibre server running somewhere available - I don’t). KOReader also supports Dropbox, FTP and WebDAV, and you can in fact set up an email alias for sending files into Dropbox, so this is a viable option. It is definitely more fiddly than PocketBook’s native support, but you can make it work.

There are also dormant integrations with Dropbox and Google Drive that are available through NickelMenu (which will get installed with KOReader if you go with the most common option). You can read up on this at Jacob Tender’s blog. I tested it and it does work, although it has some limitations and is definitely more complex to set up.

Frontlight comparison

All three readers that I tested have a frontlight for reading in low light situations, a feature that I absolutely love. Paperwhite only has one type of frontlight, which emits a fairly cold light. PocketBook and Kobo allow you to adjust the color temperature of the frontlight (both natively and in KOReader), which is especially nice when reading before bedtime. I tested all readers and did not see any major differences: The maximum light intensity was similar across all three readers. Kobo had a somewhat warmer tint both on coldest and warmest settings compared to PocketBook, which is apparent from the photo below. If getting the warmest frontlight is important to you, points for Kobo. Otherwise I call this a wash.

Which one will I keep?

Owning three e-readers (even if one is effectively end-of-life) was never my goal, so my plan is to sell one of them and keep using the one that fits me the best. I bought the PocketBook first, then started having second thoughts (the grass must be greener over at Kobo!), thinking Kobo will be a superior device after all. The truth is, they are very close in nearly every aspect. In the end, I think I will stick with the PocketBook: the email integration is smoother, the differences in ergonomics disappear when you put the cover on, and if Kobo’s display is better, I can’t really appreciate the difference.

So what about the Paperwhite?

One of the most shocking discoveries of this whole comparison is that the 11-year-old Paperwhite model is actually still a decent e-reader. Yes, the micro-USB charging port is annoying, you will need to charge much more often and the display is not the best you can get, but the reading experience is still smooth and most of you will probably forget that you are reading at 212 PPI instead of 300 PPI after a while. In fact, I did a comparison of page-turn speed between Kobo Clara BW and the Paperwhite, and unless I was turning really fast, the Paperwhite was mostly keeping up with the Kobo!

There aren’t many categories in consumer tech where an 11-year-old device would still be quite serviceable, but I have to say that e-readers seem to hold up exceptionally well. If you’re considering upgrading your e-reader (and you are not making a category jump, such as opting for a color e-ink display), maybe test it before you buy it and see if it’s worthwhile. You might not be missing out on that much!