According to the manufacturer’s spec, battery on Kobo e-book reader, when fully charged, can last up to two months depending on individual usage. This is based on half an hour reading per day and front light brightness at medium settings with Wi-Fi turned off. But, how long does Kobo battery last in reality?
This is, of course, an ideal case. In reality, batteries on Kobo e-readers usually last 3-4 weeks with regular usage. You will be able to read at least two 300-page books without recharging the battery. This is still a very impressive battery life compared to a battery life of other electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. I am happy when the battery on my smartphone lasts an entire day without recharging.
All Kobo e-book readers use a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.
Not all Kobo e-book readers have the same battery life. Three models of Kobo e-readers are currently available in Canada: Kobo Forma, Kobo Clara, and Kobo Libra. The capacity of the battery in Kobo Forma and Kobo Libra is 1200 mAh while the capacity of the battery in Kobo Clara is 1500 mAh.
It is not easy to test battery life on an e-book reader since it depends on a few factors. Battery life primarily depends on usage. In other words, it depends on how much time per day on average you spend reading on an e-book reader. If you are a casual reader, your Kobo battery may last up to six weeks. If you are an aggressive reader who spends 3-4 hours a day reading books, your Kobo battery may last only a couple weeks.
You can significantly increase Kobo battery life by turning off Wi-Fi while reading books. You need to turn on Wi-Fi when downloading e-books to your Kobo device. Once you finish downloading books you do not need to maintain your Wi-Fi connection since your book is stored in your Kobo device.
You can also improve battery life by keeping the brightness of the front light at a low level. If you use a custom-made Kobo case SleepCover, it will automatically turn e-reader in sleep mode when you close it and therefore save battery consumption.
Kobo e-book readers, like every other e-book reader available in Canada, use e-ink screens to display text. Reading text on the e-ink screen is like reading a real printed book. Another advantage of e-ink screens is that they consume much less power than LCD displays found in smartphones, tablets and computer monitors. E-ink screens require power only when turning the page while LCD screens require constant usage of power in order to maintain content on screen. That means that e-book readers consume much less power than tablets and smartphones. That is a reason why Kobo battery lasts much longer than a battery in devices with an LCD screen.
You will find a battery icon on top of Kobo’s screen. If the battery icon is black then the battery is fully charged. You can always check how much battery life is left on your Kobo e-reader.
You do not need to wait till battery completely drains. When you notice that the battery is at a low percentage, you can start charging it. Connect your Kobo device to a computer with a micro – USB cable. This micro-USB cable is included in the box when you buy the Kobo e-reader.
Charging a battery does not take a long time. Usually, the battery can be fully charged in a couple of hours.
Updated: January 10, 2024