Kobo Sage

Kobo is a leading company for eReaders despite stiff competition from Amazon.
The Kobo Sage offers stylus support and Bluetooth, both highly innovative
approaches to an eReader platform, but does it hit all the other marks of a
top-tier eReader?.

Design

The design is a bit different from other eReaders.

It’s on the bigger side which unfortunately means it’s not something you can
just shove in your pocket. Reviewers stated that it’s also heavy and even more
so when using the optional leather case.

However, it offers physical page-turning buttons and that made reviewers
happy.

Screen

The screen is bright and very responsive.

The 8-inch E Ink Carta 1200 display is the same as other competitors and
offers faster page-turning and a more evenly colored grey background.

Reviewers liked the color-changing background lighting options, from blue tint
to yellow and anywhere in between, and the ability to assign each of these to
a timer throughout the day for less eye strain.

Storage

One of the biggest complaints amongst eReaders is the lack of space. The Kobo
Sage won’t be in that group. It houses a massive 32GB of space, enough for any
documents or books and formats you might want.

Battery Life

Most eReaders offer phenomenal battery life, but sadly, the Kobo Sage isn’t
one of these.

Reviewers said that they suspect the ability to use a stylus might be a part
of that. When tested without using a stylus or Bluetooth and just reading, the
Kobo Sage only lasted about 15 hours.

Software & File Format Support

The Kobo Sage runs on Linux, offering a well-crafted interface that highlights
books you’ve been reading on the home screen and some recommendations based on
your library.

The eReader can natively read EPUB, EPUB3, KEPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG,
BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RFT, CBZ, and CBR files. This means that you can easily
read comics and manga on it.

However, it’s important to note that your Amazon library won’t be compatible
with this eReader without some additional work.

Extra Features

Reviewers were happy to see things such as wide-file format support from the
Kobo Sage and the ability to log into Adobe Digital Editions. Overdrive has
been a much-needed addition allowing for those with a library card to borrow
books digitally. And the ability to sync articles via the Pocket read it later
service.

Specs at a Glance

• Plastic chassis
• 300PPI E Ink Carta 1200 display
• Color-changing backlight
• 32GB of storage
• 1200mAh battery
• Bluetooth support for audiobooks
• BMP, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, EPUB3, GIF, HTML, JPEG, MOBI, PDF, PNG, RTF, TIFF, TXT
• Stylus support

Bottom Line

Kobo always seems to do right by eReader fans, and the Kobo Sage is no
different. With a wide range of options in file formats and the ability to use
Overdrive, there’s almost nothing that you can’t read on it. The addition of
Bluetooth support and stylus support puts Sage high up on the list of great
leaders, but the battery life ultimately fails it.

Good eReader states, “I would recommend the Sage to anyone who has a Kobo
e-reader that is more than 4 years old. It is faster and more responsive than
the Kobo Libra 2, thanks to the quadcore processor. I find overall, it feels
like a premium device, and I have to wonder if the Forma will be discontinued
and the Sage will take its place?”

Tech Radar says, “True to form, the Kobo Sage is yet another excellent eReader
from a company that makes our favourite models. It’s feature packed, including
stylus support, Bluetooth connectivity for audiobooks and a whopping 32GB of
storage. The writing experience on that high-contrast screen is excellent, but
its battery life lets the Sage down.”