Kobo’s latest price changes have landed at an awkward moment for anyone hoping to leave Kindle behind. The company has raised the cost of three of its main e-readers, including models that are already two years old, which makes the switch to Kobo less appealing than it might have been a few weeks ago.
The increase affects the Kobo Clara BW, Kobo Clara Colour, and Kobo Libra Colour. That matters because these devices were already positioned as core options in Kobo’s current lineup, and now each one starts from a higher price point.
What changed across the lineup
The Kobo Clara BW has gone from $139 to $159. Kobo Clara Colour has moved from $160 to $180, while the Kobo Libra Colour has seen the biggest jump, rising from $230 to $260.
These are not newly launched products. All three are around two years old, so the price increases are likely to stand out more sharply to buyers who expected older hardware to become easier to justify over time.
That timing is especially important because Kobo has recently looked like one of the more natural alternatives for dissatisfied Kindle users. Amazon has discontinued its oldest Kindle model, and some recent Kindle updates have reportedly frustrated long-time users.
Why the timing works against Kobo
Those changes had created an opening for Kobo. Readers who were unhappy with Kindle’s direction could have looked at Kobo as a cleaner exit from Amazon’s ecosystem.
Higher prices now make that decision harder. The gap between staying with a cheaper Kindle and moving to a more expensive Kobo has widened, which weakens one of Kobo’s clearest selling points.
A simple comparison shows the pressure. With the new pricing, a buyer could choose the basic Kindle for $110 and still have about $50 left for ebooks instead of spending more on the device itself.
What may be driving the increase
Kobo has not given a detailed explanation for the latest round of price hikes. Still, there are several likely pressures around the business that may be affecting the pricing.
Earlier price changes in 2025 were linked to US import tariffs, and that factor may also be contributing here. The case for that becomes stronger because the price increases in Canada are said to be smaller than the ones in the United States.
Broader component costs may also be playing a role. RAM and storage prices have reportedly surged because of heavy buying from the AI sector, and similar cost pressure has already been associated with smartphone price increases.
How the affected models compare
The Kobo Clara BW remains the entry model in the current range. It includes a Carta 1300 display, 1420×1072 resolution, 16GB of storage, Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and ComfortLight PRO front lighting.
The Kobo Clara Colour sits above it as a more affordable color option than the Libra Colour. It uses a Kaleido 3 display, offers 1072 x 1448 resolution, includes 16GB of storage, and supports Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and front lighting.
At the top end, the Kobo Libra Colour carries a 7-inch E Ink color display, 1264×1680 resolution, 32GB of storage, Bluetooth audio, and support for formats including EPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, PNG, TXT, HTML, CBZ, and CBR. Kobo also positions it as the company’s first color E Ink tablet, which makes its new $260 price point more noticeable for buyers shopping for a premium e-reader.
For Kobo, the challenge is now twofold: the company has to keep its lineup attractive while older devices become more expensive, and it must do that at a moment when some Kindle users were finally looking for a reason to move.
Source: www.androidpolice.com
