Kobo Sage

The Kobo Sage is a large e-reader with useful features, such as the ability to listen to audiobooks and take notes with the Kobo stylus. Due to the large size, I hold the e-reader less comfortably with one hand.

Big format
The first thing I like about the Kobo Sage is its size. The device has an 8 inch screen. I also have a lot of space, so I can easily set a larger font without having to scroll a lot. Thanks to the physical buttons, I can quickly flip through a book. The e-reader has screen rotation, so you can have the buttons on both the left and right side. As a left-hander, I also use the device very comfortably. The disadvantage of the size is that it is more difficult to operate the e-reader with one hand. While reading this is not so bad, but it is annoying when I am looking for a new book, for example. The device has a very sleek appearance for an e-reader and reacts relatively quickly.

Quick and easy note taking with the Kobo stylus
A great feature of the Sage is its compatibility with the Kobo Stylus. With this stylus, I take notes in books and quickly mark passages. As a result, I hardly notice any difference between reading on an e-reader versus a real book. I find it especially useful when I read a book to learn something. I quickly make some notes in the margins. All notes in the book are clearly displayed in a menu, so that I can quickly read back interesting pieces of text. I also keep a digital notepad on my e-reader, for example when I make a to do list. I then easily convert handwritten text into typed text. I do think that you have to learn a lot how to use the pen. There are several useful functions in the pen, but I don't always manage to use them. In addition, the e-reader sometimes responds a bit slowly to the stylus. You should not expect it to go as smoothly as, for example, a tablet with a stylus.

audiobooks
I also listen to audiobooks on the Kobo Sage. This is a nice option for when I don't feel like reading. I then quickly connect wireless headphones and listen to my favorite books hands-free.

I was looking for the best possible e-reader, and you seem to have arrived at this. Now I don't use the audiobook function myself, nor do I use the stylus function. But the 8-inch screen is just the right size for me (pity there are so few options in that size), the design is beautiful and everything works just a little faster than with the e-readers from five years ago.

But: there is something strange going on with e-ink and e-readers. The Sage has a fast processor and apparently a top-of-the-bill screen, but you still get the feeling that you are being thrown twenty years back in time compared to today's smartphones and tablets. The scroll buttons do not always work, the 'turning' of a page is certainly not super fast (although fast enough), and above all: the screen is illuminated more strongly on the side of the buttons than on the other, so that when using the background lighting is always a clearly perceptible variation in brightness. Is it really not possible in 2022 to build a solid backlit screen in such an expensive flagship device? Incomprehensible...

Bought this e-reader after using the Kobo Clara HD for a few years. There was nothing wrong with that, but for my job I regularly read proofs in PDF so the main reason for buying a new e-reader was because I needed a larger format. After long hesitation (especially the price held me back), I bought this Kobo Sage. First impression very good, looks nicer and more luxurious than the Clara and I can now read the PDFs much easier. Only the e-reader is sometimes slow, especially during startup, and the buttons don't work very well, so I sometimes have to press a few times before the page turns. For the price it could have been better.