Kobo Aura vs Kobo Touch

Kobo Aura and Kobo Touch were e-readers that, while ostensibly from the same family, seemed to have taken very different philosophies on how best to satisfy the whims of readers. Kobo Aura, the more sophisticated sibling, was like the e-reader equivalent of a posh tea shop. It offered a 6-inch E Ink Pearl display with a resolution so sharp (1024 x 768 pixels) you could probably use it to admire the fine details of an illuminated manuscript. Equipped with ComfortLight technology, it ensured you could read comfortably in both broad daylight and in the murky gloom of a power outage, sparing your eyes from the tyranny of squinting. Lightweight, ergonomic and blessed with a touchscreen interface that whisked you effortlessly through books and Kobo’s vast eBookstore, the Aura was the sort of gadget that practically whispered, "Why don’t you stay for one more chapter?"

Kobo Touch, by contrast, was the no-nonsense cousin who preferred camping over high tea. Its 6-inch E Ink Pearl display had a modest resolution of 800 x 600 pixels and lacked any sort of front lighting, cheerfully relying on ambient light to do its job. But what it lacked in technological frills, it made up for with simplicity and charm. Its physical page-turn buttons gave a delightful tactile feedback, which felt like a quiet nod to those who still occasionally missed the reassuring rustle of paper. Designed for readers who wanted an affordable, straightforward e-reader without all the bells and whistles, the Touch focused on doing one thing well—offering an uncomplicated, traditional reading experience.