When it comes to cooking, the potato is an incredibly versatile ingredient. There are 100s of ways to prepare and eat a potato. Boil it, steam it, mash it, fry it, bake it, drown it in cream… It’s not the tastiest, most fantastical ingredient in the world. But it’s nowhere near the worst one either.
This review reflects our independent and honest opinion. We were not compensated for this review, and we covered all the costs to try the product or service ourselves.
Now, imagine a digital device that lets you dive into Dune during your morning commute, jot down meeting notes by lunch, catch up on news articles that you stored in Pocket over a coffee break, sketch a sunset (in greyscale) over Sydney Harbour by evening, pull up some sheet music for piano practice, and borrow an ebook from your local library for the weekend trip—all without switching gadgets.
That’s the Kobo Elipsa 2E for you… Your digital potato!
This hybrid e-reader and digital notebook has become my go-to for both reading, note taking, planning, sketching and writing. It’s not the best device ever for any of these tasks, but it’s pretty darn good at all of them.
Table of Contents
Design: Function Over Flair
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the Kobo Elipsa 2E won’t win beauty contests. Compared to the ReMarkable 2’s minimalist chic or the iPad’s gloss, Kobo’s offering feels like a sturdy librarian—practical, unpretentious, and built to last (despite its plastic body).
The 10.3-inch display is framed by bezels thick enough to grip without accidental taps, though they do give the device a slightly dated look. At 390 grams sans cover, it’s lighter than most hardcovers but still hefty enough to notice in a tote bag.
The real letdown? The optional SleepCover. While made from 97% recycled ocean plastics (kudos for sustainability), its magnetic alignment feels like solving a toddler’s shape puzzle—nudge it left, shimmy it right, and pray it magnetically snaps into just the right place. Once attached, it adds noticeable bulk. If you’re after sleekness, go naked—just mind the screen and keep the stylus under lock and key somewhere else.
Display: E-Ink Magic With a Quirk
The 10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen is where the Kobo Elipsa 2E shines. Reading under the midday sun or in a dimly lit café? No glare, no eye strain, just crisp text that mimics paper flawlessly. With 227 PPI, fonts remain sharp even at larger sizes—ideal for graphic novels or PDFs.
Note-taking, however, reveals a tiny gremlin. When viewed at an angle, the stylus tip appears slightly offset from its mark, like a ghostly afterimage. It’s barely noticeable during furious scribbling but becomes apparent when precision-drawing flowcharts.
Kobo’s Stylus 2 (included) partly compensates with a grippy texture and eraser cap. It’s nice to use, although once in a blue moon the highlighter button tends to get pressed accidentally. Another small point of contention is that there is no wireless charging on the stylus. You will have to plug in a USB-C cable to top it up.
Performance: Speed Demon With Stamina
Powered by a 2GHz processor, the Kobo Elipsa 2E flips pages and opens notebooks faster than its predecessor. Highlighting a paragraph in Project Hail Mary? Instant response. Switching between a novel and your grocery list? A slight delay—acceptable, though iPad users might scoff.
Battery life? Immaculate. After two weeks of daily use—2 hours of reading, 30 minutes of note-taking, and the occasional audiobook—it dropped to 15%. That’s 31.5 hours of mixed usage, or roughly a month for casual readers. Charging via USB-C takes 2.5 hours, perfect for topping up during a Bluey marathon.
Note-Taking: Surprisingly Competent
Forget the Kindle Scribe’s barebones doodle pad—Kobo’s MyScript-powered Nebo integration turns chicken scratch into typed text with eerie accuracy. Elipsa decodes my unconventional handwriting flawlessly, superscripts and all. Templates range from Cornell notes to music staves.
Annotations feel natural. Highlighting PDFs or adding margin notes to EPUBs works seamlessly, though exporting marked-up files requires a Wi-Fi tango with Dropbox or Google Drive.
Pro tip: Even though the $99 SleepCover isn’t optimal, it’s a must if you want to keep your stylus safe. I wouldn’t trust the stylus to stay put on the Elipsa 2E’s magnetic zones while walking up the stairs in my home, let alone on a crowded commuter train.
Ecosystem: Kobo’s Quiet Superpower
Where the Kobo Elipsa 2E truly outshines rivals is integration. Borrow library books via OverDrive, sideload EPUBs without Calibre gymnastics, or binge Kobo Plus titles—all within a few taps. Sync notes across devices? Check, though inexplicably absent from Kobo’s mobile apps. Audiobook support exists but feels tacked on; you’ll need Bluetooth headphones and patience for the sparse Kobo Store selection.
Verdict: Niche, But Brilliant
The Elipsa 2E is like a Swiss Army knife—versatile but not masterful. It’s pricier than a basic Kindle yet cheaper than an iPad Pro.
Buy it if:
- You’re a hybrid reader-writer-scribbler-notetaker: Juggling textbooks, novels, and meeting notes? Elipsa 2E handles all of that.
- PDFs are your jam: Annotating research papers or blueprints on a glare-free screen beats squinting at a laptop.
- Sustainability matters: The 85% recycled body and vegan-ink packaging ease eco-guilt.
Skip it if:
- You’re a pure reader: Opt for a more pocket-sized reader such as the Kobo Libra 2.
- Art is your focus: The reMarkable 2’s brush-like feel and layer support trump Kobo’s utilitarian tools.
- Water resistance is key: Spill your latte, and the Elipsa 2E becomes a very expensive coaster.
In a world of single-use gadgets, the Elipsa 2E is a refreshing multitasker—flaws and all. Just don’t expect it to brew your coffee.
