Pros
- Lightweight
- Great e-reader
- Read DRM-protected ebooks (via ADE)
- Innovative advanced notebooks
- Frontlight
- Good handwriting recognition
- Backed by a major corporation
Cons
- Sub-par writing experience
- Easily damaged
- Not very versatile
- Stylus requires batteries
- Cannot export highlights/annotations
- Feels a bit 'clunky'
Where to buy?
Kobo, Amazon (US), Amazon AU, Amazon BE, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon NL, Amazon PL, Amazon UK, eBay AU, eBay CA, eBay DE, eBay ES, eBay FR, eBay IE, eBay IT, eBay UK, eBay US,The Kobo Elipsa is a lightweight 10.3" e-reader with some innovative note-taking features but the tactile writing experience is lacking, and the whole ecosystem feels a bit 'clunky'. Kobo have now replaced the Elipsa with Elipsa 2E.
The Kobo Elipsa was Rakuten Kobo’s original 10.3″ e-ink tablet,however, it has now been replaced with the Kobo Elipsa 2E.
Both tablets run virtually the same software and have almost the same hardware specs, so to avoid duplication, I refer you to my Kobo Elipsa 2E review.
The Elipsa 2E ships with the Kobo Stylus 2, which is the second iteration of the original Kobo stylus that ships with the original Elipsa. Both styluses provide a subpar writing experience, however the newer version is marginally better because it is rechargeable via USB (the original required 1xAAAA battery)
In addition, both tablets are similarly priced and the original Kobo Elipsa is not as widely available as it is no longer being manufactured. Therefore, if you are looking for a 10.3″ Kobo writing tablet, the newer Kobo Elipsa 2E would be a better choice.
The table below shows the differences between the two tablets:
| PRODUCT | KOBO ELIPSA | KOBO ELIPSA 2E |
|---|---|---|
| Specs & ratings info |  Not yet rated |  Okay |
| My Rating | ||
| Price (approx) | $400 Limited availability | $400 |
| Manufacturer | Kobo | Kobo |
| Release year | 2021 | 2023 |
| SCREEN | KOBO ELIPSA | KOBO ELIPSA 2E |
| Screen type | Carta 1200 | Carta 1200 |
| Screen size | 10.3" | 10.3" |
| Screen resolution (B/W) | 1404 x 1872 | 1404 x 1872 |
| Screen density (B/W) | 227dpi | 227dpi |
| Colour | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Screen resolution (Colour) | n/a | n/a |
| Screen density (Colour) | n/a | n/a |
| Frontlight | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wacom compatible | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Buy | ||
| HARDWARE | KOBO ELIPSA | KOBO ELIPSA 2E |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz quad-core | 2 GHz |
| RAM | 1Gb | 1Gb |
| Storage | 32Gb | 32Gb |
| Battery | 2400mAh | 2400mAh |
| Super Refresh | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Keyboard folio | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Speakers | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Microphone | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| G-Sensor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ceramic Tip | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fingerprint scanner | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| SD card slot | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Rear camera | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Front camera | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Waterproof | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| USB-C | ✓ | ✓ |
| Width | 193mm | 193mm |
| Height | 227.5mm | 227mm |
| Thickness | 7.6mm | 7.5mm |
| Weight | 383g | 390g |
| Buy | ||
| SOFTWARE | KOBO ELIPSA | KOBO ELIPSA 2E |
| Operating system | KoboOS | KoboOS |
| Google Play Store | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Kindle support | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Handwriting search | ✓ | ✓ |
| Handwriting conversion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insert shapes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insert images | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Split screen | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Custom templates | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| No. templates | 35+ | 35+ |
| Brush types | Ballpoint Pen, Fountain Pen, Calligraphy Pen, Brush, Highlighter | Ballpoint Pen, Fountain Pen, Calligraphy Pen, Brush, Highlighter |
| Screen share | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| ADE support | ✓ | ✓ |
| File formats | PDF, EPUB, EPUB3, TXT, HTML, FlePub, CBZ, CBR, MOBI | PDF, EPUB, EPUB3, TXT, HTML, FlePub, CBZ, CBR, MOBI |
| File formats (image) | PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF | PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF |
| File formats (Audio) | Kobo Audiobooks (via Bluetooth) | Kobo Audiobooks (via Bluetooth) |
| Buy | ||
| Where to buy | Kobo Amazon (US) Amazon AU Amazon BE Amazon CA Amazon DE Amazon FR Amazon IT Amazon NL Amazon PL Amazon UK eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US | Kobo Amazon (US) Amazon AU Amazon BE Amazon CA Amazon DE Amazon ES Amazon FR Amazon IT Amazon NL Amazon PL Amazon UK eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US |
| PRODUCT | KOBO ELIPSA | KOBO ELIPSA 2E |
About the author
Dan Dutton is passionate about E-ink writing tablets, which bring together the pleasure of writing on paper with the power of digital technology. When he bought his first tablet, he realised that there wasn't a lot of unbiased information available for people that were considering buying an E-ink tablet, and so he built eWritable.