Kobo has released a smaller, lighter version of the Kobo Aura One ebook reader that’s just as waterproof as the original.
The new Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 could be the perfect addition to your poolside reading arsenal this summer, offering seriously impressive IPX8 waterproofing. That means it’s been lab-tested at depths of two metres for up to 60 minutes, and lived to tell the tale.
The good news is that it’s even more portable than the original Kobo Aura One, weighing 16 grams less overall. It’s also got a smaller 6.8-inch e-ink display with a resolution of 1,440 x 1,080 pixels. That’s not as impressive as the 7.-inch 1,872 x 1,404-pixel panel on the original Kobo Aura One, but it’s definitely enough for a decent reading experience.
However, the lower 256ppi pixel density means it’s less sharp than Amazon’s rival Kindle Paperwhite HD, which has a 300ppi pixel density.
The Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 gives you access to the Kobo eBookstore, which boasts five million titles. You’ll be able to store more than 6,000 of these ebooks on your 8GB Kobo, should you choose to buy one.
You’ll also get access to a number of customisation options, including the ability to choose between 11 fonts, 50 different font sizes, and a range of sharpness and lighting settings. When you’re reading, you’ll be able to use tools like highlighting, a dictionary, notes, and bookmarks. And Kobo offers a number of stats and awards to provide feedback on how you read.
So what else is new? Well to provide a more dinky design, you’ll have to forgo a bit of battery life. The Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 has a 1,500mAh battery that offers a week-long charge. That’s far less than the one-month battery life offered by the Kobo Aura One – but a week should still be plenty for most users.
