Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 Unveiled: What’s Next for Tolino After Acquisition?
After there was already an initial hint some time ago, the cat is now out of the bag: Rakuten has unveiled the new Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2.
This eBook reader succeeds the highly popular and successful Aura H2O first generation here and offers a gentle evolution. The display size remains the same at 6.8 inches. Similarly, the resolution of 1430×1080 pixels is unchanged, resulting in a pixel density of 265 ppi once again. What’s new is the blue light-reduced lighting.
Blue Light Reduction with ComfortLight
E-Ink Carta as the display technology is a given. However, it remains open whether it is the same high-quality panel that was used in the predecessor. The first Aura H2O could impress with some of the best contrast values and an exceptionally bright display background.
The most important change comes in the form of the “ComfortLight”, already known from the Kobo Aura One. This feature allows for the reduction of the blue light in the lighting. This is achieved through RGB LEDs which allow the light color to shift significantly towards red. Initially, this may look a bit unfamiliar, but it definitely proves to be a more pleasant addition when reading in the evening. Besides the Aura One, the Tolino Vision 4 HD also offers a similar option.
The design of the new Kobo Aura H2O has also been changed to follow the styles of the more recently introduced Aura One and Aura Edition 2. The blue power button is now located on the back, which is partially rubberized.
Smaller Case, Larger Storage
The weight has decreased from 233 grams to 210 grams, a very welcome upgrade. This places the nearly 7-inch eBook reader in the weight range of some 6-inch devices (e.g., Kindle Paperwhite: 205 g). The dimensions have also changed slightly: the new model is now 0.8 mm thinner and 5 mm shorter (New: 172 x129 x 8.9 mm; Old: 179 x 129 x 9.7 mm).
Another change is in water protection, which is now certified to IPX8 (Old: IP67). The new Aura H2O can remain submerged in water up to 2 meters deep for up to 60 minutes without taking damage. However, unlike its predecessor, the device is not waterproof, as the protection is now achieved with the well-known HZO nanocoating. The previous model had a sealed housing.
Up to this point, everything sounds very good. However, it’s annoying that the memory card expansion is gone. The internal memory grows to 8 GB, but this may offer little consolation to power users. Most users, however, are unlikely to have a problem with the increased memory size.
The new eReader is priced in the same range as its predecessor and is coming to the market for 179.99 Euros, just not in Germany.
Tolino Acquisition with Consequences
Yes, you read that right: The Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 will not officially be available in Germany. Rakuten’s press release lists various European countries, but Germany is not among them.
This is the first noticeable effect of the Tolino acquisition a few months ago. At that time it was communicated that the Tolino brand would be maintained, but there was a small question mark about Kobo’s future. Now the question has been answered.
However, it remains open how the model policy will look at Tolino. It’s conceivable that the Kobo models, with minor visual changes and a rebranding, could appear under the Tolino label here. The underlying technology in Tolino and Kobo models was already very similar until now.
Since the Tolino firmware continues to be maintained and updated, it can be expected that it will also be used on new devices. Two different user interfaces within the product range would certainly be unreasonable and potentially confusing for average consumers. Not to mention the additional effort required to extend the Kobo software in terms of synchronization to match the Tolino standard.
Interested parties should now exercise a bit of patience and wait to see how Rakuten and the Tolino partners proceed.
