Kobo Glo HD vs. Tolino Shine 2 HD: In-Depth eReader Comparison for 2023
In recent weeks, our focus has increasingly been on the new Tolino models. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since the book trade alliance in Germany naturally plays a very important role, but it’s actually not quite fair to another equally interesting provider. We’re talking about Kobo: The Canadian-Japanese company released the Kobo Glo HD in mid-2015, which made an excellent impression in our test,
Consequently, this eBook reader is naturally also an important contender in this year’s Christmas business against the models from Amazon and Tolino. Today we take a look at how the Glo HD holds up in comparison to the Shine 2 HD.
Housing and Build Quality
About a week ago, I disassembled the Kobo Glo HD and Tolino Shine 2 HD. It became clear in the hardware comparison that the two eReaders are very similar and presumably share a common design basis. This means they have very similar circuit boards and use a number of the same components.
But there are also some similarities in the design of the models. Since both use an infrared touchscreen, the screens on the Glo HD and Shine 2 HD are set into the housing.
The weight is also similar: The Kobo eReader weighs 180 grams, while the Tolino device is only 4 (insignificant) grams more (184 grams). The difference is not noticeable.
The form and appearance are relatively similar, except for the button. Kobo Glo HD on the left, Tolino Shine 2 HD on the right
A small advantage, which ultimately tips the scale for the Shine 2 HD, is the slightly more solid-seeming build quality. While the Kobo Glo HD is tactfully appealing and feels good in the hand, the back rattles a bit more when tapped with a finger. Additionally, a slight creaking can be heard when you grip the eReader a bit firmly.
Kobo also faces criticism for the rubberized back cover with a hole pattern. This is somewhat more sensitive to fingerprints and dust inclusions.
Although the Tolino Shine 2 HD’s back tends to make minimal rattling noises when tapped harder, the device doesn’t creak or crack when gripped firmly. This is likely due to the magnesium plate sitting behind the display that provides higher rigidity (see comparison in this article).
This is nitpicking at a high level, but in the end, it is indeed a slight advantage for the new Shine.
Winner: Tolino Shine 2 HD
Specifications
As already mentioned, the Tolino Shine 2 HD and Kobo Glo HD likely share the same reference design. This is not surprising, as both are manufactured by the Taiwanese company Netronix (Note: The German Tolino manufacturer Longshine is a subsidiary of Netronix).
Accordingly, the two models are very similar in terms of specifications: Both feature a 6-inch screen (see below), Wi-Fi for connecting to the built-in shop, and a 4 GB internal MicroSD memory card. Externally expandable memory is absent from both models.
This means you can remove the back cover and replace the internal memory card with a larger one if desired. It’s a bit easier with the Glo HD since the back isn’t as tightly secured as on the Shine 2 HD. This, however, doesn’t influence the evaluation as replacing the MicroSD card is not intended by the manufacturers.
Despite the similarities, the Glo HD offers around 3.15 GB of usable storage space without any tinkering, whereas the Shine 2 HD only offers just over 2 GB. The reason: The Tolino firmware’s Android system requires more space. Kobo thus earns the point.
Winner: Kobo Glo HD
Software
The most significant differences between the Kobo Glo HD and Tolino Shine 2 HD can be found in the software. Both manufacturers develop and maintain their own user interfaces.
While Kobo has been repeatedly criticized in the past for its eReader software not being as stable as users would like, this critique can now be confidently set aside. With past updates, the Canadian-Japanese company has gradually fixed the most annoying bugs, now offering high reliability.
Concerning functionality, the Kobo Glo HD is also convincing. The software offers the essential functions – and then some. Particularly handy for many digital bookworms is the ability to manage eBook collections using Calibre.
Best font rendering options on Kobo (left)
Another significant plus compared to the Tolino Shine 2 HD (and other eReader manufacturers) is the excellent text display customization. Kobo allows very finely graduated adjustments of font size, margin width, and line height, and even lets you install your fonts. It doesn’t get any better than this. All manufacturers should take a cue from this.
Unlike the Shine 2 HD, the home screen can also be completely ad-free (i.e., without book recommendations from the built-in shop). Another advantage is Pocket support: This feature allows you to send internet articles from your PC in the appropriate format to the Glo HD for leisurely reading later on the eReader.
Like Kobo, Tolino also faced criticism for their software. When the book trade alliance started in 2013, the first Shine offered very minimal functionality. There were no dictionaries, notes, or collections. Fortunately, this deficiency was relatively quickly addressed, and these essential functions were added just six months after launch.
However, it’s still worth noting that the software, on the whole, remains less comprehensive and not quite as polished in detail. For instance, the dictionary function only opens in a full-screen window, making it impossible to directly read the word context. Moreover, collections on the device cannot be synchronized with Calibre, and special extras (like Kobo’s Pocket integration) are not available from the developers.
The dictionary is faster and more intuitively accessible on the Kobo Glo HD (left). The context of the word can also be read directly. The Glo HD remembers the choice between meaning and translation dictionary.
One thing that is significantly better, however, is the internet browser on the Tolino Shine 2 HD, thanks to the Android foundation, which operates faster and almost flawlessly. The Glo HD can’t keep up in this regard.
A very useful bonus for tinkerers is the option to root the Shine 2 HD. This provides full access to the device’s Android operating system (otherwise inaccessible), allowing the installation of custom apps. However, since this feature is not intended by the manufacturer, it doesn’t factor into the evaluation.
While Kobo doesn’t run an Android system in the background, it still boasts an active modding community. This allows, for example, the installation of alternative reading software and making minor tweaks to the device’s functionality. But, like with Tolino, this is not officially supported by Kobo and doesn’t impact the scoring.
Both Tolino and Kobo employ the open E-Pub format, so you can use both eReaders with other stores in addition to the integrated shops (excluding Amazon).
However, the Glo HD does have a slight downside with mandatory registration. The eReader cannot be used without registering with Kobo. This is somewhat mitigated when considering that the Tolino eBook reader only allows dictionary downloads when logged in.
Overall, both software platforms present themselves as very clear and intuitive to use. Since the Kobo Glo HD offers a more extensive range of features out of the box (especially with the truly excellent text display customization – it can’t be emphasized enough!), it wins this point.
Winner: Kobo Glo HD
Display
The screen comparison is arguably the most important category when comparing two reading devices. I can tell you right away that the differences are only relatively minor.
This shouldn’t be surprising, since both use the same E-Ink Carta display with a resolution of 1448×1072 pixels. The pixel density of the 6-inch screen is therefore 300 ppi. Thanks to the infrared touchscreens, the text sharpness is unparalleled and resembles that of a printed book to the naked eye.
But not only is the text sharpness the same, the contrast ratios of both models are also practically identical. There’s no significant difference visible to the naked eye here either.
Very similar display qualities.
Furthermore, the screen lighting is also evenly matched. The five LEDs, hidden at the bottom edge of the display, illuminate the viewing area with a very uniform distribution. When placed side by side, Kobo Glo HD and Tolino Shine 2 HD show only minor differences. The slight vertical brightness gradient visible in the image below isn’t noticeable in practice.
The color temperatures of our test devices are also close together. Both light up with a relatively neutral color tone, showing a slight tendency towards the warm color spectrum. In other words, the LED color temperature is very pleasant to look at. As always, it should be noted here that there is a certain fluctuation in LED production, meaning that different devices of the same series can have different color temperatures.
Similar color temperatures in both models. Kobo Glo HD on the left, Tolino Shine 2 HD on the right.
The only truly noteworthy difference between the two models is the brightness setting. Here, the Glo HD ultimately takes the point. At its maximum setting, the Kobo eReader shines noticeably brighter. During the day, this further enhances readability. Also, at the other end of the settings spectrum, the device proves to be slightly more versatile: The minimum brightness level is slightly lower.
While the displays are essentially identical, the Shine 2 HD falls slightly short, as was the case in comparisons to the Tolino Vision 3 HD and Kindle Paperwhite 3, due to its less flexible light settings.
Winner: Kobo Glo HD
Value for Money
As you might expect, there’s also a close race in terms of value for money. While the Kobo Glo HD regularly costs 10 Euros more, it offers better software (among other things, without book recommendations on the home page).
The Tolino Shine 2 HD also delivers excellent value for money. Ultimately, however, saving 10 Euros means accepting minor reductions in functionality (the possibility of Android rooting is not factored into the evaluation – see above).
Winner: Tie
Conclusion
This might be the least spectacular eBook reader comparison ever featured on ALLESebook. Kobo Glo HD and Tolino Shine 2 HD are so incredibly similar in many areas that victories in the individual categories came only by slim margins.
Ultimately, the Kobo Glo HD wins the comparison with a score of 4 to 2. The software differences were the only relatively clear point of distinction.
Both are great eBook readers, but the Kobo Glo HD narrowly leads.
Regarding display, build quality, specifications, and value for money, the devices are effectively interchangeable despite the sometimes different evaluations. This is not a negative, especially for the Kobo Glo HD, which had been somewhat sidelined recently, showing it’s a great (sometimes better) alternative to the two main competitors, Amazon and Tolino.
No matter which device you decide on, one thing is for sure, you can’t go wrong with either eReader.
