Kobo releases waterproof 7″ e-reader Libra H2O for 180 euros

Kobo adds a new 7″ e-reader to its range. The Libra H2O has a Carta E Ink HD display with a resolution of 1680×1264 pixels, which is good for a pixel density of 300ppi. The waterproof e-reader is available from 17 September available in black and white for 180 euros.

The Libra H2O has a square design with a 4:3 ratio screen. The e-reader has a physical power button and buttons for scrolling. The Libra H2O meets the ipx8 rating, which means that the device can be submerged up to two meters deep for up to sixty minutes.

Kobo provides the 7″ e-reader with its ComfortLight PRO lighting. That is the name that Kobo gives to the combination of white and colored LEDs. This allows the lighting to be made less blue. The color temperature can be automatically adjusted to the according to the time of day.

The Libra H2O runs on an NXP i.MX 6SLL processor, a chip with one Cortex-A9 core running at 1GHz. The e-reader is also equipped with 512MB ram and 8GB flash storage. The battery has a capacity of 1200mAh and is charged via the micro-USB connection. The e-reader has 802.11bgn WiFi.

In terms of hardware and features, the Kobo Libra H2O is comparable to the more expensive Kobo Forma released late last year. However, that is a larger 8″ model with a resolution of 1920×1440 pixels. The Libra H2O can be seen as a successor to the Kobo Aura H2O that has been on sale since the end of 2017. That is a 6.8″ e-reader with a resolution of 1430×1080 pixels.

Update: The Libra H2O costs 180 euros instead of 200 euros as mentioned earlier. The article has been adapted accordingly.