If you like the old-school concept of jotting notes in the margins of a paperback, the $259.99 Kobo Sage tries to recreate that feeling for the digital era. But the experience doesn’t quite translate. On one hand, we like the Sage’s waterproof build and, like every other Kobo ebook reader, its ability to integrate with local libraries. However, the Sage is an awkward size; it doesn’t feel great in the hand and isn’t big enough to display larger-format documents well. (We had similar thoughts about the Kobo Forma, the company’s older 8-inch ebook reader.) If you’re looking to jot notes on electronic documents, the 10-inch Onyx Boox Note Air 2 and Apple iPad are better bets.
Great E Ink Screen, Cumbersome Design
Like the Forma, the Sage is just a little too big to be pocketable at 6.3 by 7.1 by 0.3 inches (HWD). It looks like a slightly larger version of Kobo’s Libra 2: both have flat fronts with a sizable bezel and a grip area with physical page-turn buttons on the side. At 8.5 ounces, the Sage is noticeably heavier than the Forma (7.0 ounces) and weighs more than I expected, especially when you factor in its optional leather cover ($49.99). The device is waterproof and offers 32GB of onboard storage.
The Sage uses a flat, 8-inch, 1,920-by-1,440 (300ppi) E Ink Carta 1200 display. The Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Elipsa, and the new Kindle Paperwhite use the same panel, which integrates E Ink’s latest technology. Carta 1200 enables faster page turns and a more evenly gray background than previous E Ink technologies, such as the one on the Kobo Forma.
Kobo’s color-changing backlight is easier to operate than Onyx’s. Here, you get sliders for color and brightness; you can choose between a very blue and very yellow tint, as well as anything in between. You can also configure the backlight’s color to change on a timer throughout the day.
Like other Kobos, the Sage works with Kobo’s store and your public library through Overdrive. You can even download books from Dropbox or transfer titles via the device’s USB-C port from your PC. Most people I know use their Kobos primarily with Kobo-purchased or library books, but the platform also supports CBR/CBZ, EPUB, MOBI, and PDF books. Kobo’s public library interface is super slick; I especially like how it automatically returns books when they expire.
The Sage and Libra 2 now support Bluetooth headphones. However, you can only play audiobooks purchased through the Kobo store over Bluetooth. Onyx’s ebook readers are much more flexible in their Bluetooth support and let you play audio from any application or source.
Battery life isn’t an issue with the Sage. Like other ebook readers, I’d expect a week or so of regular use before it needs to be recharged via its USB-C port.
Make Note of This
The Sage works with the optional $39.99 Kobo stylus, a cylindrical, pressure-sensitive pen with two buttons on the body, but the note-taking experience isn’t always seamless or ideal.
You can take notes on PDF documents and EPUB books, but you can export only PDF documents for viewing elsewhere. In other words, if you take notes in a book, they’re trapped in that particular Kobo. You can jump to an Annotations tab to see all your annotations within a book.
The Sage’s note-taking app is oddly buried two levels deep in the menus. Like on the Elipsa, you get five different pen types, sizes, and shades. Onyx offers more flexibility in its app. You can create two types of notebooks: basic (freeform) and advanced (with OCR capabilities). The Sage can export basic notebooks in the JPEG, PDF, or PNG formats and advanced notebooks in the DOCX or HTML formats.
Another issue I encountered is that PDF documents aren’t quite ideal for an 8-inch screen. Sure, you can read them, but PDFs tend to be 8.5 by 11 inches and are much easier to read on a 10-inch device like the Note Air 2 or Elipsa.
The Sage’s screen has a very smooth surface, so the pen doesn’t have the paper-like grip you feel with the Note Air 2. For comparison, iPads and the Onyx Boox Max Lumi 2 are also pretty slippery. I noticed more lag than on the Onyx tablet, too. This didn’t bother me when taking notes—my brain was always a letter or two ahead of my hands anyway—but it’s disconcerting if you’re trying to draw.
Size Limits Utility
8-inch ebook readers are an awkward size. They’re a little too big for your pocket, but not quite big enough to comfortably display full PDFs or American comics. I understand the potential appeal of the Sage; annotations and marginalia are cool. But you can already highlight passages on most ebook readers, while bigger devices handle larger-format documents much more adeptly.
At $259.99, the Sage is considerably less expensive than the Kobo Elipsa ($399.99) and the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 ($499.99), but those two devices bundle their respective pens. The Note Air 2 is our Editors’ Choice winner for pen-enabled E Ink devices.
Our pick from Kobo’s lineup remains the Kobo Libra 2 ($179.99). It’s more pocketable because of its 7-inch screen size, although it doesn’t support the Kobo stylus. If you’re willing to buy into Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem, the Kindle Paperwhite ($139.99) is our Editors’ Choice. The $329 base-model iPad is more powerful than any of these other devices, although its LCD may be a nonstarter for those who prefer an E Ink display.
