Celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May – which this year is May 11 – Mother’s Day 2025 is officially less than two weeks away. So if you haven’t started thinking of Mother’s Day gift ideas, now is the time. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with a present that is sure to knock mum’s socks off, particularly if she’s an avid reader – and you get a nice little saving at the same time.
That prezzie would be our pick of the best ereader on the market right now. We think the Kobo Libra Colour is better than the best Kindles because it offers more bang for buck in comparison, although we’ll be the first to admit it’s not cheap. Factoring in a 7-inch colour display, 32GB of storage, Bluetooth connectivity for audiobook listening and full writing capabilities, it’s arguably a fantastic gift for anyone who loves to read, write or doodle.
It doesn’t ship with the Kobo Stylus 2, but mum can get that separately when she really needs it. For now, though, a saving of AU$20.95 is worth considering on the best ereader for Aussies.
Every Kobo Libra model has graced the top spot of our best ereader buying guide because of the value they’ve offered, where we feel Kindle devices are currently lacking, and the Libra Colour is no different.
While nothing much changed on the design front, Kobo added full writing capabilities and a colour display to an already-winning formula, while retaining affordability when compared with similarly featured competitors.
Even if mum doesn’t make full use of that 7-inch colour display, she might well value the ability to annotate and doodle in colour. If mum is regularly underlining, highlighting and making notes in her favourite books, a touch of colour can make all the difference in the world.
More importantly, there are a ton of other features here that really make the Kobo Libra Colour worth considering as a Mother’s Day prezzie. For starters, you get Bluetooth connectivity for listening to audiobooks, albeit only those purchased (or borrowed via Kobo Plus) from the Kobo Store – something the latest Kindles are missing in Australia.
Then there’s OverDrive baked in, so even if mum doesn’t want to purchase content, she can borrow books from a local library – she only needs her library card and check with the library if they have OverDrive or Libby support. There’s even Google Drive and Dropbox access so it’s easy to transfer files (even notes) via a wireless connection.
It’s mostly made from recycled plastics and it’s repairable too! That’s not something you hear about any ereader. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to sell spare parts and provide step-by-step instructions on how to go about fixing the ereader yourself. That’s good for the planet.
All this and more makes the Libra Colour well worth the splurge if you want to elevate mum’s reading experience. If, however, it’s still beyond your budget, both the Kobo Clara BW and Kindle Paperwhite (2024) offer excellent digital reading experiences, but without colour displays.
