Kobo Elipsa 2E review: Our favorite writable e-reader

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Though laptops and tablets are great for productivity, many people still prefer the feel of a traditional pen and paper for note-taking. However, opting for handwritten notes means that you lose the convenience of a digital workflow — and that's where writable e-readers like the Kobo Elipsa 2E try to fill the gap. 

In addition to offering a great reading experience for ebooks, the Elipsa 2E is our pick for the best e-reader that you can write on. It balances its functionality as a digital library perfectly with a premium note-taking experience that's smoother than a tablet and packed with features. Here's why it's our top choice over alternatives like Amazon's Kindle Scribe.

The Elipsa 2E's large design looks and feels great

When it comes to a writable e-reader, a large footprint is necessary to make it a viable notebook replacement. However, in an industry where thin screens are often desired, finding just the right size can be a tough act to balance. 

Thankfully, the Kobo Elipsa 2E succeeds here where the Amazon Kindle Scribe fails. Despite being the largest Kobo e-reader available and less than a centimeter thick, its hearty, textured build feels substantial enough to commute within a backpack or case; the Scribe, on the other hand, is so thin that extra protection feels necessary.

Designed with a large margin next to its 10.3-inch screen, the Elipsa 2E is comfortable to hold, and your grip doesn't infringe on your writing or reading space. Not far off from the size of a typical notebook, the device has the perfect form factor for reading, annotating, and note-taking.

Annotate, sketch, and take notes freely

The main selling point of the Elipsa 2E is its support for note-taking, sketching, and annotating. It's an excellent tool for doing so, with a pen that glides smoothly over its matte, paper-like surface and responsive screen.

It's a unique experience that's similar to, but not exactly like writing on paper — it's leaps and bounds better than writing on your average tablet screen, for sure. There's no lag or delay in screen response, so writing or sketching comes easily. There's also a built-in handwriting-to-text feature, which is a handy way to convert notes to text documents, though it can't really keep up with normal handwriting speed. Starting new notebooks, accessing existing ones, or organizing documents is effortless with the Kobo interface. 

The Elipsa 2E also shines with its annotation feature, which is an incredibly useful tool for students, teachers, and professionals. Users can write and highlight directly on any ebook or document they have on their e-reader. This gives digital textbooks on the Elipsa a big leg up over physical library books since you can annotate all you like without having to worry about preserving clean pages. You also have the ability to change your notes as need be with the eraser or undo options. It's a feature we can't get enough of, especially because the competing Kindle Scribe's annotation options fall short by leagues.

To better highlight the superiority of the Elipsa 2E's annotation, you need to understand where the Scribe's tool disappoints. On the Scribe, you can't write or draw directly on pages — you're limited to only adding expandable sticky notes. Being able to take notes in your own handwriting wherever you like in a book is a freedom we've never seen before, and it gives the Elipsa 2E a clear edge over its main competition.

The stylus works well but only supports wired charging

The included stylus is lightweight, and its sleek design feels good in hand. It features an easily accessible button on the side programmed as a highlighter shortcut and an intuitive eraser on the other end. It conveniently attaches magnetically to the e-reader for easy storage, but its hold isn't the strongest, so you do need to be wary when putting it away in a bag or drawer. 

Where the Kobo Stylus 2 falls short is its lack of wireless charging. While it does use the common USB-C port, the fact that you have to plug the stylus in at all to charge seems like a missed opportunity. The Kindle Scribe's Premium Pen does feature wireless charging, and the Basic Pen doesn't even have a battery that needs charging.

You can easily export and organize notes

The Kobo Elipsa 2E is compatible with Dropbox (and soon Google Drive) for importing and exporting documents. This means that notebooks you create on the device aren't locked to the e-reader — they can easily be accessed by exporting or via Kobo.com, making this device a serious option for studying and sharing resources. 

The ability to export documents is also available with the Kindle Scribe, but it's limited to only web browsers, the Kindle app, and Microsoft Word with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Dropbox and Google Drive are more widely used and have free options, which makes the Elipsa 2E a lot more accessible.

The Elipsa 2E is also great to read on, but we still prefer Amazon's ecosystem

As with any modern e-reader, the Kobo Elipsa 2E also offers a stellar reading experience, complete with adjustable brightness and color temperature. The 227 PPI screen doesn't offer quite as crisp visuals as the 300 PPI Kindle Scribe display, but it's not a noticeable difference when reading or writing. 

The Elipsa 2E's size makes it a bit unwieldy when used solely for reading, but its durable design makes it feel more sturdy in hand when diving into a good book. Fonts are crisp with adjustable sizing, and performance is snappy when flipping pages or browsing through your library. Battery life is solid, with the device lasting for weeks on a single charge when used for reading. Using writing features drains the power faster, but not notably so. All in all, the Elipsa 2E keeps up with the standards of other top e-readers.

However, as a whole, Amazon's Kindle ecosystem is generally more attractive with its vast library of titles, Prime membership perks, and extra services. Kobo has its own pluses, like built-in access to OverDrive for borrowing ebooks from your public library. It also has Kobo Plus, an unlimited reading subscription for only $8 a month, but it offers less than half of the titles that Kindle Unlimited does. And since you can't access Kindle books on Kobo devices, this means you'll have to settle for a smaller catalog to choose from. 

Should you buy it?

The Kobo Elipsa 2E is the best writable e-reader you can buy right now. It beats its main competitor, the Kindle Scribe, by having a sturdier build, more memory, and better annotation features. 

However, the Elipsa 2E's $400 price tag is high and limits its audience to enthusiasts or those with extra money to spend. It's a luxury that students and journalers will love, but despite its smoother writing capabilities, it can't replace the full suite of productivity applications you can get on something like a laptop or an iPad with an Apple Pencil. 

If you're looking for a premium writable e-reader that really mimics the feel of a pen and paper, this is the model to get — but if you need an all-in-one device for reading books, taking notes, browsing the internet, downloading apps, watching videos, and more, you're better off getting a full-fledged tablet. It's going to cost you about the same price anyway.