Kobo review
Updated September 30, 2026 · GizmoCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Kobo suits readers who want a specialist e-reader shop with price matching rather than a general electronics marketplace. E-readers account for 1.7% of the site's listings, entry prices start at €5.25, the midpoint entry figure is €86.82 and support runs on help centre and chat.
Key facts
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- Wikidata
Pros and cons
Pros
- Price match is offered, so a cheaper quote from another seller can be put to Kobo before buying.
- Support runs on help centre and chat, so help arrives either as a written answer or a live chat window.
- The store is broad, with computers and audio each making up 63.5% of the store categories and gaming at 58.8%.
- Choice runs to 344 brands, against 115 across the electronics-store ranking.
- Click and collect is offered on 65.2% of the site, which suits anyone who wants a device in hand rather than a delivery wait.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre and chat only, so a faulty device cannot be sorted out over the phone.
- E-readers are 1.7% of the site's listings, so the shelves lean to computers and audio rather than to the devices the name suggests.
- Battery figures run 4 to 300 hours, a spread far wider than the 8 to 70 in the electronics-store ranking.
- Listing prices run €5.25 to €8,768.75, so a low entry figure on one product says little about the rest of a basket.
Ready to try Kobo?
Who it suits
- Readers after a specialist e-reader name that states a price match in its help centre.
- Shoppers who want one store to cover computers, audio and gaming, all listed among the store categories at 63.5%, 65.9% and 58.8%.
- Anyone who cross-checks prices first, since 54.5% of the site price match and Kobo is one of them.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who need a phone line for a faulty device, since support runs on help centre and chat.
- Shoppers whose list is mostly laptops and desktops, with laptops at 9.3% and desktops at 10% of the listings.
- Readers chasing the lowest possible entry price, since listing prices run €5.25 to €8,768.75.
The company behind it
Kobo is operated by Rakuten Kobo Inc., the company standing behind the store and the devices it sells. Support is documented on help centre and chat, which means a help centre with written answers and chat for a live conversation. Phone is not in that list, so the help centre is the first place to read about orders, warranty and device setup before opening a chat window. The entity name also matters for anyone comparing policies across sellers, because orders, warranty terms and refunds are written under Rakuten Kobo Inc. rather than under a trading name on the box.
How Kobo compares
TESmart
UMEVO
Joom
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Logitech
Antigravity
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Snapmaker US
ESR EU
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Uperfect Monitor
XPPen
Frequently asked questions
Does Kobo match prices from other retailers?+
Kobo states a price match, so a cheaper quote from another seller is the thing to bring to the store before ordering. Across the site 54.5% of the electronics stores price match and 45.5% do not, which makes it a point worth checking rather than assuming.
Can I reach Kobo support by phone?+
The channels Kobo publishes are help centre and chat, so a question goes to the help centre in writing or into a live chat window. For a purchase, a refund or a device that will not hold a charge, the written answers in the help centre cover the same ground a call would.
How wide is the range of brands?+
The site lists 344 brands, a broader spread than the 115 in the electronics-store ranking. Breadth sits in the catalogue rather than the service, with computers and audio each at 63.5% of the store categories and gaming at 58.8%.
What does a product on the site cost to start from?+
Entry prices start at €5.25 and reach €8,768.75, with €86.82 in the middle and €33.92 at the lower end of the range. Anyone budgeting for a single item is better served by the middle figure than by the floor.
How long is the warranty on what is sold?+
Warranty across the site runs 12 months in the middle, with 12 at the upper end of the usual range. Longer cover exists on some lines, and extended warranty is offered on 86.2% of the site, so the term on the product page is the one that settles it.
Does the store sell refurbished or graded products?+
Refurbished stock is a store category on 49.4% of the site, and the condition grades in use run from fair at 38.9% to good at 77.8%, with like-new at 72.2% and excellent at 77.8% in between.
Can I trade in an older device?+
Trade-in is offered on 96.8% of the site, so an older e-reader or phone has a route to offset against a new purchase. The grading scheme, where good sits at 77.8%, decides what a returned unit is worth, so condition is worth checking before quoting.
Can I collect an order instead of waiting for delivery?+
Click and collect is offered on 65.2% of the site, which suits anyone who wants a device in hand rather than a delivery window. Since 34.8% of the site does not offer it, collection is worth checking product by product instead of assumed.
Sources
- kobo.com/help checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Price match, Support channels
“(c) 2025 Rakuten Kobo Inc.”
Compiled from 1 source page, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Departments, Return window.
Kobo
E-reader buyers who want a specialist store that states a price match.