Overall the Kobo Glo HD's performance was excellent, among the best we've seen on all counts.
The 6-inch screen offers the best combination of display size, portability, and price for most buyers. Among the best we've seen, this monochrome screen has very crisp type. It's one of the best for reading in bright light like on a beach. It's one of the best for reading in low light as on an airplane or dimly lit room without needing a book light. The largest type size is bigger than on most models, making it easier to read for the sight impaired.
Responsiveness was excellent, among the best we've seen on all counts. It turns on almost instantly from sleep mode, and opens a book with practically no delay. Page turns are among the fastest we've seen, which should allow you to read without any pause for the page to refresh. Navigation is done using a touchscreen. Navigation was excellent, making this among the easiest models for getting around within a book. The screen periodically flashes to black during page turns, but the effect is brief and occurs only about every sixth page turn. The screen does not rotate images from portrait to landscape view when the device is turned, nor can you manually rotate it. The screen instead locks images into the view in which they were created. You can create your own bookmarks, and the last page you read is automatically saved. You can search through your entire library of books to find titles, which is convenient if you have a large collection of books stored on the reader. Purchased books are downloaded via a WiFi connection.
The widest variety of common file formats are supported, making this among the best models tested in that regard. It's among the more versatile models we've tested. You can purchase titles from the integrated Kobo ebook store. It supports the EPUB e-book format. The reader supports e-book loans from public libraries. You must, however, use a computer to choose and download library books, then connect the reader to the computer with a USB cable to transfer the loaned book. The reader has a touchscreen that makes turning pages easier than using only buttons.
Among the useful features and attributes of this model are: Readability that's better than most other models we've tested, with crisp text and excellent contrast. WiFi connectivity for buying books and browsing the web. Its largest font size is among the biggest we've seen, and a boon for the sight-impaired.
Downsides: The battery is not user replaceable. A power supply or adapter is not included.
