Released in 2012, the Kobo Mini had a 5” screen (no light) and 2GB of storage. I think I bought mine in 2013. Let me tell you, I read lots of books on this little guy, back then. I re-read all the Riftwar Saga books by Raymond Feist, and one of my favourite books The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, along with many others.
I also spent quite a bit of time trying to find fonts which looked good on the diminutive screen. My favourite font was Ibis text followed by Abril:
Kobo Mini with Ibis font
Kobo Mini with Abril font
I still think those fonts look nice, although I use Bookerly and Literata on my Kindles these days.
A Firmware Hack
After I found the Mini (whilst looking for something else), I discovered that it’s possible to install firmware intended for the Glo on the Mini. I followed the instructions in this Reddit post and everything is working fine.
How Does it Hold Up Today?
Well, the battery isn’t holding charge like it used to, but that’s to be expected. Having to charge it once a week is completely fine for me. The touchscreen is certainly slower than modern ereaders, but still entirely usable. As far as I’m aware, this is still the smallest e-ink ereading device (not counting e-ink phones). You can easily shove this thing in a jacket pocket and no one will know that you’re planning on reading at work instead of working at work!
For me, this was bought as an upgrade from reading on my HTC Desire phone. I got my money’s worth out of it, for sure.
For a size comparison, here is the latest Kindle Paperwhite and my Kobo Mini, both aligned on the bottom edge:
Five Inch vs Seven Inch
Final Thoughts
The Mini was pitched as a small ereading device. I bought it just for that reason. I read quite a few books on it and it’s still capable of reading many more. Whilst I wouldn’t want it as my main device anymore, it still fills it niche as a pocketable little ereader.
