Kobo has announced that it's throwing its hat into the premium eReader ring next month with its brand-new Kobo Aura One. Due to arrive on 6 September at a price of £190, the Aura One is the world's first eReader to come with a front-lit display that's been specifically designed to reduce the amount of blue light it produces, making it easier on your eyes when you're reading at night. It also builds on the waterproof protection of the Aura H20, as you can now submerge it for up to 2m for 60 minutes, and has a huge 7.8in display.
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With a screen this large, the Aura One isn't too dissimilar from the size of a regular hardback, so you should be able to see more words per page than its closest rival, the Amazon Kindle Oasis. With a resolution of 1,872 x 1,404 and pixel density of 300ppi, its Carta E-Ink touchscreen isn't quite as sharp as the Kindle Oasis, which has the same pixel density packed into a smaller 6in display, but we'll have to wait and see how it fares once we get one in for testing.
Instead, the Aura One's main attraction is its ambient light sensor, which can tune the brightness to match your current lighting conditions. By setting a bedtime hour, the screen will mimic the sun's natural progression as it sets, gradually reducing the amount of blue light as the night comes in. It also comes with 8GB of storage and has a one-month battery life, so you shouldn't need to charge it too often, either.
That's not the only new eReader Kobo's releasing next month, as the Aura One will also be joined by the Aura Edition 2, a more entry-level eReader for those who just want something a little more basic. This 6in device also has a Carta E-Ink touchscreen, but only has a resolution of 1,024 x 768 (212ppi). It has less storage as well, maxing out at 4GB, but has the added benefit of a two month battery life. This will also launch on 6 September, and will cost £100. We'll be getting both in for review very shortly, so check back soon to see our final verdict.