I am a long-time e-book convert and I’ve tested and owned many eReaders over the past two decades, including Kindles, Nooks, Kobos and a much missed Sony Reader Touch Edition in red aluminum. However, when it came time to commit to a platform, I went with Kobo. One reason is the company is not afraid to push the envelope on hardware–an attitude in full effect with my Kobo Sage, with its 8-inch display, ComfortLight PRO, stylus support and physical buttons. Kobo has made the Sage–and any other Kobo eReader with Bluetooth even more interesting–with the Kobo Remote.
That’s right, no more swiping or pushing buttons. Simply hold your eReader in one hand or prop it up, keep the tiny remote in the other and a simple click instantly turns the page. Kobo released this device during the 2025 holiday season and it sold out quickly. It’s back in stock now and I was finally able to pick one up.
Kobo Remote Setup: Battery Included!
The box includes the remote, a booklet with safety instructions (you’ll have to go online for an actual user manual, but Kobo at least prints a QR code on the box) and a wrist strap. The battery (a single AAA) is included. The most difficult physical part of getting this gadget going was threading the strap through the tiny lanyard slots. Fortunately you only have to do this once.
Kobo Remote Setup: Bluetooth Connection to Your eReader
This is a wireless remote, which requires a Bluetooth connection. That means navigating to the Bluetooth setting on your Kobo eReader, turning on Bluetooth, then pushing the pair button on the Kobo Remote (its blue LED will flash quickly) and waiting for it to appear on the eReader. Select the Kobo remote and that’s it, they’re connected.
Kobo says the Remote works with any Kobo eReader equipped with Bluetooth. That means the following models are supported: Clara 2E, Clara BW, Clara Colour, Libra 2, Libra Colour, Sage, Elipsa and Elipsa 2E.
I have to note that my setup worked perfectly, but after the first page turn, my eReader froze. I had to power it down and power back up, and it’s worked without issue since. The Sage’s battery level was low when I first started playing with the Remote (below 10%) and I suspect that might have had something to do with that initial glitch.
Turn Pages Remotely, Skip Forward/Back on Audiobooks
The Remote is light (just 1.2 ounces), contoured to fit nicely in the hand and you don’t need to look to operate it. Your thumb naturally rests on a large round button that skips a page ahead (or 30 second ahead on an audio book). The button requires little pressure but does have a slight mechanical click. Just below it is a smaller button that moves backward. There is no need to turn on the Remote–it doesn’t even have a power button. It connects to the paired eReader automatically and there is no input lag. The Bluetooth has a claimed range of over 60 feet. I’m not sure who reads a book from 60 feet, but the capability is there if that’s your thing.
No Water
Kobo eReaders are water resistant and one of the selling points of eReaders in general is the ability to sit in a bath or by a pool to read without fear of water ruining their paper book. If reading around water, you’ll want to leave the Kobo Remote behind–it most definitely is not water resistant.
The Kobo Remote is priced at $29.99 and is available in black or white.