The Kobo Remote is the definition of a small upgrade that changes daily habits. This $29.99, two-button Bluetooth clicker pairs directly with recent Kobo e-readers and lets you flip pages without touching the screen. It won’t transform mediocre novels into masterpieces, but it does make reading cozier, cleaner, and easier in more moments than you might expect.
Design and setup: a simple, seamless pairing experience
Kobo kept the design minimal: one button advances, the other goes back. There’s no app, no hidden shortcuts, and no learning curve. Pairing is equally straightforward—enable Bluetooth on your Kobo, hold the remote’s button to initiate pairing, and you’re done in seconds. The accessory behaves like a first-party control should: instant and unobtrusive.
- Design and setup: a simple, seamless pairing experience
- Performance in daily reading and real-world comfort
- Compatibility and controls with current Kobo models
- Build quality, durability, and long battery life
- How it compares to other e-reader accessories
- Value for money and our final verdict on Kobo Remote
The remote is compact and featherlight, roughly the length of a deck of cards and around the mass of a couple of AAAs. Slightly curved edges make it easy to palm, and the matte plastic is grippy enough to avoid slips without feeling cheap. The buttons have a distinct tactile bump and a soft audible click; you’ll notice it in a silent room, but it’s not loud enough to be disruptive.
Power comes from a single replaceable AAA battery, a refreshing choice in a world of sealed rechargeable accessories. For an ultra-low-energy task like page turns over BLE, you can reasonably expect months of use before a swap, avoiding cable clutter and charge anxiety.
Performance in daily reading and real-world comfort
Latency is effectively a non-issue. Page flips trigger as quickly as screen taps, and the remote stays connected throughout long sessions. The experience feels identical to using physical page buttons—just detached from the device. It’s especially handy when your e-reader is propped on a stand, clipped to a treadmill, or balanced on a pillow.
The remote shines in cozy or messy scenarios. Reading under a blanket without exposing your hands to cold air? Easy. Propping a Kobo on a kitchen counter while stirring a pot or snacking? No smudges on the screen. Commuting with your e-reader holstered in a folio while you hold a strap or coffee? A thumb on the clicker keeps the story moving.
There’s also an underappreciated ergonomics angle. Keeping wrists neutral and shoulders relaxed for long periods reduces strain, and distributing micro-movements from screen taps to a lightweight remote can help. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 24% of adults in the U.S. live with arthritis, and for some of those readers, minimizing repetitive reach and grip strength can make longer sessions feasible.
Compatibility and controls with current Kobo models
The remote is built for Kobo’s own ecosystem and works with recent models that support Bluetooth and the latest firmware. It pairs once and remains available, reconnecting automatically when both devices are awake. If you own multiple Kobos, you can re-pair in seconds, but it’s not designed to juggle several at once.
Functionality is intentionally narrow. You can go forward and backward—nothing more. There’s no way to remap buttons, jump chapters, toggle front light levels, or annotate. That simplicity keeps the experience frictionless but may disappoint power users hoping for deeper control.
Build quality, durability, and long battery life
Despite the low price, the remote feels sturdier than a throw-in accessory. The shell resists flex, and the buttons haven’t shown mushiness after heavy use. A tiny status LED confirms pairing and low-battery warnings. Because it uses a common AAA, replacements are trivial—no hunting for coin cells, and no downtime waiting for a recharge.
In typical reading patterns—an hour or two nightly with occasional weekend binges—expect multi-month endurance from a reputable alkaline battery. Bluetooth Low Energy and the brief duty cycle of page commands keep consumption minimal.
How it compares to other e-reader accessories
Few mainstream e-readers ship with first-party remotes. Some models include physical page buttons, and third-party Bluetooth page-turners exist for other platforms, but native, seamless pairing is rare. That’s the Kobo Remote’s biggest advantage: it works like it belongs, with no accessibility hacks or flaky profiles.
The trade-off is scope. You’re buying a single-purpose tool that makes sense only if you already own a compatible Kobo. If you’re cross-shopping accessories, a stand, a better light, or a premium case can also improve comfort. However, none replicate the “hands tucked away, pages keep flowing” convenience this clicker offers.
Value for money and our final verdict on Kobo Remote
At $30, the Kobo Remote is a modest splurge that pays off every time you settle in to read. It’s perfect for blanket weather, kitchen-counter chapters, and anyone who wants to reduce taps and awkward grip changes. The buttons are a touch clicky, and the feature set is deliberately sparse, but the execution is excellent: quick pairing, reliable performance, pocketable size, and a battery you can replace in seconds.
If you’re happy tapping the screen or your Kobo already has physical buttons, you don’t need this. If you value comfort and the kind of incremental quality-of-life upgrade that you quickly miss when it’s gone, the Kobo Remote earns a spot in your reading kit. Small accessory, outsized impact—exactly what a good gadget should be.
