Rakuten’s Kobo Sage has been out of stock across most markets since mid-2025, with no restock timeline or successor announced, leading to reports that the 8-inch e-reader has likely been discontinued.
The Kobo Sage launched in 2021 as one of the few e-readers in Rakuten’s lineup to combine physical page-turn buttons, stylus support, and an IPX8 waterproof rating, features that set it apart from the more basic Kobo Clara models targeting casual readers.
More than four years without a direct successor places the Sage outside the typical refresh cycle for premium e-readers, a category where Amazon updates its Kindle Scribe and Oasis lines more frequently to maintain competitive positioning.
New Zealand remains the only confirmed market where the Kobo Sage still appears in stock, a geographic outlier that does little to suggest a broader restock is planned for the US, UK, or European markets where demand was highest.
Rakuten released no new e-reader models in 2025 beyond a white colourway variant of the Kobo Clara Colour, a limited product update that signals a quieter year for the Kobo lineup rather than a strategic withdrawal from the 8-inch segment entirely.
The 7-inch Kobo Libra Colour carries forward the most relevant features of the Sage, including physical page-turn buttons, IPX8 water resistance, and stylus support, and also supports the Kobo Remote accessory released in late 2025, making it the closest available replacement within the Kobo ecosystem.
The Libra Colour lists at £209 on Amazon, positioning it as a direct stepping stone for existing Sage owners who want to stay within Rakuten’s ecosystem without moving to a third-party alternative.
Buyers unwilling to adopt a colour e-ink panel can consider the Boox Go 7, a $249.99 Android-based alternative that includes page-turn buttons, stylus support, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a built-in speaker and microphone.
Rakuten has not issued a statement confirming the Kobo Sage’s discontinuation, and whether the company plans to re-enter the 8-inch e-reader segment later in 2026 remains unclear.
(via Good Ereader)
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