The Durobo Krono strips the e-reader down to its pocketable essentials, but a lack of polish and questionable features keep it from challenging more refined rivals.
Reading on the go is always kind of a pain. Either you're doing it on a smartphone, which isn't great for your eyes, or you might try to lug around an iPad or a larger e-paper reader like a Kindle.
That's why there's a surprisingly large fanbase for pocket-sized e-eaders. I even consider myself a part of that fanbase, considering how much I've enjoyed using one myself.
When Durobo reached out and asked if I wanted to check out their Krono palm-sized e-ink e-reader, I couldn't resist. I wanted to see how it stacks up to others I've tried.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Pint-sized
As with all handheld e-readers, the biggest selling point of this device is its minuscule size. And it is pretty small — it's comparable to most standard-sized smartphones like the iPhone 17.
Krono is small enough to stash in a bag or a back pocket, which is nice. It's a scant 6.06" by 3.15" by x 0.35".
The weight is also pretty light — about 173 grams, just a smidge over six ounces. Even for as light as it is, it doesn't feel especially flimsy or cheap.
Durobo Krono e-ink e-reader review: It's actually pretty comfortable to read on
It features a 6.13" HD Carta 1200 display — black and white only — which is the same as its direct competitor, the Boox Palma. If you're comfortable reading on a smartphone, this shouldn't be too different — and the 300ppi resolution certainly doesn't hurt.
It's also got a dual-toned front light, which is great if you're like me and you do a lot of reading in bed. I love to crank the light all the way to the warmest setting and then read until I'm about to fall asleep.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Free wheelin'
Perhaps the most interesting bit of the Krono is the little wheel on the left side of the device. This is the Krono Smart Dial.
It sort of feels like the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch, or maybe to a lesser extent, the AirPods Max. I like its inclusion, though I'm not sure if the execution is quite there.
As far as I can tell, there's no way to change what the dial does. So, by default:
- A single press refreshes the screen
- A double press opens up the AI assistant
- Pressing and holding opens the voice memo menu
- Turning the dial adjusts screen brightness, unless—
- — You've recently pressed the volume button, then it controls the volume, or—
- You're on a page that can be scrolled, then it controls scrolling
There are some things I love about that setup. The ability to refresh the screen, especially if I've been reading for a while, is genuinely fantastic.
Double pressing to call up the AI assistant makes sense, too. There's almost no chance you'll accidentally summon it, which is nice.
Durobo Krono e-ink e-reader review: The smart dial is a cool idea, a little less cool in practice
I don't really understand why there's a level of contextual logic behind the spinning of the dial itself, though. The volume button is already a rocker button and can be easily accessed with your thumb or fingers, depending on which hand you're holding it in.
But I do like the fact that you can use it to scroll while reading. I actually found this a far more enjoyable experience, as far as page navigation goes, than the typical turn-the-page style e-reader experience.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Under the hood
Let's get into what the Krono is working with, spec-wise.
On the inside, it's got an octa-core Processor with 6GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It runs Android 15, which I deeply appreciate, because there should be a decent amount of support for a while.
You can charge it via USB-C, it's got Wi-Fi connectivity, and it has Bluetooth. So far, no surprises there, either.
The 3,950 mAh battery will last you at least a week if you're using it to read — probably more. If you start using it to listen to audio books or make a lot of recordings, obviously that'll decrease quite a bit.
It can open a whole list of file formats you'd expect an e-reader to handle, including EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, MOBI, PDF, TXT, DOC, and DOCX. It has image support for PNG, JPG, BMP, and TIFF.
Audio support includes WAV and MP3, but let's discuss that in a little more detail.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Best seen, not heard
So far, I've yet to come across an e-paper device that has a decent microphone or speaker. That trend continues with Krono.
In fact, the audio in Krono is, frankly, terrible.
This wouldn't be an issue if Durobo hadn't positioned the entire device as a replacement for an audio recorder. I'm not entirely sure why, though, as smartphones already have fantastic built-in microphones and speakers.
Not to mention, I am not entirely sure how often the average person is recording voice memos. I know that I, personally, never record any voice memos unless I'm testing a device like this — but to each their own, I suppose.
Either way, if you're planning on listening to audiobooks, just make sure you've got a pair of Bluetooth headphones at the ready.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Stripped way, way way down
If you asked me what the defining feature of the Krono is, oddly enough, it wouldn't be the little navigation wheel. It would be how absolutely barebones this little e-reader is.
Maybe it's because I'm used to Boox devices, or maybe it's because I've been using smartphones since 2014, but this is a weird experience. Note that I said weird, not bad.
Durobo Krono e-ink e-reader review: The ultimate WYSIWYG device — this is your home screen, no more, no less
Krono isn't trying to compete with your smartphone. There's no email, there's no browser — it really is just designed to be an e-reader.
And that's where it excels, really. As an e-ink reader that you can pitch in your bag or back pocket.
If you're hoping to bridge the gap between book and smartphone, this isn't it. If you're looking for productivity, you're looking for Boox.
Specifically, you're looking for a Boox device that is probably larger than the Palma, too. I'd suggest the Boox Tab Mini in that case.
I do have a fair amount of hesitation in recommending this over the Palma. First, they're the same price right now.
At $275, the Palma feels leaps and bounds ahead of the Krono. It's not a bad e-reader, but Boox has been in the game long enough that its devices have a level of polish that the Krono just doesn't have yet.
The second is the level of polish. I have a special place in my heart for the Palma, not because it's the first, but because I truly do think that it's the best palm-sized e-reader I've seen so far.
Boox includes enough on the Palma that it feels smartphone adjacent without being the same distraction box that an iPhone is. If you spend a lot of time reading text-heavy websites, the Palma works right out of the box.
And yes, you can get browsers for the Krono. You can get plenty of apps for the Krono — you have access to the Google Play store.
But it doesn't feel quite there yet, either.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: The AI issue
Would it really be one of my reviews if I didn't address the artificial intelligence? Probably not.
Once again, we've got a solid device that has not been improved by the addition of an AI assistant.
The onboard AI assistant is, to put it lightly, rough. It doesn't really seem to know what its job is.
When I first asked it what it could do, it was happy to tell me that it could remind me of things or that it could even code for me. Reminding me of things is fine, though there's not really a built-in reminders app or anything, so I'm not sure how useful this is.
The second one is especially perplexing. I'm not entirely sure how I'd get the code back off of Krono — it's not like the AI assistant automatically syncs across the cloud like ChatGPT.
Since the update, it doesn't seem as excited to offer coding ability — though it will readily suggest that it can. It still offers to draft emails for you, or poetry, or help you come up with slogans for your product.
Durobo Krono e-ink e-reader review: Not particularly quick with the queries
When you do ask it for something that it should be able to do, the response time takes forever. I asked it for a recommendation for someone who likes true crime, and the turnaround was nearly a full minute.
Not every query takes this long, but none of them are especially fast. And again, because of the way this is set up, I'm not able to easily take this information elsewhere.
I will say, the one bit of credit I can give Durobo here is that the AI features are extremely opt-in. Unless you're actively seeking them out, they won't get in the way.
But if I were buying the device for the AI features, I would be sorely disappointed. Take that as you will.
Durobo Krono e-reader review: Not ready for prime time
I don't hate the Krono, but I don't exactly know who it's for, either. It's stuck in a weird middle ground where it's trying to directly compete with the Boox Palma while also trying to be minimalist.
I think that Durobo would do well to pick one of those two converging paths going forward. Stripping out the AI assistant from future devices could go a long way.
In fact, I'd argue that a better competitor for the Krono would be the Kindle Paperwhite. Right now, the Palma and Viwoods Reader are the only easily accessible palm-sized e-readers, and there's definitely room in the market to go lighter weight and reading-first.
So, while I don't love the Krono yet, I still think that it's headed in the right direction.
Durobo Krono e-reader pros
- Runs Android 15
- Perfect size to take anywhere
- Smart dial is perfect for long reading sessions
- Dual-tone frontlight
Durobo Krono e-reader cons
- Smart dial isn't customizable
- AI assistant seems entirely unnecessary
- Too stripped down for the price
- Poor recording quality
- Poor speaker quality
Durobo Krono e-reader rating: 2 out of 5
Where to buy:
If you're interested in buying the Durobo Krono e-reader, you can grab it from Krono's website for $279.
