iLounge

Company: Prima Cases

Website: www.Primacases.com

Model: Low Profile Vertical Jacket

Price: $28

Compatible: iPhone

Prima Cases Select Low Profile Vertical Jacket for iPhone

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By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Monday, December 10, 2007
Category: Cases - iPhone

We've probably received more leather iPod cases in the past two months than in the past 2 years, so in an effort to cover as many as possible, we're writing only brief reviews today for all but the most interesting ones. This is our review of Prima Cases' Select Low Profile Vertical Jacket for iPhone ($28).

Available in black, this leather case doesn’t live up to its claim of being the “slimmest case on the market that will house and protect your iPhone”—in fact, it’s thicker than many such cases and substantially less protective thanks to an open top and bottom corners—but it’s not bad looking in person. Made with the same quality Italian leather found in the company’s other cases, the Select Low Profile Vertical Jacket has a plastic ratcheting belt clip on back—it ratchets through 180 degrees, then spins loosely through the other 180—and serves as an open holster for the iPhone when it’s not in use. Padding inside offsets what one would otherwise guess from the design would be a very loose fit, and a mostly hard back plate offsets softer leather front and side portions; unless it’s been greased up or is being seriously shaken around, an iPhone on its side does not have any substantial risk of falling out under normal usage conditions.

However, from its mediocre protectiveness to its generic, almost device-agnostic design, there’s nothing except the look and feel of the leather material that we really like about this case, unless you take into account the fact that its open top doesn’t require you to fidget with a flap to get your iPhone out. That its flapless design is less inconvenient than the sunglass case-style Lateral iPhone Case from Prima doesn’t atone for the fact that so many other belt clipped iPhone cases at the same price are more convenient, protective, and iPhone-contoured; this one’s solely for those who want something simple and black for their belts.