iLounge

Company: Prima Cases

Website: www.Primacases.com

Model: Premium Flip

Price: $43

Compatible: iPhone

Prima Cases Select Premium Leather Flip Style Case for iPhone

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 Premium Leather Flip Style Case for iPhone ($43).

If we’ve seen it twice, we’ve seen it a million times: this generically-designed PDA-style flip case for the iPhone is unique only in its use of materials. Its glossy red Italian leather exterior—also available in black or distressed slate gray—is augmented by a black velvet lining, four interior card pockets, and a smooth, flat belt clip-less back. The black version is also sold with a detachable belt clip. While we really dislike flip-style cases, the leather on this one looks sharper than most, and is downgraded only by the presence of an unusually large company logo on its face, a cheesy oversized “Genuine Leather” badge on its inside, and by the imprecise cuts of its holes, which don’t always do a great job of aligning with the iPhone’s body features. Leather Flip’s bottom vents for the iPhone’s speaker and microphone aren’t quite open enough, either, blocking rather than properly exposing the device’s speakerphone features.

Once it’s closed, though, the Flip Style Case provides a substantial amount of protection for the iPhone, truly exposing only four small parts around its top—the side corners, headphone port, and camera, which work just fine but don’t look ideal if you play a little with the leather. And it doesn’t, like cases we’ve recently tested from PDair and others, look or feel cheap; rather, it’s just imperfectly tailored. At $43, you’ll pay more for it than we would for anything less than a perfect flip case, but if you don’t mind the overaggressive branding and want something with nice leather and substantial protection, this is a better than decent option.