We’ve seen plenty of cases with attached lids for both full-sized iPads and the iPad mini, but Moshi’s latest offerings stick out from the bunch. The two almost-identical options — Moshi’s VersaCover for the third- and fourth-generation iPad ($60) and VersaCover for iPad mini ($50) — give users body protection, thanks to hard polycarbonate shells, plus screen coverage and stand functionality in the form of a lid that folds like origami.
Between the two models, the shell is pretty much the same. Made of strong feeling polycarbonate plastic, it comes in either clear, black, or white for the larger iPad, but only clear for the smaller tablet. Each has openings for the headphone port, microphone, iSight camera, and an extended hole for the side switch and volume buttons.
They both also include Sleep/Wake button protection, something we’re especially happy to see because it’s a pretty rare feature among shells. The iPad mini model has an opening along the bottom, exposing the speakers as well as the Lightning port, while the full-sized Versa Cover has one hole in the center to expose the Dock Connector or Lightning port, plus a honeycomb-shaped pattern over its single speaker. Overall, we’re happy with the above average amount of protection these shells provide.
Whereas there are a few differences between the back protectors, VersaCover’s lid is setup exactly the same way for both the iPad and iPad mini. It’s split into six segments: thin rows along the bottom and top, and triangular wedges in-between.
This setup allows the cover to fold into a variety of different angles in both landscape and portrait orientations, ranging from 40 to 60°. These positions are held by rather strong magnets embedded in the lid, which also serve to automatically lock and unlock the tablet. Additionally, both cases have small magnets on the back, along the left edge, to hold the cover in place when it’s folded behind.
VersaCover fulfills most of the requirements we look for in a case. Not only does it protect your iPad or iPad mini well, it also provides a number of useful stand angles, and looks good too.
