Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Jeremy Horwitz
By Jeremy Horwitz - Editor-in-Chief
Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

iPod protectors continue to be the most popular accessories out there, so in the weeks that follow the release of new iPods, the first truly new accessories we see are always protective cases and stickers. This week, we’ve been checking out the first products in each category for the new iPod nano and iPod classic: Uniea’s U-Suit for iPod nano 3G ($30) is the very first case available for the squat new video-ready nano.


Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)
Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Of these products, Uniea’s U-Suit is the most stunning—not because of anything incredible about its design, but rather because of the speed with which it appeared.

Uniea announced the hard-reinforced leather case before the third-generation iPod nano was even released, and began shipping it the day after that iPod arrived in stores. Amazingly, our four review samples all fit our new nanos perfectly, fully exposing the nano’s screen and Click Wheel for easy access, and providing almost complete nano bottom access as well.

Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Standard and mid-sized earphone plugs and Dock Connector accessories have no trouble fitting in Uniea’s wide bottom hole, and though it’s not able to fit on top of Universal or other iPod nano docks without being removed, we found that our oversized headphone plugs worked with only slight necessary adjustment. The nano’s bottom Hold switch is also exposed, and as easy to use with the case on as when it’s off.

Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Review: Uniea U-Suit for iPod nano (3G)

Like so many of these relatively inexpensive reinforced leather cases, U-Suit’s issues are familiar: the top and side corners of the nano are completely exposed, its screen and Click Wheel have no anti-scratch protection, and the build quality is slightly suspect: the interior padding in one of our samples is already showing signs of fraying, and the leather exterior doesn’t have the feel of supreme quality that more expensive leather designs from Vaja and others have offered.

Jeremy Horwitz
By Jeremy Horwitz Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.