Belkin Leather Folio for iPod Touch - Review

• Author: reemixx
• Filed under: Reviews
• Date: Jan 15,2008

Since the iPod Touch has been released in Australia, there have been very few cases available for it. For the few cases that are available, finding information on them has been extremely hard. So, I thought I’d write a short review on the Belkin Leather Folio case that I recently purchased.

Aesthetics

This is a flip-cover style case. It’s made of leather, and the one shown here is the Black/Chocolate version, with the leather case being black, and the leather trim around the edges being brown. The inside material is also brown. I think it’s very nice looking, professional rather than an eye-grabber (less attention to a device is good when using public transport). There is a honeycomb design on the front and in the inside cover, which gives it a bit of flavour instead of being completely plain. It would suit the fashion conscious as well as anyone who wants a professional or conservative looking case.

Practicality

The Belkin Leather Folio was definitely made with practicality in mind. There is complete access to all iPod buttons and functions while still in the case. The top on/off button and bottom cable and headphones ports are exposed. Lifting the cover, you can see the iPod’s main button is also exposed. The iPod Touch slides into the right hand side of the case, and fits snug and secure with no risk of it falling out as far as I can tell. It can easily be removed from the case when needed. This case also comes with a clear screen protector as an optional extra (I chose not to use this).

The flip-cover style case obviously isn’t for everyone, however. My reason for wanting a flip-cover was to protect the screen from dirt and dust while it’s in my pocket without having to use a screen protector, since the screen is scratch resistant and doesn’t really need it. Since there are no buttons on the iPod Touch to change the volume and switch tracks, you need to physically look at the screen anyway, so the flip-cover doesn’t really hinder the process. In my opinion, the flip-cover style case is not nearly as practical for the iPod Classic and Nano.

The only changes I would like to see made to this case is to scrap the velcro fastener and use hidden magnets to keep the cover closed instead, which can be found in the same Belkin case for the Nano. I’ve no idea why they opted for the velcro instead for this case. It adds a little more bulk to an otherwise slim case. Also, there is no hole in the front for the ambient light sensor, meaning you’ll need to change the manual brightness setting each time you enter a different environment with different lighting. This may be a dealbreaker for some people.

Build Quality

This case is definitely well made and very durable. It does not feel like a cheap case in any way, shape or form (and it wasn’t, at AU$40, but obviously you do get what you pay for). The leather used is tough but still very flexible. There is no loose stitching on mine, and the velcro also fastens well. The edges and corners around the screen don’t inhibit the user viewing the screen in any way. Everything matches up and aligns perfectly well. It doesn’t feel like this case is going to break any time soon. Mine did come with a bit of a scratch or graze on the front, even though it was fully packaged in plastic. This shows that the case will mark and get a bit scratched up over time, as it is made of leather. However, I feel this is half the purpose of the case, and would rather the case get scratched up than my iPod.

Conclusion

I recommend this case to anyone looking for a flip-cover case for their iPod Touch. I’ve had cases for other iPods and devices before, and this is the best one I’ve seen. It’s durable, looks nice, and protects my iPod very well. It does add a bit of thickness to the anorexic iPod Touch, but not so much that it’s too big for my pocket. A magnetic closure would be far better, but the velcro isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Most importantly, it completely protects the extremely scratchable chrome back casing of the iPod Touch. I don’t see my iPod getting scratched any time soon using this case. Good job, Belkin.