Just a few images of the unboxing experience until I can spend a few weeks reviewing.
Tag: accessory
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Over the holidays I’m juggling the XS with no case, the Otterbox and the Apple Leather case. After using the Otterbox constantly then going back to no case and back to leather I think the leather one offers me the best grip and size compromises of using a case.
Two things that are downside of the Otterbox, slippery back so it spins around on tables, buttons are stiff and the lower part of the case restricts the up swipe for multitasking.
The leather case offers a smaller footprint, is grippy and no restrictions on the bottom of the case.
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Took a while to get here from the states but I’ve had through the Otterbox Marvel series case. This is the Symmetry series of cases but with an Infinity War flavour, which I’m loving.
These cases are a little bulkier than an Apple silicone but offers much more protection.
The only slight downside to the bulk is it’s a little harder to use the swiping up gesture on the X series but the width for me makes typing easier.
If you’re into Marvel or like style of case I recommend picking one up before they are discontinued.
I even did a little video.
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I’ve never been a fan of big cases and to be honest never really looked at an Otterbox but when I saw the Star Wars edition whilst searching on Amazon I was intrigued. I read up, watched a few videos and decided to give one a go. They looked to be more minimal than their usual heavy duty cases so as a day to day case looked doable for me.
The presentation is good and all materials appear to be recyclable, which is great to see.
The case itself has a large outer shell with a impact protected inner one that is a softer rubber. The case is quite stiff when you first use it but once I’d taken it on and off a few times seemed easier. Oh quick word of warning, if you’re looking for an included screen protector then it doesn’t have one. This isn’t a knock on the case but just be aware.
The design I went for was R2 and Leia but there are other designs available including Vader and BB-8.
Although a bit thicker than the Apple silicone case it’s not too bad for a protective case. I find the Apple silicone case texture to be horrible to hold after a while, no such problems here. It’s a softer material so won’t get that sticky feeling I hate so much. It also doesn’t collected lint and slips easily into your pocket. There’s enough grip to let is sit on sofa cushions etc. This is one of the reasons I’m not using my XS ‘naked’ it feels great in the hand but not for sitting down places.
All the buttons are easily pressed and have a satisfying click to them.
Ports are all accessible and wireless charging is fine.
Value for money wise it’s around £35, which is on the expensive side but a lot better value than the official Apple ones. I noticed though that the Star Wars ones are more expensive so if that’s not your bag just pick up a standard Symmetry one. They do them in loads of different colours.
So overall I didn’t think I’d like a more heavy duty case but otterbox have really done a great job of balancing protection with a more minimal design and come up with a good compromise.
Amazon Link. (All associate revenue goes towards the purchase of stuff to review for the site).
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I’ve never been a case guy but over the last few months I’ve been going between the Apple Silicone and Leather cases. I’m using an old black X silicone case on my XS and a saddle brown leather XS one.
After testing both a lot I’ve come to the conclusion I really don’t like the silicone. It might be the fact I have the black version but
- It picks up everything it touches
- It’s almost too much grip to get it out of your pockets quickly
- It wears on the edges really badly and already frayed and breaking
- Now it’s worn it feels sticky, not in a good way
So I just can’t recommend it. At £45 this is one of the worst value for money propositions Apple gives us.
Avoid and if you’re ok with animal products get a leather one instead.
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As you most probably know I use the Apple Smart Keyboard cover, in fact I prefer typing on it than my 12″ MacBook. I’ve owned my current version since June 2017, so at almost 18 months use I thought I’d report back on the durability.
For me the keyboard cover is attached to my iPad about 80% of the time, I carry it between meetings in work and it goes into my bag to form as protection to the screen. I’ve also dropped it a couple of times and it’s protected my iPad both times.
Overall for the 18 months of hard use I’ve given it I’d say it’s held up well. For the money I feel it’s a little on the expensive side but worth it if you keep hold of your iPad for more than a year. If you change your iPad each year don’t invest in one because it’ll be another couple of hundred that you can put towards Apple Care + or the iPad itself, these things aren’t getting any cheaper.
Where I’d like to see it improved
I’m yet to try the new iPad Pro and it’s new Smart Keyboard, I’m staying as far away from an Apple store as possible – especially if I have access to a payment method but from my experience of the current 10.5″ here is where I’d like to see improvement
- Improved stability if using on my lap, the 10.5″ is a little narrow and doesn’t feel stable when I’m using it on the sofa
- Improved screen angles, not a couple but like the Microsoft Surface and more like a MacBook. I’d like to be able to adjust to wherever I’d like (if you know a good third party that does this please let me know)
- More durable material, as you can see in the images of mine the edge of the keyboard has frayed so I’d like to see some harder wearing material
- Bit more affordable, I know I know this isn’t going to happen 😊
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I used to test a lot cases on my blog but fallen off the wagon with settling on Apple cases. I thought it was about time I picked up some third party cases and let you know what I thought.
First up is the Elago Slim Fit.
This case is a plastic shell that snaps onto the back of your iPhone. It has coverage on all of the buttons and leaves them with the pretty much the same nice click as before.
It’s very minimal and doesn’t add a lot of bulk.
The main downside for me is the slippery finish they have used. It’s a light matte finish but leaves it hard to hang onto. This kind of defeats the object of having a case in the first place.
This is a case to avoid.
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My new cape code iPhone XS case is creaking like crazy. I think it’s slightly loose so whenever I hold it there’s some flex and an audible creak. I’ll be taking it back but curious if anyone else has had this?
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After a week and a half the saddle brown case is finally getting some patina and grip. I think Apple put a wax or similar coating that protects the finish. This appears to have worn off now and as the case picks up oils and damage it’s become a bit easier to handle.
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I’ve always heard good things about Nomad so decided to finally pick up one of their modern straps.
I’ll have a review in a couple of weeks once I’ve figured out if I like it or not.
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It depends..
After having purchased both the bright orange and saddle brown it’s become evident that out of the box at least there is a difference in the leather used between colours.
The bright orange leather case is much more textured than the saddle brown, which is smooth. This makes it slippery, when holding on the sides it’s almost unusable. Even using within the 15 day return period I’ve found that the grip doesn’t increase. I know it will over a long period but I can’t wait, I’ll most probably drop it.
So I’m returning the saddle brown and sticking with my bright orange, when I use a case that is. I already have so many scratches on my iPhone X that I’m less worried about dropping it. I have Apple Care + just in case.
My advice if you want a leather case from Apple is to try before you buy in store. They don’t mind you opening them up and having a go, you will find the grip changes depending on the colour you choose.
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I’ve been testing out third party lightning cables for a while now but realised I’d never actually shared which was my favourite. After having enough with the Apple cable breaking after only a few months I went on a search.
My favourite third party lightning cable is from Anker. It’s braided so flexible and sturdy. I’ve been using it for about 8 months and it’s still in the same condition as when I bought it.
LJPUK 