Proporta Aluminum Lined Leather iPad 2 Case [Review]

With the iPad 2 being released for over a month and a half, the number of main-stream cases are increasing day-by-day. Proporta (based in the UK) has a few of their own. Available for a whopping $79.95, this aluminum lined leather folio case adds some great protection to your new iPad 2, as well as adding some extra functionality. Is it worth it? Continue reading to find out!

Tea aside, the case itself is made of high quality leather, and the stitching seems excellent. Durability has been just fine for the past few weeks of using this case; it’s been thrown in and out of backpacks with books and other items, and it’s holding up just fine. Keep in mind that this case adds quite a bit of bulk to your device. Also, this case doesn’t have magnets lined on the front cover, so it doesn’t automatically turn your iPad 2’s screen on and off.

The front cover of the case has a little magnetic flap that will keep the said cover closed during transport. On the inside of the front cover, there are two little “bumps” that will give your iPad 2 some viewing angles. One of the angles is perfect for watching videos or doing general web browsing, and the other (closest to the flap) is great for typing. The issue here is that, when using the typing angle, the iPad 2 will often slip off of the bump.

On the right side of the case is where you’ll install your iPad 2. Installing it is as simple as lifting up the flap, sliding in your iPad, and folding the flap back behind the iPad. The right side has a suede lining to keep your iPad 2 nice a protected.

The case has cutouts for nearly everything. It has a cutout for the power button, headset jack, switch/volume buttons, speaker, camera, and 30-pin dock connector. All of the mentioned things are easily accessible. But, what’s missing is a cutout for the microphone at the top of the iPad 2. This is critical for those who like recording video or doing audio recordings (or audio calls) with people. The cutout for the camera is very deep, but large. You have to be very careful when taking pictures, because your iPad 2 can move from side-to-side in the case just enough to where you’ll see a little bit of the cutout in your photos or videos.

Overall, this case is made of great materials and has excellent build quality, but the few small issues may be a deal-breaker for some potential owners.

Proporta Aluminum Lined Leather iPad 2 case, $79.95: https://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=5764&t_mode=des

Pros

• Excellent build quality and use of materials
• Nice “executive” design
• Offers a few viewing angles

Cons

• Camera cutout is too large and deep
• No cutout for the top microphone
• Angle closest to the flap will often result in the iPad slipping off of it
• No magnetic screen on/off feature

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Brian Sweet

Brian Sweet is a young 20-year old student who loves technology (PCs, Macs, iPhones) and auto racing. Brian also writes for JailbreakZone, and is the host of the This Week in iPhone podcast (not affiliated with TWiT). Follow Brian on Twitter (the quickest way to get in touch), or visit his website.