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Palm Discovery would like to extend a BIG THANKS to Brando for providing the product for this review.

One of the first things most of us may likely do once we get our new smartphone or device is getting a case to protect our newly purchased investment. Especially for me with regards to the Nokia E71 (recall my complaints that the metallic battery cover gets greasy after a while), it was extremely important. Yes, I am aware that the Nokia E71 comes with a sleeve case and although it’s nice and protects the E71, I can’t use the phone when it’s in the case since it covers up the entire smartphone. I need a case that I can be able to use the phone without needing to remove it from the case.

There are usually lots of choices for cases ranging from a hard case to soft case to skin case. Oh, the choices! Obviously, you have to first decide what kind of protection you need based on your circumstances and preferences. Then balance what you want and need with what’s available. A hard case would be suited for someone who wants to make sure that the smartphone can withstand some impact while still cushioning the insides from the shock. Most hard cases may not be esthetically good looking but obviously you are balancing between protection and looks. A soft case would be suited for those who prefer a stylish looking case that offers slight bump and scratch protection. A skin case is more suited for those who want minimal bulk to the device yet offers slight scratch and bump protection and also helps provide you with a decent grip on the device.

If you’re looking for a soft case that offers both style, beauty as well as decent soft bump and scratch protection, then look no further than Brando Workshop’s Leather Case (Sleeve).

Brando has been around for a long time, making quality but reasonably priced leather cases for Palm devices, remember those? Anyway, they continue to produce quality leather cases plus sell a lot of cool and neat gadgets including stuff for your car, usb gadgets, and everything under the sun, or something like that

Today I’ll be reviewing Brando Workshop’s Leather Case (Sleeve), a sleeve style case that you slip your smartphone inside, like a sleeve (thus the name). It’s beautifully designed to showcase your smartphone (in my case, it’s the Nokia E71) so that it will cover and protect your device while still enabling unobstructed access to your device. And, at the same time, still show off the beauty of your smartphone or device. How is that possible? Let’s take a closer look.

The beautiful leather case wraps around the edges of the device to ensure that it covers up all the edges and delicate areas but there are lots of cut outs all around that still provide easy access to the device. You have full access to the QWERTY and hardware buttons/keys, the side and volume buttons, headset jack, microSD card slot, microUSB slot, infrared port, top speaker, power button, camera, flash and mirror, and charging port. Even with all the leather wrapped around, you can still enjoy the beauty of the smartphone with the full frontal cut out of the screen and keys. So, it’s not blocking much at the front. I personally love this design.

The case has a tab closure that covers up part of the top and wraps to the back. But the most ingenious design I think is that there’s a cut out on the tab that will enable unobstructed view of the camera, mirror and flash. So, when the case is snapped shut that the tab doesn’t block the camera. Unfortunately, some cases do block the camera when opened. This case is well designed for the picture snapping fans (like myself) who want to be able to snap pictures anytime and anywhere. The other design I really like about this case is that the case works both as a regular smartphone case without a belt clip (the package comes with a removable belt clip and attachment) and as a case with a belt clip. So, if you want to carry the case without the clip, it looks perfectly beautiful without it, and if you want to carry it with the clip, it works fine as well!

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For those who want to skip over all the detailed review and just want a summary, you can jump to the review summary

Specs and Details

(From Brando’s website):

Brando Workshop Leather Case is made of fine genuine leather. The leather case offers high protection for your device. It features a slim, perfectly fit and stylish design.

Click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture

Slideshow of the above pictures

Product Video

Video at YouTube

Here are my observations:

As with most leather cases, this is another beautiful one. If you love the smell of leather, you’ll love it. It’s not a tough leather case nor is it a soft one either but more like medium in that department. The case is carefully crafted and designed with enough cut outs all over that enable easy access to all the various areas of the device, whether it’s for headphone jack, power switch, or buttons/keys. The creative design of the snap closure with cut out for the camera keeps the smartphone protected in the case but also allows picture and video to be captured. To remove the smartphone from the case, unsnap the closure and pull out the smartphone. I also like how the case looks perfectly beautiful with or without the removable belt clip and attachment.

Here are some of my observations that are not as positive. With most removable belt clips and attachments, they, (in my experience) do tend to unscrew itself over time, dropping my smartphone at an unexpected moment. That is always going to be an issue (as I’ve mentioned many times with regards to any removable belt clip cases). The only way to avoid this is to get a case with a permanent belt clip or permanently glue the attachment on. Of course, that means it’s permanently set on and may not look as nice.

Another issue that is somewhat related is that the clip is also a fixed firm clip that isn’t spring loaded. This is a slight concern for me as I find that non-spring set clips may not grip or clip as well over time either as they rely on the set curvature of the clip. And as some of us may know, things may get mangled or twisted beyond its original shape. When that happens, the clip may not clip as well.

The last complaint of this case is that in order to access the battery cover (ie. access the SIM card or swap out the battery, etc), I need to pull out the smartphone from the case since there is no cutout at the back. Yes, I’m aware of the absurdity of this complaint as having a huge cutout at the back definitely ruins the entire case. Perhaps, if the tab snap closure wraps along the bottom to the back instead? That way, the smartphone can easily be removed, and the battery cover can be easily opened, simply by unsnapping the tab. Again, the beauty of the case may be negatively affected with it, although I think it can be done if the design is right. This is a very minor issue but I thought I’d bring it up.

Overall, the case is not only beautiful, but functional and quality made.

Review Summary

Brando Workshop’s Leather Case (Sleeve) is a decent priced quality leather case that is not only stylish and beautiful, it does a decent job of protecting your smartphone from slight bumps and scratches. The numerous cutouts all around the case ensures that you won’t have any essential part of the smartphone covered up. The ingenious wrap over tab closure with cut out for the camera and mirror ensures that you will still be able to snap that picture when the smartphone is in the case.

Enjoyed this review? Check out the many other Palm Discovery product reviews of Brando products here.

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