It’s not very often that I can get excited about a universally fitting mobile phone sleeve, mainly because most of the ones I’ve reviewed in the past were pretty utilitarian. But when I received an email from Oberon Design, the company responsible for some of my favorite Kindle2, Kindle DX and iPad cases ever, asking if I’d like to review their new cell phone sleeve, I was happy to oblige.
Our cell phone sleeve is offered in twelve cropped versions of our most popular designs and accommodates many different smart phones and regular cell phones.
As in the past, the Oberon item arrived wrapped in a square of craft paper, and taped to the top was an Oberon card with a pewter Yin-Yang medallion — perfect for attaching to a keychain or stringing on a leather cord later.
The case itself is composed entirely of leather, but not just any leather — this is leather that has been deeply embossed with the design of your choice. Currently there are twelve styles available; I requested the River Garden design, which perfectly compliments my previously reviewed River Garden iPad case.
The back of the case is pebbled leather, and the only branding is a discreet pewter Oberon Design tag that also serves as the base of the tab closure system.
A cool feature of the magnetic tag closure is that it can be used inside or outside the sleeve; those who don’t want a tab interrupting the case’s design can tuck it inside and keep it out of sight. As you can probably tell, the tab doesn’t bother me at all.
The sleeve measures 3 1/2″ wide x 5 7/16″ tall, and it will hold just about any phone that is smaller than those measurements. You can read more about how the sleeve will fit your phone by clicking here. The sleeve is not so wide that it will swallow a naked iPhone, but it is wide enough to accommodate a slightly larger phone, such as the HTC HD7; it also works perfectly well with the iPhone when it is inside my current fave, the XCEL Case. I love that I can keep my iPhone or HD7 inside this case and toss it in my bag without worrying about anything happening to the phone’s screen … like a random key-scratch.
The design is so gorgeous and deeply embossed into the leather …
The interior of the sleeve is smooth leather, and when your device is inside all but its very top will be completely covered and protected.
I had the HD7 inside a shell-type case, but I have found that I greatly prefer keeping it inside the Oberon Sleeve. The only downside to keeping a wider phone inside the sleeve is that when the device is removed it will have no protection. I’ve found out the hard way that the HD7 can handle a several foot drop onto a wood floor however, so I am not too worried.
The Oberon Design Cell Phone Sleeve is a beautiful universally fitting case that will work with a multitude of devices, and if you are someone who swaps phones regularly, you’ll appreciate being able to put those — and future devices — into one of these gorgeous and protective sleeves.
The Oberon Design Cell Phone Sleeve is available directly from the manufacturer.
MSRP: $39
What I Like: Beautiful designs deeply embossed in a gorgeous leather sleeve; protection for the entire phone when it is inside sleeve; will fit a multitude of devices
What Needs Improvement: You just have to be careful when you remove your phone, unless you also have the phone inside a secondary case
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