Review: Noreve Samsung P2 leather case
With the recent Bluewave firmware update adding increased Bluetooth functionality and seamless mobile phone integration to the Samsung P2 digital media player, most users are probably finding it more difficult to leave home without the touch-based device in their pockets. But with no carrying case or pouch included in the box, the P2 is in serious need of some protection.
There are several third-party options
currently available, but few can compare with the outstanding quality and exquisite craftsmanship of the tradition leather case by Noreve, makers of "advanced design cases for personal technologies." Read my full review below to see if it’s right for you.
Packaging
The P2 case is double-packed in a nice gift-quality box wrapped inside a plastic blister pack that requires no special tool to open. The clamshell plastic is disposable, but since it doesn’t get mangled the way most blister packs do in the unboxing process, it can also be reused for regifting and other purposes.
Contents
Like most Noreve cases, this one comes with the company’s exclusive swiveling belt clip system.
This system includes a mini screwdriver, metal tab and screw, and plastic belt clip.
Installation is quick and easy, as is removal of the clip. One of the nice features about the system is that users (like me) who prefer to not use the belt clip can keep the screwhole covered with a decorative silver button engraved with the Noreve logo. A lot of companies equip their cases with removable belt clips, but not many give much thought to the unfinished look created by an exposed screwhole.
Design
The Noreve Samsung P2 case is fashioned out of top-quality handcrafted leather and is about twice as thick as the player itself.
The leather is cushioned to protect the device from everyday wear-and-tear and accidental drops. That lovely "leather smell" paired with the painstaking attention to detail evident in the stitching and overall craftsmanship make the case yet another fine addition to Noreve’s already impressive line.
The case is held shut with a snap-button attached to a leather strap. When closed, the strap lays flat and is perfectly aligned with the decorative button. The strap and button being level lets the case lay flat when set on a table.
Most cases that feature back-closures wobble or lay lopsided when on a flat surface, so this is just another example of the thoughtful touches Noreve puts into its product design.
The case opens like a steno notebook to reveal logo-embossed leather lining and smooth cut-outs for access to most of the Samsung P2’s ports and buttons.
Fit
The tradition leather case fits the P2 like a second skin. All of the cut-outs are in perfect alignment and once inside, the player will not accidentally slip out (not even when held and shaken upside down).
Less effort is required to slide the player into than out of the case. Perhaps because it has been designed to enable in-case use, a bit of prying is needed to get the device out. The leather stretches a little over time, so removal gets easier once the P2 has been slid into and out of the case a few times.
The top flap can be kept out of the way by flipping it over and snapping the buttons together backwards. I sometimes use the "loop" created by doing this as a handle (of sorts) to slip my hand through when my fingers get tired of cradling the player.
As shown above, the cut-outs allows access to the hold switch and power/play button on the lef t, the connection port and headphone jack on the bottom, the volume buttons on the right, and the circular LED indicator on the front.
Manufactured long before the first Bluewave firmware update, which enables the P2 to be used to make and receive phone calls, the case does not have a cut-out for the player’s microphone (located beside the connection port on the bottom). Noreve’s oversight (and I do believe it was an oversight rather than a design decision) can be worked around by DIY-ers who feel comfortable with creating a mic hole, but I don’t like it when consumers need to fix companies’ mistakes, no matter how small.
Conclusion
The Noreve tradition leather case offers slim, stylish, and functional protection for the Samsung P2. Although it obstructs access to the player’s built-in microphone, limiting its use with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, it does feature dedicated cut-outs for all of its other ports and buttons. It is also beautifully designed and made of high-quality materials that are sure to impress even those who demand nothing but the best.
Available in a variety of colors, the Samsung P2 leather case starts at $40.
