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Proporta iPhone 4/4S Leather Case review

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I’ve stated many times before that I’m not the most religious of case collectors: I find one that I like and stick with it for a long time. Most of the cases I personally choose for my own devices are leather, as they feel the best to me and offer the perfect mix of protection and style. In fact, my new iPad is currently wearing a ZooGue Leather Case Genius, and my iPhone 4, a Noreve Tradition leather case.

Today, I’m giving my third review of a leather case. This time, it’s from a company called Proporta. The company sells a variety of cases for numerous devices, and I happened to get an aluminium-lined leather case for the iPhone 4 or 4S. I’ve been using it on both of my iPhones for two weeks now, and I’m ready to give my final review of it.

Packaging

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Proporta made some truly fantastic packaging for its case. There is no cutting involved; simply swipe your finger up through the side to cut the Proporta sticker in half and then open the package itself like you would a book. The case will be on your left when you’ve opened the box, at which point you can take it out.

Design, Quality, and Functionality

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If this case could talk, it would be screaming “quality!” My poor attempts at humor aside, this is really a luxurious case. The leather feels incredible, as it should: Proporta states on its website that each leather case is handcrafted from the finest leather. The stitching around the outside edges also gives the case an elegant appearance.

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This is the inside of the case where the iPhone would be sitting if it were in here. It isn’t leather here, but it is a nice fabric that won’t scratch up the back of your phone. And honestly, I like the choice of material here: what’s the point of using leather for a section of the case that you’ll never see?

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This case isn’t just made of leather and fabric, though. It’s also got an aluminium (yes, aluminium; this company is based in the UK) insert to protect your screen against bumps and knocks against the corners of desks or other sharp objects. The only part I don’t like about this flap is the tan leather. I’d rather see a fully-black or fully-tan leather case than a mix of the two.

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This leather case actually is one flat piece of leather that was folded so it can make a flap to cover the iPhone’s screen. The stitching that’s on the front extends to the back in one completely straight line – another example of elegance. On the back, there is the cutout for the camera. One of the pictures in the mini-gallery above show the case when a white iPhone is inside the case; the other, a black iPhone.

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Here is the left side of the case. As you can see, the volume switch is left exposed, while the two volume buttons are covered. The only way you can turn up or down the volume is by sliding your finger along the side of the case to find out which slight depression is up and down. However, I found controlling the volume to be no more difficult on this case than on one with physical buttons. Plus, this setup makes the case look nicer anyway.

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Here’s the bottom of the case. Again, there’s stitching around the seams to provide a rich look and extra durability, but what really matters here are the speaker, dock connector, and microphone. While the proprietary 30-pin connector is left completely open for easy access, both the speaker and microphone unfortunately are not. Surprisingly, performance from the two was still admirable, if a bit quieter than normal.

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Here’s the top of the case. There’s one simple cutout for the headphone jack. Unfortunately, since the flap is indeed curved, there’s a rather large gap between the jack and the hole. If you have a large connector tip from your earbuds and/or headphones, you might have a difficult time connecting it to the jack without flipping the case open.

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Unfortunately, I have to complain here. There’s a ring of leather that surrounds the front of the iPhone to keep it in place. You probably saw part of it earlier when I showed you the 30-pin connector. The problem with it is that it cuts off a small bit of the screen on each side. At first, I didn’t think this was going to be a problem – and then I used it. Trying to perform precision taps at the edge of the screen is rather difficult, but it is possible. You’ll just have to pay extra attention to the angle at which you’re tapping the sides of your display. It took me half a week to get used to this small quirk, but after that, it wasn’t a problem.

Conclusion

It seems that every accessory I write about has a downfall, but luckily for Proporta, this is the least-problematic case I’ve come across. There are two minor quirks in the case, but they’re easily outweighed by the incredible quality and beautiful design that Proporta has poured into it. I wholeheartedly recommend this case to anyone who’s looking for the most luxurious leather case for their iPhone.

Proporta is currently selling the iPhone 4/4S Leather Case for $39.95 with free shipping.

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Calob Horton

Calob Horton is an associate editor at Pocketables. He loves all technology, no matter which company it comes from. This unbiased view of the tech world allows him to choose the products that best fit his personal needs and tastes: a Microsoft Surface Pro, a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and a third-gen iPad.Google+ | Twitter | More posts by Calob | Subscribe to Calob's posts

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