This time, our friends at Proporta sent us the new Alu-Leather Edge Case for your Nokia N97, and we will do what we only know, review it!
The retail package is the regular Proporta case of the silver envelope with the extremely resistant plastic window, this way you can be sure that the case won’t be crushed at the mail, or courier service. Opening the box you will find your beloved case and dude, there’s only one word to describe the case: beautiful. The materials are of extremely good quality. The outside has an elegant black leather and the inside is lined with cream color leather. I’m a fan of leather and this one doesn’t upset me in any way. Touching the leather is really a pleasure to the senses and I have found my self just rubbing my hand on the leather because of this. Sexy, I know!
The N97 sits on a specially designed cradled that clips on the border of the keyboard. The whole case skeleton is made of extremely hard plastic that warranties extra protection, the clips around the keyboard are of the same material and are so strong that it can be very hard to clip or unclip the phone without a good trick, also I found the clips a bit too thick and sometimes the phone hinge won’t close at the fullest because of them.
The cradle has cuts for every port, except the 3.5mm jack which is blocked by the top clip that closes the front flap. This is a shame for the music enthusiasts, who will surely miss their music when using this case. In order to connect the jack, you have to partially open the flap.
The screen is protected by a vertical flap that clips on the N97 top. This flap clips with considerable streght and I would suggest you to push the screen downwards while unclipping the flap, to avoid any extra stress on the hinge. On this flap comes the Alu part of the “Alu-leather” name. This flap has inside an aluminium sheet that protects the screen from hits and pressure. So don’t worry about your beloved screen, it is extremely well protected by this extra strong sheet. Believe me, I have tried to bend it with no results.
Every other function of the phone is conserved, the keyboard can be openen without issues and the phone will sit normally, also you can answer a call while bending the flap outwards, or when using the camera you can pull the flap downwards so it doesnt block the lens.
On the other side, this beauty adds considerable bulk on the phone, something like 7mm, the same is for the weight, so I guess you won’t be carrying your phone in your skinny jeans pocket.
In conclusion you will love this case if:
-you don’t mind unclipping the flap to connect your headset.
-you love stylish cases
-you love leather
-you are looking for excellent craftmanship
-you are looking for the most protection you can get (aluminium sheet, plus leather)
-you don’t need belt clips.
If you are digging this, pay a visit to our friends at Proporta and get it for yourself!
David Castro
