There are more than a few reasons why to choose the HardBack over other more pricey alternatives that offer the same or similar style and overall protection. The main and most important factor ultimately comes down to price. When purchased from the right vendor, Amazon, this HardBack case simply becomes a no brainer for the type of person who wants to throw their iPad Mini in a classy looking case and completely forget about it getting damaged from normal everyday use. Protection isn't the only trait that the HardBack excels in. The case also gives you a couple useful stand positions and an alternative hand strap as well which we will get into later.
The inside of the case is extremely plush and well padded with everything wrapped in a nice and soft suede material. There definitely wont be any worries of the case hurting the finish of the iPad Mini at all thanks to the soft and supple materials used throughout the inside of this case.
The iPad fits like a charm around all four corners of the case. The overall fit and finish of the HardBack definitely are not thin by any stretch of the imagination but thats not why you would buy the HardBack in the first place. The HardBack fits extremely well when compared to other case options out there that can be a little loose in areas giving the HardBack a definite advantage in that category.
Revealing the stand option of the case is simple and easy. Just give the case a little pull from the middle corners of the case to reveal the hinged valley in the case that makes using it in the two stand positions a breeze in the park.
You get two landscape stand options which is all but standard when your looking at cases of this sort. There is one other stand angle available that is further back but i honestly cannot recommend using this angle as it positions the iPad at an angle too steep to use without worry of damage to the tablet. Each deep groove gives you a very sturdy fit in the two recommended viewing angles for watching movies or whatever it is you choose.
The back of the HardBack is wrapped in the same faux leather material that lends its way around the front of the case as well. While I normally am definitely not one for faux leather I do have to give it up to Poetic for the "leather" used here. No it doesn't have a genuine leather smell or even the same feel but it does give you a nice soft and smooth texture which adds great grip to the case.
The bottom of the case gives you a nearly completely open cutout for your lighting connector and speaker grille. The amount of space provided here is honestly a little overboard in my opinion. The more open spaces you have of this magnitude the more chance of scratches and overall potential damage you have down the road.
The back cutout for your camera is exactly what you are looking for. Thankfully they didn't choose to make an overly large cutout for the camera so thumbs up there. Unfortunately the side of the HardBack case shares the same downfall as the bottom dock area as well. Another overly large single cutout is present on the side of the case for your volume and mute switch which I know will more than likely become an issue down the road after extended amounts of use.
The HardBack case has one of the better clasp systems I have seen for the iPad Mini thanks to the single curved lip on the side of the case. Wrapped in the soft suede material you have a very secure and sturdy closing mechanism that will keep your case closed no matter how rough you are with it. There is also a loop which can be used for a stylus if thats your cup of tea as well.
Last but not least you also have a elastic band that is attached to the inside cover of the case. This is used when holding the iPad Mini in your left hand giving you an extra level of grip and hold if you ever feel like your going to be loosing the iPad from your hands.
All in all the Poetic HardBack case has its faults but it definitely has some really great positives to boot. If you are in need of a well padded case that has some good secure stand angles and an overall classy look then this may be a good choice for you. Do keep in mind though there are a couple of large portions of the case that are open to the elements so you could be prone to getting scratches in these areas if not careful. When looking at the case and the quality and construction its hard to believe you can purchase it so cheap and that is definitely a huge advantage when comparing it against some other much more expensive cases that really do not offer enough to justify their high price points.
