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iPhone XS Max Apple Leather Case - Scammed?

alpi123

alpi123

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jun 18, 2014
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I bought the black one from Amazon (made sure it’s sold by them and not a third party) and the box looks genuine to me. The print is high quality and the inside doesn’t feel like cheap cardboard.

The case however, feels very strange. It feels exactly like some knock offs I had for my 6s - very thin and light and cardboard like. I noticed it doesn’t even properly fit my phone, it’s slightly too snug at the bottom making it hard to fit and the camera lens has gap on the right. The power button also is quite bit firmer than the volume ones.

Is that how a genuine case should feel like? Even my used Apple silicone case feels more premium than this. The buttons of the leather one don’t feel aluminum at all, but the inside of the buttons look just like a genuine case ones (I’ve seen comparisons between clones)
 
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I haven’t tried a leather case this year but unfortunately that lines up pretty well with what I’ve read about them around here. I’d send it back and request a replacement or find an Apple Store and buy one from them so you can inspect before handing over your hard earned money.
 
I've read in a few places that Amazon sometimes co-mingles inventory from 3rd party sellers with their own. Not sure if it is true, but if it is...it could cause fakes to enter their supply.
 
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Post pictures of it. I have black XS Max leather case bought from Best Buy here so I can compare.
 
Motionblurrr said:
Post pictures of it. I have black XS Max leather case bought from Best Buy here so I can compare.
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I really feel like the case is a knock off based on how cheap it feels. Can you compare the lens area and the display lip? Also if there is that weird shape on the top of the case when looking at an angle from the display
 

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alpi123 said:
I really feel like the case is a knock off based on how cheap it feels. Can you compare the lens area and the display lip? Also if there is that weird shape on the top of the case when looking at an angle from the display
Click to expand...
That's authentic! My camera cutout has the same slight gap next to the camera bump. The apple logo is embossed correctly and has the same depth of a real case. The leather texture looks exactly the same, the interior shot and font of the microfiber lining looks legit, and the weird shape is normal because it's leather and it always varies. Mine has that weird shape on the bottom and on a single top corner too lol.

Another tell tale sign would be if you took a picture of the mute switch and volume buttons with the flash on. knock offs could never get the metal buttons correctly. If you want to know if the buttons are actually aluminum, lightly tap one of the buttons on a tooth and you'll instantly know if it's metal.
 
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Also, it might feel like cardboard at first because that's the wax layer Apple adds to the case. It's kind of a weird "fake" feeling and it's smooth and slippery but once it wears off from regular use it'll feel much grippier and premium. When the oils in your hands get into the case it'll feel like straight up high quality leather. My case now feels NOTHING like when it was new.
 
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Motionblurrr said:
Also, it might feel like cardboard at first because that's the wax layer Apple adds to the case. It's kind of a weird "fake" feeling and it's smooth and slippery but once it wears off from regular use it'll feel much grippier and premium. When the oils in your hands get into the case it'll feel like straight up high quality leather. My case now feels NOTHING like when it was new.
Click to expand...
Oh wow, didn’t know that. The buttons look exactly like the ones from legit reviews but to me personally they feel plastic.
Only thing I can’t explain is why my power buttons feels so stiff to press

But thanks a lot for comparing it to yours, I appreciate it
 
alpi123 said:
Oh wow, didn’t know that. The buttons look exactly like the ones from legit reviews but to me personally they feel plastic.
Only thing I can’t explain is why my power buttons feels so stiff to press

But thanks a lot for comparing it to yours, I appreciate it
Click to expand...
I had a leather case once that the buttons were stiff, so what I did was push from the inside out as much as I could without damaging anything a few times and it fixed it for me! Genuine leather can be fickle things so you get so many variances of tolerance

No prob! It's definitely a real case so just enjoy it!
 
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