They all slowly turn to black if you keep them long enough. 
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Leather Cases - Patina Proud Photos
- Thread starter JamiLynee
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I cleaned mine with Purell sanitizer wipes and used Smith’s leather balm. Here’s a before and after. I’ve been using this case since 12/14/19.
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Midnight blue on my 8. 7 months old
I’ve had mine on since release day. Always get the OEM black leather case for my phones.
Definitely not as black as years past. But I can see parts of my case turning more true black over time (see bottom right of case), so I do think over a year or so the majority of the case will do the same.
Didn’t real care for the color change at first, but now I actually think there is more character in this years case.
I’ve had my saddle brown since 23rd of December last year. Almost no sign of Patina showing I guess?
I’m not quite sure whether the patina’s working or just some stain going on there. Been using the case for 3 months now.
I agree. It’s the same with mine. I feel like not true patina just more of a stain or some weird discoloring going on. It’s not rich in color or honey/golden brown. It’s blotchy with speckled dark spots. I’m not sure what leather Apple is using for this years cases, but there’s definitely a difference from the X and XS leather cases. @bobsamm has posted some pictures of a nomad case with a real nice patina. I don’t think this years case will look the same.
I've long admired the leather cases for the patina they develop over time. I'm finally going to get one for my iPhone X (or wait until I upgrade). I've gone through various synthetic cases that always wear out within a year. Something starts to peel on them, whether it is the finish, the bumper, or the buttons covers... something always starts to peel or crack and it doesn't look like the nice patina you get with natural materials. Even scratches on leather look better than scratches on plastic... at least in my opinion.
Same here. The 2019/2020 saddle brown seems to feel and age differently from past models.
I thought it was a little strange to see the leather cases get discounted so soon. I think they were going for $25-$29 around the holidays. I wonder if something is up?
I just got a brand new black Apple leather case as a replacement and I will refrain from cleaning it with anything or babying it. I wanna see what this thing's got.
IKR, I’ve been waiting for the patina to develop but somehow it feels weird though seeing how it gets after 3 months. Even wondering maybe it needs more time, for the patina tdevelop naturally. The Nomad with mixed of black tpu around it and leather at the back?
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Does 11 pro saddle brown case not the same material with the X and Xs Saddle brown leather? Same color but not the same type of leather, per chance.
And they’re still readily available on amazon for about $34 very often.
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I know. I had to artificially age my saddle brown case to get the grip that it has now and darken its a bit.
And yes, the nomad has black tpu borders with a Horween leather back.
I for one hate the Nomad cases. I want all leather and the sides being tpu really are a downer to me. On top of that, the leather is extremely thin. Yes it smells good right away. And yes it will darken quickly, but that's because of how thin it is and it doesn't have the protective wax covering on it like the Apple cases. I find it much more scratch prone and these scratches do not rub out like on a good quality leather.
I actually switch between iOS and Android a lot (iPhone and Pixel devices) and bought the Nomad one for my Pixel 4 XL. I hate it. I ended up buying a leather case for the P4 on Etsy and have been tremendously happy with it. I'll try to upload a picture on here soon. The leather quality from this case by far beats the leather Apple uses, but it does have it's own drawbacks. No microfiber lining, no protection on the top of the device (it is like the bottom), and the smallest area of the backing around the lips of the edges.
But man does this leather smell and look good. I've only had it for a few weeks and it is already getting that nice deep golden color.
Edit: pic below. Really bad lighting in my office. Basically under a spotlight. Much richer/darker in real life.
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2 months later of everyday use.
What do you guys think?
The Case is about 2-3 weeks old
„inspired“ by this man
well i just done the exact same
The Case is about 2-3 weeks old
„inspired“ by this man
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I like it. Post a pic of the entire case when it’s done.
Anyone have a Midnight Green iPhone 11 Pro with a red leather case? I feel like it might be an interesting combo, especially once the red leather gets some patina.
I’ve always loved the saddle brown for the amazing patina it develops over time, but this year for the 11 Pro it just seems cheap