Leather or silicone Smart Cover?

[gui0312]

Its ok for me that leather looks used after a while, but it should not look used right from the start. Means, no when I bought my Smart Cover it did not look used, but after using it for two weeks now without handling it with care it does 😉

Still would go with leather, it just feels better then the silicone ones.

Oh yeah I definitely prefer the leather Smart Cover, its super nice.

I went ahead and ordered a new saddle-brown cover from Apple. I'm just going to compare it and send the (what appears to be used one) back. I don't feel like going back to the store "again", this would be my third trip.

 

[TorontoSS]

I just bought a leather Smart Cover, the Saddle Brown one. Is it me, or does it look used? I got it from the Apple Store today, opened it at home. The cases/sleeves now don’t have a plastic seal, they just sort of pop open. Now the pictures don’t upload because I believe IOS 11’s different file name for pictures...

Mine didn't look used but it did have streaks on it but I understand that's normal. But if it's used you can go and return / exchange it.

 

[Kal-037]

Both are good but I must have have gotten a lemon leather one for the new 12.9" as the magnets don't stick with each other when resting it on a table. The silicone is much stronger and cheaper. I wish they just had more color options instead of white and black.


K.

 

[strategicthinke]

The new silicone smart covers for the Air 2 were thinner and lighter. I had the Air 2 white one and another from my old iPad Air (1). It was noticeably lighter and somewhat thinner too.

I had one for my Air 2, and now my son has it along with my Air 2 that I gave to him. It's still going and lasted very very well. The only thing I wished they did at the time was reduce the thickness of it. They made it the same thickness as the Air one, so the Air 2 "got lost" in it and the reduced thickness of the Air 2 was lost.

 

[MrGimper]

The new silicone smart covers for the Air 2 were thinner and lighter. I had the Air 2 white one and another from my old iPad Air (1). It was noticeably lighter and somewhat thinner too.

Smart Cover was thinner, Smart Case wasn’t.

 

[markhort]

Went for the silicone midnight blue, personally prefer them over the leather option.

 

[PBz]

Its ok for me that leather looks used after a while, but it should not look used right from the start. Means, no when I bought my Smart Cover it did not look used, but after using it for two weeks now without handling it with care it does 😉

Still would go with leather, it just feels better then the silicone ones.

This. I have silicone one & going to trade to leather. I also think mine was open as it left smudges on screen day 1. My others took way longer to do this.

 

[retrouk]

Hi everyone I would recommend getting the polyurethane smart cover over the leather one. The reason being is that for some reason the polyurethane smart cover seems to leave less marks on the iPad or does not leave any marks at all compared with the leather Smart cover. I returned the leather Smart cover because of this on my new iPad Pro. Having been to my local Apple Store, we did discover that the leather Smart cover leaves more marks, or streaks than the polyurethane one. Hope this helps 🙂

 

[David58117]

Hi everyone I would recommend getting the polyurethane smart cover over the leather one. The reason being is that for some reason the polyurethane smart cover seems to leave less marks on the iPad or does not leave any marks at all compared with the leather Smart cover. I returned the leather Smart cover because of this on my new iPad Pro. Having been to my local Apple Store, we did discover that the leather Smart cover leaves more marks, or streaks than the polyurethane one. Hope this helps 🙂

On the screen?

They all leave the line on the screen.

It's like when you sweep a floor - grime and dirt moves to the edges, and where the line appears is where the indent is on the Cover..all you do is wipe it off periodically.

If that's your main concern, I would really reconsider, as the leather one really is much nicer and looks to hold up better.

 

[alau0115]

Hi everyone I would recommend getting the polyurethane smart cover over the leather one. The reason being is that for some reason the polyurethane smart cover seems to leave less marks on the iPad or does not leave any marks at all compared with the leather Smart cover. I returned the leather Smart cover because of this on my new iPad Pro. Having been to my local Apple Store, we did discover that the leather Smart cover leaves more marks, or streaks than the polyurethane one. Hope this helps 🙂

Yes, the leather one does leave a slight streak on the screen (talking about a clean screen without smudges and a clean cover)when compared to the polyurethane one (I had one for my iPad pro 9.7").

But there is a solution --- install tempered glass screen protector or any screen protector that has hydrophobic behaviour. The screen protector doesn't need to be matte surface or expensive. Just a quality one.

I recently bought a leather smart cover for my iPad Pro 10.5". With a tempered glass screen protector, it doesn't have much streak at all from the leather cover. Then after applying Dr. Beasley microsuede protection on the microsuede side of the cover, from my observation so far , no more streak as it adds hydrophobic protection on the micro suede side of the smart cover.

https://www.drbeasleys.com/microsuede-protection.html
[doublepost=1502211123][/doublepost]Another observation about the leather cover --- if you are picky, it is better to pay more attention to the grains/texture of the leather cover. Overall, it is a high quality product in terms of the constructions, texture and feel, I find Apple doesn't pay too much attention of the uniformity of the grains of the leather. I have to shuffle a few ones before I can find one which has uniform grains. Some have smoother grains for the 90% area and then 10% more textured grains which become an eye sore. The visual is more apparent for lighter colors. I chose saddle brown and the inconsistency of the grains is obvious.

 

[dk001]

Oh yeah I definitely prefer the leather Smart Cover, its super nice.

I went ahead and ordered a new saddle-brown cover from Apple. I'm just going to compare it and send the (what appears to be used one) back. I don't feel like going back to the store "again", this would be my third trip.

Had one from Apple. I bought one from Vaja (LINK).
Seriously nice even if a bit pricey. Leather is better.

 

[alau0115]

Had one from Apple. I bought one from Vaja (LINK).
Seriously nice even if a bit pricey. Leather is better.

Leather from Vaja appears to be better or I should say the quality control of the leather grain is better. No more uniformity issue. Pricey because it has included the back cover which is made of leather as well. Some craftsmanship is required.

On the other hand, you pay for the labour to blend materials (leather, mircosuede, polyurethane ridge and magnet) together while achieving the light weight for Apple leather smart cover.

 

[retrouk]

Hi, thanks for your replies. I think I'd rather not take the risk of getting another leather smart cover and am happy to have the polyurethane one instead. As previously mentioned most staff in my local Apple Store were using the polyurethane smart cover on their iPads and no streaks or marks on the screen. Having spoken to Apple UK about this, I was told that this issue would be looked into and investigated as the Smart Cover should not be doing that. I was then told to return the 10.5 iPad Pro and the case for a refund because of this issue. I have since now ordered the 12.9 iPad Pro instead and I'm happy to stick to polyurethane 🙂

 

[alau0115]

Hi, thanks for your replies. I think I'd rather not take the risk of getting another leather smart cover and am happy to have the polyurethane one instead. As previously mentioned most staff in my local Apple Store were using the polyurethane smart cover on their iPads and no streaks or marks on the screen. Having spoken to Apple UK about this, I was told that this issue would be looked into and investigated as the Smart Cover should not be doing that. I was then told to return the 10.5 iPad Pro and the case for a refund because of this issue. I have since now ordered the 12.9 iPad Pro instead and I'm happy to stick to polyurethane 🙂

I hear you. I also prefer polyurethane as it is a more durable material for this application. If I weren't looking for saddle brown color, I would have gone the polyurethane Smart Cover route and it is less expensive.

 

[MacMandy]

I tried both, but for the extra £20, I went for the leather in midnight blue. It looks, feels and smells great and I didn’t like the silicone colour options which are only white or grey for the 12.9. I wish they did a product red in both leather and silicone for the iPad Pros.

 

[David58117]

Hi, thanks for your replies. I think I'd rather not take the risk of getting another leather smart cover and am happy to have the polyurethane one instead. As previously mentioned most staff in my local Apple Store were using the polyurethane smart cover on their iPads and no streaks or marks on the screen. Having spoken to Apple UK about this, I was told that this issue would be looked into and investigated as the Smart Cover should not be doing that. I was then told to return the 10.5 iPad Pro and the case for a refund because of this issue. I have since now ordered the 12.9 iPad Pro instead and I'm happy to stick to polyurethane 🙂

I really don't get this. All the Smart covers have done this since iPad 2 (first one I've had). Its really a non-issue, like complaining about fingerprints on the screen.

 

[retrouk]

I really don't get this. All the Smart covers have done this since iPad 2 (first one I've had). Its really a non-issue, like complaining about fingerprints on the screen.

Hi David58117, have to disagree with you in the nicest possible way. Im very new to Apple products myself and this is the first purchase of an iPad that I have recently made. In my opinion the cover should not be leaving a line on the screen. When I spoke to Apple UK customer services, I was told the same. A case was raised so that Apple could investigate and I was told to return the faulty case and iPad. Now others including yourself don't think this is a fault or issue. However I do and the fact remains that the silicone smart cover seems to leave very little or no marks on the screen compared with the leather one which leaves a big line. I'm no expert on why this is happening, but for the money you pay for the smart cover, it is not acceptable imho.

 

[David58117]

Hi David58117, have to disagree with you in the nicest possible way. Im very new to Apple products myself and this is the first purchase of an iPad that I have recently made. In my opinion the cover should not be leaving a line on the screen. When I spoke to Apple UK customer services, I was told the same. A case was raised so that Apple could investigate and I was told to return the faulty case and iPad. Now others including yourself don't think this is a fault or issue. However I do and the fact remains that the silicone smart cover seems to leave very little or no marks on the screen compared with the leather one which leaves a big line. I'm no expert on why this is happening, but for the money you pay for the smart cover, it is not acceptable imho.

I have both leather and silicone though - and they each leave the same mark. It's the same liner material - why wouldn't they?

 

[retrouk]

I have both leather and silicone though - and they each leave the same mark. It's the same liner material - why wouldn't they?

Hi David58117, having received my new 12.9 iPad Pro yesterday and the 12.9 Silicone Smart Cover, I can confirm that I have no marks or streaks anywhere on the screen left by my Smart Cover. Therefore in 2017 and with regards to the new iPad Pro models, the issue lies with the leather one Smart Cover and less with the silicone one imho. I can't comment about previous iPad models or previous smart covers for them as I'm very new to Apple products myself. Hope this helps 🙂

 

[retrouk]

I have both leather and silicone though - and they each leave the same mark. It's the same liner material - why wouldn't they?

Hi David58117, I stand corrected. Having removed the silicone Smart Cover this morning, I can now clearly see where it has left a mark on the screen. Therefore as you previously said, they all do it. I suppose I can live with it as I know that it's not causing any damage to the iPad. However an improved version of the Smart Cover from Apple that does not do this would be greatly appreciated

 

[Eric5273]

Hi David58117, I stand corrected. Having removed the silicone Smart Cover this morning, I can now clearly see where it has left a mark on the screen. Therefore as you previously said, they all do it. I suppose I can live with it as I know that it's not causing any damage to the iPad. However an improved version of the Smart Cover from Apple that does not do this would be greatly appreciated

I think the only way to make a Smart Cover that does not leave a mark is to not have a seam, meaning it won't fold into a stand. It's like complaining about the design of your vacuum because it accumulates dust inside its filter. If there is dust on your screen, it has to go somewhere. The Smart Cover cannot make it disappear. So instead it seems to push it to one spot.

 

[retrouk]

I think the only way to make a Smart Cover that does not leave a mark is to not have a seam, meaning it won't fold into a stand. It's like complaining about the design of your vacuum because it accumulates dust inside its filter. If there is dust on your screen, it has to go somewhere. The Smart Cover cannot make it disappear. So instead it seems to push it to one spot.

That's a good way at looking it ! Cheers 🙂

 

[iAssimilated]

I have the midnight blue leather Smart Cover. Very nice but I see an issue in that the protruding camera is starting to mark the front of the case when it is folded back. Will have to see how the next few days go with it while it is still returnable. Shame.

I have been pondering purchasing the Leather Smart Cover for my iPad Pro 10.5 and this is my biggest unknown. Before someone suggests to buy a back cover, thank you but no, since my primary concern is to protect the screen when I am not using my iPad. I simply want to know other peoples experiences with using only the smart cover and how the camera effects it over time as well as how it feels when using it. I have used the smart cover on older iPads sans the protruding camera and I have been impressed. TIA!

 

[PhoneMe1]

It’s nice but for $109aud forget it.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I’ve only been using the 10.5 leather Smart Cover (and no back case) for a week and even though I’m already seeing an impression made by the camera bump (that I’m sure will become deeper with use) I love the Saddle Brown leather cover (and the lightness and elegance of the bare iPP) too much to let a small round indented circle bother me. I’m going to think of it the way leather shoes and belts develop creases from use.