Prima Blackberry Pearl Premium Leather Flip Case review

Reviewed by: David Coppola, December 2007
Published by: Prima Cases
Requires: Blackberry Pearl 8100 series smartphone
MSRP: US$24.95

Love or hate your Blackberry Pearl, the very best thing you can do after purchasing the thing is to protect it with a good quality case. The screen you save may be your own. Careless placement on the edge of a table or desk can happen to you too. Have an accident with a smartphone or cellphone and grief follows — broken screens, cracked, non-working buttons and keys, and a whole litany of problems usually resulting in the replacement of the device. The reviewers at Kickstartnews are just a prone to smartphone and cellphone accidents as anyone else, more so perhaps because we frequently get careless during product testing and review sessions. Needless to say then, the opportunity to review the Blackberry Pearl Premium Leather Flip Case using my own Pearl was welcome indeed.

The Prima Blackberry Pearl Premium Leather Flip Case is a sleek, low profile case crafted of genuine Italian aniline-dyed leather, finished in an elegant soft black. It's light in weight and has been designed specifically for the popular Blackberry Pearl, providing a snug fit with cleanly finished cutouts for the device screen, all controls and access points. The case is designed to provide moderate protection.

 

The Prima Blackberry Pearl Premium Leather Flip Case has an optional 360 degree swivel belt clip that we found very useful. The clip does not protrude on either side of your belt and remained comfortable while worn in the car, during business meetings and throughout the review period. Whenever the Blackberry Pearl battery was low, we could re-charge it quickly and easily without removing it from the flip case.

As noted in our reviews of other case models, Prima seems to be doing a very good job of designing and manufacturing accurately customized cases. Openings for buttons, keys and ports on all sides of the Blackberry Pearl are perfectly placed and provide unimpeded access. Flip open the magnetic snap closure to view your screen and access the keypad. We found that once you flipped the case open to answer the phone or check e-mail, the extra material (the flip portion of the case) occasionally got in the way at times as there was no real method to secure it around the back. The best technique is to flip the cover and slot it between two fingers supporting the back of the case.

Keep in mind that this type of case differs significantly from the holster style that is standard issue with most Blackberry devices. So pulling the phone quickly out of the case itself is not an option or a necessity with flip cases. This essentially is a kind of design trade-off if you are used to the quick draw style when you are getting an incoming e-mail every minute or so.


Cons: Flip cover position while talking on the phone. Blackberry power users might find this style of case unsuitable for their needs, and should opt instead for any of Prima's open style cases.

Pros: Sleek and lightweight leather. Securely protects your Blackberry Pearl device against moderate accidental bumps, bangs, drops, pokes and other hazards. Great for normal phone and e-mail use. Magnetic flip cover closure is strong enough to keep the cover securely in place in all normal circumstances but remains easy to open as needed. Clean, low profile wrap-around design does not obscure any part of the excellent Blackberry Pearl screen. The design of the case compliments the slim design of the Pearl. The case provides a snug fit which prevents the Pearl from shifting around. Strong, secure belt clip maintains the Pearl's vertical orientation and rarely gets in the way. Over all, a well crafted, modern looking case that provides great protection for your Blackberry Pearl. Recommended.

KSN Product Rating:


 

 




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