I’ve reviewed plenty of stuff from Oberon Design and each time I’ve done so I’ve come away more and more impressed. I simply can not stress upon you enough how amazing the company’s stuff is. Cases and bags that are hand-crafted by artisans simply can not to compare to things that are mass produced in a factory by a machine. I thin of my items from Oberon Design as much as keepsakes or valuable antiques as I do protective cases or bags. Being a “case” guy I was super-excited to learn that Oberon was planning on breaking into the iPhone case market a few months ago. The product is ready and a few samples recently arrived on my doorstep. As with all the other Oberon Design products there is plenty to choose from. Thew new iPhone cases, which feature a TPU shell and a glorious leather back, come in twelve different designs, each with a color or to chose from which to choose from. So do Oberon Design’s cases live up to the company’s reputation of making wonderfully crafted accessories and bags? You’ll need to read my full review to find out! Want to see more of the brand new Oberon Design iPhone Leather Case? Check out my full review below.
Read on through for my full review and be sure to catch the video at the end of the review for a more up close and personal look at the Oberon Design iPhone Leather Case.
Inside the packaging you’ll find just the case. No other extras come along with you. As with other Oberon Design items the company doesn’t fuss around with packaging. Each item come wrapped in plain brown paper with a large sticker holding it safely closed.
Here’s what Oberon Design has to say about their new cases for the iPhone.
- iPhone 4 case: Fits iPhone 4 and 4s perfectly with good front edge protection
- iPhone 5 case: fits iPhone 5 and 5S perfectly with good front edge protection
- iPhone 5c – Our case does not fit the 5C
- Samsung S4: We have not forgotten you… We have a case in the same style coming soon.
- Other phones: We’re sorry! We have no plans to cover any other phones at this time.
If your favorite headphone connectors are too large for our protective case, this short cable audio extender, available in black or white, and compatible with standard 3-pin (conductor) and 4-pin (Microphone Compatible) headphone jacks. We’ve tested it and we love the ease of use and the fact that the 4-pin version works with the in-line remote and microphone. It is the perfect solution for larger audio plugs.
- Exterior Dimensions iPhone 4 & 4S: 2.5″ x 4.75″
- Exterior Dimensions iPhone 5: 2.5″ x 5″
- Weight: 0.8 oz.
- Artisan tooled images on leather
- Soft and flexible quality rubber
- Offered in cropped versions of our most popular designs.
- Bench crafted from premium domestic leather
The Oberon Design case comes in twelve different designs. Within each design there are more than one color to choose from. The case used for this review is the Cloud Drago design, which is offered in both red and black. Also the cases are available for both the iPhone 4/4s as well as the 5/5s.
The inside of the Oberon Design iPhone case is simply a TPU shell. It’s soft and will do a good job of absorbing shock and impact. The company’s logo has been stamped on the inside of the case. I felt no flashing inside of the case either so you shouldn’t worry about the inside of the case causing harm to the back of your iPhone. If you want to see just how much protection the case offers check out this drop test video.
The outside of the case is where all the action is. Oberon hand crafts the leather back which is attached to the case. The leather smells wonderful and looks just as amazing. It feels good too, with a sort of 3-D texture that not only provides a “pop” to the image but also a good amount of grip in the hand. You’ll also find a cutout on the back of the case for the phone’s rear facing camera, secondary microphone and LED flash.
As for the ports and control on your iPhone you’ll still have access to all of them. Along the bottom there are two cutouts, one for the Lightning port and another for the headset jack. Oberon does warn that the cutout for the headset jack may be too small for some aftermarket headphone plugs. It does work just fine though with the Apple Ear Pods. The speaker and microphone have nice perforations over them so that the do not get obstructed.
On the side the vibrate switch is easily accessible thanks to a single a cutout. The volume buttons get covered by the case and replaced by ones built in. These are made from TPU and give a decent amount of tactile feedback when pressed. They are also embossed with a plus and minus sign to note volume up and volume down.
Like the volume buttons, the sleep/wake button on the top of the case is also covered and replaced by a new button built into the case. This also gives off a good amount of feedback when you press it. The two-tone color of the button along with the case gives a nice look as well.
You do get a small amount of “lay-on-the-table” protection from the case as well. The lip of the case comes up higher than the screen of the iPhone so that if you were to place your phone screen side down onto a flat surface the lip of the case will make contact before the screen. I had but one small complaint about the case it would be that the top lip of the case seems a bit saggy. Only time will tell if this will worsen as the case gets used.
Like all the other Oberon Design items I’ve reviewed in the past the all new iPhone cases live up to my expectations. Each iPhone case is hand made and there simply no substituting that. With twelve designs to choose from and multiple colors in each design your toughest choice comes when it’s time to pick which one to order. Thankfully the cases won’t break the bank. Priced under $40 that means you’ll won’t have to pick just one. Grab two! What you’ll get is a great fitting, protective case that’s unique in every way. Authentic leather takes on its own patina over time and that means you’ll end up with a case that no one else has. The Oberon Design iPhone case is once again as much a piece of art as it is an accessory for your iPhone. If you’re in the market for a case for your iPhone be sure to check this one out today!
You can learn more about the Oberon Design iPhone Leather Case by visiting this page on the company’s web site.
MSRP: $37.00
PROS: Tons of styles and colors. Hand made. Made in the USA. Beautiful!
CONS: None.
Original Author: Larry Greenberg
