Review: SENA BlackBerry 8800 LeatherSkin Case
[rating:7.5] 7.5/10
Cost: $49.99
Website: www.senacases.com
With this second SENA case I was a bit disappointed. We tried to go the dangerous route and order a design that was out of the ordinary. In this case we got the SENA case in black Alligator style. While the case was pretty good the leather was not as soft and durable as the other SENA cases we have tried. It seems that when they do the alligator detailing on the leather it makes the leather much harder and plasticy.
Personally I would recommend not going with the Alligator color but the case in itself is solid. We got it without the clip but the swivel clip option is a no cost extra which is a nice touch. The same case is also available for most of the other current BlackBerry models. Read the full review with pictures after the jump:
The model we reviewed was Alligator Black but the case comes in 10 other styles that I would recommend unless you really enjoy the shiny alligator style. Like I mentioned in the previous SENA review the case comes in a nice box with a red carrying bag.
The front of the case fits pretty well but you will notice the exceptions below. I have yet to see a glove case that fits the contours of a BlackBerry perfectly.
The back of the case can have an option swivel holster for no extra cost but we declined that addition. There is a snap on the top corner to hold the Berry in the case.
Below you can see pictures of both sides of the case. There are nice cutouts for all the major functions such as the USB, Volume, Headphone, charging contacts, and softbutton.
The top of the case is left mostly uncovered. It does leave too much of the Berry exposed so the corners may get scratched if dropped.
The fit of the leather to the phone is not the best as you can see in these pictures below.
Also the leather near the trackball is not cutout so you may hit the leather when scrolling up. The built in screencover is nice but you have to clean it from dust every once in awhile if you leave it in your pocket or bag.
Pros:
- Built in screen protector
- lots of color options
- Belt clip option is free
- cutouts for all the ports
Cons:
- Alligator leather does not look great
- Does not conform 100% to the fit of the 8800
Conclusion:
The SENA LeatherSkin case is a solid case that worked pretty well for me. There are small design tweaks that I would recommend them implementing in later revisions. I would recommend sticking with a more conservative color since the Alligator leather was very flashy and stiff compared to SENA’s other cases.
