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Incipio Smart Feather case for iPad (3rd generation) review
Jason Tsay
While Apple’s Smart Cover may be a great way to protect the front of your iPad, it doesn’t offer any coverage of the back at all. Rather than just making an iPad version of its popular Feather case, Incipio introduced the Smart Feather for the new iPad. It’s basically the same thin hard shell case but with slots for the Smart Cover. How does it work?
Features
- Hard shell polycarbonate material allows for rigid structure with slight flexibility
- Multiple color options allow for every individual to make a personal statement
- Best-selling ultra-light feather design weighs in at just over 2 ounces
- Functionality is not sacrificed with complete access to all ports and controls
Our Impressions
The first thing we need to make very clear in this review is that the Smart Feather was designed to be used with Apple’s Smart Cover. We were unable to obtain a Smart Cover at the time of publication but we’ll be updating the review when we do.
The Smart Feather comes in a thin plastic box, with a screen protector, cleaning cloth, and application squeegee.
Design and Protection
The hard shell case is very thin, as with Incipio’s other Feather cases. A very nice rubberized, matte finish covers the back of the iPad. While it looks and feels great, we did notice that it picks up quite a lot of fingerprints and stains. If you’re looking for maximum protection, you’re not going to get it with the Feather. The thin, plastic material offers little to no protection, but that’s obviously a compromise made for the “Feather” form factor.
What we really don’t like is that much of the device is left exposed for ports. A sort of L shaped cutout at the bottom outlines the speaker and extends above the dock connector all the way to the edge of the device. The top of the case is the same story - from sleep/wake button to headphone jack, the case leaves an entire strip and no protection.
The volume rocker/mute switch cutout is more modestly sized and we had no issues with the camera cutout. On the left side of the case, two slots and a raise curve are positioned to fit the Smart Cover. When the Smart Cover is slotted in the curved area, it is locked in place and not removable unless you take off the Smart Feather.
Thin bits of plastic barely wrap around each edge of the iPad and hold it in place. Amazingly enough, we actually didn’t have any issues with the iPad falling out of the shell. Pretty much the entire front of the device is left exposed; without a Smart Cover, the iPad really seems vulnerable to damage.
Overall
Here’s the deal with the Smart Feather - it’s meant for people who bought the Smart Cover and then realized that the back of the iPad needs protection as well. If you don’t already have a Smart Cover, you need to take into consideration that the Smart Cover will run you a hefty $39 or $69 on top of the $35 for the Smart Feather. My question is this - who is the Smart Feather really made for? iPad owners who have the Smart Cover are probably looking for some level of minimalism and would be better off with a thinner and less obtrusive protective film as back protection. Those who want the cool magnetic mechanism of the Smart Cover have plenty of options for cases with the front flap built into the case. And for the people without any sort of protection on their iPad, the Smart Feather is not a particularly good choice because it was clearly designed for use with the Smart Cover. Here’s my suggestion to Incipio - make a regular Feather case without the cutouts for the Smart Cover and with more protection. It’s simply more practical and is way less clunky. If you really want a folio style case, Incipio offers its Slim Kickstand and Premium Kickstand cases, which are quite excellent for the form factor.
Pro’s
- very thin
- matte finish looks, feels great
- works well with Smart Cover
Con’s
- needs Smart Cover to function properly
- matte finish picks up fingerprints easily
- we’re not really sure who it’s for
Where to buy
Incipio — MSRP: $34.99
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