Reviewed by Tong Zhang
Editor's Ratings (1-5): 4
What's Hot: Very slim and quite light, protects the entire iPad 2, built-in magnetic cover and stand.
What's Not: One corner doesn't latch on very well, wobbles a bit in one standing position.
Marware makes several cases for the iPad 2, their newest case is a shell case combined with a smart cover. The Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 case is a very slim portfolio style case with a built-in magnetic smart cover and stand. It's form fitting and provides good protection for the iPad 2 while in a travel bag or backpack. The case is currently shipping in black, but will have two more colors coming soon, white and silver.
Design
The Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 case has a great design. The case is impossibly thin adding very little bulk to the iPad 2. The shell case is made with shock absorbent polycarbonate material and is molded to form fit the iPad 2. The hard shell case has a silver paint on the inside and a hard clear lining that lets the silver paint show through. It looks cool, but it?s not a soft surface. It won?t scratch the back of your iPad 2 since it?s very smooth, but it won?t pamper it either, like a soft microsuede surface would. The hard shell case latches on to the edges of the iPad 2, and won?t cover any real estate on the front display. It?s designed for your slide your iPad 2 from the left and lock the right side onto the right edge of the case first, then push your tablet to latch on the left corners. It?s a great design, making it easy to put on or take off the case. But with our case, the bottom left corner is just a bit too short and miss the iPad 2?s corner very slightly. As a result, the iPad 2 isn?t exactly sitting in the Marware MicroShell Folio case securely.
On the outside of the hard shell case, you will find two thin ribs that do a double duty: when the case is closed, the ribs stand the case on a surface so that your case won?t see the wear and tear from rubbing on hard surface; and when the case is open, the ribs work with the front cover to provide a stand for the iPad 2. The front cover shuts reasonably securely thanks to the magnets. The cover has a thin layer of hard inserts that come in three strips so that you can fold the cover to build a stand. Both the cover and the back shell have smooth surface on the exterior and the case weighs only 6.2 oz.
Features
The Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 case has perfect cutouts for all ports and buttons on the iPad 2 including the rear camera and the speaker grill. You should have no trouble using charge/sync cables or even dock the iPad 2 while in the case since the bottom edge doesn?t go all the way to the bottom edge of the iPad 2. The case gives the audio jack, top mic and the power button on top of the iPad 2 open access, and the side buttons and the screen lock are also very easy to use. The case covers part of the rear speaker, but it has sound holes to let the audio through. Nice!
In addition to the hard shell to protect the iPad 2?s back, the Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 case has a lid to protect the screen and it?s permanently built into the case, not via magnets like Apple?s Smart Cover. The front lit works like the Smart Cover though with magnetic closure feature ? it wakes up the iPad 2 when you open the lid and puts the screen to sleep when you close it. The front cover also can fold and work with the ribs on the back of the hard shell to form a stand for the iPad 2. You can create three positions for viewing multimedia, reading and typing on the screen. Two of the three positions can prop up your iPad 2 steadily and one position is a bit wobbly. Luckily the less steady position is best for viewing movies where you don?t have to work with the tablet too often.
This position is a bit wobbly:
Conclusion
There is a lot to like about the Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 case. It?s super slim and protects the entire iPad 2. It has a built-in smart cover-like lid with magnets and a built-in stand. The hard shell is sturdy and protective, and the ribbed design on the back protects the case itself from wear and tear. All ports and buttons are easily accessible, and the case adds very little weight to the slim tablet. A couple of minor issues include the bottom left corner on the hard shell case doesn?t latch on completely, and one of the standing positions is a bit wobbly.
Price: $69.99
Web site: Marware MicroShell Folio iPad 2 Case
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