Eco-nique Case for the Samsung P2. My Review

I just received my Eco-nique case from I-nique.com via Amazon.com. It arrived via Royal Mail (Air Mail) all the way from HERE. It was ordered October 19, 2008 and arrived 6 days later on October 25, 2008. Decent service.

This case for the Samsung P2 weighs 2.0 ounces (57 grams) with belt clip and 1.3 ounces (36 grams) without it. It's the heaviest case I've evaluated so far, but not by much. For comparison the Noreve case weighs 1.7 ounces (47 grams) with belt clip and 1.3 ounces (38 grams) without. The Kroo case weighs 1.4 ounces (40 grams) with it's non-removable belt clip.

The eco-nique case has a green stripe around all the exposed edges of the leather. It appears to be painted on, and on my case rather poorly. It does serve a purpose though. Being something other than typical black it draws attention to itself, and possesses the ability to spark a conversation or discussion of it's "green" pedigree:

For more detail visit: www.climatecare.org/projects/countries/.

My P2 fits snugly in the eco-nique case. My inexpensive Kroo case allows the P2 to slide up when you try to insert headphone or data cables. The eco-nique's grip is much appreciated. There are cutouts for buttons on both sides, and the headphone and data ports are exposed on the bottom. I had no trouble getting the data cable to engage, but the leather protrudes beyond the bottom edge of the P2 making it impossible to insert any headphone cable that isn't very small. My Samsung ear buds would fit (barely), but any of the larger cable ends of my higher end earphones would not insert all the way.

The lid stays closed with four magnets. I have a griffin case for my iPod Touch that also uses magnets for closure, and it tends to pop open. The smaller eco-nique case for the Samsung P2 hopefully will stay closed more reliably. I like the simplicity, but have not learned to trust magnet closures yet. With it's rear snap closure, the Noreve case has to be taken off my belt to unsnap and reveal the touchscreen. The Kroo case unsnaps from the front, and is only a little more cumbersome than the eco-nique case to use while still on my belt.

The belt clip that came with this eco-nique case is a huge lump of plastic. At 13/16" thick it also stands my P2 a full 7/8" out from my belt. On one hand it is easy to access and doesn't get covered by shirt or jacket. On the other hand it's out there more exposed than makes me comfortable. It seems likely to snag on something I'll pass in tight spaces. This aspect of the eco-nique case could use some re-engineering and refinement.

One nice aspect of this case is that the flexibility of the closure flap allows it to serve as a useful stand prop in both horizontal and vertical positions.

Conclusion? I'm not sure this case is worth the roughly $40 I paid for it unless you consider that part of that cost is going toward eco-friendly causes. The huge belt clip, roughly painted green edging, and tight headphone jack tolerance are three negative issues. On the positive side, this eco-nique case is a good fit, with good seams and appears to be made with high quality leather. I'll give it a "B" grade, but mainly because my wife is a fan of the green color and eco-pedigree.

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