Review: Noreve E61 Cases
Score:
90%
Version Reviewed: 1
Noreve, based in St Tropez (France), manufacture a whole range of hand-crafted, high quality, leather cases for a range of mobile devices. Compared to other mobile devices Nokia have, until now, been poorly served by the high quality case manufacturers with only generic products being made available.
Noreve offer a range of cases for the Nokia N91, N93, N70, N71, N80 and E61. All of them are hand made to order and are available in a range of colours. The range of colours is particuarly appealling and everyone should find something to their taste. Its is refreshing to get away from the plain black leather that usually dominates such case selections.
In the hand the quality of cases is immediately apparent, with both the quality of the leather and the build quality (cuttting and stitching) being excellent. In protection terms they may offer little more than standard cases, but they look and feel much better.
Cases do add to the bulk of the device and whether you use one is largely personal preference. However they do help protect against the scratches and scrapes that inevitably occur when you store your device in a bag or pocket with other items. The Noreve cases are surpringly svelte for leather cases and the dimensions are spot on reducing the extra bulk to an absolute minimum.
Noreve produce two case designs for the E61. One has a flip over leather cover and provides the best possible protection for the device when in a pocket or bag. In the back of the cover there are pouches for spare memory cards and credit / business cards. The cover is attached via a magnetic clip which works well. The benefit of this system is that it can be reversed and used to hold the cover behind the device in the open position. Noreve's second case is open, it has no leather cover, but instead offers a piece of clear plastic over the screen to protect against scrapes and scratches. This works suprisngly well and offers considerably less bulk than than the flip over leather cover.
Noreve offer two types of E61 cases, the open version which includes a plastic cover over the screen and the closed version which includes a flip over cover.
In the first picture you can see the plastic cover over the screen present in the open case design. In the second picture you can see the inside flap of the closed case design where there is room for a couple of memory cards (or a memory card adaptor) and a few cards.
For both cases there is is possible to attach a plastic belt clip. The metal button on the back on the case is unscrewed and is replaced by an alternative button (included with all cases) to attach the plastic clip.
The cut outs on the cases are excellent. The side cut out leaves enough space to easily use the buttons and includes two small holes for the speaker. The button cut outs run the length of the bottom of the device allowing you to easily use the power pin, Pop-port an IrDA port when the phone is in the case. There is extra stiching around the cut outs which should prevent fraying in the longer term.
Both case design offer a snug fit which means the E61 should remain in the case for all except the most violent of shakings. The cuts outs, in contrast to some cheaper cases, are well positioned and offer plenty of room. The leather surround is such that the keyboard remains accessible and easy to use (although those with large fingers may find the bottom row a little fiddly to access at first). Indeed in more than a month of using the cases I have only removed the E61 to change a SIM card or to show off the E61 in its naked state.
The Noreve cases are not for everyone. At up to €40 they can cost as much as 15% of the cost of the device itself. However you do get what you pay for. The cases are extremely well put together and made from high quality materials. If you are looking for a high quality case then look no futher. If you are looking for a budget option you may wish to consider a case from eBay (e.g. the Krusell cases) or from your local market trader. Those who have come to the E61 from a PDA will probably prefer the flip over style case, while those who have come from a phone will probablty prefer the slip case. Both do a good job of protecting the E61 from day to day scratches and scrapes, but the flip over case does offer extra protection - if you dont mind the extra few millmetres of thickness this is probably the case for you.
Noreve product page for the E61 open case design.
Noreve product page for the E61 flip face (closed) case design.
Reviewed by Rafe Blandford at