Take the Clear Cover Case for the S7 Edge, which we recently reviewed and give it a leather finish and you basically have the official Leather Cover. The use of leather instead of plastic also means a bump in price. The Clear Cover has an MSRP of about $35(29 euros), the Leather Cover will set you back about $10 to $15 (10 euros) more and comes in either a brown or black leather.
On the back there’s an opening for the camera, which sits slightly recessed and there’s the usual Samsung logo embossed into the leather. The latter gives the back an understated yet elegant look.
As far as I can tell, Samsung is using real leather this time, a welcome change from the “pleather” they’ve been known to use on their other cases in the past. Despite having a wrinkled textured surface, the leather feels smooth with a soft touch. It feels great in the hand giving the S7 edge a more traditional high end look and feel compared to Clear Cover Case’s more modern and discreet design. The downside however is that due to the smooth surface it all becomes extremely slippery. As a result, the leather case provides less grip than the clear cover, which is something we didn’t expect. On many occasions I almost dropped the phone because it simply slipped out of my hand, something I had never experienced with the Clear Cover.
In fact, the Clear Cover Case subtly adds balance and grip to the already slippery S7 edge. Due to the case being made out of leather, it’s also more prone to scratches when compared to Clear Cover’s hard plastic and as is expected leather and water don’t mix. As result, this is case that you’ll need to take care of to keep it looking like new, but it also requires more attention and care to make sure the phone doesn’t simply slip out of your hands. While the case feels great in hand, Samsung should have used a more textured leather to add more grip.
Despite being basically a leather version of the Clear Cover Case, the case doesn’t integrate into the design of the S7 Edge as well as its plastic version. The former’s metallic edges blend in with the S7 Edge’s design creating one seamless package. The leather variant gives the S7 Edge a classy look on the back with a soft feel, but on the sides the effect is less convincing.
Due to the leather material needing to wrap around case, it leaves thick edges that stick out and that simply don’t integrate well into the overall design. While we love the look of the case on the back, the sides simply don’t look as good and take away from the phone’s design.
What we do like however is that the four corners of the phone are protected (including the sides) and the screen is slightly elevated when you put the phone upside down on a table. Just like the Clear Cover, there are openings in the lower and top part of the phone to allow access to the USB port, headphone jack and SIM/microSD card tray.
The inside is lined with a soft suede-like material that should prevent the device from being scratched while in the case. It also adds a touch of luxury. I also liked how they engraved the S7 edge logo into the inner part of the case.
In the end we consider the Clear Cover Case to be the best case for the S7 edge, providing basic protection, all while integrating into the design of the S7 edge. The Leather Cover is basically the leather version of that case, but the end result isn’t as good as its plastic counterpart: while it looks great when seen from the back, the thick edges take away from the S7’s design. Being a leather case it’s more prone to scratches and a water will quickly damage this case. Just like the Clear Cover Case it provides protection to the side, the back and the four corners of the S7 edge, but it lacks the Clear Cover’s grip and balance. Perhaps the biggest reason not to get this case is it’s quite slippery. While it does add a touch of traditional elegance to the S7 edge, we’d take the cheaper S7 edge any day. The Leather Cover gets a 6.9 out of 10.
Pros
Elegant traditional design
Soft touch feel
Real leather
Protects the back, side and corners.
Elevates the screen when places on a table
Cons
Thick edges
Doesn’t integrate as well into the design of the S7 edge
Slippery