Portenzo Alano iPad Case

Portenzo’s $125 Alano iPad Case looks much like the company’s Notebook Style iPad Case or its competitor, the Dodocase. But while those cases are book-like in their construction, complete with stiff, book-binding covers, the Alano is all leather. That’s right—it’s a four-millimeter-thick sheet of leather wrapped into the shape of an iPad case and attached to a bamboo iPad frame. It’s the same sturdy frame as on the Portenzo Notebook Style case, and you can still hold the whole thing together with an elastic strap. It’s like an all-leather Moleskine for the iPad.

At $125, the Alano isn’t cheap. And functionally, I found it inferior to the book-like equivalents, since they’re stiff while the Alano’s leather flexes. I also managed to scrape the cover of the Alano case relatively quickly, leaving a blemish. (I suppose over time these scrapes will turn into “character,” but right now it’s just a scrape.)

Still, if you’re a fan of all things leather, you won’t find a more leathery case than the Alano.