X-Doria’s Dash Folio for iPad mini review: It is like other folio cases, but better

While many folio-style cases are pretty boring, X-Doria’s $40 Dash Folio for the iPad mini is anything but. This stylish faux-leather case features a multi-layer cover with contrast stitching, bright accents, and geometric embossing. On the more useful side, it is compatible with the mini’s Sleep/Wake functionality and has a stand with many different landscape orientation angles to choose from. Plus, it fits snugly against your iPad mini and secures with an elastic strap, so protection is pretty much guaranteed.

It’s worth noting that the Dash Folio is a perfect example of how some case designs work great for one iPad size, yet are just mediocre for the other. We were iffy on the Dash Folio for the full-sized iPad when we reviewed it earlier this year, yet the version for the iPad mini is much more appealing.

The Dash Folio consists of two parts: A tough, faux-leather outer case, and a soft, rubbery inner silicone shell that secures your mini. This means it offers protection for the screen, back, and even the sides of the tablet, which is something that other similar-looking folio cases do not do. Our review model was chestnut brown with neon yellow accents, but the Dash Folio also comes in a subtler black with light gray accents.

The outer case features several layers. There’s a brown faux leather panel with contrast stitching sewn over a brown embossed panel, and there’s a little peak of the accent color (in this case, neon yellow) underneath. Inside, the silicone shell is neon yellow, while the interior of the cover is a light taupe. The shell is easy to snap on and snap off, and allows for access to all the necessary ports and buttons. There are silicone pads over the Sleep/Wake button and the volume buttons, and cutouts for all ports, the mute switch, and rear-facing camera.

The Dash Folio is both a case and a stand—there are multiple grooves on the inside of the front cover, so you can set your mini up in landscape orientation and angle it however you want. And when I say “multiple grooves,” I really mean multiple. There are actually 32 grooves, which is by far the most I’ve ever seen on this type of case (most usually have three to five, though the inner cover is usually grippy enough that you can still set your tablet up however you want).

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a great folio case, this is it. It looks like the other folio cases we’ve reviewed, such as Belkin’s Chambray Tab Cover with Stand, but better. It’s stylish, well-built, and nicely thought out, and it feels like it’ll hold up over time and protect your iPad mini from drops, scratches, and spills. It does support the mini’s automatic Sleep/Wake feature, if that’s your thing, and it offers 32 different viewing angles as a stand. The only real drawback I can see is that the limited colors might not appeal to everyone.