Anker Kindle Paperwhite Case Review
My elderly Kindle “Keyboard” started having battery issues just before a recent trip to Crete, so I nipped into John Lewis and picked up a shiny new second generation Kindle Paperwhite.
I didn’t want to fork out for an expensive cover while I was there, though, so I used a Jiffy bag to protect the Kindle during my travels.
When I got back, I checked out reviews for covers on Amazon, and plumped for the Anker® Leather Case for Kindle Paperwhite
It arrived this morning, and I was pleasantly surprised. The quality I got for my £11.99 looked good from the start: even the cardboard box it came in felt competently-made and well-designed.
I got the brown one, and the synthetic leather (front and back) looks and feels good, and has tidy stitching.
The interior is a nice soft fibre that seems likely to protect the screen well. My Kindle clipped snugly but easily into the back panel of the case, leaving the USB connector and on/off switch exposed for access, albeit slightly recessed for protection. The Kindle feels secure in the case, but following the enclosed instructions let me pop it back out simply enough.
I’d seen someone complaining about the case’s blue magnetic clip not looking so good in the reviews I’d read, and from the responses I knew in advance that this is actually the protective peel-off covering for the magnetic clip, which is shiny steel, and looks just fine once you’ve peeled off the protection.
Speaking of magnets, the case also features the magnetic system that turns the Kindle on and off automatically as you open and close it, and this works perfectly. (Unlike my Nexus 7 case, where if you fold the cover back on itself, it turns the damn thing back off…)
The case is light, not adding much weight to the Kindle, and the front cover folds flat against the back well enough when in use. I slightly prefer the old Amazon “official” cover for my Kindle Keyboard in that respect: the Amazon cover is much more solid and the folded-back cover doesn’t move about so much, plus the elastic cord that keeps it shut can also secure it at the back when open. On the other hand, that case cost more than four times as much.
The magnetic closure has a great action: a positive, rewarding snap when it’s closing, and not too hard to open, but it definitely won’t be popping open by accident.
The only real concern I have with the Anker case is the “leather” on the back of the case — this didn’t seem securely enough glued down around the edges, especially around the contours at the bottom of the case. But I’ve pressed it firmly back into place, and only time will tell how well it survives.
On the whole, for its current price of £11.99, the Anker case makes a very good first impression. It’s a great deal better than having a “naked” Kindle banging around in my bag, and a far more sophisticated alternative to my Jiffy bag :)
If it starts falling apart any time soon, I’ll come back and update you.
Anker Leather Case for Kindle Paperwhite on amazon.co.uk
