Review: Zenus iPad 2 leather cases are affordable, functional, and classy

The iPad 2 is a large tablet and thus there is a large quantity of leather needed to enclose it. Leather cases can be found priced at $100 to nearly $300, but Zenus has a very affordable selection of genuine and synthetic leather models you should consider. They are well constructed, attractive, and very functional.

Check out my detailed thoughts and experiences with these four samples on my ZDNet Mobile Gadgeteer blog.

This is a typical retail package for the Prestige genuine leather case.

This is the typical retail package for the Masstige series case from Zenus.

The Prestige Royal Navy case has an attractive green triangle and white stripe to give the case a sporty look. Considering these colors match teams in Seattle, there may be a lot of Seattle fans purchasing this case for their iPad 2.

As you can see all openings for ports and buttons are present for the iPad 2.

The inside of the top has an attractive design embedded into the soft gray material.

There is a seam in the Prestige case so you can prop up your iPad 2 for viewing.

This side view shows how the bottom of your iPad 2 swings out and rests against the top securing mechanism to give you a nice hands-free viewing experience.

The propped up iPad 2 is now ready for watching movies or using with a keyboard for productivity.

The top piece flips all the way around to rest on the bottom too.

Your iPad 2 is secured with top and bottom pieces in the Prestige case. Here you can see the top piece that secures it in place.

The Prestige also comes in Pearl White with blue and red highlights.

The bottom of the Pearl White Prestige case shows the crocodile texture.

The top is held closed by the clasp that fits over your iPad 2.

The inside of the Prestige cases are gray soft material as you can see here.

The Masstige Black Chocolate case has soft supple synthetic leather.

A small Zenus logo is embedded on the front right of the case.

The top is held closed with this magnetic closure mechanism.

This inside view shows the contrasting leather on the top inside flap and the openings on the bottom piece.

The back is attractive to me with the contrasting color appearing along the spine where the top and bottom are attached to each other.

The securing mechanism for the Masstige case is two bars along each side that wrap just a bit around your iPad 2.

The Masstige case looks quite professional and the highlights add some style.

Here you can see the back of the Masstige case with my iPad 2 inside.

The openings are very well done on the Masstige case.

The contrast along the spine is shown here, along with another opening.

This is how the Masstige case props up for viewing media.

This side view shows the angle the Masstige sits at when propped up.

You can also place your iPad 2 in a smaller viewing angle, which is good for text entry with a keyboard.

This shows the inside of the Off White Masstige case with green highlights.

The bottom of the Masstige case is rigid with openings for all ports and buttons.

The front of the Off White Masstige case shows how the clasp secures the top.

The back of the Off White case shows off the green spine highlights.

Here you can see the iPad connection port and speaker openings.

The Zenus name and logo are embedded in the back right corner of the bottom.

Zenus iPad 2 case gallery 1

Zenus iPad 2 case gallery 2