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nrvous1

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2019
1,749
1,676
San Antonio, TX
Anyone clean his/her leather case and then rub some vaseline?
I cleaned mine with Purell sanitizer wipes and used Smith’s leather balm. Here’s a before and after. I’ve been using this case since 12/14/19.
 

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overtheline

macrumors newbie
Sep 24, 2018
7
9
This year the black case looks more grey. Anyone know if it turns blacker over time?
74030307-1487-4E13-B8A4-743A955D9551.jpeg

I’ve had mine on since release day. Always get the OEM black leather case for my phones.

Definitely not as black as years past. But I can see parts of my case turning more true black over time (see bottom right of case), so I do think over a year or so the majority of the case will do the same.

Didn’t real care for the color change at first, but now I actually think there is more character in this years case.
 

ondert

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2017
690
996
Canada
series 2 42mm Watch SS with midnight blue leather loop (3 years old I guess)
XS Max with cape cod blue leather case (8 months old)

4edbd70a-d42b-4b27-a666-01386ad5e292-jpeg.887468
 

nrvous1

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2019
1,749
1,676
San Antonio, TX
View attachment 887465
I’m not quite sure whether the patina’s working or just some stain going on there. Been using the case for 3 months now.
I agree. It’s the same with mine. I feel like not true patina just more of a stain or some weird discoloring going on. It’s not rich in color or honey/golden brown. It’s blotchy with speckled dark spots. I’m not sure what leather Apple is using for this years cases, but there’s definitely a difference from the X and XS leather cases. @bobsamm has posted some pictures of a nomad case with a real nice patina. I don’t think this years case will look the same.
 
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sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
I've long admired the leather cases for the patina they develop over time. I'm finally going to get one for my iPhone X (or wait until I upgrade). I've gone through various synthetic cases that always wear out within a year. Something starts to peel on them, whether it is the finish, the bumper, or the buttons covers... something always starts to peel or crack and it doesn't look like the nice patina you get with natural materials. Even scratches on leather look better than scratches on plastic... at least in my opinion.
 

Megapickle

macrumors member
Dec 2, 2018
66
38
I agree. It’s the same with mine. I feel like not true patina just more of a stain or some weird discoloring going on. It’s not rich in color or honey/golden brown. It’s blotchy with speckled dark spots. I’m not sure what leather Apple is using for this years cases, but there’s definitely a difference from the X and XS leather cases. @bobsamm has posted some pictures of a nomad case with a real nice patina. I don’t think this years case will look the same.
Same here. The 2019/2020 saddle brown seems to feel and age differently from past models.

I thought it was a little strange to see the leather cases get discounted so soon. I think they were going for $25-$29 around the holidays. I wonder if something is up?
 
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faeforunicorn

macrumors member
Oct 14, 2019
47
107
I agree. It’s the same with mine. I feel like not true patina just more of a stain or some weird discoloring going on. It’s not rich in color or honey/golden brown. It’s blotchy with speckled dark spots. I’m not sure what leather Apple is using for this years cases, but there’s definitely a difference from the X and XS leather cases.

@bobsamm has posted some pictures of a nomad case with a real nice patina. I don’t think this years case will look the same.

IKR, I’ve been waiting for the patina to develop but somehow it feels weird though seeing how it gets after 3 months. Even wondering maybe it needs more time, for the patina tdevelop naturally. The Nomad with mixed of black tpu around it and leather at the back?
[automerge]1578534667[/automerge]
Same here. The 2019/2020 saddle brown seems to feel and age differently from past models.

I thought it was a little strange to see the leather cases get discounted so soon. I think they were going for $25-$29 around the holidays. I wonder if something is up?

Does 11 pro saddle brown case not the same material with the X and Xs Saddle brown leather? Same color but not the same type of leather, per chance.
 

nrvous1

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2019
1,749
1,676
San Antonio, TX
Same here. The 2019/2020 saddle brown seems to feel and age differently from past models.

I thought it was a little strange to see the leather cases get discounted so soon. I think they were going for $25-$29 around the holidays. I wonder if something is up?
And they’re still readily available on amazon for about $34 very often.
[automerge]1578535908[/automerge]
IKR, I’ve been waiting for the patina to develop but somehow it feels weird though seeing how it gets after 3 months. Even wondering maybe it needs more time, for the patina tdevelop naturally. The Nomad with mixed of black tpu around it and leather at the back?
I know. I had to artificially age my saddle brown case to get the grip that it has now and darken its a bit.

And yes, the nomad has black tpu borders with a Horween leather back.
 
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uecker87

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2014
411
617
Madison, WI
And they’re still readily available on amazon for about $34 very often.
[automerge]1578535908[/automerge]

I know. I had to artificially age my saddle brown case to get the grip that it has now and darken its a bit.

And yes, the nomad has black tpu borders with a Horween leather back.
I for one hate the Nomad cases. I want all leather and the sides being tpu really are a downer to me. On top of that, the leather is extremely thin. Yes it smells good right away. And yes it will darken quickly, but that's because of how thin it is and it doesn't have the protective wax covering on it like the Apple cases. I find it much more scratch prone and these scratches do not rub out like on a good quality leather.

I actually switch between iOS and Android a lot (iPhone and Pixel devices) and bought the Nomad one for my Pixel 4 XL. I hate it. I ended up buying a leather case for the P4 on Etsy and have been tremendously happy with it. I'll try to upload a picture on here soon. The leather quality from this case by far beats the leather Apple uses, but it does have it's own drawbacks. No microfiber lining, no protection on the top of the device (it is like the bottom), and the smallest area of the backing around the lips of the edges.

But man does this leather smell and look good. I've only had it for a few weeks and it is already getting that nice deep golden color.

Edit: pic below. Really bad lighting in my office. Basically under a spotlight. Much richer/darker in real life.

IMG_20200109_105956.jpg
IMG_20200109_105942.jpg
 
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AVBeatMan

macrumors 603
Nov 10, 2010
5,782
3,677
View attachment 887337
I’ve had mine on since release day. Always get the OEM black leather case for my phones.

Definitely not as black as years past. But I can see parts of my case turning more true black over time (see bottom right of case), so I do think over a year or so the majority of the case will do the same.

Didn’t real care for the color change at first, but now I actually think there is more character in this years case.

Which colour phone have you got?
 

Manda1orian

macrumors newbie
Jan 10, 2020
1
0
Anyone have a Midnight Green iPhone 11 Pro with a red leather case? I feel like it might be an interesting combo, especially once the red leather gets some patina.
 

s2k_esoj

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2019
193
346
I agree. It’s the same with mine. I feel like not true patina just more of a stain or some weird discoloring going on. It’s not rich in color or honey/golden brown. It’s blotchy with speckled dark spots. I’m not sure what leather Apple is using for this years cases, but there’s definitely a difference from the X and XS leather cases. @bobsamm has posted some pictures of a nomad case with a real nice patina. I don’t think this years case will look the same.
I’ve always loved the saddle brown for the amazing patina it develops over time, but this year for the 11 Pro it just seems cheap
 
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