HTC S710 Krusell Leather Case Review

Jul 31

HTC S710 / Vox Krusell Leather Case Review
Orbit Multidapt®

Style: 7
The black color is always a good standard & the beige interior and stitching help make it stand out a bit more. The addition of the clip and certain parts of the case give it a little bit too much bulk.
Protection: 10
Every part of the device is covered when the case is closed. Krusell even went as far to add an extra flap to keep the device from sliding open on its own.
Functionality: 7
The extra flap described below makes it harder to get to the keyboard. Flip cases always take an extra step.
Clip: 8.5
The Multidapt®-system gets a 10 by itself. The Slide Swivel Kit that comes with it makes the phone stick out too far when its on your belt.
Overall: 8
(not an average) A good case that has only a couple minor flaws. A touch more styling and a slimmer design would have given it a better score.

Read on for the detailed review and pictures…

Where To Buy:

AbsolutelyU.com – $29.95
PCS-Ltd.com – $27.95

Krusell is a Swedish company that began designing cases in 1991. Most of their cases are designed in leather with the rare exception of PVC Rubber cases. Krusell’s greatest accomplishment is their Multidapt®-system, which allows you to choose from a multitude of clips & accessories. Today I am reviewing their Orbit case for the HTC S710. Krusell has different names for all of their styles of cases. The Orbit case is a flip design geared towards PDAs and Smartphones. It is the most protective design they create, aside from their universal cases. Each Orbit case is custom designed to fit each different model. This one fits the HTC S710 Vox, the Orange SPV E650 & Dopod C500. This case comes retail packaged with the clip being a Slide Swivel Kit. More on that later. Now let’s get started on the details…

Packaging
The Krusell packaging is the best in the area of cases. Now that’s not a reason to run off and buy a Krusell case, but FYI it is an award-winning package. It is a very nice cardboard tri-fold box that showcases the case inside very nicely. Now please READ the directions on how to remove the case from the box, as brute strength will do nothing but damage the case.

Quality of Materials
The Krusell HTC S710 case is crafted in genuine leather both inside and out. The outside leather is black and has a glossy finish, while the inside leather is beige and has a matte finish. The beige stitching throughout the case is nice to look at and seems well manufactured. The plastic over the screen and keys tend to reflect a lot of glare look like they can tear easily. The metal Krusell logo on the front is a nice touch and all snaps will surely last as long as the case.

Color
As stated above the outside leather is designed in black with beige stitching and beige leather on the inside. For the Orbit line of cases this is the only color. Krusell is just starting to experiment with other colors and I think they need to expand that experimentation to the Orbit line. For the HTC S710 this color combination compliments the device well.

Fit & Design
This Krusell case for the HTC Vox is a flip design, meaning that it covers the entire device. Getting the phone into the case has been a very exhausting thing to do. This has been the hardest case for me to get onto a phone. Thankfully instructions are provided. When putting the phone in the first time, the plastic that covers the keyboard is hard to fit right. It continuously bunches up and folds over itself. The leather is also very tight & this is where brute strength comes in. Once you have done it a few times, it gets easier but only by a little bit. This is definitely not a case that you want to always be taking your phone in and out of. Thankfully the design makes it unnecessary to do that.
Because this is a sliding phone Krusell wanted to allow it to do so while still in the case. There is a large piece of plastic that covers the entire keyboard that does not interfere with the use of the keyboard, but does make the buttons feel different. When the slide is closed there is an additional piece of plastic that snaps over the front of the phone to keep it from sliding open on accident. The plastic only covers the screen and leaves the numeric keyboard open. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary piece and only makes the case more bulky and less accessible. Aside from that piece everything else is well executed. You have access to all of the buttons on each side of the phone. Access to the bottom section is only available when the snap is open. On the back there is a mesh cutout for the speaker. The camera is available to you when you open the snap of the case and fold it back. There is a magnet on the back of the case that holds the flap in place. The inside of the flap also has a section to hold 1 microSD card.

Protection
As I said above, the flip design by Krusell is the most protective of their designs. The HTC S710 is well-protected inside the case. The case is designed very well in that if you were to clumsily drop this Smartphone the case would be the one to make contact with the ground. When the case is closed there is no way for the device to make direct contact with the ground. The front of the case is well padded and the back is reinforced.

Clip
Probably the greatest part of the entire Krusell line is their Multidapt®-system. This patented system is designed to allow you to change clips easily. Krusell has 15+ clip and strap options, ranging from leather swivel kits to armbands, to car holder kits. You will be seeing reviews of each clip system in the future. For now, let’s focus on the clip that comes with the case, the Slide Swivel Kit. The Multidapt® piece that is affixed to the back of the case is made out of hardened plastic and is the receptor for the clips.
The Slide Swivel Kit comes in two pieces, the button and the clip. Once you slide the button to the back of the case, you can begin to use the clip. Once the clip is attached to the case, it swivels freely allowing gravity to take it where it wants. It is very secure to the case & clips to a belt nicely. My problem is that it sticks out from your side pretty far, making it an easy target for doorways and other things that might attack your side at waist level. The quick release at the top of the clip is easy to use. The clip can be easily detached from your belt with one hand. Maybe try out the Leather Swivel Kit, as it does not stick out quite as far.

Conclusion
The Krusell leather case for the HTC S710/Vox is a pretty good case. Once you actually are able to position the phone correctly inside the case, it does its job of protecting the device. The extra flap of plastic over the phone is pointless and makes it harder to get to your email & text messages. The Multidapt®-system has been and always will be Krusell’s strongest point. If you are a person who enjoys clips then Krusell is the way to go. The rest of the case is nice and everything is done well. Nothing else really jumps out at me, making this just another good quality leather case. Krusell, lets work a little harder on those clip options, ok?