The Best Case To Complement Your iPad Mini And SmartCover: SwitchEasy CoverBuddy For iPad Mini Review [UPDATED: Now With Pictures!]

Back when Apple released the officially sanctioned SmartCover to go along with their then-released iPad 2, it seemed like the perfect solution to protect your iPad while still maintaining the “Apple-edge” of your device: the sleek, clean and accessible look. However, since the backs of the iPad were made out of aluminum, as beautiful as it is, it soon became a magnet for scratches. Sure, it was nowhere as bad as the back of the iPod Touch (before the latest updated model), but it was destroying the external look of the iPad on a daily basis. The solution soon became clear: since the SmartCover only protects the front (screen-dominated) part of the device, something was needed to cover the backside too. Here comes the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy, a case that covers the back of your iPad Mini and is yet is still fully compatible with the SmartCover.

Retailing for just $19.99 USD on SwitchEasy’s webstore, it comes in 6 different colors, each one closely painted to match the tone of the 6 SmartCover Apple currently offers. These colors include black, clear (which is the one I reviewed) red, pink, blue, green, grey and black – it is rather important to note that, however, with the exception of the clear back, each one of the other colors are made out of durable rubber coating. The version I received was coated with a scratch-resistant UV coating (more on that later).

Inside the retail packet comes with two sets of two port protectors, one for the headphone port and another one for the Lighting Connector port. While these are nice to include, I often lose them so quickly that they don’t really have any practical value unless you’re the kind who doesn’t use your headphone jack/Lighting Connector in weeks on end. Essentially, the moment you plug those in, you would get a full 360 degrees protection all around – including the SmartCover, of course. In a separate packet, we’ve got a SwitchEasy marked squeegee and application card to help you install your screen protector, which is also included, as with most SwitchEasy products. However, as I’ve said before when reviewing SwitchEasy products that come with the screen protector, this is by no means a low-quality (rainbow-y, slimy-feeling, etc.) screen protector but on the contrary, a rather high-end one, something that would rival the famous Steinheil screen shields.

As for the case itself, it clips on to the iPad Mini’s chamfered edges rather easily and once you’ve clipped on all the hooks, you’re good to go. A quick tour of the product, we’ve got the headphone jack, a cut out for the microphone (above the antenna for the LTE model) and a plastic covered on/off (or sleep/wake button, whichever you prefer). Moving on to the right hand side of the case, we’ve got a cut out for the mute/lock switch, a plastic overlay for the volume up/down buttons (these are rather stiff and rigid when you first use it and will take time to break in) and moving down the bottom even further, we’ve got the SwitchEasy logo, which is blended into the side nicely – note that this will not interfere in the way you use your iPad Mini and although noticeable, it is not too obvious. Down towards the bottom, we’ve got a cut out for the Lighting Connector port flanked by two grill speaker cut outs. Since this is a clear case, the Apple logo and iPad label along with all the other good stuff is clearly visible, but protected.

At just 1.5mm thin, I feel like the CoverBuddy is truly well designed not only to offer some protection (scratches, yes, drops, probably no) but also fades into the background as you’re using the iPad. Never once did I feel like the CoverBuddy was hindering my experience when using the iPad Mini. You just don’t notice it, which brings me to my next point: using the CoverBuddy have been nothing but pleasurable. I seriously couldn’t find a single flaw in this product and it does exactly what it is advertised to do. For those who are worried, the CoverBuddy in no way, shape or form affects the usage of the SmartCover and its kickstand abilities. All in all, an excellent product as usual by SwitchEasy.

My thanks to SwitchEasy for sending this out for review!

U P D A T E D   W I T H   L I N K S   T O   P I C T U R E S

Picture 1  

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Need to free your iPhone from your carrier (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, etc.) and unlock it for international/other carrier use? Check Forwarded Unlocks out: 
http://forwardedunlocks.com/