NOMAD Rugged Case for AirPods Pro REVIEW | Mac Sources

4 min readFeb 3, 2020

NOMAD Rugged Case for AirPods Pro

8.7

Uniquely rugged and made with high-quality leather.

I’m not a fan of cases. I sometimes feel like they distract from the natural design of a product. I do, however, recognize that is some cases, a protective barrier between a product and the outside world needs to exist. I guess you could say that I consider cases a necessary evil. When I got my first pair of Apple AirPods, I was in awe of the easy operation of the product and that caused me to be a little oblivious to how the charging case was absorbing daily abuse. It has small scratches on it from being in my pocket with keys or change, and there were always smudges on it from dirt and dust. So, I started looking into cases for my AirPods Pro right when they arrived. I couldn’t find the one that was just right for my needs until Nomad released the Rugged Case for the AirPods Pro this past week.

DETAILS

The Rugged Case for the AirPods Pro is made from the signature Horween Leather that Nomad uses for all its leather accessories. The leather is made in the USA, vegetable tanned, and will develop a natural patina over time. This keeps each case unique and customized to its owner. This case is designed specifically for the Apple AirPods Pro and features a protective microfiber lining to keep the case scratch-free. The case comes in two pieces — a top and a bottom — that snap onto the AirPods’ charging case. There is a lanyard attachment point even though the lanyard is not included. The case is available in two colors — black and Rustic Brown. The Lightning port on the bottom of the charging case is completely available for use and there is a special light pipe included on the case to show off the LED charging indicator.

SPECS

Black Horween leather
Black polycarbonate shell
Rubber TPE bumper
Protective microfiber lining

Compatibility

Built for AirPods Pro
Accessible Lightning port
Accessible Bluetooth setup button

Dimensions

Qi Wireless compatible
Rugged Case does not affect wireless charging

USER EXPERIENCE

As I mentioned above, I was ecstatic to hear that Nomad was releasing a case for the AirPods Pro. I just recently started using the Rugged Case for the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Rugged Case for the AirPods Pro ended up being the perfect complement to the phone case. The packaging was quite nice and it was easy to install my AirPods case into the Rugged Case shell. I do want to call attention to the fact that Nomad does not include a lanyard for this case. I found it odd that a lanyard point would be built into the design of the case, but that one wouldn’t be included. It’s such a small place for a lanyard that I have a hard time believing that someone would just have one laying around. If the spot for the lanyard is going to be included then, there would be a lanyard provided with the case.

While I really like the microfiber lining as a protective feature of the Rugged Case, I do wonder about the impact protection ability of the case. The specs state that the polycarbonate shell and the TPU Rubber bumpers should provide that needed protection against drops and falls, but it doesn’t seem like much when you examine the case. I was really impressed with how Nomad designed this case to have a softer spot on the back so you can still access the reset button without having to remove the charging case from the Rugged Case.

While the black leather is sleek and doesn’t show off scuffs as much, I do prefer the Rustic Brown color more. I think it looks more exclusive and it will show off the patina more as the case ages. I also appreciate how the case is divided into two parts, but I worry about the top popping off as it has done so with me a couple of times already. As I was removing the case from my pocket, the top cover got caught in such a way that it snapped off the charging case of the AirPods. I mostly feel that the case is securely fastened to the charging case, but on some occasions, it has been a problem.

CONCLUSION

The Rugged Case for the Apple AirPods Pro is a luxury leather accessory that is hard to beat. While I may have found a few shortcomings, I really enjoy the case and think it’s a nice addition to Nomad’s product line-up. The price is a little higher than some other protective cases for the AirPods, but the leather quality speaks for itself.

For more information, visit hellonomad.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on February 3, 2020.