Best cases for iPad 2 – Updated

So you’ve finally given in and bought an iPad 2. It’s a wise choice, as there’s currently no better tablet. The problem is that your shiny new toy is unprotected as Apple doesn’t bundle a case with it. With such a bewildering choice, it’s hard to know where to spend your cash. Fortunately, we’re here to help, and we’ll show you what to wrap around your device to keep it safe.

The first thing to bear in mind is that cases designed for the original iPad generally won’t fit on the iPad 2, and they won’t have the cut-out for the rear camera, so make sure you buy the right version as some cases are available for both iPads. The next decision is whether to shell out £35 for Apple’s Smart Cover (or even £59 for a leather version).

Smart Covers certainly have advantages: they automatically turn the iPad 2 on and off when you open and close them, and they double as a stand for watching videos or typing. They’re also very slim and don’t cover up the iPad 2’s stylish design. Plus, thanks to magnets built into the side of the iPad, Smart Covers are simple to remove and snap back into place.

The two problems are price and protection. Although £35 isn’t bad, it’s more than most third-party cases, and it does nothing to protect the sides and back of your precious iPad 2. We’ve already discovered that the supposedly “durable” aluminium back is prone to scratching and marking, and the sharp-edged sides are easily dented by even small knocks and drops.

So, although you could buy a Smart Cover and combine it with a sleeve to provide protection in transit, you leave your iPad exposed to damage while you’re using it. However, there’s now the HyperShield Back Cover which solves this problem – see page 4 for the review.

Apple Smart Cover: 3/5

The silicone case

For £19 (from Amazon) Cygnett’s SecondSkin Ink is a particularly good silicone case for the iPad 2. It adds only a couple of millimetres of thickness but the rubber makes the iPad much grippier, so you’re less likely to drop it. It provides that much-needed back and sides protection, too, and the pattern on the rear isn’t garish.

The volume and power buttons are covered up, which should prevent any dust and grime getting in, but still work perfectly. As it’s black, it’s a better match for the black iPad 2, but still looks ok with the white version. The only disadvantage compared to a Smart Cover is that there’s no stand for typing or watching videos. For that, you’d need a separate stand such as the Belkin Flip Blade.

Cygnett SecondSkin Ink: 4/5

The sleeve

There are two basic types of sleeve: those that hold the naked iPad snugly in place, such as Griffin’s Elan Sleeve (the ‘for new iPad’ version), and those that are slightly larger and tend to zip up. We prefer the latter, as they give you the option to keep a silicone (or other) tight-fitting protective case on your device to protect it during use, while the sleeve keeps it safe in your rucksack.

If you’re after something striking, it’s hard to beat Cygnett’s Aerosphere. Its bubble texture feels brilliant and as it’s made from foam, gives decent front and back protection. The inside is lined with soft fleece (which also feels great) and there are four elastic corner straps to keep your iPad in place. If the grey and orange combination is too outlandish for you, there’s also an all-black version. The only snag is that it costs £30 (from Amazon) which is a bit steep.

Cygnett Aerosphere: 3/5

Griffin’s Elan Sleeve Lite is made from a combination of faux-leather and canvass. You can slide your iPad 2 in at either end, and a fabric loop prevents from slipping out the other end. The microsuede lining and tight fit also hold the iPad firmly in place, but it means you’ll have to remove any other cases, such as a silicone case. As this sleeve is so new, it’s not actually on sale yet, but we expect it to cost £20

Griffin Elan Sleeve Lite: 3/5

If you’re on a tighter budget, but still want a zip-up sleeve with room for a silicone case, iLuv’s Neoprene Sleeve costs £15 from www.iworld.co.uk and comes in black or bright pink. Its triangular pattern gives it a bit of style, but it doesn’t look as funky as Cygnett’s Aerosphere. The inside is lined with soft white fleece, ensuring a naked iPad won’t get scratched.

iLuv Neoprene Sleeve: 4/5

The Folio

This is essentially the type of case that Apple made for the original iPad, but with the new Smart Covers, there’s no official folio case for the iPad 2. There are plenty of copies, though, and one to avoid is Griffin’s Elan Folio Slim.

It costs £30 from PC World, but looks cheap as it’s made from polyurethane rather than real leather. It’s purposefully thin to match the iPad 2, but it’s so flimsy that it bounces around when used as a typing stand. We wouldn’t ever trust it to hold our iPad upright for watching videos.

Griffin Elan Folio Slim: 1/5

A far better choice is Scosche’s foldIO P2, which is available in both black and white polyurethane. It’s cheaper than the Elan Folio Slim, yet looks like real leather and is in a totally different league for sturdiness. It grips the iPad 2 around the edges – surprisingly tightly given how small the lugs are. The cover has another lug that grips and protects the iPad’s right-hand edge when shut.

Open it and you’ll find four ‘trenches’ which can be used to hold the iPad at different angles – a trick few cases manage. Really, you can only use three of the positions, as the iPad 2’s curved rear edge means it falls flat if you try and use the shallowest position. In this ‘flat’ position with the case folded back on itself, there’s just enough of an angle to make typing comfier.

Scosche foldIO P2: 5/5

The wildcard

If you have kids, your iPad can be put to excellent use as a video player in the back of the car. However, you probably don’t want them putting their sticky fingers all over it while munching through a packet of Haribo. The ideal solution is a case that lets you mount your iPad 2 on the rear of a headrest, such as Griffin’s Cinema Seat 2.

It comes in any colour, as long as that’s white, and isn’t yet on sale in the UK. Given the iPad 1 version costs around £35, it’s a safe bet that the iPad 2 version will cost a similar amount. A sturdy Velcro strap keeps the whole thing fixed securely in place, and has cut-outs for the volume rocker and headphone socket. There’s also a cut-out for the speaker and dock connector, so you can power it from your car’s 12V socket, as long as you buy a suitable adaptor, such as Proporta’s Dual USB Car Charger for around £10.

Griffin Cinema Seat 2: 4/5

UPDATE – July 2011

You asked and we listened. We’ve added more case reviews, including this one that works in conjunction with Apple’s Smart Cover. The HyperShield Back Cover for the iPad 2 is designed to complement the Smart Cover and protect your iPad’s aluminium back.

It’s made from TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) which is a cross between plastic and rubber and – at just 1.4mm thick – keeps your iPad 2 looking slim, which is more than can be said for most after-market cases.

It’s available in 10 colours to match whichever Smart Cover you have – even the leather versions. Our grey sample perfectly matched the grey Polyurethane Smart Cover, so it looks like an Apple product.

The cover fitted tightly onto our iPad and has cutouts for all the buttons, camera and connector. We’d have preferred a perforated grille over the speaker, though, as this is the one area that’s not well protected.

This minor grumble aside, there’s little else to criticise about the HyperShield. It allows the Smart Cover to work unimpeded, and will help to ensure your iPad stays in pristine condition.

The HyperShield isn’t widely available, but you can buy one from N E fing for £19 – our sample was kindly sent from here.

HyperShield Back Cover for iPad 2: 4/5

When we saw Scoshe’s foldIO P2 (on page 3), we were impressed not just with its quality, but also its protection of the iPad 2. Its folding design meant you could stand your iPad at three or four angles for watching videos or video chats.

Now, Cygnett has launched a rival – the Rotating Armour case. It’s extremely similar to the foldIO P2, being made from the same leather-like material with soft suede inside, but it has one extra trick: rotation. Unlike the P2, the Armour allows you to rotate your iPad to portrait so you can use any hands-free apps that are better suited to this orientation. Admittedly, we can’t think of many, but at least the option is there. The swivel joint rotates 360 degrees, so you can turn the iPad freely.

A neat touch is the fact that the Apple logo is visible through the plastic cover, but the real trick is that the case works like Apple’s Smart Cover and turns the iPad on when you open it, and off when you close it. Just make sure the iPad Cover Lock / Unlock option is enabled in Settings, otherwise it won’t work.

All ports and buttons are easily accessible, and there’s an integrated metal cover to protect the speaker. We found the case gripped our iPad 2 very tightly, so much so that it was tricky to remove it to put another case on.

Unfortunately, the Rotating Armour suffers from the same problem as the foldio. There are three positions for adjusting the angle of the iPad, but in the shallowest, it slips out immediately and falls flat on its back. Most annoyingly, this ‘flat’ angle is almost horizontal, so isn’t as good as the Smart Cover for typing, which gives approximately a 15-20 degree angle.

At £35, the Rotating Armour has quite a few tricks and but it a few pounds more expensive than the foldIO P2. As the P2 has a better typing angle, it remains our favourite folio-style case for the iPad 2.

Cygnett Rotating Armour: 4/5

We’ve long been fans of Joby’s gorilla products, and now there’s a version for the iPad 2. The gorillamobile Yogi is a clip-on case with two of the company’s patented flexible legs – the same as those used on the Gorillapod SLR.

This makes the Yogi amazingly versatile, as you can prop up your iPad 2 at any angle you like, hang it on a bar, wrap it around a post or your leg, or even hook it around a headrest in your car to amuse the kids. As it holds the iPad steady on virtually any surface, it could be ideal for taking video or photos.

Each leg is 23cm long and the joints are so stiff that they stay in whichever position you bend them. The legs have a quick-release clip so you can switch from landscape to portrait mode, or remove them entirely if you don’t need them.

The polycarbonate case perfectly matches the white iPad – it’s only a shame the legs aren’t white too. However, we like the rubberised outer edge of the case which prevents it slipping on a table, especially at shallow angles that you might use for typing. The rubber sections cover the volume rocker button and power button, and there’s a plastic grille to protect the speaker.

If there’s a flaw, it’s that there’s no protection for the screen, so you’ll either need a screen protector or a separate zip case for transportation. Also, the legs make it very bulky to carry around in a bag. At £35, it’s fairly expensive considering the lack of practicality, but as long as you consider it more of a stand than a case – and you have a specific use in mind for it, it’s well-made and does the job well.

Joby gorillamobile Yogi for iPad 2: 4/5