Last month, Nodus Collection contacted me on Twitter with this cool video showing off the micro-suction capabilities of their premium Access Case for the iPhone 6 Plus. A few short weeks later, and I’ve got an Access Case of my very own to review. Here are my impressions!
The Access Case comes bound in a simple cardboard sleeve with their logo front and centre. Slip this off, and you can open the case to see a brief instruction manual, and two labels. Peel these off, and you’ll expose the sticky micro-suction pads that lie at the heart of the Access Case.
The idea is that the larger pad will hold the back of your iPhone, while the smaller one shown above will keep the flip cover closed. Installation is as simple as placing your iPhone carefully on the pad, positioning it correctly, then pressing down hard to secure the connection. If you’ve done things correctly, the case should extend past the iPhone in each dimension, and the camera and flash should fit neatly inside the cutout in the back cover.
Once installed, the effect is striking. You’ll get a beautifully slim real leather case, which adds the absolute minimum of bulk to your iPhone. Your screen will be protected by the front cover, and the body of your phone will be protected by the rest of the case.
The unique design of the Access Case does bring its own challenges, though. Firstly, the case adds very little drop protection – and if the micro-suction ever fails, you’ll be left with a completely unprotected iPhone hurtling towards the ground. Thankfully, the Access Case didn’t fail me in my week-long testing period.
Next, storage is a little more involved than a typical case. If you’re not using it, you must remember to retain and reinstall the pieces of film you initially removed, so that the micro suction pads don’t rest on each other and destroy the whole case.
Finally, installing your iPhone is a little fiddly compared to other cases, as it’s quite easy to put it on slightly crooked and not notice. You’ll need to be careful each time you place your iPhone, to ensure that it does not jut out past the case and thereby accrue scratches or other damage.
Conclusion
The Nodus Access Case is a stylish way to cloak your iPhone in leather, without the usual bulk that is associated with leather folio cases. The micro-suction technology used by Nodus here seems to work well, and for that the case must be judged a success. While the case’s unique design has its downsides, the execution here is top-notch and you’re left with an iPhone case that makes a good argument for its high price point.
The Access Case is available for the iPhone 5/5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. You can also pick up an enlarged version for almost all iPad models. These are all available on the official Nodus store. For the UK, phone versions cost £50 while iPad versions of the case cost £100.
