Review: Nite Ize Executive Leather Side Case

Phone cases come in all shapes and sizes; executive cases with loads of leather and rugged blue-collar cases that feature nylon and heavy plastic. Choosing the case that is most appropriate for you depends largely on your lifestyle and preference. Nite Ize is famous for the rugged, "carry everything" style case. Both the Nite Ize Backbone and the Clip Case Plus have been reviewed here in the past.

Nite Ize is looking to make their mark on the executive case segment with their aptly named Executive Leather Side Case. Click on in to find how well they made the transition.

Design

Nite Ize obviously took their expertise in rugged cases when they were hashing out their Executive case. The familiar heavy plastic belt clip is back, giving you confidence that the case isn’t going to break or fall off of your belt. The majority of this case is leather, with a notable exception being the elastic on the sides that allow the case to expand to fit your phone. The interior of the case is a much softer material which prevents your fingerprint magnet from getting scuffed and scratched. A magnetic closure seals the case to prevent your phone from falling out when jostled.

Execution

If you’re looking for a case that has pockets everywhere, this one will be a disappointment for you. I would’ve liked to see Nite Ize put at least one or two more pockets as is fairly standard for them. The belt clip is sturdy, but it doesn’t swivel (which is a good thing on a side case) or lock. Despite the seemingly generous amount of elastic on the sides, this case is a tight fit even for a Blackjack II with the standard battery.

Conclusion

I had high hopes for this case as I am a fan of what Nite Ize has done in the past. I would’ve liked to see some bells and whistles to this one such as additional storage or a more robust latch. I was also hoping for something that looked a little more elegant, though that has never seemed to be high on the list of priorities for Nite Ize.

Nite Ize’s Executive Leather Side Case isn’t a complete bust, as it does offer an extremely durable belt clip on a case that has an executive look and feel to it. If that describes what you’re looking for in a case, take $16.95 on over to the WMExperts store to pick one up.