When it comes to luxury cases for your phone or tablet, few fit the bill like Noreve. The French couture designer from Saint Tropez makes some of the most beautiful phone and tablet cases available today. Each case is handcrafted and fits the devices they are designed for perfectly. I’ve had the opportunity to review many of their cases over the years for a wide range of devices and when they contacted me to review the Ambition folio case for my Nexus 9 tablet, I couldn’t pass up the chance. If you want a case that not only provides protection for your tablet but looks stunning as you use it, this case is for you. Here is my review.
The Noreve experience starts with the box and dust bag for the case when you receive it. The box is a heavily constructed red and black box that along gives you a sense of the styling and luxury of the case. Open the box and you see the bright red dust bag in which your case is found, again, portraying the luxury of the case. When you first pull the case from the dust bag you are hint with the scent of high quality leather that makes up the construction of the Ambition Folio case for the Nexus 9. Regardless of the style of case you select, the leathers are soft and supple to the touch. Noreve, like many of their other cases for other devices, makes the Folio case for the Nexus 9 in a wide range of styles and colors. For this review I received the Ambition finish in brown.
Noreve Ambition Folio for the Nexus 9
Handling the Noreve case for the first time is a pleasurable experience. First, the Ambition leather is soft, supple with a grain feel to it and on first touch you get a sense of the quality of the leather the company has used in making of the case. Second, if the tactile input wasn’t enough, will be the smell of the leather. Many cases that I have reviewed here that have been made of leather have a chemical smell from either the bonding of the leather to the plastic casing that is the skeleton of the case or by the treatment of the leather itself. For Noreve that is not the case. You get the smell of leather. Unadulterated leather and it is wonderful. The Ambition range is one of Noreve’s most popular finishes available but they have a wide range available to meet your wants and needs with some styles being more masculine or feminine than others.
Looking around the case you see what I think is a trademark of Noreve cases which is the precise, even and tight stitching of case. Looking at the case both inside and out you will see this small attention to detail everywhere and it brings out the quality and care they put into the construction of their products. The folio case for the Nexus 9 is a book-style case. The front flap of the case is thickly padded to protect the screen of your Nexus 9 from the outside while the back of the case is a fully leather covered plastic shell to cradle and protect the back of it. On the front lower right corner you will see the Noreve logo in silver sewn into the case while on the back you will see precision cut holes for your Nexus 9’s camera, speakers and microphone. At the base of the case is a precisely cut notch for the USB cable to connect to your Nexus for charging.
The inside of the case is yet another place where style and functionality meet. Inside the front flap you have three slots. This allows you to pull out the bottom edge of your tablet from the back of the case and set it up in various viewing positions in these slots. If you are typing, for example, you can have it at a more shallow angle while viewing a movie is probably best at a higher angle. This makes the case very usable when you are on a flight. You can view or work on your Nexus 9 even if the person in front of you has leaned their seat back.
Inserting your Nexus 9 into the case is easy and done by inserting one side of it under the small lip on the inside of the case then pressed down the other side and snapping it into place inside the case. The two lips that hold your Nexus in place are small but secure and are not a distraction to the look of the device inside it.
Holding the case with your Nexus 9 in it you will see that Noreve has precisely cut out those part of the rear shell that you need in order to access controls on your tablet. For example, the bottom you have a small cutout for the USB connector so you can charge your tablet without having to remove the case. Likewise you have access to the volume rocker and power button and of course the
Landscape Viewing Details
camera on the back as I mentioned earlier. It makes the case an install-and-done accessory. Once you have it on your Nexus 9 you should never have to remove it.
Having used the Folio case for my Nexus 9 for a few weeks I can comfortably say it is one of the most elegant and functional cases I’ve had the opportunity to review. The quality is outstanding both in materials used and in the construction of those materials and it comes together in a professional, stylish and functional case that protects my tablet all at the same time. It is one of the very few cases I’ve walked into a meeting where a colleague or customer has made a comment about a device case I happen to be carrying. And that really is why I like this case. It is designed to be stylish for anyone but if you are a business professional, you know that looks are important. This Noreve case looks the part and anyone should feel comfortable carrying their Nexus 9 into a meeting.
The Noreve Ambition Folio case for the Nexus 9 starts at $91 and as with all their cases, they include free shipping. In other styles, the case starts at $87 with many in stock. You can check out the complete lineup of cases for a huge selection of tablets, phones and laptops on the Noreve site.
