There’s something to be said for quality materials like those in the Prima Leather Pouch Case. There’s also something to be said for the case being the correct size. Unfortunately, only the former can be applied to the Prima Lateral Pouch Case as with regards to the Palm Pre. The case is made of rather nice leather with cleanly stitched and sealed edges, but it’s simply too large for the Palm Pre, unless you like having an extra half inch of space for the phone to slide around. Clearly, this case is designed for a phone much larger than the Pre, as evidenced by the extra space and elastic expansion joints on either end. Altogether it’s a nice case, it’s just not the right case.
Functionality
Unlike most of the other cases I’ve reviewed, I do have to knock this one for its ability to hold the Pre. Some have been too tight, others fit just right, but none before the Prima have literally swallowed the Pre whole with room to spare. That extra space does make it very easy to put the Pre into and pull it out of the case - you can easily stick an entire finger in to lift it out, or you can take the traditional route and use the hole on the bottom to push the phone out, though in this case it seems rather unnecessary.
Apart from the size, the Prima has a strong spring-loaded plastic clip that rotates 90 degrees in either direction from vertical (in 30 degree increments). The rotation is a very solid affair, with satisfying clicks at each stop. The belt clip has both an interior lip for catching onto a belt if pulled up on and a grip at the bottom edge for clipping onto beltless articles, like pockets or gym shorts (though it would look rather out-of-place on gym shorts).
Style
Stylistically the Prima Lateral Pouch Case is a simple affair. The exposed front is a single piece of leather, with a second curved piece forming an inset for the magnetic flap. A chrome plastic Prima logo is attached dead center on the flap, a disappointing step in the wrong aesthetic direction (shiny logos on cases = bad). When in the horizontal-mounting orientation the large plastic clip does stick up over the top of the case, detracting from the otherwise clean lines of the case.
Conclusion
The Prima Lateral Pouch Case is a solid case, it’s just not the right case for the Palm Pre. Perhaps if Palm puts out a larger phone of similar thickness (we’re talking first-gen Blackberry Pearl size) we’ll revisit this case, but for now I can’t quite recommend it. Despite the nice materials and good construction, it’s simply far too large for the Pre.
Comments
Is the case large enough to hold the Pre with the 2600mAh extended battery on it? If so, that would make it very useful!
I've seen better.
I don't understand why take the time to even review the case if its not even made for the Pre. Might as well have reviewed a BlackBerry case or something. The reviews are appreciated, but I think you couldve saved yourself the time of making one for this case.
lol bought the same case (different brand name) at a local flee market for $6. Fits my phone great because of the snap on case I have. Little extra room but makes it easier to slide in and out (maybe 1/8th an inch?)
Are you sure you have the right one?? I just ordered it direct from Prima through Amazon and it fits perfectly. It looks different than your photo. Much more rectangular. Even the flap is rectangular, not curved. But, most importantly, I love the belt clip! I almost lost my phone using the Palm Pouch Case because it slipped off my belt.
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