Snugg Cover Review for Nexus 7 2

Last month I posted a review of the official Asus travel cover for the Google Nexus 7 2. Because of its cheap, flimsy design I didn’t like it very much, and now it just sits on a shelf gathering dust.

As I set out to find a better cover, the folks at TheSnugg.com offered to send me one of their covers for the 2nd gen Nexus 7 to review. Snugg also has covers and cases for various other tablets, phones, and gadgets. The exact model I’m reviewing is the Snugg Leather Case with Flip Stand. It sells for about $25 and comes in eight different colors.

Review: Snugg Cover for Nexus 7 2

Pros

• The cover is made of PU leather that feels strong and durable—it definitely provides a lot more protection than the flimsy Asus cover.
• On the inside of the front cover there is an elastic strap that you can slip your hand into. It helps you keep from accidentally dropping the tablet, and it also makes it more comfortable to hold for long periods for things like reading because you don’t have to maintain grip on anything.
• The front cover folds back and fits into a notch so that the cover turns into a stand to view the Nexus 7 in landscape mode.
• There are cutouts for the ports, buttons, speakers, and cameras.
• The sleep cover magnet automatically turns the Nexus 7 on/off when opening and closing the cover. And the magnet is strong enough to keep the cover from falling open.
• There’s a loop on top to store a stylus pen (or if you’re like me and don’t use a stylus you can fold the loop behind the Nexus 7 so it’s not visible).

Cons

• The normally thin Nexus 7 2 is more than twice as thick in a case like this, and noticeably heavier. The thicker material gives it better impact protection, but that does add extra weight (not sure on the exact number but the shipping weight is listed at 5.6 ounces, which is about half the weight of the Nexus 7).
• $25 isn’t bad for a good cover, but there are less expensive options in the $5 – $15 range. A few are listed on the 10 Covers and Cases for the Nexus 7 2 post.

Verdict
Overall I like the Snugg cover for the Nexus 7 2 and would recommend it to others. It seems like a durable case (time will tell), the design is good, the elastic strap is handy and so is the stand. I don’t really have much to complain about with this one. It’s definitely a step up from the Asus travel cover I’d been using.

Usually I tend to go for covers that don’t have material that goes over the front of a device like this one has. The tabs along the sides on some other covers offers a cleaner look and feel. But the bezel is so narrow and thin on the Nexus 7 2 that the material never really bothers me. It’s out of the way of the screen enough that it doesn’t present a problem when interacting with the touchscreen near the edge, and the material actually adds a little more grip to the otherwise slick bezel.

Snugg Cover Video Review for Nexus 7 2