Last year I posted a brief review of Amazon’s premium leather cover for the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft, and then later in the year I ended up getting one of the plant-based leather covers too, so I thought I’d post a quick video review comparing the two.
The premium leather case sells for $64.99 in new condition, but I picked one up in like-new condition for $19 and some change. As noted in the earlier review, it wasn’t in like-new condition at all. It had a bunch of scratches on it and it smelled of perfume, but thankfully the smell wore off after a few weeks.
The thing with the premium leather cover is it’s meant to show scratches because that’s the type of leather it’s using. Some people don’t like that, but you should know that going in. It ages differently than other covers, and it looks quite a bit different now in the video below compared to the picture that I posted after I first got it.
The plant-based leather cover sells for $42.99 when it’s not on sale, but I was able to nab one in like-new condition for only $5.24, and this time it really was in like-new condition, and after a couple months of using it you could still make the same claim.
That’s the main difference when it comes to the plant-based leather cover. The outer layer on it doesn’t scratch easily at all. In fact, in the video I dug my fingernail into the cover way harder than I meant to, and I thought for sure it left a mark, but I’m looking at the cover right now and there’s not a single scratch on it.
The most surprising thing about the plant-based leather cover is it has a nice soft feel to it. It actually feels more like leather than the real leather cover I reviewed for the 11th gen Paperwhite, which had a harder, more plasticky feel and appearance. This is definitely a step up from that, even if it is made from corn instead of cows.
Both cases share the exact same design, and both have microfiber linings; it’s just the outer material that’s different. The premium leather is slightly heavier, but not by enough to notice while holding it. The plant-based leather cover comes in at 110.47 grams and the premium leather case weighs 117 grams.
I was fully expecting the premium leather cover to be nicer than the plant-based cover given the price difference and the fact the latter isn’t real leather, but I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. They’re just different, and it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Both have a nice soft feel, but I do like the uniformity of the plant-based leather case, while some might prefer the unique look of the real leather cover.
I also like how the color of the plant-based covers match the colors of the Paperwhites that Amazon offers (I still think it’s odd they don’t sell colored versions of the Colorsoft too). At first I had the jade Kindle in the ruby leather case, and it was kind of a weird color combination. I think the jade Kindle Paperwhite looks more at home in the jade case.
FWIW, the original leather case I bought for my Oasis 2 — the one which covered only part of the device’s back & was recalled by Amazon (I loved that case & they didn’t get mine) — was still going strong when the device became e-waste. Since cases usually last me only about a year or two, that leather case was a bargain despite the higher initial cost.
It’s a shame that Amazon is the only manufacturer offering real leather; generic real leather cases are available but they’re way too bulky.