The first BlackBerry flip case we saw was the BlackBerry Z10, followed by the BlackBerry Q10 and now even the BlackBerry 9320 and 9720 has it. It would not make any sense if the BlackBerry Z30 had this omitted, hence, here we are with the Leather Flip Case! Whilst only the Z10 variant did not come in leather, the leather used throughout are all similar – the rugged premium leather is the material BlackBerry chose to use.

Similar to the BlackBerry Leather Pouch for BlackBerry Z30, in the sense the material chosen, the case gives a good premium feel to it. Same as the Z10’s variant, this case flips from the side, the right side, instead of vertically like the ones seen on Q10 and BlackBerry 9320/9720.

The nice shiny BlackBerry logo can be found at the back of the cover, where the leather extends until. Otherwise, the rest of the case is a hard plastic kind of case.

As mentioned before, the reason why BlackBerry Z30 had a removable glass woven back cover despite not having a removable battery is simply because this allowed more specialized cases to be made for the Z30. This follows Samsung’s accessories trend where the battery door of the S3, S4 or even note 2 and 3 are swopped when cases are used, especially so in their S-view covers. In this particular case, the Z30 uses just that.

Evidently, BlackBerry has learnt their lesson from the Z10’s flip case, where they have amended a big flaw in the flip case where the precious LED could not be seen. After which, all the flip cases from Q10 to legacy included a lens and cut out specifically for the LED notification light. The Z30’s variant is no different – coming with a cut out lens for the LED.

Apart from that, what is new here is that the BlackBerry Z30 Leather Flip Case also have cut outs for the mic and the handset speaker. This means we can answer our calls with the leather flip closed. Adding extra protection for the device, this should have again, been present since Z10. Whilst not a totally new feature, I would have appreciated if smooth leather was used instead of the rugged leather as it would have been much easier to clean.

What is lost, here over the Z10’s variant was the ability to use it as a multimedia stand. Not that I used it that often, but it was a nice addition to have. That, however, can’t be said for the rest, it could have been useful for you, but in any case, if you like to have that, then the transformer case would have to be your best bet.

The most irritating part of the whole thing is that the microsub and microhdmi ports are covered up by the case, hence, to charge or to use the tv out would mean that the cover must be left open.

Overall, with a price tag of SG$49, it is still a very nice accessory to have.