Nomad is back, as expected, with a slate of new sporty and leather cases for iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, as well as some Air models (more on those to come). I absolutely adored last year’s Nomad Traditional Leather Case for my iPhone 16 Pro – it is the most elegant model in the lineup if you ask me, and now it’s time to see how the new design works with Apple’s Cosmic Orange.
Nomad Traditional Leather iPhone 17 Pro Case review
The new Nomad Traditional Leather Case is available for iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air in your choice of premium Horween leather for $85 or basic leather for $65. It comes in black or Rustic brown, and you can also get a lighter English Tan treatment on the basic leather.
Features at a glance:
- Horween leather from the USA
- Develops a rugged patina over time
- Seamless, full-wrap leather design
- Tactile Camera Control button
- Anodized aluminum buttons & camera ring
- Internal lanyard attachment system
- MagSafe & wireless charging compatible
- Backplate: 2.3mm
9to5Toys’ Take
As far as iPhone 16 Pro goes, I ended up, for the most part, sticking with the Nomad Traditional leather case. I just really loved the look and feel of the cutout – I’m not a huge Camera Control user, the leather has a really nice feel to it, and I loved the look of the metal buttons. And this might very well be the case this year, but the case isn’t exactly the same in 2025.
The Traditional is largely on par with last year’s, but the new model does feature a proper Camera Control cover and takes on a slightly different overall look largely due to the larger camera plateau on the back of iPhone 17 Pro.
Because of the larger camera array around back, the black anodized aluminum frame that delivers the ever important razed lip to frame it is a little more prominent from a visual point of view. It is still relatively thin and still gets the job done, but it breaks the somewhat cleaner look of the iPhone 16 Pro variant – there’s just a larger black ring on the back of the phone now surrounding the camera plateau. I don’t hate it, and again, this might be my go-to leather cases anyway, but it is worth noting.
Another difference this time around is the buttons, and not because they have taken a turn for the worse – they haven’t. They are still wonderfully functional and high-end feeling with a metal treatment across all four of them, but the color is slightly different this year. It is subtle, but instead of the sort of accent gunmetal look on the 16 Pro edition, Nomad has opted for a more blackened vibe. I preferred last year’s look, but I suspect there are plenty of folks that might actually like the new take even more.
These buttons still feature the sort of notched or striped etching detail from last year’s model, and I seriously love this little touch.
And the same goes for the Camera Control cutout, because there isn’t one. I actually loved seeing a pop of Desert Titanium gold shining through the edge of the case last year, but with the Camera Control button in place this year that most most folks seem to prefer anyway, your iPhone color is all but entirely sheathed along the sides. Again, this is a personal thing, most folks will likely prefer the new model in this regard.
In the end, this is a Nomad leather case in your choice of the premium hand-tanned Hoween leather or the basic leather for less cash, and they are both really nice. The Horween, based on past experience, will develop a richer patina over time than the basic, but they are both wonderful cases. There are some slight difference over last year’s, but none that most folks won’t appreciate. The Nomad Traditional Leather case remains one of the most elegant models from one of the best case makers in the game, and it is a certainly top 5, and more probably more like top 3 contender on the leather iPhone 17/Pro/Max case contest.
Buy the Nomad Traditional Leather iPhone 17 Case
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