Tested: Nomad Rugged Folio gives your iPad Pro a high-end leather home

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Each year that we get a fresh batch of iPads, you can just about bet on a flood of new takes on the classic folio case. We’ve seen affordable options to keyboard-equipped models and everything between. Longtime purveyors of luxury leather accessories Nomad is out with a handful of new cases for Apple’s latest iPad Pro. For today’s Tested with 9to5Toys, we’ll be checking out the Nomad Rugged Folio for the 4th-generation 12.9-inch Pad Pro. Hit the jump for a brief overview and a few hands-on thoughts.

Nomad Rugged Folio wraps your iPad Pro in leather

Chances are if you’re an avid 9to5 reader, you’ve seen the brand’s various accessories for Apple products featured over the years. Nomad’s new Rugged Folio for iPad Pro continues the trend of using Horween leather sourced from the United States.

The Rugged Folio gets its namesake because Nomad claims the leather is amongst some of the best that can be sourced stateside. Over time, a “rugged patina” will develop, so if you’re someone that likes a clean-looking case, this model may not be for you.

Leather wraps the front and back of your iPad Pro while the inside features a microfiber lining on both sides. As with most iPad cases, there is a plastic TPU ring around the outside.

Additionally, you’ll find all the usual wake and sleep functionality along with dedicated storage for an Apple pencil and more.

More Nomad Rugged Folio features:

• Rustic Brown Horween leather from the USA
• Develops a rugged patina
• Slim construction
• Protective TPE bumper
• Magnetic folio closure
• Smart wake & sleep functionality
• Apple Pencil compatible

Tested with 9to5Toys

Let’s get the elephant out of the room first. At $170, the Nomad Rugged Folio isn’t for every iPad Pro user. Like the Magic Keyboard before it, many consumers struggle to justify the cost aspect of products like this. I am completely understanding of that aspect.

This is a premium product all around, and it makes sense that the price tag matches. The question is: Will the average consumer shell out that kind of money on top of spending $1,000 for a tablet?

When you open the box, you instantly get that high-end leather smell wafting into the air. You can tell that isn’t the “genuine leather” knockoffs that are easy to find on Amazon. Quality reigns supreme on Nomad’s Rugged Folio.

Overall, it largely functions as intended. The folio design allows you to prop up your iPad Pro at a few different angles. Integrated magnets and that extra level of functionality and security, snapping the lid closed and keeping your Apple Pencil in a secure position. It’s lightweight, which is key from the viewpoint, and delivers on every promise that a product at this price should.

Buy the Nomad Rugged Folio for 12.9-inch iPad Pro

View the rest of Nomad’s iPad Pro line of accessories

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