I don’t envy accessory manufacturers who are in the business of making device cases; with the market flooded with cheap cases which provide the minimal level of functionality, it can be hard for premium accessory manufacturers to differentiate themselves, whether it’s through better materials or better functionality. We’ve previously taken a look at roocase‘s products (see that review here) and we can see what it takes to be considered more functional and unique than the norm; today, we’ll be taking a look at another of roocase’s folio cases, the Executive Portfolio.
We’ll be taking a look at the Executive Portfolio specifically for Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, though the case is also available for a whole number of other tablets such as the Nexus 7, Kindle, etc. (check out roocase’s website here to see if they have this case for your tablet). In terms of what you get in the box, what you see is what you get with the Executive Portfolio, but it’s what’s on the inside that is the main event. What you do get on the exterior of the folio is a leather covering with twin branded zips to make sure nothing on the inside of your case falls out.
The inside of the case is quite busy, much like an executive might be. On the inside cover, you will find a whole hosts of card slots and a pocket that can be used for storing cash. This space is likely to be enough as a wallet replacement unless you really like to horde cards, but it’s nice to see the option is here as well as the added security of the zipped up case.
You may remember from the roocase Dual-View case, there was a stylus/pen included in that package. Well, that stylus is back, this time located in the spine of the Executive Portfolio. As before, the quality of the hybrid stylus and pen is nothing to write home about, however it’s a neat inclusion for those people that like using styluses or often find themselves without a writing implement.
The actually case for your Galaxy Tab 3 is a leather framed affair, much like the one on the Dual-View case. Your tablet gets sealed inside the case with velcro and is a surprisingly snug fit with very little free movement. There’s ample room on all sides to get to all your Galaxy Tab 3’s access ports and buttons which includes the rear camera.
Which brings us to the coolest part of the Executive Portfolio case; the section which holds the tablet can actually be removed from the folio case to become a standalone case. While it obviously lacks the protection it had while inside the folio, this section has its own functions as well.
As you can see in the photos above, this section of the case has a stand built-in as well as a strap which can be used as a handhold to stop you dropping your tablet during use. While the stand is a bit too short to be used for movie viewing, it is the perfect height for use on the desk during meetings or at your desk and the handhold is something a bit different, particularly if you’re prone to losing hold of your tablet.
Attaching this section of the case back into the folio is as simple as doing up a button, though I’m a bit concerned about this part of the folio; there is no mechanism to hold the the above pictured flap down so if you were to tip your folio in a particular direction, your tablet would swing out and potentially unclip itself. While this isn’t extremely likely in a professional setting, I do wish there was something there to stop this eventuating.
Rating: 4/5
Professional-looking, functional and with lots of hidden tricks up its sleeve, the roocase Executive Folio leather case is a very multifaceted case, something which is somewhat of a rarity on the market. While individually there are parts of the case which are a bit lacking, the sum of its parts makes the Executive Folio a very good option for the user who wants to look a little more professional without losing the ability to be functional in the office, all for the relatively low price of MSRP $49.99 USD.
If you’re interested in picking up the roocase Executive Folio leather case, you can visit its product page here and see what participating retailers are selling the case. Additionally, the roocase Executive Folio leather case can be found for as little as $35 on Amazon right now (links to Amazon are below).
