Review: Nomad Modern Leather Case For AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) – Forbes

Apple’s second generation AirPods Pro are considered by many to be the best in the business when it comes to consumer wireless earbuds. Besides their core functionality, one of the things that makes these wireless earbuds great is their case. It is extremely compact and truly pocketable (something not all wireless earbuds pull off), it has a built-in speaker for “Find My” functionality, wireless charging, and there’s no mistaking its glossy white finish.
Actually, that iconic, glossy white case does have a few downsides.
First, being the industry leader brings imitation. There are a lot of glossy white wireless earbud cases out there now. It can be easy to mistake one for another. In my house, where there are multiple people with AirPods and some with other brand earbuds (that also feature a glossy white charge case), there have been multiple incidents of someone accidentally grabbing the wrong earbuds off the counter. Second, glossy white looks fantastic when it’s new. Get a few scratches or scuffs in the plastic and the look isn’t nearly as appealing.
The Nomad case is two pieces.
Nomad – the company behind a wide range of premium Apple accessories (including the Base One Max MagSafe charger that appears in a photo in this review) – has an answer to both of these issues. The Nomad Modern Leather Case For AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is a protective case made of premium leather that slips over the AirPods Pro case, giving your Apple earbuds a unique look while also protecting that white plastic from scratches.
The Nomad case is very thin, a two-piece shell with Horween leather over a polycarbonate frame and a protective microfiber lining. Installation couldn’t be any easier. Simply slide each half of the case over the corresponding halves of the Apple case. There is a slight notch on both halves of the Nomad case that go at the back to accommodate the hinge and a band of black plastic to accommodate ports.
Installation takes seconds and the results are dramatic.
I have to say, the AirPods Pro case really pops with the Nomad case on, especially when it’s open and the white contrasts with the darker and more textured leather.
Cutouts for Lightning port and speakers.
Installing the Nomad Modern Leather case over top of Apple’s own retains almost all of the functionality Apple built into its charge case. There are cutouts for the Lighting port and speaker grills — Nomad sells a handy lanyard separately that you can thread through one of those cutouts. There is a light pipe on the front of the case so that the LED charge indicator is fully visible. The case supports Qi and MagSafe wireless chargers.
The Nomad case supports wireless charging but does lack MagSafe magnets.
However, the one thing you give up is full MagSafe functionality. The Nomad case will work just fine with a MagSafe charger, but it’s not equipped with magnets so you do need to position it manually.
I should note that you can use this case with first generation AirPods Pro as well — the speaker cutouts will be non functional (other than as a lanyard attachment point), but otherwise the case is fully compatible.
The version I evaluated is wrapped in Nomad’s Horween leather. This is premium, minimally treated, vegetable-tanned leather that ages beautifully. I have a number of Nomad products in my collection that are made with Horween leather and the patina this material develops truly does make it look better with age. The little scratches and scrapes that looks so horrible on glossy white plastic actually add character to leather.
Little in the way of added bulk, but a premium new look with Horween leather.
The Horween leather case is available in Rustic Brown or Black for $39.95 but the company also offers a standard leather case in four different colors for $10 less.
$40 well spent.
I was one of those people who initially thought it was a little silly to buy a case to cover a case. However, after installing the Nomad Modern Leather Case on my son’s AirPods Pro, I am a convert. It transforms the look of the AirPods Pro case for the better, protects it from scratches, makes it much less likely you’ll confuse your AirPods case for someone else’s, and it’s even less slippery to hold onto. It’s easy to install, and avoids adding bulk. Those are a lot of wins for $40.
Disclosure: Nomad provided a Modern Leather Case for evaluation purposes but had no input into this review.

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