[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717] panyan:
3.0 Valentinus Leather Case

N7000: http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...te-leather-wallet-case-valentinus-series.html

I717: http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...te-leather-wallet-case-valentinus-series.html

Available in: Black, Camel and Dark Green

3.1 Exterior

The Valentinus is advertised as a “wallet” case – I’ve never had one of these before so was excited to try out its special feature!

When you first take the case out of the packaging, you immediately notice the quality of the product. All the stitching is straight, in the same colour as the leather, and finished properly so it doesn’t unravel after 10 minutes. Similarly the leather feels like it should on a premium product –supple, with realistic contours, and a faint aroma. (Interestingly, the back of the Stehen said “Faux Leather”, the Valentinus did not have this imprinted.)

The backing of the Valentinus is much more “book-like” than the Stehen. With the Stehen, the leather is wrapped around the shell; with the Valentinus, the shell is glued onto the leather – you’ll see what I mean in the images.

The style of the Valentinus is more mature than the Stehen, the leather has been punched through for the camera/speaker – a much more premium look.

The leather front has an embossed look, personally I would have preferred if it said “Galaxy Note” or something but I fully understand why they didn’t: 1) they’d have had to pay royalties to use the name I imagine 2) they want it to be about the case, not the device.

The popper that closes the case is excellent: it feels secure and solid, but not so tight that it feels like you’ll damage the case prying it open.

I much prefer the fastening on the Valentinus compared to the Stehen (but I understand why SGP had to go with it).

Another small addition is the “Designed by…” on the side – another quality touch!

On a side note, I have been told by SGP that the Valentinus is their newest case, and I really hope that they update their older cases (like the Stehen) so that all their products are uniform. There are a few styling differences between the cases:

1)	The polycarbonate shell on the Valentinus feels slightly smoother and better finished than the shell in the Stehen

2)	The polycarbonate shell on the Valentinus has a hollow corner on one side

3)	The backs of the cases: one reads “SGP CASE, Faux Leather” and the other reads “spigen”, which I much prefer. On the website, however, the images on both read “SGP CASE, Faux Leather”.

4)	The “Designed by…” print on the side of the shell is not there on the Stehen

5)	Different positioning of “Valentinus” and “Stehen” on the cases, and different fonts

6)	Different patterns on the microfiber

7)	There are different colour names for the cases on the website: “camel” and “brown”, even though they are the same.

I hope that SGP revise their product line with their new design tweaks so that the range of products looks a little neater/tidier.

Please note that I am being very picky and this is not detracting from the quality of the cases – it is just an observation.

3.2 Interior

When you pop the clasp on the Valentinus and open the case, you are greeted with a brown and black interior that looks fantastic.

Microfibre backs the right side of the case, all of it embossed with the SGP logo – another exquisite touch.

And the main event… the wallet part of the case

Here we see space for 4 cards and a slot to store “larger valuables”, as the diction reads.

The Note sits very snuggly inside the case, it is a well rounded package and really suits the device.

The polycarbonate shell has all the cut outs that you would expect and the device sits very nicely inside. You can press the buttons easily and the cutouts are large so access for micro usb and headphones is good.

When you put the device into the shell, I recommend you put in the side with the power button first and then snap it down. It goes in with a satisfying snap and sits in it very solidly.

One design feature that I would have like to see from the Stehen, is the small SGP embossed logos coming in from the bottom left – it really is a lovely touch – and I would have rather that than the embossing on the microfiber backing (but this is a personal choice).

Overall I feel that the Valentinus has been made for a more mature audience than the Stehen. The Valentinus feels like it was designed for use by a businessman and as such, has very professional look to it. The Stehen has a much more urban-chic-youth look to it in my eyes.

3.3 In Use

This portion of the review was difficult for me to write. The original PR states that the case: “…combines the essentials of your phone and wallet, rendering an all-in-one solution…

Also on the website it states: “Additional Storage Space - The Valentinus Wallet also includes additional storage space for cash or miscellaneous items.”

Now, I have never had a wallet case before, and I was very excited at the prospect of being able to combine two things that I always carry into one

As you can see, the case will accept £5 notes, but £20 notes are too large to fit flat (they would need to be folded)

I know that US money is smaller than UK money, so I felt that if it fit US money, that would be acceptable

But even a $20 note wouldn’t fit flat

Now, I am from the UK and when I think about my wallet, there is both a mixture of cash and cards. However, I know people in the US that carry a wallet and will only have cards (perhaps an emergency $20 note)

So it is excusable that not all notes fit in it properly – manufacturers design largely for their target audience, which I imagine is the US in this case, so to carry 4 cards and some emergency cash is acceptable imho.

Also remember that SGP design the case to fit the device, not the money, and money is different all around the world – so I’ve cut them some slack– if you need money in it that badly, just fold it up and put it in ;)

On a final note, I would be a bit careful not to apply too much pressure - the edges of the cards rest directly on the device’s screen so it may leave a few marks over time.

3.4 Conclusion

The Valentinus is SGP’s newest case, and I feel it is a step in the right direction for the company.

Pros:

-	Great quality leather

-	Very sturdy shell

-	Cards (and cash) wallet feature

-	Fantastic Customer service

-	“spigen” not “SPG CASE” on the back

Cons:

-	Consider what you carry in your wallet

One final thing I would like to say is that this is both a premium case AND a premium wallet, so would I pay $44.99? You betcha!