Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve iPad Case Review
Neither hard, nor made from candy, or even a sleeve, the Hard Candy bubble sleeve for iPad is an absurdly durable, zip closing case that looks like something a Dalek might carry around their iPad in.
The bubble sleeve boasts a trifecta of overkill protection for your iPad, starting with the bubbled outer casing that is covered with, well, bubbles. 15 bubbles are arranged evenly on the surface of the case, each protruding almost a centimetre and pretty much guaranteeing the early absorption of any blunt shock.
Next there’s a minimal layer of padding, which is more than enough in the face of the tough exterior and soft interior of the Bubble Sleeve. Finally, for the screen there’s a grid array of square bubbles which are soft to the touch and pretty much certain to stop any force translating to the centre of your iPad screen. Despite, however, the iPad glass running to the edge of its frame, the bubbles inside the Bubble Sleeve do not, so there’s a fraction less protection around those edges, but not enough to compromise the Bubble Sleeves overall integrity.
When is a WiFi-only iPad not a WiFi-only iPad?:
The Bubble Sleeve is built, to use a classic phrase, like a brick outhouse. It’s designed to be rugged to the point that it does compromise somewhat on the aesthetic side, and adds more bulk to your iPad than most other cases. But with this bulk it brings droves and droves of protection, plus a build quality that literally had me making attempts to try and break it. The zips are tough as nails, and the nylon weave outer material will shrug off wear like the outside of a tank.
Hard Candy haven’t compromised on features, however, as the Bubble Sleeve has two zips for quick and easy opening, and the zips open through what you might call 270 degrees, allowing the whole case to flap open for even easier removal and replacement of your iPad. Along with the generous screen padding are 4 velcro attached soft rubber bumpers that accept the corners of your iPad to keep it secure, and provide even more protection.
Overall the Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve for the iPad has only one failing, it’s ugly. It comes in 3 colours, a nice neutral black, an obnoxiously bright pink, and a “gold green” which is the colour I received, and is not particularly appealing. It might grow on me, but good ol’ black and orange is clearly the way to go!
Hard Candy have a UK store where you can buy the Bubble Sleeve and accept PayPal payments or, rather, only accept PayPal payments. But it does make the rather steep £44.95 that this battleship build case will set you back a little harder to stomach if it comes out of your piddle-away fund!
