Twelve South recently updated their infamous BookBook case for the iPad Pro. The updated version, Vol. 2 (clever name, I know) has the same great look, but now includes an internal pocket, a new design for keeping your iPad Pro in place, and a camera hole on the back for photo and video capturing.
BookBook Vol. 2 supports the iPad Pro 2018 model, that's the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Face ID. I've been carrying one around for a bit and have definitely fallen in love.
Price: From $90Bottom line: With the BookBook, you're protecting your iPad Pro and hiding it in plain sight. Plus, you look smart from the outside, even if you're just reading tweets.
The Good
- Clever look
- Flexible positioning
- Lightweight (for being leather)
- Extra pocket inside
- Room for Apple Pencil
- Better-designed iPad holder
The Bad
- No color variant (yet)
- Standing angle is unstable
Bells & Whistles
BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro: The features
The BookBook is a folio style case with a unique design. It looks like a book on the outside. It doesn't just look like a book, though. It's handcrafted with a traditional bookbinding design. The spine has a vintage hardbound book look with decorative gilding and accented colors. The exterior is giving just a bit of faux distress to make it look like a dusty old encyclopedia. The edges are embossed with a nice little curling design. The Twelve South logo is imprinted on the back, but it's subtle and almost unnoticeable.
Inside, you'll find a hard shell case that perfectly fits your iPad Pro. The case flips up so you can position your tablet in a variety of angles. There is a small flap on the back of the hard shell case so you can angle it for typing at about a 15% angle. You can lay it flat and flip the cover over for standard tablet mode. If you want to set your iPad Pro upright in landscape position for watching movies or FaceTime chats, the case design allows you to position it at practically any standing angle. The inner lining is suede and the hard shell grips to it.
In addition to the multi-angle hard shell case and stand, there's an interior pocket big enough for standard paper. It's got about a half inch of flexible space, so you can fit thick contracts, a package of tissue paper, or a thin portable keyboard like Logitech's Keys-To-Go.
There's just a bit of extra room inside the BookBook for iPad Pro so you can connect your Apple Pencil to the magnetic strip. This is a simple solution for securing your Apple Pencil. No matter how much you jostle around, even if it comes loose from its magnetic connector, it stays put inside the case as long as it's zipped up tight.
Intelligent design
BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro: What I like
I'm always surprised at how lightweight Twelve South's leather products are. The BookBook is lined across the entire outside with leather and it has a suede pocket inside, but it still manages to feel incredibly light.
This may sound odd, but I'm really impressed with the zipper performance. It zips open and closed fast and efficiently. There is no hesitation, no drag. I never realized just how good it feels to have a fast zipper.
Speaking of the zipper, the BookBook has a zipper on each side, so you can open it just a bit on either side to reveal the charging port without having to open it entirely.
The wide pocket design is definitely a plus. I love that I can shove my Keys-To-Go in and have the full typing experience on my iPad without needing to bring anything extra.
I prefer the minimal hard shell inner iPad holder of Vol. 2 to the wide-lined one of the first-generation. They obviously needed to accommodate the full-screen and Face ID of the 2018 iPad Pro, but I think it's a better design for any reason.
When it comes to cases for the 2018 iPad Pro, making sure there's a place for the Apple Pencil is important, but also a difficult problem to solve. If you just leave an open spot on the case, the Pencil might fall off. If you give it a special pocket, but the pocket doesn't connect to the iPad Pro's magnet, it's an annoyance.
Twelve South found a happy medium. It left the magnetic edge of the iPad Pro exposed so you can clip your Apple Pencil to it. At the same time, however, the Apple Pencil is secured inside a zipped up case, so even if it falls off, you won't lose it.
No choice
BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro: What I don't like
Though the multi-angle positioning design is clever (using the suede material as a grip for the hardshell case), it's not an ideal solution. You're just setting it up and letting gravity take care of the rest. If you're using your iPad Pro on your lap, for example, you could easily bump the case, causing it to slide out of its prime position. To be clear, I tried knocking it down by jiggling my legs and moving around with it on my lap, but it stayed put.
Though this is a brand new version of the BookBook line, I was hoping this would come in the Rutledge style, too (the BookBook for older iPad models does). For now, it only comes in one color style; brown.
Bottomline
BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro
I love this case. It's both simplistic and well-designed. It's a basic folio case with a unique book design that looks great and hides your expensive iPad Pro. The way the inner hard shell case design gives you a variety of positioning angles and the inner pocket is the perfect extra for storing a stack of papers or even an ultra-thin keyboard.
Price: From $90Bottom line: With the BookBook, you're protecting your iPad Pro and hiding it in plain sight. Plus, you look smart from the outside, even if you're just reading tweets.
