Whenever I've used flip cases, the advantage of a screen cover, and in many cases storage for credit cards, has been overshadowed by their clumsy hinges and lack of awareness for how people actually use their phones. Not so with the OtterBox Strada folio.
It's impressively designed, with high-quality leather on the outside and a thick plastic that holds the iPhone firmly in place. More importantly, it keeps your cars collected while still allowing you to fully use your iPhone, even one-handed.
The outside
The Strada folio comes in three colors: saddle brown (seen here), "Chic" burgundy, and "Minimal" black. The leather, which is stitched to the plastic frame below, is rigid but of high quality, and has proven scratch-resistant throughout my time with it.
All of the iPhone's ports are accessible when the phone is docked in the shell, but for the mute switch, which can be activated when the folio is opened.
The folio stays closed with a magnetic latch, one of the more considerate I've seen on such a case. That is because, when the screen cover is bent backwards while the phone is in use, the magnet has the same attraction to the back portion of the case, keeping it from flopping around.
The right side power button is reinforced and easy to press; less so are the volume buttons, which are barely perceptible along the leather hinge. And while there's no way to slide-to-answer a phone call without opening the case, the rest of the conversation can be had with the case closed, as the headpiece has the requisite opening.
The inside
Once your iPhone is docked, it's pretty well protected inside the plastic shell. By virtue of its folio nature, there is no concern with keeping the case's plastic borders thin.
On the inside of the flap, there's a slot for a single credit card or three business cards. That improves your chances of being able to take just your phone with you while on the town — especially if you have Apple Pay loaded on the iPhone itself.
Changing my mind
I'm not committing to using a folio case full-time, but that the OtterBox Strada has been covering my iPhone 6s for four days now is a testament to its quality and design.
