Incipio Lexington case for the new iPad review

Considering the new iPad wasn’t a huge departure from its predecessor in either appearance or form factor, it’s exciting to see manufacturers tackle the tablet with the same verve as with the previous two.

The new iPad is slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad 2, and many cases either didn’t fit properly or didn’t activate the popular magnetized sleep/wake function. Let’s take a look at Incipio’s newest entry into the foray.

The Incipio Lexington is a new take on the old folio case. It combines a stylish “vegan leather” exterior — a creative term for faux — with a versatile buckle that not only ensures the lid does not flap open in the breeze, but that the two standing positions are secure. Instead of relying on a convoluted system of multiple folds or fallible clips, the Lexington allows its owner to tuck the buckle into the small slot on the case’s rear and orient the iPad in either a media-watching position or the familiar typing angle.

The iPad fits securely in the hard plastic shell, hewing in the corners with a reassuring snap. Once in the case, however, the iPad is difficult to remove, necessitating a rather heart-wrenching pull from its confines.

Unlike Apple’s Smart Cover, the Lexington only has one fold about a third of the way from the left, allowing you to wake your device with a small lift, or to prop your iPad as you see above. The lack of multiple curves limits the case’s ability to fold into the popular “one-handed triangle” shape that Apple made famous with the iPad 2, but the buckle comes once again in handy when the cover is folded back by keeping the lid from drooping. When folded back and “tucked in,” the Lexington adds barely a centimetre to the iPad’s thickness, and is very comfortable to hold in one hand; the inside of the lid is soft and plush, to protect the screen from scratches.

The Lexington protects the iPad extremely well, especially from the bottom. One advantage of the tablet being so secure within the reinforced plastic is that even if you were to drop it with the screen exposed, there is little chance of the iPad popping out from the impact.

All the ports, from the headphones to the speaker, are accessible and protected without being too recessed. Both the typing and standing positions are slightly adjustable depending on how deep the buckle has been inserted into the latch. The typing angle could stand to be around five degrees lower, but it’s perfectly comfortable in most situations.

The Lexington also happens to be extremely stylish, and fits the look of the white iPad extremely well. It’s tight — not too compact, but doesn’t add a lot of girth to the tablet — and the dual-grey shading is very attractive.

The only real issue I have with the Lexington is that the vegan leather picks up fingerprints — splotchy, uneven stains — rather easily, which take a fair amount of work to remove. Most of the time they can be wiped clean with a wet cloth, but over time I fear the Lexington may lose some of its lustre to the fingerprint gods.

At $39.99, the Incipio Lexington is on the cheaper side of iPad cases, but it comes off as being a far more expensive product. It’s stylish, compact and protects well, and but for the penchant for stains, is a fantastic purchase.

Highly Recommended.