I purchased this case for my iPad Air and I thought I would share my review on here in case some of you guys are looking for a case/multi position case for your iPad Air.
Just got this case for my iPad Air and I am delighted with it.
The Versavu is made of a imitation leather type material is really well made and adds very little bulk to the iPad Air.
I had looked at the Versavu for my iPad 3, but I’d only became aware of it after I had went and bought the Accessory Village case that proved to be a bad decision to say the least. When I knew I was going to get the iPad Air I started to look on the Targus website and noticed they were releasing a Versavu case for the Air.
The iPad Air fits into the soft plastic shell back. I found the best way to insert it is to put the right handside edge (the edge with the volume controls) in first and then press the rest of the Air into the plastic shell. Once its in here it won’t fall out accidentally.
The other side of the cover (the part that covers the iPad’s screen when closed) has 3 deep grooves. These grooves are used for to seat either the landscape edge or the portrait edge of the iPad Air into depending on the viewing angle you are using. I find the iPad sits very securely in these grooves and I have not had it slip out of the grooves. Apart from the 3 grooves that I’ve mentioned, there is a little lift up tab, which allows for another viewing position/typing position and also you can completely collapse the case (basically not use any of the grooves or the lift up tab) and this angle I find is ideal for typing. So as you can see, you have a good selection of viewing/usage angles with the Targus Versavu.
Now the main reason I wanted the Versavu was for the 360 degree rotation. Basically the plastic shell (that holds the iPad) rotates 360 degrees so that you can either view your iPad in either landscape view or portrait view, this is not a common feature on many iPad cases.
One issue I have found (but too be honest it is unavoidable) is in portrait view, if you try and put the iPad into the groove that provides the steepest viewing angle, the iPad is top heavy and it will collapse, however do the same thing when the iPad is in landscape view and all is fine, so in light of this, the steepest viewing angle is only suitable for landscape viewing. But this isn’t an issue for me, as I don’t use the steepest viewing angles.
The inner lining is a soft felt like material and the stitching and finish is extremely good, admittedly not the cheapest case but compare it with Apple’s Smart Case at some £65 and it isn’t the most expensive either, especially when you have far more viewing angles than you would with the Apple Smart Case.
The case is held closed by way of an elastic cord that protrudes out of the cover edge, this then loops/hooks over a groove/lip. I much prefer this to the large full width elastic strap that the older Versavu cases had which did get in the way when you put the case into its shallowest typing angle. A lot of cases have a little strap which then press studs shut to hold the cover closed, but I don’t think this would have been possible with the Versavu as the back is plastic. The elastic cord can be a bit awkward to hook onto the groove/lip at first, but I found as time went on I was able to hook it over with no problem, you just need to look at the cord and groove to clearly see what you are doing, perhaps not the most elegant of closure methods but it works fine all the same.
Now a bit of a miss for me is the built in sleep/wake function that my older iPad case had and also the Apple cases/covers have this feature too. I can confirm that the Versavu DOES NOT have the ability to automatically sleep or wake the iPad Air when the cover is opened. A lot of 3rd party case manufacturers are not providing this feature as Apple have been known in the past to move or change the magnet/sensor arrangements from earlier iPad models and I know for a fact that initially the iPad 3rd generation Versavu covers needed to be altered/updated as they had the magnets placed in the incorrect positions to sleep/wake the iPad. I expect that Targus are playing safe this time and not including this feature.
A little off topic, but I was able to modify my Versavu case to provide me with the sleep/wake function when the cover is opened and close. I done this by placing a couple of 6mm x 1mm (thick) Neodymium magnets in the correct positions on the bottom edge and the left handside edge (as you are looking at it when the cover is opened). You basically just need to find the correct position and the correct polarity for the magnets (as one of the sensors requires the magnet to be a different polarity than the other, this is achieved by simple turning the magnet around). Once you have found the correct positions, you can put a piece of Sellotape onto the magnets to hold them in place, or if you are really fussy or want to have a tidier job, you can cut a small nick into the inner lining and tuck the magnet under the lining. I recorded a short video showing the magnet positions and the sleep/wake feature functioning, I’ll provide the link below.
To close the review.
I am really happy with the Versavu case, the main reasons for me buying it were I was wanting to have multiply and steady/secure viewing positions and also portrait viewing positions too and the Versavu ticks all of these boxes and performs excellently in day to day use. I can highly recommend the Versavu case but if the automatic sleep/wake function is important to you then just beware that the Versavu DOES NOT have the feature built into it. You would need to modify the case (like I did) to provide this feature. I have provided some pictures showing the various parts of the Versavu and the many viewing angles so I hope these are helpful to the potential buyers.
Here's some pictures showing the various viewing angles that the Versavu has:
Showing the speaker and the Lightning Connector openings:
Showing the inner lining of the Versavu:
Front of the Versavu
Back of the Versavu:
The elastic cord and retaining groove/lip:
Another of the elastic cord closure:
Showing the grooves that the back shell sits in, as you can see they are quite deep and provide a stable support of the iPad Air.
The plastic shell where the iPad Air sits:
Showing the steepest of the landscape viewing angles:
Showing one of the other landscape viewing angles:
Showing one of the other landscape viewing angles:
Another viewing position can be achieved by lifting this little tab up and placing the edge of the plastic shell underneath it.
This is the shallowest of the viewing angles and I find it perfect for typing on. To achieve this position you simply collapse the case and not use any of the grooves or the lift up tab.
One of the portrait viewing angles:
One of the portrait viewing angles:
One of the portrait viewing angles:
Outer packaging:
Thank you for sharing @fatboy
Awesome revises as ever.
Awesome revises as ever.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Thank you for sharing @Anonymous
Awesome revises as ever.
Thanks bandofbrothers
No worries.
Good review.
Well worth a Kudo !
Good review.
Well worth a Kudo !
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As mentioned on MacR
I have also bought this case but have covered the 360 tab on the inside just in case it marks the iPad back
Great case bough £45 from Argos
I have also bought this case but have covered the 360 tab on the inside just in case it marks the iPad back
Great case bough £45 from Argos
@Leebroath wrote:
As mentioned on MacR
I have also bought this case but have covered the 360 tab on the inside just in case it marks the iPad back
Great case bough £45 from Argos
Hello Lee, fancy seeing you on here
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