Tested: SANDMARC’s leather and machined metal iPhone 14 case, my favorite one yet

SANDMARC makes one of the best leather iPhone 14 cases out there in my opinion, and it’s time to take a closer look. In our continued effort to give hands-on impressions of as many iPhone cases as possible to give folks a better idea of what they are spending their money on, one of the best is on the slate today. There are a few really standout, clean, and handcrafted leather cases we have already touched on this year, but SANDMARC’s wireless charging, MagSafe-compatible leather iPhone cases really set themselves apart from the many options in the category. Hitting just about all the most important form and function design cues alongside an industrial-inspired metal camera array cover, head below for our Tested with gadgetnewsonline feature on the brand’s new Pro Leather iPhone 14 cases. 

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Hands-on with SANDMARC’s leather iPhone 14 case

This time around it delivers an industrial polymer model and the leather treatment we came to love last year, but we have only had a chance to give the latter a hands-on test thus far. And to put it bluntly, it’s my favorite one yet. 

SANDMARC employs a full-grain leather treatment in the same black and brown as last year and has now introduced a teal, and my personal favorite, navy model to the lineup. 

This MagSafe-ready case is designed to “last a lifetime” with a leather treatment that will develop a nice patina and become even more uniquely yours as time goes on. Joining metal button covers, you’ll find the brand’s aluminum machined threading with a sleek gunmetal finish safe-guarding the lens array on the back of your iPhone 14, adding both design interest and compatibility with the brand’s photography accessories. 

The SANDMARC Pro Leather iPhone 14 cases come in at $49.99 shipped – the industrial grade polymer models sells for $39.99 – in all of the aforementioned colors. Just remember to use our exclusive gadgetnewsonline code to knock 10% off. 

Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:

• Minimal Magnet-Enabled Design
• Aluminum threading for camera protection
• Microfiber inner lining & metal buttons
• Black Premium Full-Grain Leather
• Wrist-Strap friendly (strap not included)
• SANDMARC Lens & Filter compatible

gadgetnewsonline’ Take

For me, SANDMARC has gone from a completely unknown entity to one of my favorite case makers on the planet. The brand is firmly planted in the iPhoneography space with a range of high quality lens attachments, accessories, and the all-metal iPhone tripod we reviewed previously that any content creator should at the very least take a good look at. But its accessories, including the new wave of titanium, steel, and leather Apple Watch bands, are easily some of the best I have featured yet. After reviewing over 40 brand’s worth of iPhone cases for last year’s models, its iPhone 13 variant was the one I ended up using the most, and that is seemingly going to be the case this year for Apple’s latest handsets. 

It presents a high-quality leather wrap that’s both soft and sleek, but just thick and textured enough to feel like an actual piece of leather – it feels like a slightly worn in, lightly tumbled matte leather bag or jacket to me. It fits perfectly around my iPhone 14 with precise cutouts right where they need to be and a slightly debossed and subtle logo on the lower third of the back panel. 

The machine metal camera fixture is both functional and gorgeous. Designed to work alongside the brand’s range of camera attachments, even if you aren’t intersted in that stuff it adds an eye-catching hit of detail to an otherwise mostly flat leather cover. It does pop off the back of the case far more than your average raised lip, and certainly breaks the complete clean, minimalist leather vibe some folks are after, but it’s a beautiful industrial design touch that certainly deserves a place among the best leather iPhone 14 cases out there. 

While you won’t find the gunmetal colorway carrying over to the buttons, SANDMARC is also delivering quality covers for the pushers, too. For both the power button and the volume controls, the brand has implemented metal button covers with a slightly shiny aesthetic treatment in the same color as your case of choice – brown metal buttons for the brown case, navy for navy, and so on. 

The quality carries over to the inside as well. Anyone who has frequented my yearly collection of iPhone case reviews will know I appreciate a nice treatment on the inside as much as I understand that it doesn’t really make much of a difference in the end. I just happen to want my iPhone resting up against a soft plushy material and, frankly, expect it on any case over $40 – SANDMARC’s leather iPhone 14 case’s microfiber lining certainly delivers here. 

If I was going to knock its case for anything, it would be the raised lip around the display. Don’t get me wrong, a slight bezel around an iPhone display is very important to protect it from tablet tops and the like (it can even help with drops and falls), but this is just a touch too much for me. I mean we are talking millimeters here, but I would prefer it be just a touch lower or smaller than it is. A minor gripe, but this is my favorite case of the year thus far, and it’s hard to find anything I don’t like about it. 

Buy the SANDMARC Leather iPhone 14 Case

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