There has been a dearth of good quality cases for the Xperia Z3 (and Z3 Compact) since the handsets launched. Even Sony’s official SCR24 Style Cover Window is scarcely available. We have recently started to see cases from some of the big manufacturers trickle through and today we are hands on with the Case-Mate Stand Folio for the Sony Xperia Z3 thanks to Mobile Fun, who stock a wide selection of Xperia Z3 cases.
This Xperia Z3 Case-Mate Stand Folio case offers some good protection for the handset in a sleek design, adding little bulk. The case also doubles as a stand when viewing media or browsing. However, we did find a few niggles with the case. Click through to read our full thoughts.
The Case-Mate Stand Folio for the Xperia Z3 has a design similar to most folio-type cases, including a cover for the screen. This cases doubles as a stand and also has a slot for up to two credit cards.
The case includes cutouts for both front-facing stereo speakers as well as the notification light on the top left of the front face.
There is a discrete Case-Mate logo towards the bottom of the case. The material used appears to be some kind of soft plastic rather than fabric/leather. It is slightly textured (not as much as Case-Mate’s ‘Tough’ cases) to give the case some grip.
The camera cutout on the rear of the case leaves enough room around the lens and LED flash. We didn’t notice any issues when taking pictures or with any light bleed when using the flash.
The case includes a protective plastic shell, which you fit the Xperia Z3 into. This provides protection for all four corners of the device.
A slot is also included which Case-Mate says will fit up to two credit cards.
The interior is made from a soft microfibre interior so there should be no worries about scratching your display.
The Case-Mate Stand Folio fits the Xperia Z3 perfectly. However, two issues we found with the case were that 1) it does not have any kind of latch, so the top cover can flip open on its own and 2) there is no sleep/wake function when flipping the cover open/closed.
Very little bulk is added to the thickness of the handset, whilst providing protection on all four corners. There are cutouts to easily access the power button and volume rocker. However, you will need to remove the case to access the port flap that houses the nano SIM and micro SD memory card.
The top allows enough room to access the exposed 3.5mm headphone socket.
The lanyard hole is also exposed so you don’t need to forgo a lanyard if you buy the case.
The left side of the phone is exposed, which means you can access the micro USB port flap and magnetic charging pins.
Whilst we had no problems in using the magnetic pins to charge the phone using an appropriate cable, it would not fit into the magnetic charging dock as the back side of the shell doesn’t allow the pins to connect.
One of the features of this case is the integrated case, allowing you to place your phone in landscape mode to watch video content or browse. This worked as advertised without the phone slipping.
Overall thoughts
There is a lot to like about the Case-Mate Stand Folio for the Xperia Z3. It provides decent enough protection against light bumps and knocks, whilst protecting the screen and adding little bulk to the handset. The stand functionality is another nice addition, as is the ability to hold credit cards (although we’re not sure how many would use this feature).
The only negatives surrounded the lack of any kind of sleep/wake function when the cover is flipped open or closed. There is also no latch to keep the case closed which may annoy some. If you are interested, then Mobile Fun stocks the case for £24.99 and delivers to selected countries worldwide.
Positives
– Access to all buttons (volume & camera) and ports (apart from micro SD, Nano SIM)
– Cutouts for speakers and notification light on front of case
– Protective shell covers all four corners
– Use phone as stand to view media
– Case holds up to two credit cards
– Textured material gives grip
– Slim profile and lightweight, hardly adds any bulk
– Front cover ensures glass screen doesn’t get scratched
– Soft microfibre interior
Negatives
– No latch to keep case closed
– No automatic screen on (sleep/wake)
– Magnetic port is free – but cannot use with dock
Thanks to MobileFun for providing the Xperia Z3 Case-Mate Stand Folio case for review!
