Reviews for iPad mini Smart Cover - Dark Gray

I've been a Smart Cover user for the full-sized iPad since its release and love it.

While this Smart Case may look like that product, it's very different.

My biggest gripes were the following:

1) the cover is rather loose fitting. When in a bag, it never seemed to stay put and keep my mini locked. When sitting closed on a desk, you could often see a gap under it on the front of the screen. When you open it and put the cover on the back of the device, it slides around/rotates a few degrees, causing it to be awkward in your hands.

2) It's very weak. For the life of me, I couldn't get it to work well as a stand. On anything other than a flat/hard/steady surface, it fell apart.

I'm currently without a solution for protecting my mini, but I can wholeheartedly say this is not the answer. I've owned nearly everything Apple for a decade now and this is the first return I've made.

36 of 40 people found this useful

It looks nice but doesn't work well. It slides around all them time on the iPad. The real issue comes when you try to use it as a stand. The magnets are not strong enough to hold the cover on the iPad and the cover falls off. This makes the iPad fall. It does look pretty good though.

8 of 10 people found this useful

I am surprised by how secure the cover is. The mini will dangle securely when held just from the far edge of the cover. Much tighter attachment than the original iPad 2. The smart cover secures the mini firmly in typing position and the edges seal well in my lab coat pocket. My medical library totes inconspicuously on rounds. My toolkit just expanded exponentially. The cover and the mini combined are so light that the weight is not apparent when walking or sitting, but there is enough inertia when I take my coat off that I am reminded that it is there. It just belongs where it is, being useful.

14 of 16 people found this useful

This is a big improvement over the Smart Cover for the larger iPads. This fastens much more securely, for one. The magnets seem to be stronger, but it may be that the lighter weight of both the Mini and the cover allows for a more secure contact. The heavier iPads always seemed to be on the brink of breaking free of their covers. This feels as secure as if it were actually attached. Another nice feature is that it works much better as a stand - again, probably because of the lighter weight. With this, I don't see the need for another stand, whereas I was always searching for the perfect stand for the others. Finally, I'm much happier with the look of this. With the black Mini, the black back and this dark grey cover make a sharp looking combination.

6 of 7 people found this useful

Just got my new iPad mini and bought this cover with it. I find the cover to be in the way most of the time and the connection to the iPad Mini is weak. First hour I owned it I was showing to a friend who attempted to flip the cover to a stand and in the process the cover detached and the mini fell a short distance to the floor which cracked the screen. Not the cover's fault exactly but it interferes with having a good grip on the device and pulls away from the mini with the slightest pull. The iPad mini is fragile. I've dropped my iPhone a hundred times in the same way with no damage. Spend your money on a cover that will actually provide a good grip and protection in a short fall.

369 of 426 people found this useful

I must say, I have never been as disappointed in an Apple product as I am with this Smart Cover. Where to begin? Well, when you fold it into the stand position, it frequently comes apart. The magnets just aren't strong enough. Speaking of, the Smart Cover doesn't really stay in place on the screen that well. Hold it upside down, and you'll see what I mean. It comes undone. If this were $10, then it may have been worth it, but they charge so much because they are Apple and they can. Do yourself a favor and buy an off-brand product. You'll get the same thing at a quarter of the price.

54 of 60 people found this useful

Bad, in fact. Please don't buy this thing. It's pretty lousy and you can find better third party options for half the price.

Here are the things that caused me to hate it:
- Like others have said, when closed it lifts itself up a little in the middle. I understand that not everyone experiences this, but for a first party product costing 40 entire dollars, I expect consistency.
- It slides around very easily when closed, due to the lack of a hinge on the connecting side and weak magnets on the other.
- The fabric will soak up all the sweat and grease from your naturally gross hand, and conveniently transfer all that to the mini's screen.
- Used as a stand, the magnets are not nearly strong enough to maintain integrity when nudged. The full sized version got around this by having an additional flap that would fold under. No such luck here.
- It is probably the clumsiest possible thing you can attach to this expensive, droppable device.

Don't get me wrong, I love the mini. I just think this is a poorly designed, over-priced magnetized rubber flap we all need to forget. Let's move on together.

36 of 40 people found this useful

I purchased the smart cover for the iPad mini. Its ok but lacks in protecting the whole iPad. no protection for the back of the mini. Another problem is that the cover easily comes off the iPad because it is attached via magnet to the iPad. It easily slips off which is a problem, esp when i am typing. Overall, decent but a whole body protector would be much better. I do like the auto on off feature tho.

6 of 11 people found this useful

The cover pops up in middle of the spine at closed position, leaving the iPad mini powered on & screen on. The gap is about 1/4 of an inch.

If you put the mini with cover in a bag, I believe a very high chance the screen will turn on automatically.

13 of 17 people found this useful

I love the cover, I think it functions very well, but I also recently purchased a smart cover for an iPad 2 and it's freaking awesome. So stand alone this cover is a 4-4.5 but compared to the smart cover it's a 2, I hope apple sees the need and makes one quick.

6 of 13 people found this useful