Hands on: Picaso leather sleeves for 2018 iPad Pro, now in three new subdued color finishes

Picaso Lab handcrafts gorgeous leather accessories for keeping your Apple gear in pristine condition. Having previously reviewed their MacBook Air cases and iPad sleeves, we now go hands-on with one of the recently released three new colorways for their iPad Pro cases.

Three new color options

Now available in additional color options, Picaso Lab’s gorgeous leather sleeves bring an all-in-one travel experience to iPad Pro users. And now, iDB readers can get a ten percent discount on all Picaso products with the coupon code idownload10 at checkout.

Picaso’s sleeves are handcrafted by a father and son in California out of Napa leather and polyester thread, using the dying crafting skills the founder learned from his grandfather.

Picaso Lab is designed for holding you 2018 iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Folio.

Aside from the previous black/red color option, Picaso Lab now offers sleeves for both the 11 and 12.9-inch 2018 iPad Pro in a trio of new finishes: brown/gray, brown/red and tan/red. I already own their black/red sleeve for my 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but Picaso was kind enough to send over a pair of brown/gray sleeves in both sizes to check out in person.

Picaso Lab in 11 and 12.9-inch editions with matching iPad Pros inside, their keyboard covers on.

You can’t mistake these cases for Twelve South or Nomad thanks to the matte surface texture and accents like a leather suspender that snaps into place to secure the tablet.

The high-quality leather feels great in your hand.

Make it brown

The brown/gray variant swaps black leather for a more formal light-brownish appearance.

The vibrant coral-red polyester thread is now brown, as is the sleeve interior along with its lip. The stitching is as strong as ever, and with a good reason—this case features reinforced edges that provide greater protection for your precious tablet.

The shock-absorbing edges are reinforced on both the outside and the inside.

The only red accent the new colorways leave intact is Picaso’s trademark red snap-on closure that helps keep the tablet secured inside the case. Don’t worry, you still have a press-on stud on both sides so you can take off the closure when needed—for example, to let your iPad with its Smart Keyboard open sit atop the case without wobbling.

Shock-absorbing protection

The case opens on the long side rather than on top, making putting it on easier. A two-inch lip on the interior edge is a nice design touch. Functionally, it ensures the tablet glides in and out effortlessly. The felt material provides adequate protection against scratches and dings.

Check out the hardened edges at the bottom of the case and the leather lip followed by felt material.

If you tend to drop your tablet accidentally, you will definitely love the reinforced edges that help absorb shock upon impact. The edge-hardening process, dubbed Solid Edge, is tedious and time consuming. Ultimately, it makes the sleeve’s edges five times more rigid when the tablet is inserted. The case is designed to fit either just your iPad Pro or it along with a Smart Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil.

An iPad Air 3 is in the case, shown in the upper -left corner. Other images show a 2018 iPad Pro in the case.

While you can store the new iPad Air in the 11-inch version of the case, it will be far from snug fit, as evidenced by the photos embedded right above. If you don’t own a 2018 iPad Pro, definitely choose the right case size for your. tablet on Picaso’s website. One thing is indisputable—this simple leather tote for your Apple tablet oozes craftsmanship.

And even though fit is initially tight, don’t you worry a thing—just leave your iPad Pro inside the case overnight so that the leather break-in process can take place.

Once the leather has formed to the tablet’s shape, you’ll be good.

Summary: premium leather for premium gear

If you read my review of the black/red iPad Pro sleeve, you know these are some of the finest handcrafted sleeves for your Apple gear the money can buy.

From the review:

Picaso Labs is behind some of the cleanest, most elegant protective cases I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. This particular sleeve is no exception. Not only is it nice to look at, but is elegant to tote your iPad around in it. Napa leather looks awesome and feels soft in the hands. Most importantly, it seems to hold up well to everyday abuse.

Indeed, they’re quite sturdy—my first iPad Pro sleeve is a few months old yet still looks like new despite it being used on a daily basis. If you want to pack your iPad Pro along with a Smart Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil with confidence, you can’t really go wrong with Picaso.

Pricing and availability

The sleeve is available through the Picaso Lab website.

The new tan/red colorway is perfect for folks who prefer their leather in saddle brown.

The 11-inch version retails for $92, the bigger one is $108 and both are available in black & red, brown & gray, brown & red and tan color options. As I mentioned earlier, Picaso sells leather protection for other Apple products, including wonderful leather cases for Apple notebooks.

Brown/red is the third new Picaso colorway.

In fact, here’s our video review of Picaso’s MacBook sleeves.

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Best of all, Picaso is offering a discount to iDB readers.

Picaso’s iDB discount

Picaso has partnered with iDB to give our readers a nice site-wide discount.

Simply head over to the Picaso Lab website, select your sleeve or case and use the promo code idownload10 at checkout and they will instantly give you 10 percent off of your order.

You can make the sleeve your own with free personalized engraving, in ether Mistral or Myriad Pro typefaces. Engravings are limited to 20 characters.

Let us know what you think of Picaso’s iPad Pro sleeve in the comments down below.