Review: Joli Originals continues a tradition of premium leather sleeves

Joli Originals MacBook Pro Limited Edition

About four years ago, I reviewed the Joli Originals iPad sleeve and gave it a glowing review. A lot has changed for iPad form factors in the last four years and iPad has celebrated its 10th anniversary. Joli Originals sleeves have kept pace over the last few years, updating their genuine leather sleeves at the same beat. I was able to get my hands on their latest version for iPad Pro and it has served as a great addition to my daily carry bag.

Joli iPad Pro sleeve review

Joli Originals is an independent design studio, located in the Netherlands. They are known for their device sleeves, ranging from iPhone to MacBook Pro and everything in between. Offering a textured and smooth collection, the sleeves are made from premium Italian leather and you can certainly smell the difference.

The small team at Joli offers their sleeve collection in a variety of leather colors and contrasting felt interiors. Their leather is extremely soft and durable. Even after several months of use, it still smells of natural leather. The felt also holds up very well and is a material I am comfortable sliding my iPad Pro screen against on a daily basis.

The fit is extremely well and a reason why I have returned to Joli over time. A good sleeve tightly hugs the device. With Joli, the fit is tight enough that you must hold tightly to the sleeve when retrieving your iPad and similarly tightly when returning it to the protective leather confines.

As you can see in the product images, the leather shapes around the device. I have found this to be consistent with my iPad Pro sleeve. Over time the leather has encompassed the hard edges of the newer iPad Pro 11″ form factor, but done so in a way that retains a sure grip on the device.

It is possible with poorly constructed leather cases that a tight fit wears over time, allowing your sleeved device to merely fall out, if picked up the wrong way. Joli sleeves maintain their hold on the device even after the leather form fits to it. This makes me feel safe when toting it around home or the office on a daily basis.

Joli Originals MacBook Pro sleeve

They currently offer the iPad sleeve in 14 varieties, depending on your model and if you hope to fit a Smart Cover or keyboard inside. Leather colors range from blue (special edition), to brown, dark brown, or grey. Each leather color pairs with a few color choices for the interior felt, like orange, black, blue, red, and brown. Both times I’ve experienced the ‘smooth’ collection, but am intrigued by their textured versions as well. I think if I were to do it over again, I’d recommend the special edition rich blue smooth sleeve with their Ferrari red interior.

Honestly, I’d love to get my hands on one for my MacBook Pro!

My specific iPad Pro 11″ smooth sleeve in brown with aqua colored Dutch wool is €81.82, which is currently a fairly price is US dollars. It is certainly an investment at that price, but at a quality that is equivalent to the cost of entry. Thanks to Jolien and Harold for sending over this updated version as a review!