Best cases for iPad 2 – Updated

When we saw Scoshe’s foldIO P2 (on page 3), we were impressed not just with its quality, but also its protection of the iPad 2. Its folding design meant you could stand your iPad at three or four angles for watching videos or video chats.

Now, Cygnett has launched a rival – the Rotating Armour case. It’s extremely similar to the foldIO P2, being made from the same leather-like material with soft suede inside, but it has one extra trick: rotation. Unlike the P2, the Armour allows you to rotate your iPad to portrait so you can use any hands-free apps that are better suited to this orientation. Admittedly, we can’t think of many, but at least the option is there. The swivel joint rotates 360 degrees, so you can turn the iPad freely.

A neat touch is the fact that the Apple logo is visible through the plastic cover, but the real trick is that the case works like Apple’s Smart Cover and turns the iPad on when you open it, and off when you close it. Just make sure the iPad Cover Lock / Unlock option is enabled in Settings, otherwise it won’t work.

All ports and buttons are easily accessible, and there’s an integrated metal cover to protect the speaker. We found the case gripped our iPad 2 very tightly, so much so that it was tricky to remove it to put another case on.

Unfortunately, the Rotating Armour suffers from the same problem as the foldio. There are three positions for adjusting the angle of the iPad, but in the shallowest, it slips out immediately and falls flat on its back. Most annoyingly, this ‘flat’ angle is almost horizontal, so isn’t as good as the Smart Cover for typing, which gives approximately a 15-20 degree angle.

At £35, the Rotating Armour has quite a few tricks and but it a few pounds more expensive than the foldIO P2. As the P2 has a better typing angle, it remains our favourite folio-style case for the iPad 2.

Cygnett Rotating Armour: 4/5