Nomad Modern Leather Case review: Elegant protection for AirPods Pro 2

Nomad has updated its popular leather AirPods case to fit the second-generation of Apple's pro earbuds, but one crucial feature is missing.

The original case for AirPods Pro was launched by Nomad back in 2020 and Apple has since introduced a new iteration with changes that case manufacturers had to adapt.

Apple added a new speaker grille on the charging case, a new lanyard anchor, and MagSafe magnetic charging. Nomad has adopted two out of three with its AirPods Pro 2 leather cases.

Exceptional build quality

Nomad has a propensity for using high-quality materials, and it's no different with its AirPods Pro 2 Modern Case. The Modern Leather Case comes in standard leather or Horween leather.

The vegetable-tanned Horween leather is less finished and with use, will develop a personalized patina unique to each user. It's what we prefer and only gets better with use.

That said, not everybody wants their leather to age. Some dislike this aging and want it to retain that like-new appearance for as long as possible, so Nomad released a standard leather version.

These models will still get a patina, but not as quickly nor deeply tinted as the Horween leather. Horween, tanned locally in Chicago, comes in only dark brown and black, while the other leather comes in a natural and English Tan color too.

The leather wraps around a plastic shell that shows through via a black ring over the top, sides, and bottom. The inside is protected by a soft microfiber that helps securely hold your AirPods and prevents any scratching from use.

AirPods Pro has a small status light in the front, so Nomad has a matching hole on the front of its case. That's where most case manufacturers stop.

If it had merely a hole, the light would be inset, making it hard to see from the sides. Nomad solves this by inserting a small optical light tube that passes the light through to the exterior, providing improved visibility.

A new cutout is on the right, where you can attach a lanyard. Nomad sells its own but any comparable tether will do.

It's not Nomad's fault per se, but with the case attached, it makes it even harder to feed the end of the lanyard through. Using something like a piece of floss or needle threading tool may come in handy.

A case for your case

There are plenty of jokes to be made about putting a case on your case. We get the humor in it, but there are two real benefits to doing so.

By adding a case to your AirPods Pro case, you do get added protection. You get protected from the daily scuffs and scratches that come about from slipping the case in and out of your pocket.

If you wanted to ever resell or gift your AirPods Pro to someone else, those scratches can hurt the value. Apple's glossy white exterior does you no favors here.

That doesn't include bigger drops onto hard surfaces that can more seriously damage your AirPods. We've dropped ours a couple of times now with the case on, and fortunately, it hasn't come off or hurt our AirPods.

Then you have the stylistic benefit. Everyone has a white AirPods Pro case but you can have something unique, outfitting your case with a case of your choice in different materials, colors, and patterns.

Should you buy Nomad's AirPods Pro 2 leather cases?

There's one thing that for us, is nearly a dealbreaker. The Nomad Modern Leather Case for AirPods Pro 2 supports wireless charging but doesn't have the magnets necessary for MagSafe.

Attempting to place the case on an angled MagSafe charger just results in it falling to the tabletop. When Nomad said that adding MagSafe support made the case too thick to its liking and decided against adding it in the current iteration.

We use a lot of MagSafe chargers by our bedside, on our desks, and in our car. Without them, it becomes much more tedious to charge our AirPods. AirPods Pro 2 have an excellent battery so we don't often notice they need charged until out and about and don't necessarily have a Lightning cable handy to top them off.

Not everyone uses MagSafe though and a flat MagSafe charger would also do the trick. If you fall into that camp, there's little reason not to consider the Nomad case unless you have another style in mind.

They're very protective, look incredible -- especially the new English Tan -- and support almost all the new features afforded by AirPods Pro 2.

Nomads AirPods Pro 2 leather cases - Pros

• High quality leather and Horween leather
• Develop unique patinas over time
• Updated for the latest AirPods Pro
• Don't hinder Find My, wireless charging, or opening the case

Nomads AirPods Pro 2 leather cases - Cons

• Don't support MagSafe magnets

Rating: 3 out of 5

Where to buy

You can grab the Nomad Modern Leather Case for AirPods Pro 2 for $29.95 or you can get the Horween leather version for $39.95.