iPhone 12/Pro/Pro Max Leather case patina not developing compared to previous leather cases

That’s actually a good suggestion so I actually took it up with the Apple store. They said many complaints have been coming precisely with the same issue as a matter of fact the Store sales person confidentially informed me that he to experienced the same problem and is purchasing a different brand of case. Unfortunately he said they cannot accept a return of the case and it was manufactured differently not defective. Meaning this year they no longer use the high quality Tanned Coach style leather. They used a cheap hard leather and painted it with a cheap paint finish that rubs off after only a short period of time. This process is not a true “tanning process“ it’s just a “spray on tan“ and only gets worse over time it doesn’t get aged with a beautiful patina. Now for those of you that like the rubbed off paint look finish as “vintage“ I gather you would like this style. Personally I’d like to see them bring back the high-quality truly “tanned process” leather case. Here are some photos of the original high-quality case. No that’s a true patina aged Tanned saddle brown look! Please Bring it back

I have only had my saddle brown iPhone 12 mini MagSafe case for a couple of months and the edges have worn off completely. If this is real leather, it’s is black underneath and dyed and the dye is what is wearing off. This is only light use, in and out of my pocket and sat on a desk. I had a red one with my iPhone 8 and I can tell you the leather feel and quality definitely changed. I could clean the red one and it last 2 years still looking good. Apple please fix this, I too am most likely going with a Bullstrap case .

I made a post here sharing my thoughts in regards to this disappointing case….. I also shared some pictures after I just dug in with some chemicals to strip the ugly tan dye, then used sandpaper, leather dye & leather oils to bring it back and in the end I just still was not happy it was still an ugly shade of blah brown.

So, I did it. I finally turned on my beloved Apple cases - I gave up all hope on them and bought a brown leather case from Decoded. First of all I noticed the beautiful leather smell right off the bat. The leather it is the most beautiful color and it is going to turn absolutely gorgeous with use, I can tell already. Save your money on the Apple one and check out this option.

The only difference I noticed is the on and off button is not as sharp as the Apple case but examining it further all I did was take a tiny little thin piece of stiff plastic and put it behind the home button with double sided tape on the inside of the case and it just makes it much more responsive exactly like the Apple case.

I am thrilled with my new one it is luxurious it is going to be timeless and age beautifully and I couldn’t be happier it’s too bad it’s not with my beloved Apple brand and case but when you’re cheap out like that I’m going elsewhere.

I finally ended up lightly sanding my case with fine grit sandpaper in order to get the coating off and expose the leather underneath. I then rubbed in a light coating of, believe it or not, beard balm and removed any excess balm with a rag. My case in now less than 2 weeks old and it’s starting to develop the patina that I wanted.

I’m noticing the exact same thing. I’ve had a saddle brown leather case for my 12 Pro for about a month and a half and have seen no patina whatsoever. I even, as I’ve done on previous saddle brown cases, wiped it down with fingernail polish remover which takes off the protective coating that Apple (in the past anyway) puts on them. After that protective coating was removed, the leather would start to patina quickly. In the past, when taking off that protective coating, which must have been the same color as the case, there would always be lots of color on the rag from the coating. When I wiped down my 12 Pro saddle brown case, there was no color at all on the rag that I used. What that means, I have no idea, but the case does seem different and I hope that it will start to patina soon.

Not only is the feel different it’s complete garbage. There is no patina whatsoever. I’m not even sure it’s real leather. It just seems like a spray on coated painted brown saddle color that’s now faded out to a terrible damaged looking finish. Every other saddle case that I purchased for my iPhone 11/10 and previous ones had always worn to a beautiful rich looking aged finish. This one just after one month looks damaged and like a very cheap quality material build. Also edges are fraying, further signifying the low quality material/construction. Would be nice if Apple spent the money to go back to the quality of the previous saddle brown leather cases as we are spending quite a bit of money on their products.

As you can see one looks like a nice aged leather patina (first 2 pics… Mind you that’s two years old! The other… just cheap painted garbage...only about 4 months of use on the NEW current case for the 12’s… Just shameful garbage. No aging, no patina, no rustic vintage look, just paint rubbing off revealing cheap surface underneath))

Yup it’s infuriating. I had an apple folio for iPhone X great leather soft and supple. I then got one for apple 11 pro. Terrible feel, no patina it’s a black case by one layer of the dark grey paint is coming off showing a dark black underneath which is the original black color like the one for the x. Just feels cheap didn’t even have that good smell. I now rock the Sena Walletbook they also have great leather cases with full grain leather much better quality. Shame on Apple 🤬

Hi,

I've used the apple saddle brown leather case for the past how many years on my last few iPhones, 7/8/X and now on my 12 pro, I agree with you, the feel is very different to the previous models, lather doesn't feel as good and the patina is nowhere to be seen after more than a month.

I have to say I'm very disappointed that they have changed the quality and made out its for the better, the reason i payed £60 for a case is the beautiful patina and top quality, shame i wont get either with this case.

I had the same issue after 7 months. I took my saddle brown 12 pro max case into the apple store and showed them the problem and they asked me what I wanted. They exchanged it for a new black leather one. If it does the same thing at least it won’t look as bad (dirty) as the saddle brown with the “ring” around the edges. The guy at the store said he never heard of the issue but was nice about doing the exchange.

I’ve had my iPhone 12 leather case since they put it live on the store. I got the poppy leather color and still no patina after a nearly two months. Only thing I see is that the corners are starting to lose its finish and by that I don’t mean patina.

I agree, this leather feels nothing like previous versions. It actually feels a bit more durable but somewhat artificial. I bought the Saddle Brown version so it would soften and patina. I was disappointed when it arrived because the color, well... looks like baby food. A bit orange. A bit brown. The edges are a tad darker as I use it but minimal to say the least. I may invest in a Bullstrap.

Good idea JustinP24. I did a little searching online and read that some people think that for the latest version of the the leather cases, Apple put on them a much thicker “protective coating” which, just like you did with sandpaper, must be removed in order for the real leather to be exposed. Keep us posted please. Thank you.

With all due respect , Clearly the leather is not the same quality. I don’t think we need to know “how to age our case“ I’ve had four of them with my previous other phones and did absolutely nothing and it then aged beautifully. Here are a few pictures of my case it does not age beautifully it ages just like a piece of cheap painted leather garbage. And I take meticulous care of my items I put it in my pocket I take it out of my pocket that’s all that should ever need to be done.

Could be you are correct. But it’s still no question that the case “looks nasty” as you mentioned (Personally I still think it’s a painted leather not a tanned aged) here’s my previous cases. They looked amazing after two years. I actually sold them on eBay for more than I paid for them. People paid up for the gorgeous aging process. Anytime a blemish would occur you could actually just rub it with your finger and it would look better than without the blemish. To reiterate, just the mere act of putting it in your pocket and removing it from your pocket was enough work for the aging process to take its beauty on the previous better quality versions

Either way thanks for the open minded chat. Hopefully Apple reads this stuff and acts on it. Too many people in this chat seem to agree with this version that’s on the market now being a much “different“ I call lower quality version