Best iPad Air cases

Looking for a case, sleeve or cover for your new iPad Air? Consider one of these options.

Luke Westaway

Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.

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Luke Westaway

Oct. 23, 2013 8:40 a.m. PT

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Looking for a case, sleeve or cover for your new iPad Air? Click through the photos above to ogle a selection of cases that are worthy of your consideration.

Starting with Apple's own Smart Case (which you can see above, and costs £65) and Smart Cover, we'll rattle through a few of the cases out there that already tout iPad Air compatibility, showing you a selection that ranges from simple sleeves to businesslike keyboard combos, to super-rugged cases that hug your iPad like an overzealous bodyguard.

If you've spotted another iPad Air case you think looks like a good choice, then drop a note in the comments below.

Of course, the irony is that once your iPad Air is ensconced in a case, you won't appreciate its insanely light 454g weight, or its razor-thin 7.5mm frame. It might survive being dropped on the floor, though, which is probably more important.

Apple's latest 9.7-inch iPad goes on sale in the UK on 1 November, starting at £399. It sits alongside the new iPad mini with Retina display, which touts a much-improved screen resolution.

What do you think of Apple's newest gear? Will you buy it, or is there a cheaper tablet that catches your eye? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.

iPad Air Cases in this round-up:

Apple Smart Case and Smart Cover

Proporta Barbour iPad Air Cover - Quilted Collection

Belkin QODE Slim Style Keyboard Case

Kensington KeyFolio Executive

Griffin Back Bay Folio

Griffin CinemaSeat

Griffin Survivor

Proporta Quiksilver iPad Air Sleeve - Redemption

Kensington Comercio Soft Folio Case & Stand

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A decent choice is Apple's own Smart Cover, which is also available for the iPad mini. This magnetic cover folds up into a triangle, making it simple enough to prop up the iPad Air at an easy-to-view angle. The cost? 35 pounds.

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This is the Proporta Barbour iPad Air cover, in quilted style. It looks pretty cosy, but costs a not-insignificant 80 quid.

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If you're determined to try and turn the iPad Air into a laptop replacement, you'll need something like the Belkin QODE Slim Style Keyboard Case. Coming soon, this Bluetooth-keyboard-touting case will cost eighty pounds.

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Not important-looking enough for you? Secure that big account with the Kensington KeyFolio Executive, which deploys a keyboard, but also has space for business cards, pens and more. Yours for 100 quid.

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If that's altogether too businesslike for your tastes, you might prefer the Griffin Back Bay Folio. There's no precise UK pricing for this case yet (though Griffin has confirmed to us that its cases will be headed to the UK), but the US price is $50. That equates to about 31 pounds, so prepare to pay at least that much, and likely a little more.

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Griffin has a few other tempting cases, like the CinemaSeat for iPad Air, which straps onto the back of a car seat, to keep the kids entertained. US price is $40.

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Another option from Griffin -- the Survivor case is for those who don't want to take any risks with their tablet and/or work on dangerous interstellar mining colonies. The US price is a wince-inducing $80, but for that you get a shatter-resistant frame and a built-in screen protector.

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If that seems way over the top, perhaps you'd be satisfied with a simple sleeve for your swanky new tablet. Proporta's Quiksilver iPad Air Redemption sleeve costs 15 pounds.

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Kensington's Comercio Soft Folio case and stand looks like a fair all-rounder. It costs 35 pounds and has reinforced corners and sides -- the parts that of the tablet that Kensington says are most vulnerable.