A few weeks ago, I unboxed four beautiful back covers designed specifically for the Lumia 950, delivered to us by Mozo itself. Last week, I reviewed the gorgeous and fine brown leather cover. I naturally gravitated to the brown one first because it was the most unusual and interesting, with its fine texture and white contrast stitching. In this review I’ll be examining the equally interesting red leather back cover for the Lumia 950.
Design
The red leather cover is a dramatic departure from the brown one in three key ways. Most obvious of which is the leather used. On top of being a different color, it also has a more scaly leather texture that’s harder and coarser. It feels every bit as high quality as the finer brown one, but it’s a different experience for sure. The second way the red cover differs from the brown one is the lack of contrast stitching. This omission is wholly appropriate given the texture feel of the leather, and imparts on the Lumia 950 a more futuristic and timeless design.
Finally, the third key difference can be found in the non-conductive vacuum metal coated PC Plastic, which is a different gold color to the silver color of all the other covers. The brilliance of the gold color makes itself very visible in great lighting conditions, and does a great job of accentuating the black gloss embossing the screen itself.
I’m a sucker for unusual and flared colors, so I was very eager to get on reviewing the red and gold cover. Many of our readers, however, have expressed to me that they dislike the gold metal, preferring the much more understated silver, which I can understand. It’s a bombastic cover to say the least. Some may even call it gaudy, and I can’t really blame them for thinking that. I can’t help but feel the gold metal may have been better suited to the black cover.
Polarizing as it may be, I adore it, as it adds a very spicy flavor to an otherwise mild Lumia 950.
Fit
Like the Lumia 950’s default back cover and the brown cover, fit is superb. There is no squeaking or give in the cover’s connection with the phone. I really wish there was more I could say, as this is looking like an exact repeat of the last review. Fit is just perfect in my experience.
Ergonomics
The red cover adds a tiny bit of thickness to the device, making the back more level with the camera bulge. It could just be my imagination, but this red cover seems to add slightly less thickness than the brown cover. Same goes for weight. It makes the device heavier than default, but just a hair lighter than with the brown cover. I expect the black and white covers to follow this trend, given they share the same material construction as this red one.
Like with the brown cover, this extra weight imparts a more premium heft on the otherwise very light phone. The scaly leather texture used on this cover is harder, but also less malleable that the fine-grained texture of the brown one. Whereas the brown cover felt like a piece of fine leather cloth draped over the back cover, the scaly red leather used here feels tightly embedded into the back plate itself. In that sense, it feels more solid and durable than that of the brown cover.
Also like the brown cover, the gold buttons on this red cover are much sharper and more tactile in feel when pressed compared to the rather flimsy buttons of the default back cover. I’ve come to realize in transitioning between the default, brown, and red covers that this more tactile feeling comes at a cost. Button presses are actually noticeably louder with the Mozo covers than the default cover from what my ears can here. Not enough to be obtrusive in anyway, but noticeable.
Particularly pleasant is how this red cover manages heat. I’m surprised to report that the red cover using this type of leather material is even better at tempering heat radiating out of the phone. When doing heavy tasks while charging the phone (the point where the phone is usually at its hottest in my opinion), with the default back cover it feels sharply hot and unpleasant to touch. With the brown cover, as previously reported, it feels much more muted, but still present. With this red cover, it’s almost non-existent. I can barely tell the phone’s heat apart from the warmth of my own fingers.
Conclusion
This red cover, in my opinion, feels much more modern and timeless than the brown cover, which feels a bit like old ranch farmer by comparison. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course. In my experience using the red cover, I’m genuinely glad that Mozo gifted us with these covers, as this red cover is one I would’ve most certainly bought with my own money. I love the red flare of the leather on this phone, and the gold seals the deal for me. If it metal linings were silver, I honestly would not even consider purchasing it. Too civilized for me.
Some of you may not agree with my reasoning or taste with these covers, but that’s fine. We are all special snowflakes and the beauty of these aftermarket plates is the freedom it allows us in choosing how to style our Lumia 950.
Thanks again to Mozo for providing this back cover. You can buy this spicy back cover on Mozo’s website here.