Manufacturer: Samsung

Release Date: 8/17/16

MSRP: $59.99

Colors: Blue, Black, Gold

I recently reviewed the S-View case for the Note7 and it didn’t turn out too well. I then turned to the LED wallet case as it looked more sturdy and had a unique LED grid on the front cover that no other case I have seen has. What’s awesome about this case is that the LED functionality isn’t battery-powered, but uses the NFC on your phone to run and takes less than 1% of battery per hour to operate.

Samsung didn’t stop there as there are software features that tie into this LED cover. For starters, the case itself is sleeker and better looking than the S-View cover. It has a nice fabric feel to it and the sides around the edge of the phone are transparent so you can see the beautiful edge of your phone (especially the coral blue). The flap of the case has more weight to it so it doesn’t just pop open even when laying flat which is what mainly sold me on this case. It feels more sturdy and a drop should survive in this thing.

Software-wise, the case allows you to see the time on the front as well as notification pictures. These LED (or 8-bit) pictures can be set to certain contacts or you can draw your own with the S-Pen. Yes, this was a wonderful feature that tied other features of the phone into the case which was great. Lastly, you can set icons for each and every app you have which is very convenient. Now, unlike the S-View, you can’t directly see who’s calling or what the notification is. The LED panel is touch-sensitive so you can swipe to answer or reject calls, and you can talk with the cover closed. These minor gripes don’t really concern me as I knew what I was getting into when buying the case: There’s no window. You also can’t put credit cards in this wallet as the magnet will wipe your strip. All you can put are punch cards, driver’s licenses, and club cards that don’t have magnetic strips. That’s no big deal to me as I like carrying my wallet and don’t plan to use this pocket anytime soon.

Overall, the LED wallet is so awesome that it turns heads and looks stylish and unique at the same time while protecting your large investment. I am planning on eventually picking up Samsung’s third case, the Clear View, to see which of the three is the best.