Belkin Carrying Case for Nintendo Switch 2 review - "This plain case isn't much to look at, but it remains my favorite travel accessory to date "

The Belkin Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the very first cases I tested for the new handheld, but it's taken me until now to finally get around to this review.

That's because I wanted to see if the $29.99 / £17.99 Switch 2 accessory would stand up to the wear and tear of time, and just two weeks of testing didn't feel appropriate. Now that I've had the travel case in my midst for over a month, I can confidently say that it has not only kept my new pricey bit of Nintendo tech safe and protected, but the Switch case has managed to exist in the vicinity of the claws of my cat, my tech and merch hoard of a home, and on trips to my city center without so much as scratch.

It's not as feature-full as its Belkin Charging Case brethren, and its design is pretty minimal. Yet, it excels at every feature it does have in every way, making it my favorite Switch 2 travel case so far.

Design

The design of the Belkin Carrying Case is as simple as they come.

This is just a plain, compact, hard shell, zip-up charcoal grey case, with the Belkin logo printed in silicon-textured letters on the bottom front-facing side. There's at least a strap on the top edge with a gun-metal strap, so you can adjust it and hold it like a handbag, and to break up the low-key design a little bit. It's also available in two other colorways, Sage and Sand. However, these are still pretty subdued, just like the version I was supplied with for this review.

If you prefer a more subtle and professional look to your Switch accessories, that will undoubtedly be a good thing. Not everyone wants to have cute Pokemon or Princess Peach's face draped all over their accessories, and that's an entirely valid preference to have.

Personally, I do prefer my handheld cases to show off my love of my favorite games. My favorite case for my original Switch was this PDP Legend of Zelda slimline case, which featured the original 8-bit rendition of Link, and it even had a tiny replica of his shield for the zipper. However, I've become so impressed with this Belkin accessory that I've become a bit of a plain Switch 2 convert - but that has more to do with what's inside.

Features

The Belkin Carrying Case has plenty of room for the Switch 2, and even though there's no strap to keep it in place, my handheld never rattled around, no matter where I took it. As a travel case, that's ideally what you want, as there's nothing worse than taking your pricey bit of tech with you on the go, only to open it up when you get home and see some scratches that weren't there before.

There's a screen cover flap in the middle of the case, which has a plush fabric side that leans up against the 7.9-inch display when the case is fully closed. That helped immensely at keeping my case safe throughout the past couple of months, and even better, the other side provides space for up to 12 physical Switch (and Switch 2) game carts.

There's even more storage in the form of a fabric mesh accessory pocket that's integrated on the upper lid of the case. It's a perfect size to store some extra Switch 2 microSD Express Cards, USB-C charging cables, or if you're me, your newly bought Joy-Con 2 rails. I lost my original pair, so having the ability to take my new ones with me wherever I go has been a revelation.

Not everyone on our hardware team is a fan of accessory pockets in Switch 2 cases, especially as there is a risk of putting unnecessarily added pressure on your Switch 2 display and damaging it over time. Over the last couple of months, I haven't had any issues in that regard, though I have made sure to pack only small accessories and not overload the case.

Lastly, this case has a neat little secret, hidden away in that very pouch - a pocket for an Apple AirTag. I'm not a fan of Apple products and so haven't owned any AirTags to date, but I love this little extra. I took my original Switch with me on countless plane journeys for past work, and the anxiety I had of something happening to my precious handheld was overwhelming.

This pocket means I now have the ability to add an AirTag to my Switch 2 case, and keep tabs on it the next time I'm flying, or if I just happen to misplace my Switch 2 in my house, which happens more than I'd love to admit.

Performance

With its fabric coating, I was a bit worried that this Belkin case wouldn't hold up after a month of use, but I was gladly mistaken. It's a very robustly-built case, and over a month later, there are absolutely zero scratches or marks present. At least, any marks I can see with the naked eye.

I took the Belkin accessory with me just about everywhere during my month's worth of testing. At first, that just included going from room to room of my house, as I like to have at least one handheld near me at all times. The more boring adult things I had to do, like eye tests and general errands, the more opportunities I had to pop the case in my backpack and take it with me. While I was a bit hesitant about taking the relatively new Switch 2 with me into the streets of Glasgow, I was never worried about the case causing any harm to the device.

The only marks I noticed on the handheld were due to the screen cover, which is attached to the inside of the case. By marks, I mean little smudges on the glass, but I don't believe that's unique to this case. I've noticed in the last three months that the Switch 2's display will pick up even the faintest of thumb and fingermarks, and so it needs to be cleaned regularly with a proper fabric cloth no matter whether you're using this or the STEALTH Premium Travel Case.

Talking of the inside of the case, the game storage has held up very well. The little pockets are made up of elastic, and I never once found any of my older Switch games (or my new game-key cards) rattling around in the case. The accessory pocket held up well too, and securely kept my Joy-Con 2 rails and a spare carrying cable tucked away in case I needed them.

With the prices of Apple tech being notoriously pricey, I didn't get the opportunity to test the hidden AirTag pocket in the case, unfortunately. However, I can confirm that it camouflages well into the back of the case, as I began to forget it was even there after just a few weeks.

Should you buy the Belkin Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2?

Anyone new to the Nintendo Switch 2 who's after a slimline case to keep it protected when not docked would absolutely benefit from owning this $29.99 / £17.99 case. In fact, if you regularly just have your Switch lying around, getting it in a case like this any time you aren't racing around in Mario Kart World or playing the new Donkey Kong Bananza DLC should be a priority.

There are alternatives out there, like Nintendo's own Carrying Case and Screen Protector set, but the quality of this Belkin alternative easily outmatches it. I own that very first-party Switch 2 case, and it doesn't have that hard shell exterior that can protect your pricey Nintendo tech from being knocked around.

Not only that, recent Nintendo price hikes have meant that it's now $52.51 at Amazon and other retailers, which is marginally more than the $29.99 / £17.99 of this unofficial alternative. Sure, it doesn't have any of that Nintendo branding, or any pops of color either (unless you pick up the Sage or Sand versions), but it's a robustly built case that keeps your Switch 2 out of harm's way and provides some storage for smaller accessories if you need them. The only time I reach for another case is because I want the benefit of having that built-in power bank of its pricier counterpart.

How I tested the Belkin Carrying Case for the Nintendo Switch 2

The Belkin Carrying Case stored my Nintendo Switch 2 from the moment it arrived at my door. During the multiple-week testing process, it never left my side, whether I was just roaming from room to room of my house, driving over to my in-laws, or going into town to have a coffee date with my fiancé.

With it permanently by my side, I was able to fully test how it stood up against time and all the wear and tear it could be subject to in my day-to-day life. Additionally, I also made sure to regularly check on my handheld, to ensure there was no new damage and that the case was doing its job during the testing process. For more information on how we test accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2, check out our full GamesRadar+ Hardware policy.

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