The item comes in a nice gift box. Right away you can tell this is a step above what you get in the office supply stores. Yes, it is leather. It is not the higher quality soft leather that you would be paying much more money for, but is a genuine leather product. I bought the black. It has a matte finish that is not shiny. It has all the right pockets and no "cheap calculator" that will not work in a few years and just take up space.
The overall construction is very nice. The zipper works well but a little better pull would be a nice touch. I can tell I will be able to use this for many years to come.