Yea, I agree with you and the last post with a similar comment. Certainly could have been a black strip or a new back panel with the metal imbedded. Regardless, once you put the cover on you'll likely not take it off and you can't see the metal strip with the case attached. It feels sturdy, both the magentic connection at the back and the magnetic connection at the front are very firm. You really need to get your finger underneath the front cover edge to get it loose (this is good).