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If you want to protect your expensive Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as best as you can, Otterbox should be one of the top brands to look at. The company has a long-standing reputation for its solid cases that places protection over everything else. They may not be much to look at, but they add some serious levels of defense.
The OtterBox Defender Series combines multiple layers together to secure your phone. Although the Note 9 already has its own protection against water, the OtterBox Defender offers a sturdy inner shell and a soft, shock-absorbing outer shell. This helps protect all the glass that covers the front and back of the Galaxy Note 9.
There’s also a belt clip holster, which covers the front of the phone when you’re not using it, and can also double as a kickstand when you want to view media. The OtterBox Defender Series case doesn’t come very cheap, but neither does a new Note 9 after a serious drop damages it.
Zizo has an affordable solution for protecting your Galaxy Note 9 from serious harm with its Zizo Bolt series of protective cases. With six colors (including black/red and blue/black) to choose from, it combines materials to defend all sides of the Galaxy Note 9.
The Zizo Bolt Series case features a soft polyurethane material that can help absorb the shock from major falls with a hard polycarbonate shell. Zizo claims the case can protect the Note 9 as it meets the Military Grade 810.1-G certification for falls from up to 12 feet. Though, for most of us, we're not as likely to drop our phone from that high.
What's more, Zizo includes a 0.33-millimeter thick tempered glass screen protector — while still keeping the price of the package remarkably low. Rounding out the offer, the case has a built-in kickstand and a belt clip that can clasp to either the front or back of the case.
There’s a lot to be said for folio-style wallet cases and their ability to be both incredibly handy and also add 360-degrees of protection for your phone. Amovo has an excellent option in multiple colors (brown, aqua, red, and more) of faux leather.
The case is made of polycarbonate and TPU for solid protection and includes a faux leather backing. That section attaches to the folio portion of the case with strong magnets while also allowing wireless charging.
The folio portion has multiple card-holding slots, with one covered in transparent plastic for your ID card. There’s also a slot where you can store cash. When you fold the folio, a magnetic clasp helps keep it shut. And, with the folio closed, you’re protecting the front and back of your Galaxy Note 9. Thanks to cutouts in both portions of the Amovo case, you can also use the Note 9’s camera and fingerprint scanner while it’s still in the case.
While some folio cases can add considerable bulk to a smartphone, making it harder to slide into and out of pockets, Maxboost’s wallet case keeps it slim. The case still offers 360-degree protection for the Galaxy Note 9 since the internal case combines with the front folio cover to leave no side undefended, while a magnetic clasp ensures it stays closed.
The inner case is made of a soft TPU and can help absorb shock. It also has cutouts for the Galaxy Note 9’s charging port, speakers, and 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Both the inner and outer portions of the case also have cutouts for the camera, fingerprint scanner, and call speaker. The folio portion is made of PU leather with stitching to help with durability. There are also three card slots and a slot for cash.
The extra thin design may not offer as much protection as some of the other cases, but keeping it all low-profile also keeps the cost down.
Spigen has an excellent case that offers a compromise between serious protection, simple design, and the handy utility of being able to keep credit cards or your ID stored with your phone. The Spigen Slim Armor CS is a low-profile protective case for the Galaxy Note 9 that features a discrete card holder without the folio design.
This case takes the dual-layered approach that many other cases do — it combines a soft interior material to handle shock absorption with a hard outer shell (that also comes in three colors to match your Galaxy Note 9) for rigidity. On the bottom, it also has cutouts for the charging port, S Pen, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and speaker grille.
The trick of the Slim Armor CS is the hidden card holder. The back of the phone slides away, allowing you to store two cards inside and maybe a bit of cash. So, if you want a case that’s ready for a fun night out that’ll let you leave your wallet at home, the Spigen Slim Armor CS is ready to go.
Protective and folio cases hide the Galaxy Note 9's killer design, which comes with a glass front and back with a curved-edge screen. So, if you’re willing to sacrifice protection a little bit, you can show off your Note 9 with the Spigen Ultra Hybrid S case.
The Ultra Hybrid S case is a fairly straight-forward soft case that wraps around the sides with hard polycarbonate to cover the back. It comes in a crystal clear and midnight black variant, but both versions are see-through, so your Note 9 will be on full display.
While Spigen doesn’t clarify the exact details, it claims that its Air Cushion Technology is Mil-grade certified, protecting the phone from drops. One thing’s for certain — the Note 9 is better protected by the case than by no case. One big perk of the Ultra Hybrid S case over other basic plastic cases is the inclusion of a kickstand built into the rear.
If you want to make sure you’re getting a case that will allow everything the Galaxy Note 9 is capable of — wireless charging, Samsung Dex docking, the S Pen — then you may want to go with a case directly from Samsung. Fortunately, you have a good option in the S-View Flip Cover case, which comes in a variety of colors to match your Note 9.
Like other folio cases, the S-View Flip Cover case protects the phone on all sides. It has a section that holds the Galaxy Note 9 securely and protects the top, bottom, sides, and rear of the phone. The folio cover can then protect the front glass of the phone.
The special feature of the S-View Flip Cover case is that the front cover is semi-transparent. So, information displayed on the front of your Note 9, such as the time, date, or who’s calling you, can display straight through the case — no need to open it up. You can even swipe on the case to answer or dismiss calls. You can also use the folio case as a kickstand for convenient media viewing.
The Galaxy Note 9 may have a sizable, 4,000mAh battery built into it, but with powerful, game-ready hardware and its many features, you may end up using more battery power before the day is done. While you have the option of carrying around a battery pack with you, it’s not always the most convenient.
Instead, you can pick up the ZeroLemon Slim charging case. With a 5,000mAh battery built into it, the case can charge and extend your phone's battery life. ZeroLemon claims it offers an extra 90 percent power for over 40 more hours of talk time or 20 more hours of video. It also allows you to plug your Note 9 in without removing the case.
While this is definitely a bulkier case, it’s offering both protection and a whole lot of extra juice. This may not be the case you would use every day, but if you have frequent days that your battery doesn’t quite make it, this could be a handy case to have.