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Hands on with some of the best cases for the Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is one awesome smartphone, offering up basically all of the features you would want and more. Included in that is protection against water and dust, which is fantastic. However, the metal and glass build of this phone essentially turns it into a device asking to be broken, and many customers have already had that occur.

So, as good-looking as the S8 is, it’s best to toss it into a case, since breaking a phone that can cost upwards of $800 is no fun at all. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been personally testing out several Galaxy S8 cases, and below, I’ve listed out my favorites, and yes, they’re all available for the Galaxy S8+ as well.

Spigen Liquid Air Armor – My Overall Favorite

Personally, I prefer cases that are fairly slim with a solid lip around the sides. On the Galaxy S8, the latter is not an easy thing to achieve thanks to the curved sides. However, many manufacturers have accepted the challenge and succeeded with cases that do exactly that. One of them is Spigen. The famous case maker has plenty of awesome case options, but my personal favorite for the S8 has been the Liquid Air Armor case.

Like the name implies, this is a very thin and lightweight case made from a TPU material. The outside has a matte texture with a “mesh” design of sorts that both looks great and feels good in the hand.The case also lacks any external branding and has accurate cutouts for the bottom ports and the camera/fingerprint sensor. The buttons on the side remain tactile and easy to push as well.

This is a very basic case, but all of its good qualities combined with a sub-$10 price point makes it my overall personal favorite case for the Galaxy S8.

Caseology Vault Series I – Slim, Good Buttons, & Just Enough Protection

Another brand I trust to balance the aspects of a case well is Caseology, and the Vault Series I is one of the best cases I’ve tried from the company in recent memory. It offers a thin overall design with plenty of protection all things considered. The corners come out just a bit to enhance the drop protection, and the lip extends over the top of the display quite a bit, leaving plenty of room between the display and a table.

Further, the case has a good-looking faux brushed metal design on the back and very tactile buttons. It’s an overall excellent case which also lands at under $10 on Amazon.

Bear Motion Rock – Oh, There’s The Fingerprint Sensor

My biggest complaint about the Galaxy S8, by a long shot. is the fingerprint sensor. Its placement is insanely annoying and to make matters worse, it sits flush with the body of the phone, making identifying it by feel a complete game of chance.

That’s where the “Rock” case from Bear Motion comes in. This extremely thin case offers a texture similar to that of the sandstone OnePlus One while using individual cutouts for the camera, flash, and fingerprint sensor. Using this case my accuracy on the sensor is much better (but still less than almost any other phone). Do keep in mind, though, that this case isn’t for adding protection, rather it just adds a lot of grip. Priced at about $8, it’s a good case to pick up for your Galaxy S8.

BodyGuardz Shock Case – The Perfect Mix Of Protection And Bulk

Generally speaking the thicker the case, the more protection you get. For those who need a lot, you get an Otterbox. For those who don’t, you just get something simple. That, however, is where the BodyGuardz Shock case comes into play. This isn’t a pretty thin case on the whole, but it provides more protection than almost everything else on this list. The lip around the top and bottom of the display extends a fair bit over the glass and the overall case has a heftier feel to it without being too unwieldy.

Further, the Shock case offers up special impact-absorbing inserts on portions of the interior of the case made by Unequal, the makers of the same impact-absorbing tech used by professional athletes. My sole complaint with this case was the buttons, which are a tad hard to push and to identify without looking. Otherwise, though, it’s an excellent option at about $30.

Tech21 Evo Check – The Grippiest Case I’ve Ever Used

Grip is a big problem for almost every smartphone. Most cases fix this, but for some, they just don’t do enough. Tech21’s Evo Check case is a great solution to this. Along with some incredible drop protection thanks to the skeletal frame, the Evo Check and Evo Check Active (pictured in green) offer up the most grip I’ve seen in any case.

The back panel on both cases is made from a glossy plastic (which, shockingly, doesn’t pick up many fingerprints) which is extremely grippy in the hand. The drop protection is nice, but you probably won’t need it much with this case. Buttons are my primary complaint with this case, as they can be fairly difficult to push. The Evo Check is very expensive, landing at $39, but if grip is your concern, look no further.

CUVR Leather Wallet Case – Turn Your Galaxy S8 Into The Ultimate Wallet

Samsung Pay and Android Pay are awesome ways to make a purchase without keeping your wallet on hand, but sometimes we still need a physical card. If you want to keep your wallet at home and just carry your phone, the easy solution is a wallet case, and CUVR makes one of the better I’ve tried in recent memory.

This thin leather wallet cases offers a simple design that works well. Around the front the corners of the case bleed over the edge to provide a lip and the buttons and ports are all completely exposed. On the back, you have the typical camera/fingerprint sensor cutout, but also two small pockets for credit cards. The slots perfectly fit a standard card securly without the need to worry about it falling out.

While I would have my concerns about keeping a card back there while wirelessly charging or using MST payments in Samsung Pay, this is an excellent option for keeping your cards with your phone. Priced at $19.99, you’re getting a good deal as far as I’m concerned, especially given the quality of the leather.

CUVR Nylon Case – Grip And Style

If you’re looking for a slim case that gives your S8 a unique, stylish look, this nylon case from CUVR is an excellent option. It provides a TPU frame with wide-open ports and button cutouts, as well as a small lip to keep the display off of a table.

Further, the case has a nylon insert on the rear which feels great in the hand and the small leather bit is a nice touch too. The thin profile of the case also helps keep the “bezel-light” illusion from Samsung’s Infinity Display. At $14.99, this is a solid option if it fits your style.

Moshi Overture Leather Wallet Case – A Solid Wallet Case With One Awesome Feature

Last on this list is another wallet case. This traditional option comes from Moshi, and it’s one of my favorite wallet cases ever. The overall case is a solid size that doesn’t add too much bulk and feels great in the hand. The inner portion that holds your phone is made from TPU and while the buttons are a bit annoying to press, the case itself seems to provide a decent amount of protection from drops and the cutouts are all solid.

The wallet portion of the case can easily hold three cards and an ID or handful of business cards, as well as having room for a bit of cash in the larger side pocket. The killer feature in my opinion, though, is the integrated micro-fiber cloth for keeping the screen on the S8 clean. Simply pull up the cloth, clean your screen, and reattach to keep safely stored. At $44.99 it’s a bit pricey, but nice if you ask me.

Mujjo Full-Grain Leather Cases

Quality leather is hard to come by, but Mujjo’s full-grain leather cases are absolutely my favorite in terms of how they feel in the hand. The leather is soft and comfortable and just beats out most other leather cases I’ve tried. If you’re interested in learning more about it, I’ve done a full review here.


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