The Best Samsung Galaxy S26 Cases to Protect Your New Phone

Otterbox Defender Case

Otterbox is synonymous with ruggedness when it comes to its cases. Hefty defenseCheaper than Samsung’s first-party rugged casesNot exciting to look at

Otterbox, long known for its hefty, protective cases, is ready to take your money for Samsung Galaxy S26 cases on day one, including for the Defender, its most rugged case. The company is offering two Defender variants, one with a clear back (Defender Series Pro XT) and one without (Defender Series Pro), and both at the same $69.99 price.

Opaqueness isn’t the only difference, though; the Pro XT is thinner, too. Otherwise, it takes a cue from the Dbrand Ghost case – it has a clear back polycarbonate layer and a thermoplastic elastomer outer edge. Presumably, that should mean it’ll never yellow. Hooray!

Materials aside, reasons to consider this case include that it features port covers, offers a magnetic ring for that sweet Qi2 fast-charging, and raised edges around things like the cameras. The Pro XT model uses a two-piece construction that includes the back piece and a front outer edge ring, while the thicker Pro model adds a third, hard plastic piece that buffers the phone inside of the outer elastomer shell.

Blackbrook Barlow Snap-On Case

An affordable leather case with metal buttons, magnetic ring for Qi2 charging, and a suede interior makes this a hard one to pass up if you just can’t quit leather. AffordableMagnetic chargingThere are none.

I haven’t used a Blackbrook case in the past, but I’m picky about my leather cases, and the Barlow Snap-On Case for the Galaxy S26 series seems to tick all of my boxes. It’s available in three musky shades of brown or black, features a metal ring around the cameras, and metal buttons on the sides. It has a magnetic ring for Qi2 charging.

It’s even priced like an old-school leather case. Remember when $50 was the high end of phone case pricing? Yeah, Blackbrook only charges $49 for it. And there’s a model available for all of the Galaxy S26 models. Would I, personally, hold out to see what my favorite leather case maker, Bullstrap, offers later? Yeah, probably. But I’m a maniac and love a caseless phone; if I wasn’t, I’d give the Blackbrook a shot.

How to Pick a Samsung Galaxy S26 Case

There are so many good case options for the Galaxy S26 series already, so picking one shouldn’t be too hard. I’d venture to say that almost any case on this list would easily keep your phone safe if you dropped it on concrete (except maybe Mous’s super-thin case, which I’d rely on more for scratch protection than anything). Still, I know I’m not happy with just any old case when I’m buying one, and probably neither are you.

If drop protection is key, look at cases with lips around the display and camera system. You can disqualify anything without a grippy edge; drop protection is mostly just not dropping your phone at all. An ounce of prevention and all that. You’ll see a lot of case manufacturers brag about military-grade protection, but that’s used so often that it’s effectively meaningless. Just make sure the case fits snugly – don’t want the corner popping off if it lands the wrong way – and has extra protection around the parts that matter most.

Beyond drop protection, I prefer a case with nice, clicky buttons. Metal ones are usually best, but just look for anything that’s not the mushy kind that’s part of the plasticky mold of cheap phone cases. And look for a wide opening by the USB-C port; sometimes they’re too tight, and it’s annoying as hell to have to take your case off just to charge your phone because the cable you have at hand has a fat tip.

Finally, look out for reviews from people you trust. And I mean people whose opinions have led you to the right decision in the past. Folks who probably aren’t taking commission, who have hands-on experience with the case you want or at least a similar one for a different phone. I made my choices here based on my experience with each of these brands, but don’t just believe me. Look for other lists from other writers or videos from content creators who don’t feel like they’re just trying to sell you something. See which cases come up repeatedly, and go from there. Most of all, buy from a brand with some history. The ones you see here are good, but so, usually, are cases from the likes of Spigen, Dbrand, Speck, and Supcase.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.