To case or not to case? That is the question.

We have the shiny new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in our hands, a phone that costs a cool $1,300. That much money gets you a very good smartphone, but many users would still like to put a case on it for the added peace of mind on such an expensive purchase. There’s no dearth of options when it comes to cases for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and in this article, we’ll be taking a quick look at Samsung’s Clear Cover “case” to see how good of a case it actually is. Should you get it? Probably not. Should you still read this review? Please do.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Forums

Look & Feel

The official Clear Cover case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is soft and clear. That’s it. This isn’t exactly a fancy case, nor is it meant to be. Samsung’s soft TPU case is meant to offer basic protection while letting you still enjoy how your phone looks. That doesn’t mean it looks bad, though. Since it’s transparent, it doesn’t really look like anything from most angles.

At the right angles, the case is almost invisible.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like cases because they hide your phone, this (or any transparent) case might be for you.

It still looks good at other angles, though.

Now for how it feels. Again, this is a pretty basic case, and the material is a soft plastic. So you’re not going to get the “premium” glass feel you would without it. But it being soft plastic also means it’s grippy. You won’t have to worry about your phone sliding out of your hand or off a smooth surface when it’s in this case.

It’s also comfortable to hold. Since it doesn’t add much to the phone’s dimensions, it feels almost like you’re just holding the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra without a case.

Fit

This is an official case by Samsung for Samsung devices, so it obviously fits perfectly. The dimensions are perfect, and all ports and sensor remain accessible and functional.

It’s easy to put on and take off, too. I’ve had annoying experiences with TPU cases in the past where once installed, they fit fine, but actually getting them onto the phone is a nightmare. And I can say the same for taking them off. Samsung’s managed to provide both a good fit and a good installation/removal experience. Putting this Clear Cover case on is plenty easy, and once it’s on, it fits snugly without any annoying air gaps.

Durability

One of the more important reasons for using a case is protection. Everyone drops their phone at some point, and a case is meant to at least somewhat reduce the chance of something breaking. Will Samsung’s TPU case do that? Well, I don’t particularly want to go outside and drop my $1300 phone onto cement to find out, so I’m going to have to be a little more theoretical here.

This isn’t a cover/folio/wallet case, so it doesn’t really provide much in the way of screen protection. The sides of the case do come up over the screen a little bit on the edges, but since the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s screen is curved, most of the screen is still completely exposed.

That doesn’t mean there’s no protection here, though. If you drop your phone and it hits a corner, you’ll probably be fine. The soft plastic should provide enough cushioning to give the phone a fighting chance to simply bounce instead of crack. There’s also a ridge around the camera module cutout, which should shield the camera glass from direct hits on a flat surface.

Overall, this isn’t the most protective case out there, but it’s probably better than nothing.

Features

I’ll be short: this is a piece of plastic. There are no special features, at least not intentional ones.

There is one thing I’ve noticed from using this case, though: it almost completely eliminates accidental touches on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. With no case, at least for me, it’s almost impossible to do anything without my hand hitting the edge of the screen and tapping something I didn’t want to tap.

With this TPU case installed, that almost never happens. As an added bonus, it’s even easier to reach the other edge of the screen (say, for dragging out a navigation drawer) using the case.

Conclusion

If you have the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and you’re in the market for a super simple case with super simple protection, this is the one for you.

Of course, if you’re not in the US, this case probably came in the box with your phone. And if you’re looking for something more protective, then you’re gonna want to find something else.

These are the best cases for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

But if you like the way your phone looks, and you’re not too concerned about breaking it, and you’re in the US, then you can get the Clear Cover for a cool $20.