There is one reason, above all others, for putting a case on that shiny new S6 you’re carrying around: You—like all the rest of us—are an entirely fallible human being, which means that at some point you are going to drop, bump, crunch, dump, or lose hold of your smartphone. Someone is going to bump your elbow at the wrong time or a pocket will fail you it is going to hit the deck. It happens, that’s why it’s well worth shelling out roughly the price of a pizza for a case to protect your investment.

pulled 30 cases on off the Galaxy S6 over the course of a few weeks tested them so that you can find the one that suits you best, whether you need something rugged, waterproof, inexpensive, or barely there.

The Body Glove Rise is a simple, slim case that emphasizes a close fit to the phone with minimal distractions from its functions. There are cutouts on the sides of the case for the power volume buttons, making them easy to access. The brushed metal version of the case also has a row of raised ridges that feel smooth, but not grippy. The Rise was easy to pop on off the phone, though didn’t fit closely across the face of the phone—a small sliver of the side lay vunlerable along the top bottom of the device.

$35

This slim-fit case is available in five colors has a textured feel on the back akin to wood grain, though it’s just plastic. It was easy to pop on off, but fit more snugly in the corners of the phone than along the sides.

The stout feature here is the case’s microbial protection, which keeps away germs bacteria—a bonus for when you bring your phone into the bathroom with you, then realize how gross that actually is.

$25

For those who want the bare minimum of a case, the Reveal is a thinner version of the br’s Survivor Core, though its thicker polycarbonate shell backing adds about 1.6mm of thickness.

The frame itself is smooth to the touch it was easy enough to wiggle the Galaxy S6 in out. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t even really want a case at all, this is the closest you’re going to get.

$20

Griffin says that the Survivor l-Terrain can protect the Galaxy S6 from drops, dust, s, rain, impacts, vibrations. This case also apparently exceeds the Department of Defense’s MISTD-810G stards.

I say: Holy crap, is this ever a crazy large rugged case. It consists of three pieces: a rubber base that cradles the Galaxy S6, a clear plastic face that snaps on to the base, a holster with a clip to attach the case to a belt or strap.

The base features rubbery flexible portions with diamonds of harder plastic for reinforcement. At the bottom, there are tabs that you can pull out to get to the headphone power ports.

Overall, this case is completely rugged a complete overkill unless you’re on an underwater construction site—or Bourne’s stunt double.

$50

The Octane has a smooth, stiff-frosted polycarbonate back shell that feels a bit like tire treads when touched, though I didn’t actually like the feel of it. The rim on the face of the phone is raised enough to protect the front of the phone when it’s placed face down. The buttons were responsive, accessible, easy to find by feel alone. 

$25

The Stowaway has a slot in the back of the case that pops open to store two credit cards, or it can be used as a kickst to prop up the phone. The downside is you can’t use it as both a cardholder a kickst at the same time.

The case itself is made from polycarbonate polymer. Incipio also packs this case with its own screen protector.

$35

The Otterbox Defender case consists of three parts: A rigid shell, a rubbery slipcover, a holster. It was the second largest set up after the Griffin Survivor, though unlike the Survivor, the Defender is available in seven different color combinations, you can mix match.

Once the phone is in the two-layer case, it snaps easily into place in the holster. Removing it is another story, however, as I had to struggle a bit to dislodge it each time. There are also port covers that protect the headphone power jacks from water damage. The slipcover also features a built-in screen protector. 

$60

The Symmetry has a stiff, smooth polycarbonate exterior with a raised rubber pattern in the interior designed to absorb shock. It’s rigid, with a very slight amount of give at the sides to wiggle the Galaxy S6 in out. It comes in seven colors feels firm substantial in h. The raised edge on the face of the phone keeps it from resting flush with surfaces, it fit the Galaxy S6 like a proverbial glove.

Overall this case is solid, like the neighbor who not only lets you borrow their tools but also volunteers to help you with the repairs.

$45

The HICase+ aims to do it all: a card holder, a holster, a kickst. But like the Incipio Stowaway, the card slot is located in the holster itself, so if you eschew the holster, you lose out on the card slot feature. And while there are cut-outs to access the ports buttons, I found the volume buttons particularly hard to access when the case was attached to the holster. The soft material of the case also made it a bit difficult to slide it in an out of the holster while faced out.

Fortunately, the kickst worked well for watching videos, but that’s about all it’s good for. 

$35

The DualTek’s focus is on ergonomics shock absorption across the board. This whole case is essentially built to protect your phone, while remaining relatively slim incredibly easy to hold.

Available in four colors, the DualTek is a single, slim piece with rubber reinforced edges on both the interior exterior of the case for drop protection. It also features patterned rubber along the sides of the frame to make it easier to hold onto.

The DualTek fit really nicely on the Galaxy S6 overall, it was enjoyable to use had no real drawbacks.

$35

Of all the Speck cases we tested, the CyShell Grip was the best. The rubber bumper fits well around the face of the Galaxy S6 the strips of contrasting colored rubber on the back gives the case a comfortable feel keeps it from sliding around.

The Grip is available in seven two-tone colors, so there’s bound to be one you can relate to. It’s an attractive enough case has been certified to meet or exceed military-grade drop test stards. ile we didn’t risk drop testing the Galaxy S6 in the case, it does seem to have the right combination of sturdiness flexibility. 

$35

The CyShell Inked case come in five pretty patterns with matching wallpapers that can be downloaded to your phone. ke the regular CyShell, the case is fairly straightforward, slips on off relatively easily.

$40

In the hard versus flexible case debate, the Evo Check is a win for the flexible side. The entire single piece is soft bendable. The case also features a liner around the inside frame that absorbs distribute shocks away from the Galaxy S6.

The case itself fits the phone well. It’s sturdy protective, flexible secure, though the checkered pattern on the inside of the case shows through on the back of the phone is a bit visually distracting. The buttons covers could have used just a wee bit more give, too. 

$40

The Navigator features a combination of a hard plastic armor shell a stiff, rubbery impact resistant core. Its feather light composite construction feels smooth grippy. It’s also got a rugged look, the bumper on the front is raised enough to protect the face of the phone. ke the Griffin Survivor, it meets military drop test stards, it even kind of looks like a Stormtrooper.

$35

This genuine leather case has a bit of texture to it, it feels thick solid in h. The Galaxy S6 fits very nicely into the frame, it was easy to pull cards in out of the wallet portion. There’s also bonus storage behind the card slots. I did have a wee bit of difficulty accessing the volume buttons, though.

Having a wallet attached to a phone case was convenient while I was out about during the day, but a bit less so when I was just kicking around at home. And there’s no ignoring the fact that a wallet phone make for an attractive package to potential pickpockets.

$60

Here’s what I can say about the DropArmor: It is both very protective very challenging to pry on off the Galaxy S6. I know this because as I was attempting to remove the case from the phone, it bounced out of my hs onto the hardwood floor.

At least nothing happening to the phone. The DropArmor features smooth, hard molded plastic on the back, there are cutouts over the headphone power ports that fold open for access. It feels fairly slim in h, looks lightly rugged, but it is damn hard to get on off so it’s maybe not the best choice for those who like to switch cases frequently.

$25

Spigen’s Case llet is like a thinner version of iv’s tyle. It’s made from leather polycarbonate available in four colors. The interior of the wallet portion of thecase contains space for three cards a slot behind them. However, when all of these spaces are full, the wallet is a bit bulgy doesn’t close quite as tightly. And, because of the magnet that holds the case closed, cards must be inserted in a particular manner or they’ll be damaged. I also struggled to access the volume power buttons.

The Spigen Galaxy S6 Case llet S is pretty, but it’s not working up to its potential.

$30

This metallic-toned polycarbonate case has square angles sides. It’s very boxy. The T-lined interior is textured to absorb shock protect your Galaxy S6, it fits nicely on the phone. The rear of the case also offers a credit card slot that fits up to three cards. Cards did sit firmly in there, but I never felt entirely comfortable keeping those important items there. They also weren’t very easy to get in out of the card housing.

$40

The Neo Hybrid is two pieces. It took some effort to wiggle the phone on, but once it was on, it fit very nicely. In person, it looks slim classy, the front bumper is thick enough to protect the phone when set face down. The only thing that didn’t thrill? The textured T pattern on the rear of the case is a little rough to the touch.

$35

The Rogue Folio is a fold-over case with a front flap. The exterior is made with a water resistant grip that actually feels quite nice to hold. The inside material is also soft to touch.

The front flap can be folded all the way back to reveal a small bit of velcro, which in turn reveals a card slot can hold four cards. There’s also a built-in slot in the interior of the case for an MicroSD card.

The volume buttons easy to access with the case closed. My only gripe is that the front flap didn’t always l flush when I flipped it into place, I constantly had to adjust it. 

$40

The yered Dy Diary is a two-tone leather wallet case available in three colors. Its interior has space for three cards, as well as an extra storage slot a stiff frame to snap the Galaxy S6 in place. There’s also a cut-out for the speaker so you can hold the whole case to your ear without flipping it open to listen to a call. kewise, the power buttons are easy to access.

The case is overall very slender slim, though it’s actually slightly bigger than the phone’s leather housing, which makes it appear as though the phone were bulging out at the sides. 

$35

The Damda Slide features a metallic finish stiff rubber. On the backside, it features a card slot that’s covered by a sliding cover, which fits two cards locks into place with a satisfying click. It takes some practice to slide it open smoothly, but it’s not cumbersome. ke many of the other cases in this list, it combines hard polycarbonate soft T to provide both cushioning stability. It also comes in five colors.

$35

This is a really nice case that consists of two parts: a rubbery textured base a color-contrasting frame that fits neatly around the base to reinforce it. The button covers worked nicely the back of the case feels well-textured solid in-h. However, on the back I could see where the frame base connect I felt like that should have sat more flush.

The ports are easy to access, at least, although it takes a solid push to connect headphones.  so, it was not the easiest case to remove. 

$33

If you are the kind of person who absolutely does not want a case, then this is a great bare minimum option. The Ringke Slim is a slender plastic base that fits the Galaxy S6 close tight like a pair of leather pants, Ringke includes both a front back screen protector to protect against scratches fingerprints. It comes in eight differetnt colors all the ports buttons are easy to access—no shocker there since this was one extremely lightweight, smooth case.

$10

The Clear View Hybrid is both clear colored. The rear isn’t quite as raised as the front side, but the frame feels grippy comfortable in h. Available in six colors, the case is designed to add minimal bulk to your Galaxy S6. 

$11

Another log to add to the minimalist-case fire, the Obliq features a rubbery polycarbonate metallic brushed back plate with cut-outs in either corner to make it easy to pop the phone in out of the case. l the ports buttons are easily accessible via the cut-outs in the sides. Overall, it’s a pretty basic case with a smooth finish.

$15 

The Grip Cy SE is very much akin to Tech 21’s Evo Check—both cases are very flexible, simply designed focused on protection.

The Grip Cy is available in two color combinations features a frosted feel on the back. The frame is made of perforated mesh grippy material overall, the case is nice slim.

ile all the ports were easy to access, the volume power button covers were a bit stiff difficult to press. It was, however, very easy to remove tje case due to its dimpled edges.

th two layers of construction—a stiff polycarbonate layer with a dimpled pattern on the rear, a rubbery anti-shock T base—the Threshold claims to sport the finished look of a hard case with the shock absorption of a soft case.

It certainly looks great, especially its brushed metal tones, which are pretty classy chic. However, it was difficult to wiggle the case on the Galaxy S6 nearly impossible to take it off. I also had an issue with the fit; it was difficult to tug the case on tight enough I had problems using the volume buttons with the case on. It’s too bad, too, because the case is awfully pretty.

$14

The Riot Series boasts a leather back to add texture grip. ke the Threshold Series, it’s very pretty in person. The leather material is molded to an anti-shock T layer feels good in the h. The case also features brushed metal accents comes in four colors. l the ports were easy to access, though the power button was a bit recessed. Fortunately, unlike the Threshold, the Riot was fairly painless to take on off.

$15

The Griffin’s Core series consists of a thin, fairly flexible, clear shatter-resistant polycarbonate. It’s lined with a thick T rubber bumper frame a grippy pattern on each corner.

The Core looks nice on the Galaxy S6 feels good in h. There are no issues with regards to accessing any of the ports, either, though the chassis did attract a lot of dust detritus, so you’ll need to wipe it down before snapping it onto your hset. Overall, this is one of the best cases I tested, I would drop my own money on this without any regrets.

$30