How to choose the best case for your Samsung Galaxy S8?

Admit it, curved screen phones are well recieved.

For example the new coming Samsung Galaxy S8. You must have already been excited about this Samsung new flagship. It sounds fantastic, a curved, bezel-less infinity display, dual pixel 12MP rear camera, Bixby, the new intelligent assistant, a free Gear VR headset with Touch Controller (for those that pre-order), a pair of Harman AKG ear buds, the list goes on and on. Although, there might still be a shred of doubt about the reliability given what happened with the Note 7 battery debacle, seriously, we don’t want that happening again.

However, the fact is, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has broken all the pre-order records over the previous model, the Galaxy S7, in South Korea and it has also seen double digit growth in the USA.

The feedback and general public perception is positive regarding the S8 and it seems to be that the Note 7 problems are slowly becoming a distant memory.

As you can clearly see from the news headlines echoing around the Internet, Samsung is on the rise once more:

"What Note 7 recall? Samsung Galaxy S8 pre-orders see double-digit growth in the US" (ZDNET)

"Samsung says its new phone is selling well, showing consumers have gotten over the Galaxy Note 7 disaster" (CNBC)

"Maybe the Galaxy Note 7 Debacle Didn't Hurt Samsung That Much After All" (Fortune)

1. The tremendous popularity of Samsung S8 and curved screen phones

OK, enough of the sorry tale of the Galaxy Note 7, let's focus on the new world, the exciting world of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Before I sat down to write this blog, I went through countless online reviews about the Galaxy S8, watched dozens of YouTube video reviews and poured over magazine articles about the latest and greatest phone. The overall view shows that there is almost 99% satisfaction, amazing.

Now, to be fair, that is not surprising when you consider the number of firsts that this phones delivers, the latest display technology, the latest battery technology, Bixby the new AI assistant, the new Gear VR headset etc.

Of all of these new and exciting features, the one I want to focus on is the curved surface screen.

The experts at DisplayMate Technologies described the Samsung Galaxy S8 as the best you can buy right now. They went on to say that the S8 is pioneering the very latest in full screen OLED displays.

“It has many major and important state-of-the-art display performance enhancements, features and functions, with mobile OLED display technology now advancing faster than ever. The Galaxy S8 is the most innovative and highest performing smartphone display that we have ever lab tested. So the Galaxy S8 becomes the Best Performing Smartphone Display, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade.”

The Galaxy S8’s screen has been highly praised due to its curved design, higher resolution, more accurate color representation, HDR video support and strong Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

And the curved screen design does make a lot of sense. It’s built using AMOLED technology with better flexibility and less fragility, reducing the chances of screen cracking. Also, curved screen phones feel more comfortable to hold and offer up a better visual effect.

Thanks to the front and back curved design, the S8 instantly feels comfortable in the hand, easing itself perfectly into the palm of your hand.

"Better even than the LG G6, which has similar proportions but no curved screen, and sleeker than the iPhone 7 Plus, which puts a smaller screen on taller, wider body." Jessica Dolcourt from CNET commented the S8 like this. It showed that it’s the curved 4K display makes the Galaxy S8 stand out. According to Business Insider, Apple and Google are forecast to borrow the curved screen design on their forthcoming devices.

In just two days, from April 7 to 8, something in the region of 550,000 Galaxy S8 units were pre-ordered, consequently breaking the record previously set by the Galaxy S7. This solidified the overwhelming popularity of Galaxy S8 and has introduced the new era of the curved screen.

However...

The things that excite consumers can be monumental challenges for phone case manufacturers.

2. Curved screen phones: A growing headache for case makers

A curved screen is wonderful to touch and to use, but from a case maker’s perspective, it’s an absolute nightmare. The design challenges are significant and difficult to solve without ending up with a bulky, ugly case, which is not going to appeal to the person who has just purchased a shiny new Galaxy S8.

Interestingly, as reported by Nikkei Asian Review, Apple has ordered 70 million display panels from rival Samsung Electronics for the upcoming iPhone 8.

And another report from South Korea’s Electronic Times, noted that Google has offered to invest at least $880 million in LG Display Co., so as to guarantee a stable supply of OLED screens for its next Pixel phone.

And what you might be surprised to know is that before the Samsung Galaxy S8, there were other curved screen phones that were well received, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, the Huawei Honor Magic, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro, the Xiaomi Note 2 and the Vivo Xplay 6.

Let’s be honest here, curved screen phones are simply gorgeous. The Galaxy S8 is, in my mind one of the nicest android phones out there.

But the sad truth is, that you will find very few phone cases that fit the curved screen design perfectly.

To be fair, it’s not the phone case makers’ fault, most of them are frantically trying to solve the design constraints that a curved screen presents, although a lot of them seem to have just given up.

Just take a look at how many Galaxy S7 edge cases are out there and you will see my point.

Now, the biggest issue is how to strike the balance between protection and style so that it protects the phone in the event of a fall but doesn’t make the phone look fat and ugly.

Sadly, few have achieved this balance and if you look around at the phone cases out there, most of them are in fact fat and ugly, which completely ruins the design ethos that Samsung crafted into their latest baby.

What is even more worrying when it comes to protection is that some cases out there do not leave enough room for a tempered screen protector. That means those seemingly most protective case will do interference on the tempered screen protector. As you can see the vast majority of Samsung Galaxy S7 edge tempered screen protector are full coverage ones to protect the beautiful curved screen fully. So those protective cases just don’t allow for a good tempered screen protector. You’d either choose those bulky full covered phone cases or full covered tempered screen protector. In most occasions, I found Galaxy S7 edge users used a bulky case and left the screen bare. That’s fine but I am just a bit of concerned about the gorgeous curved display.

And I just created a concept picture as show below to better clarity what I want to convey.

Well, I have to say that even though the aesthetics of a case design can do more the demands made by protection can never be enough.

So, you might be sitting there thinking, is it worth worrying about?

Okay, perhaps not, perhaps there are only a small proportion of the phones out there with curved screens and I am never going to be affected by this.

But wait, what if the next iPhone or the next Pixel phone comes out and has a curved screen?

Well, it’s only going to get worse and it will continue to keep all the cases designers scratching their heads until someone comes up with the perfect solution.

3. So, how do you choose the best case for your Samsung Galaxy S8?

Ah, do not worry; I am here to help you to find out a best case for your curved screen Samsung Galaxy S8.

Remember, the best case is one that balances style and protection.

Protection is one of the most important characteristics of a case, although interestingly, perhaps not so much as it used to be. You see, smartphone manufacturers are constantly looking at ways to make our phones stronger, more robust, and less prone to scratches. If you don’t agree with that last point, just think about those waterproof cases that used to be everywhere and how useful they are now when the phones themselves are now waterproof.

What is not changing however, is the fact that style does matter and continues to matter, especially when phone designers make their latest and greatest handsets look simply gorgeous. As manufacturers continue to come up with jaw dropping designs, the demand for a suitable case will only increase because even though we love our technology, most of us want to protect it with a case, but still have it looking stunning.

Just take the Samsung Galaxy S8 as proof that this is happening curved screens are here to stay and the cases have to improve. Imagine buying a curved screen phone and then sticking a boring looking, fat and ugly case on it, it’s just not right is it! And this problem is only going to get worse when the next generation iPhones and Pixels come out.

At this point, you might be getting a little concerned that I haven’t given you the answer to this problem, do not worry, I am getting there, honest!

What you need to do is to buy a case which is designed and manufactured specifically for a curved screen phone, one which retains all of the advantages you get from the curved screen yet still provides you with a suitable amount of protection.

Ok, ok, enough of this, tell me, what is the best, curved phone case??

Well, one way is to see what others think, those who have gone through the pain of trying to find a case that fits well and protects well.

So, look at the reviews to see what others have to say about all of this.

Look closely, “Slim, elegant, thin, perfect fit, brilliant quality...” now that is information that is worth its weight in gold, people who have seen the problem and solved it.

And yes, they solved it with a PITAKA case. The PITAKA aramid phone case for the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

Due to the unique material and minimalist design, it adds a 5 times more protection than steel and ensures that your gorgeous curved screen stays protected. But its design does no interference on your tempered screen protector, just like the green case design I created above and be true to above the original design of the Samsung curved screen phone.

Following on from the 100% product satisfaction and the increasing demand for an S8 case from our customers, the PITAKA team are set to release a Samsung Galaxy S8 edge case in the early May. Please stay tuned.

The conclusion is, if you would like to hunt for a best case for your curved phone, please do more preparation, simply because you might come across more problems in finding a best. And I have told you, pick up the one with style, protection and does no interference to tempered screen protector. That does the max to your stunning Samsung Galaxy S8.

So, now you know where to get a best case for your incoming Samsung Galaxy S8.

Oh, one more thing.

PITAKA is always open to ideas around how to improve on the Samsung Galaxy S8 case design, so if you have a brilliant idea, don’t keep it to yourself.