Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Review

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Review

Buy it at Amazon: Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Easy to assemble, protects phone but plastic wears down over time, great warranty case replacement service.

You’ll receive a screen protector, rubber case backing, belt holster, and a quick installation card. The screen protector is made of a flexible clear plastic. It comes with a plastic protective layer that you’ll need to peel off, but we’ll do that after installation. The plastic is malleable and thick and the frame around it is able to flex quite a bit. You’ll also notice that the screen is curved to conform to the shape of the Note 9’s curved screen and there’s a tiny dot matrix touch grid that’s visible from up close.
The rubber back piece is one solid wraparound, with a cutout for the plastic kickstand insert and a cutout for the fingerprint reader, flash, and back cameras. The kickstand snaps in and out of the closed and open positions, with tiny plastic nubs which hold the stand in place. This allows the case to stand up vertically or horizontally. When the kickstand is retracted the back of the phone is flush with no protrusions. The sides of the case have a texture grip for your hands while the bottom of the case has cutouts and rubber doors for the charging port and mic port. Finally on top is a cutout for the top mic.
Installing your phone in the case is super simple. First, wipe down the glass on your phone to ensure there is no dust, debris, or fingerprints on it. Then do the same for the underside of the screen protector. Snap the screen protector onto the front of the case, ensuring the cutouts for the camera are aligned with the top of the phone. Now, clean the back of your phone. Then slip the bottom of the phone into the rubber backing until the edges grab onto the plastic frame. Now you can push the top of the phone into the rubber case and remove the plastic film on the front. Roll the sides of the rubber case into the grooves on the sides of the plastic frame to lock the case together. Lastly, push in the rubber doors for the headphone port and charging port.
The plastic screen protector is clear, though slightly reflective and may show some glare depending on your viewing angle and the lighting around you. However, the touch sensitivity of the phone remains responsive. I think you do sacrifice a little of the visual quality with this screen protector because of minor distortions, the visibility of the touch grid, and overtime, as the plastic develops scratches, it doesn’t look that great. But, at least you’re keeping your phone’s glass intact.
Because the Galaxy Note 9 is itself waterproof, you’ll notice that the case really isn’t watertight. For example there are these cutouts in the screen protector for the front camera, speaker, and sensors so they work correctly. But if it gets wet or your drop it in water, although your phone will probably be fine, you’ll end up with water under the screen protector, and you’ll have to take the case apart to dry it off.
The case does have a corner cutout so you can access and use the S-Pen of course, but note that the headphone port door is recessed quite deeply so this may prevent some headphones jacks from seating completely. I did find that most USB-C cable connectors were able to fit into the cutout for the charging port just fine. If you’re into the belt holster, you can clip the phone in facing in or out and it rotates for both horizontal and vertical positioning.
The rubber case seems to do its job to keep your phone scratch, dent, and crack free as it’s fallen off tables, been knocked to the ground, and generally dropped in and around the house with no damage to the actual phone. The case though, has taken a beating. After I’d used it for about 8 months, the plastic frame cracked and the kickstand lost some of the nubs that allowed it to stay locked in place, so it would keep falling open.
One thing that I liked about this case is that Supcase was really good about honoring the warranty. I emailed customer support and explained the situation and provided photos as well as my original purchase record and within 20 minutes I received a reply that they would send me out a new case which I received that same week. So kudos to them for standing behind their product.
Other than that, it’s been super convenient to have the kickstand to stand up the phone for use hands-free on video calls, watching movies, or even playing games. Overall, I feel like I’ve gotten a pretty good use and value out of it and with the replacement case should last me until my next phone upgrade.

Buy it at Amazon: Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 [Affiliate Link]