ESR cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Protection and utility for less than $21

Over the past year, I've been purchasing ESR's kickstand cases for my phones because the metal kickstand design is better than any other kickstand case I've tested. For the past several days I've been testing two cases, a screen protector, and the camera lens protector. ESR also offers other products for the Note 20 Ultra 5G.

The protective phone case is priced at just $20.99, the kickstand case at $18.99, the camera lens protector at $11.99, and the glass screen protector at $15.99.

The two cases and camera lens protector worked very well, but the screen protector did not allow me to use the in-screen fingerprint sensor. 

See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra: My top 5 business productivity features

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G Alliance Tough protective case is priced at $20.99. This is a two-piece case with an inner hard shell frame piece that snaps into the back piece with a clear hard shell back and durable bumpers. The edges have additional material to help with bumps and short drops too.

The case stays together and wrapped around your Note 20 Ultra securely. It is actually a bit tough to remove your phone from the case so you can rest assured the case will stay in place.

There is an ample camera opening for the four camera lenses on the back of the Note 20 Ultra 5G. ESR adds a bit of flair to the camera opening with an angled bezel into the back of the Note 20 Ultra 5G.

The nice thing about this case is that you can also enjoy the color of the Note 20 Ultra through the clear back.

There are openings along the bottom of the Alliance Tough case for the S Pen silo, speaker, microphone, and USB-C port. From the bottom view you can see the thickness of the bumper that protects the Note 20 Ultra.

It's nice to see Samsung position all of the buttons on the right side. The ESR Metal Kickstand case is available in clear or clear/black options for just $18.99. ESR makes the best kickstand cases and they are readily available on Amazon. The case provides raised buttons in the case so it is easy to control volume and other functions.

There is also an ample opening for the cameras with the case raised just above the back glass on the cameras so that they are protected when placed down on a surface.

The clear silicone material transitions up into the metal kickstand on the lower back of the ESR Metal Kickstand case. Unlike some kickstand cases, ESR uses a wide piece of metal with a durable hinge and angle movement up to about 75 degrees.

The hinge doesn't have a spring system so you can move it to the angle you desire and it will stay in place. 

While the metal kickstand looks like it protrudes out far from the back, it actually results in making a stable solution when you rest your phone down on a table.

Reach your finger up to the right side of the case and pull the metal kickstand out from the back. The other part of the metal kickstand is embedded into the back of the silicone case.

See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra: My top 5 business productivity features

The kickstand can be setup with your phone standing tall in portrait orientation. A stable footprint is provided for your phone.

Most of the time, media is best viewed with your Note 20 Ultra in landscape orientation. When placed this way, the ESR Metal Kickstand case is perfect for enjoying hours of video content.

Given the very large array of cameras on the back of the Note 20 Ultra 5G, it makes sense to have a way to protect this precious glass. ESR released the Phone Camera Lens protector, available for $11.99.

The package includes two tempered glass lens protectors and two complete installation kits. It was very easy to install and hardly adds any thickness to the camera array.

Installation was easy as the glass piece is small and matched the camera lens openings. The glass fully covers the camera lenses with only the flash having an opening.

In my testing so far, I have not seen any impact on camera performance.

See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra: My top 5 business productivity features

ESR also sent along a two pack of its Tempered Glass Full Screen Protector, available for $15.99.

Installation was easy with everything included in the package. Clean off the display with the alcohol wipe, then dry it lint-free with the microfiber cloth, position the guide frame, and then set the protector in place.

There is an area on the protector where the in-display fingerprint sensor is with sticky material, like we see along the edges, and I believe this is designed to support the fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the fingerprint sensor to work even after two attempts at installing the screen protector.

I even tried to retrain my fingerprints with the screen protector in place as that sometimes works with in-display sensors. However, that did not work for me so I would not recommend this screen protector unless you never use the fingerprint sensor.

Even then though, there is a circular area that shows up on the display where the fingerprint sensor is located, whether the display is on or off.