UAG Monarch for Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Stylish leather and metal drop protection

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9, see our full review/a>, has been in my hand for about 10 days and for the last few days it has been protected by the UAG Monarch. While it is nice to carry a phone without a case, at $1,000+ I feel better about putting something on it to protect it from accidental drops.

The UAG Monarch is available for $59.95 in black and crimson colors. UAG also makes the Plasma ($39.95) and Plyo ($39.95) for the Galaxy Note 9 so there is a model in a style and color to meet your needs.

The UAG Monarch series is the top end style at UAG, thanks in large part to its double military standard drop protection and integration of leather and metal hardware in the case. The side honeycomb traction grip looks great and makes it easy to hold onto your Note 9.

There is a large opening in the back for the dual camera, flash, and centered fingerprint scanner. While I am pleased that Samsung centered the fingerprint scanner, it is positioned a bit too high and close to the cameras. Having the Note 9 in a case helps me target the fingerprint scanner much more accurately.

The back of the case has black matte plastic material with embedded black leather material and corner alloy screws. The case is fully usable with wireless charging and Samsung Pay too.

The case is available now for $59.95 in crimson red and black.

The power and Bixby buttons have ridges on them and great tactile feel so you can easily press them every time. The volume buttons are also raised and easy to activate. One opening is up top for the microphone.

There are openings on the bottom for the USB Type-C port, speaker, headset jack, microphone, and S Pen silo. It is easy to remove the S Pen so no worries about the design along the bottom.

The Monarch series offers five-layers of protection wtih a tough frame piece, top grain leather, a polycarbonate shear plate, alloy metal hardware torx screws holding the layers secure, and impact resistant rubber. The case meets the 2X military drop-test standards, MIL STD 810G 516.6. It also comes with a 10-year limited warranty, which is longer than anyone ever keeps a smartphone. There is plenty of rubber material in the corners to help with drops and material inside to also protect your phone while it rests in the case.

The edges are cut down enough so that both edges of the display are fully usable, without compromise, including the Edge Panel. There is honeycomb patterned material on the sides, that extends around to the back, for excellent grip.