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Best Samsung Galaxy S10 Cases: Top S10, S10 Plus and S10E Picks

Keep your Samsung Galaxy S10 safe with our list of the best cases.

If you’re stubbornly refusing to upgrade from your Samsung Galaxy S10 (we don’t blame you, it was a fantastic phone in its day), you may want to freshen it up with a new protective case to protect your smartphone and its delicate screen against cracks, chips and other damage. Whether you have the small (Galaxy S10E), medium (S10) or large (S10 Plus) from the Galaxy S10 series, there are plenty of Samsung Galaxy S10 case options out there for your device. 

Here are some of our favorite picks for the best Galaxy S10 case in every style, from rugged armor cases to leather covers to polycarbonate cases and even a clear case. Some have button covers and reinforced corners for extra protection.There are options that are compatible with a belt clip holster so it’s always within grabbing distance. There are others that have a card slot so you don’t have to carry a wallet and a phone. Some of the recommendations for these Galaxy S series cases are based on our experience with the preceding S9 versions.

Tough but relatively slim

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$45 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for OtterBox Symmetry Series

The OtterBox Symmetry Series is the company’s most stylish phone cover case and is fairly slim, durable and will protect your device and camera (it’s similar to Speck’s cases, which certainly influenced OtterBox’s design). This Samsung Galaxy S10 phone case comes in black, a clear case version and a variety of other colors. This rugged case which provides drop protection and a raised lip screen bumper starts at $40.

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$10 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Gear4 Piccadilly

I like several of Gear4’s cases, including the translucent Piccadilly, which comes in a few different scratch resistant design options, as well as the Gear4 Battersea. The Gear4 Piccadilly Samsung Galaxy S10 case is wireless charger compatible and has raised edges for extra protection. All of Gear4’s cases feature a lining of the company’s special D3O shock-absorbing material for drop protection. The Piccadilly starts at $30.

Sarah Tew/CNET

$35 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Catalyst Case

Catalyst was once known for its waterproof cases and it still sells them. It’s shifted to making slim «shockproof cases» that protect the screen and camera of your smartphone with a clear back, raised bezels and a removable lanyard. Ijust wish the lanyard could be tightened on your wrist. This shock absorption case for the Samsung Galaxy S10 series is available in clear (pictured) or trimmed in black for $40.

Sarah Tew/CNET

$13 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Tech 21 Evo Check

We’ve been longtime fans of cases from Tech21. The company has the usual assortment of cases for your Galaxy S10 device, including old stalwart — and my personal favorite — the Evo Check (pictured here). It’s rated as having 12-foot drop protection as well as antimicrobial technology and is available in the «smokey» color you see here as well as the more purplish ultra violet. 

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You’re receiving price alerts for Scooch Wingman

Scooch bills its Wingman as a five-in-one case. That’s because the slap-bracelet style bendable kickstand not only props your phone up horizontally and vertically but is supposed to allow you to grip your phone more easily, «eliminating pinky fatigue» and serves as an air vent mount in your car. Finally, the case is also a case — and a pretty protective one.

Wallet and folio cases

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$85 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Samsung LED Wallet Case

This is the favorite Samsung case of CNET TV guru David Katzmaier. The LED Wallet Case is a slim wallet case (you can store a single credit card in it, but not much more) that has a set of LEDs that light up to show the time as well as notifications in retro dot-matrix fashion. You can also turn off alarms andanswer phone calls by swiping the screen protector cover. Plus, with the special icons youassign to your contacts, you’ll know who’s calling.

Sarah Tew/CNET

$6 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Gear4 Oxford

The Oxford is Gear4’s folio case, which converts into a kickstand and has a slot to store a credit card and cash. It, too, uses the company’s D30 material to protect your phone and is wireless charging compatible.

Tough cases

X-Doria’s Defense Shield Series comes in a few different variations. For a rugged case that the company says is «certified to exceed MIL-STD-810G military grade drop-test standards for drops up to 3m (10 ft),» it isn’t too bulky. I personally like the iridescent model (the Galaxy S10 case on the right in the photo).

Sarah Tew/CNET

$26 at Walmart

You’re receiving price alerts for OtterBox Pursuit Series

Over the years, I’ve regularly included OtterBox’s Defense Series cases in best cases roundups, but it’s become a little too bulky for my tough case tastes. OtterBox’s Pursuit Series feels and looks like a sleeker version of the Defender Series, with seals, port covers, and easy cutouts for buttons (you’ll want to reach those buttons). It comes in three colors.

Sarah Tew/CNET

$15 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Urban Armor Monarch Series

Urban Armor Gear makes a few different ultra hybrid case lines that are all decent. I like the translucent Phylo (pictured left), but if you’re looking for aGalaxy S10 case that’s a little tougher to offer rugged protection for your phone and camera, there’s the Monarch Series (pictured right, for $60). Available in multiple colors and textures (including top grain leather and alloy metal hardware), it’s got reinforced corners and the company says it meets 2x military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6) and comes with a 10-year limited warranty.

Sarah Tew/CNET

$19 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for LifeProof Next

LifeProof, now owned by OtterBox, is known for its rugged cases. The Next has a fairly sleek design for a tough case and comes in two different trim options with a translucent back.

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Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

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Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night. 

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Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

 
As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.

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