URBAN ARMOR GEAR [UAG Samsung Galaxy S8+ [6.2-inch Screen] Plasma Feather-Light Rugged [Ice] Military Drop Tested Phone Case

I've tried the Pathfinder, Plasma, and Monarch and I ended up sticking with the pathfinder. I never tried the metropolis because folio cases don't interest me. Really you can't go wrong with any of these cases but here are my thoughts on each one.The Pathfinder has a nice solid matte finish and therefore doesn't attract smudges or fingerprints. The honeycomb cells inside are made of TPU. The top and bottom lips are about the same or a little higher than similar protective cases. The sides don't come up as high but seem to be adequate. I did a few drop tests from only about a foot just to see how much "bounce" the case has and I was pleasantly surprised. A face down drop resulted in it bouncing a little and coming to a rest. Much better than some other cases which just slam down with a thud. The matte finish is a little slippery but the textured design gives your fingers places to rest and the grip improved once I got used to it. Overall this is my favorite case.The Plasma is almost the same as the Pathfinder until I inspected it more closely. Besides having a translucent glossy/matte mixture on the polycarbonate back, the honeycomb cells inside are also hard polycarbonate. The difference is the five TPU "shock pads" that very slightly elevate the phone from the back of the inside of the case. The grip is slightly better due to the glossy parts of the back but not by much. The bounce test is the same as the Pathfinder. It's not exactly a fingerprint magnet but it does smudge. It scratches easily, just from one days use in and out of my pockets there were already about seven scratches. Not extremely noticeable unless you nitpick things like me. All in all It seems to provide the same level of protection.The Monarch, while looking like it provides more protection, doesn't really seem to. It more closely resembles the Pathfinder in that the honeycomb cells are TPU and there are no shock pads. Besides that, the design on the back is a separate piece rather than molded into the case.The leather, as far as I can tell is so thin it's only there for looks. While the photos of the Monarch make it look like the raised edges are higher than the other cases, it's actually less than a millimeter difference. The top and bottom lips as well as the distance it is raised when placed face down are the same as the other cases. The sides do have a honeycomb grip pattern but to me it makes very little difference. I think the Monarch is more about the look and multiple materials and if it is more protective it's not much. It's also not as bouncy as the other cases. Overall a good "premium" case.TL;DR All of the UAG cases offer excellent protection, feel good in the hand, and look good if you like the industrial/rugged design. I just prefer the Pathfinder.On a side note, I measured the difference of height when face down compared to an Otterbox Defender using pennies. With all the UAG cases I could slide one penny underneath, two touched the glass. The Defender could accommodate two stacked pennies but not a third. Basically we're talking about 1.5 mm difference. The Defender definitely has much wider bezels but overall the extra protection seems negligible. If your S8 lands face down, the smallest debris, especially rocks or uneven asphalt could break your screen. That's the fault of the curved screen design more than the case. The only case I've found that has a raised bezel around the entire screen is the Pelican Voyager but personally it doesn't seem as protective because of how rigid it is. I've finally found my case, and UAG is my new favorite.

Excelente producto

I was originally on the fence about getting this case. I had originally put a Spigen Ultra Hybrid case on my Galaxy S8+, but decided it offered too little protection for what is a damned expensive (but worth it, IMO) phone. I wanted better protection, but at the same time HATE how thick and bulky (not to mention ugly) a Otterbox case makes, well ANY phone. I love the looks of the UAG Plasma, but have never owned one previous to this and based on pictures was concerned about bulkiness. I decided to chance it, and ordered it anyway.I'm SO happy I did. This UAG Plasma case offers far better corner and edge protection than the Spigen I had previously, and the bulkiness turned out to be a non-issue, the phone still feels thin with this case on it. I actually prefer the feel of the S8+ in this case to the feel of the "naked" phone now - it just feels right. It added very little in terms of thickness, but at the same time it feels so much more... secure. The buttons feel great, I like that the volume -/+ have a different texture and feel from the Bixby button - I was previously hitting the Bixby button accidentally instead of volume down, as there was no difference in feeling. The grip of the case is great, too. There are also slight notches in the cutout around the fingerprint sensor on the back, this makes it easier to tell the difference based on feel alone as to where your finger is in relation to the sensor itself vs being on the camera lens.The top and bottom of the front side of the case are raised a bit, allowing for the phone to be placed face-down without the screen touching anything (on a flat surface, of course). The fit, finish, and construction of this case are great. For what it's worth, I have the silver S8+, and being that the green of the case is translucent, it looks amazing.TL;DR - I'm extremely happy with this case, it's not bulky, prefer the feel of the phone with the case on as opposed to "naked", and will absolutely recommend this and other UAG cases to anybody who'll listen.

** IMO, Worth Buying ** for both pros and cons... I bought this for my S8 after having had a similar one from the same company for my S5. The one on the S5 worked very well and protected my phone many times. The new one though is much thinner-- shorter, I mean-- in that it only barely covers the height of the glass. Part of the problem is the phone itself, can't really blame that on the case. But when I put the phone face-down, which is the way I normally lay it down to protect the glass, unless it's laying on a perfectly flat surface, it still often comes into contact with what's under it. The case does have a lip which surrounds the glass so that there is some protection, and the texture / molded surface of the case is nice and makes it much easier to hold and hang onto the phone. Definitely pluses there. I'm not sure they could have done much better in the design though given the way the glass wraps around and has the "side viewing" features. I'm going to give it four stars. If there was anything more it could do to protect the glass, I would give it five. As it is though, in my overall estimation it was worth buying and I'm glad to have it. Especially since it looks so much like my old case which I liked. It's fun, brightly-colored, easy-to-spot which makes it harder to forget and leave behind.