I’ve never been a huge fan of using cases on my phones, but I’m even less of a fan of the current trend of making phones completely flat. Gone are the beautiful curves that made phones nice to hold and, in their place, are flat, hard edges that are fundamentally boring and uninspired.
Because of that, I’ve started branching out, trying some of the best Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cases, and I’ve settled on two winners that do something unique and powerful to the phone’s design.
One is ultra-minimalist, with nary a frame or back covering. Just two pieces of “Aerospace-grade aluminum” that protect your phone from the edges that hit first when you drop it. The other is a more traditional case design that doesn’t look special at first, but three NFC keys on the side let you customize physical buttons to do nearly anything you’d like on the phone.
More functions, please
The Pitaka PinButton case for the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes in two colors: black/gold or black/gray, and sports a carbon fiber pattern on the back. This isn’t your typical carbon/aramid fiber case, though. It’s a soft rubber-like material that’s got bend to it, but isn’t as flimsy as those clear TPU cases.
The inside is lined with a soft, felt-like material to protect your precious phone against scratches while it’s in the case. It even features MagSafe magnets, allowing you to utilize the best MagSafe accessories.
And don’t worry, I made sure to test S Pen functionality while using the case with a MagSafe accessory so you won’t run into the S24 Ultra MagSafe debacle. Pitaka padded the magnet, and it doesn’t negatively affect the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s functionality.
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But the real draw of this case is that triple-button setup on the left side. Each of these buttons works by activating an NFC tag when pressed, allowing you to map that tag to any function supported by Samsung’s Routines and Modes feature.
I immediately configured one of the keys to open Gemini since I prefer to have the power button act as an actual power button. This essentially brings back the awesome side key feature from the Galaxy S20 days without the silly restrictions Samsung placed on it. I set the other two buttons to flashlight on and off, but you might be more creative with those functions than I am.
The case features a small lip that fits a Galaxy S25 Ultra screen protector quite nicely, but isn’t tall enough to make navigation gestures annoying or uncomfortable to use. The one downside to this case is that the back is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. It’s not quite like those shiny plastic cases, but the black case I have clearly shows finger grease. Thankfully, it’s easy to wipe off.
Shiny and safe
When it comes to cases, the words “minimalist” and “safe” don’t usually go together. Typically, minimalist cases are designed to only protect against scratches and light bumps, but I’ve been surprised by Arc Pulse cases before and am just as impressed with the Arc Pulse Galaxy S25 Ultra case, too.
This case covers the four corners of your Galaxy S25 Ultra and not much else. Its shiny “Aerospace-grade aluminum” construction is buffered by a rubberized elastomer material on the inside that keeps your phone from getting scratched up by the metal case itself, all designed to keep the look and feel of your phone as close to caseless as possible while still providing surprisingly good drop protection.
There’s little chance of finding a shinier phone case, and the company offers four different style options: Aluminum Graphite, Matte Black, Rose Bronze, and Aluminum Silver. The colorway I have is Aluminum Graphite.
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Arc Pulse cases are built to have an ultra-tight fit on your phone thanks to the combination of a metal frame and that rubberized interior shock absorption layer. This one isn’t going to add Qi2 charging or MagSafe capability to your phone, but that’s what OhSnap Luxe rings are for: an accessory my wife has used for years on her phones.
And before you worry, these work perfectly with a tempered glass screen protector, so you can ensure that your screen stays safe if you accidentally drop it on a rock or something that hits the screen before the sides of the phone.
Minimalist (essentialist?) cases might seem silly at first, but there’s something nice about holding a phone’s uncovered sides and appreciating the engineering that went into that titanium frame. It also makes the phones easier to pull out of a pocket — no case friction to stick to the fabric — and the gentle curves give your Galaxy S25 Ultra a look and character it’s otherwise missing.