This is a great case for the Samsung Note 9. It has a fine-grain texture to it (not too rough, but still has a grip), and a soft fine felt interior so it's easy on the hands when you have it open. There's a small space in the flap for business cards/credit card/ID, an opening on the back for camera/flash/fingerprint sensor, and small icons on the edge for the volume +/-, and the activation button for Bixby so you can use them when the case is closed.
PROS: The feel both inside and out is really nice. It's very form-fitting, so I can put it in my jeans pocket pretty easily. The hard part of the case (where the phone sits in) is a matte hard rubber feel, so when your fingers hold the phone in use, there's a good tactile feel to it.
If you have a wireless charging base from the Note 5, your Note 9 will charge fine right through this case.
VERY COOL: When you close the case, the time actually lights up on the front of this case. There are real LEDs just below the surface that come on to show the time. Then after a few seconds, fade away. The LEDs do more however. Here is a list of everything I've found:
- Show the time
- Show battery % when charger is connected/disconnected
- Show when you get a text
- Show when you close the case and still have an unread text
- Show when you're getting a phone call
> Including a different icon when there's no caller ID
- Show when you close the case and still have a missed call
- Show when a timer is finished
(There's supposed to be more, but I haven't seen them. [See attached image.] Perhaps because I'm not using all Samsung apps.)
EVEN COOLER: When you're getting a call, the LED area will display an arrow to the right with green lights, and an arrow to the left with red lights. You can literally swipe the front of the case to accept or reject the call.
EVEN COOLER THAN THAT: There is an app that allows you to change the icon that displays depending on who is calling you. (I have my wife set to a bunny because she loves rabbits.) AND, you can create your OWN by using the built-in editor. (Unfortunately, it only works for phone calls -- not texts. :( [[SAMSUNG: PLEASE MAKE THAT!]]
CONS: Because it has a front cover, taking photos or videos is a little clumsy. Obviously, you can't have the case all the way open (or the flap will cover the camera) so you end up having the front cover half-open, which makes portrait shots (when you hold the phone normally) very difficult. Landscape shots (when you hold the phone sideways) are much easier, but again, not ideal. Also, it's a bit on the pricey side, but then you are getting those super-cool LED pop-ups.
That's it for the review. See below only for info you probably can't use if you're an everyday user.
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OKAY... As a major tech geek, I immediately wanted to know how I could modify or use the case display for my own needs, such as displaying the time left on a timer, or the name of the person calling me. So I did some research, and it turns out there are a lot more LEDs than just the ones being used. And, it seems there are multiple touch-sensitive areas as well (not just at the top). Here is an article I found that talks about some of the neat things people are discovering...
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/6dvcv1/dev_reverse_engineering_the_samsung_cover_sdk/
I CANNOT emphasize this enough, though -- do NOT attempt to hack the case or update the firmware unless you know exactly what you're doing, as you could brick the display. But the idea of being able to write code to fully utilize the display is rather hard to resist! :)