[Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Accessories] Mr. Orange 645:
This is my review for the Armadillotek Vanguard case for the Note 20 Ultra. This review will also apply to the Note 20 Vanguard, as they are basically the same case. Note I received a free review unit direct from Armadillo; however, there were no requirements for a positive review. The opinions here are my own.

Summary: An extremely high quality case that looks great, offers rugged protection, with a couple compromises. At this price point, you would have difficulty finding a better quality case. Even at higher price points, Armadillotek hold their own against the competition.

I will preface this review by saying I don't typically use rugged cases. I always end up buying one for those times when I feel I may need some extra protection, but I usually use slimmer cases for scratch protection every day.

But for Note 20 Ultra and the Note 10+ last year, Armadillotek has been my go-to rugged case for the times I did want that extra reassurance, and here is why:

The Vanguard is a high quality case at almost any price point, buy for $19, it's a surprisingly high quality case. The first thing I noticed was how smoothly the hard rubber sides blend into the protective back plastic plate. There's no noticable sprue marks or mold lines. No rough edges, or anything that would suggest this was a cheaply made case.

The fit is superb, and the corners all have an air space to act as a cushion during drops. The two piece design securely holds the phone, with no worries at all about it coming off. It can be a little difficult to install and remove, but I'll trade that for a secure fir any day.

The case covers the sides well, and offers a lip around the screen to keep it off the ground when placed face down. And surprisingly, it's compatible with many different brands and styles of screen protector for that added protection.*

The kickstand on the back is solid and clicks into place very well. The only issue is it can be a little difficult to pry up, but again, those tight tolerances seem to be a sign of quality and tight fit.

The only real complaint I have about this case is the large opening for the S-Pen. It's a bit of a double edged sword. It's nice to be able to easily retrieve the S-Pen; however, this also leaves a large gap in protection on this corner.

The other complaint is the case interferes with wireless charging and wireless power share.

Neither one of those are really the fault of Armadillotek, and are more or less necessity of the case. It needs to be somewhat thick to offer the military grade protection. And as long as Samsung continues to out the S-Pen in the corner, that corner will always be exposed and vulnerable by cases.

Interesting side note, I also reviewed a similar ruggedized case by another manufacturer. The Schnaul Titan for the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. I say similar, because they are almost identical, minus.a few minor aesthetic design choices. But they are shaped identically and even have the same exact inner front frame as part of the two piece case design. The wording and font style on some stickers is the same on both cases.

The website for both companies is nearly identical in design and aesthetic choices, down to the same yellow themed coloring and a stylized sillouette of their mascot (armadillo and a snail).

Both cases arrived with a photocopy of a handwritten letter, purported to be from someone born and raised in Texas; and each offers gratitude for your purchase and a brief backstory to the company. It's a nice touch, and the letters are done very well; however, careful reading detects the author's first language is not English. There's subtle nuances in the author's dialect that tells me they were not born and raised in Texas, or in the US. And there's close similarities in the word choices and phrases in the letters from both companies, which leads me to believe they were written by the same person.

Now, none of that takes away from the quality of the case, or the very responsive customer service. And the cases both shipped from Texas (both from the same city, but different address), so I can assume they are US-based. I just found the similarities very odd, and I would not be surprised at all to discover if Armadillotek and Schail are both just US fronts for the same oversead manufacturer.

In conclusion, I can HIGHLY recommend this case, if you're looking for a ruggedized case. You get the same quality as that other animal that comes in a Box, but at least than half the price.

Photo album of the cases are here on imgur

http://imgur.com/a/wicISY4