Choosing a phone case sounds so basic until you find yourself looking at forty of them all claiming to be "the best" The fact is, the right case depends entirely on how you use your phone not which one has the most five-star ratings.
Start with how you use your phone day to day
If you are a person who drops your phone at least once weekly, then the drop protection should kick aesthetics to the curb. A design with reinforced corners and shock-absorbent material (such as TPU bumpers married to a hard shell) does much better at protecting against drops from waist height when compared to a thin decorative case only.
For those who spend their work time in co-working desks, cafes or public transport a privacy screen case or privacy tempered glass is something you should invest in. These employ a microlouvre layer that constricts the viewing angle such that only you can view your screen in full head-on glory while anyone looking from an angle sees nothing but a blacked-out display.
If you use MagSafe accessories - wireless chargers, card holders, car mounts make sure your case is explicitly MagSafe-compatible. All "magnetic" cases do not have a correctly positioned and strength-matched magnet ring, leading to slower charging speeds and/or accessories that do not snap properly to the device.
Material is more important than most people think
Silicone/TPU - grippy, shock-absorbent, but lint and dust magnets with age
Polycarbonate - (hard shell typically) is more rigid and known for better scratch resistance but wont absorb shock as well on its own
Leather/vegan leather - looks high-end, patinas over time, but tends to be bulky
Metal frame - looks the best, but if not engineered correctly it interferes with wireless charging & signals.
Be Precise with Buttons + Ports
Despite spending a lot on the phone, there are conveniently budget cases that misalign your volume buttons or bring you a charging port cutout just to make the phone ever so annoying during use every single day. You should definitely check reviews for your phone, not the case (no one cares about a story of a case that fits an iPhone 15 Pro perfectly, but it may fit a 15 Pro Max totally differently).
Our recommendation
After all, for most people a reinforced polycarbonate shell and soft-touch exterior makes for the best balance of protection, grip and everyday usability, especially when faced with a MagSafe-compatible case. If privacy is a valid concern for your job or commute, sticking a privacy screen protector on top of a regular case will work better than using it with a privacy case alone.