Going to be getting a 15 Pro Max soon (poor XS Max's battery is fading fast) and wanted to get something other than an Otterbox for once. I've seen lots of great cases from Spigen, Mous, Dbrand, Casely, and Velvet Caviar, but nothing that really jumped at me as a "gotta have it". I really like the backplate designs of the Burga Elite along with the gold accents, but there are more than a few things about the company that seem vaguely scammy: [on third party sites] lots of reviews from accounts with little / no other review history, the only YT reviews are very obviously scripted / sponsored content, and occasionally reports of poor quality of the prints on the actual product. Further, seeing lots of comments on the basic cases breaking or scratching fairly easily, prints peeling or fading, etc etc.

Typing it all out makes the decision pretty much made, but does anyone have some compelling personal anecdotes against the general online narrative?

If my gut feeling is right, I'll end up going elsewhere for my needs. I'm looking for a case that's got at least some level of protection and looks good, I don't particularly care if it's bulky or not, but I'm not into the looks of e.g. most UAG's "tacticool" cases or the Casetify Bounce's rather eccentric corners. For the more "basic" designs, I actually quite like the Spigen Tough Armor, if only it didn't have the logo cutout that just traps in lint etc. As for budget I'd prefer to keep it under $100 for a case, but if there's a really exceptional one I'm not opposed to paying a bit more (not quite Labodet prices, but y'know).

Thanks for any recommendations!