Is a case imperative on a phone?

[Obice]

Hi,

I'm pretty sure I know the answer, more/less subjective to one's opinion, however still curious what everyone thinks.

I got an iPhone SE and would rather not use the case I have for it since it makes it bulky while on the other hand without a case it is way easier to go kaboom.

[Korth]

Well, there's also the cosmetic function of phone cases. They're a fashion accessory.

For some (many) people the physical build quality, material durability, and actual protection are all secondary to looks and brand. Some people "dress" their phone every day so it displays their mood and matches their attire. 

[frazzx]

A case  makes for a soft landing. And better grip of your phone, don't know why they make color phones I never see the original color of mine anyway

[reid705]

No, a case of not imperative on a phone but it will greatly écrans the life of your phone.

I used a phone without a case and eventually dropped it one to many times over the span of a year (about 10x) which eventually cracked the screen.

Every phone that I've encased has outlasted the phones usable (obsolete), ask that should put things in perspective.

As for cases themselves, you tend to get what you pay for.  An OtterBox provides maximum durability but you sacrifice slim profiles and your wallet. $10 cases are too short to provide long term robustness but they tend to be sparkly. Your best bet is to do a bit of research to find the best value for your preferences.

I personally use a "Spigen" for durability without sacrificing size but this is only my personal preference.

Hope this helps

[Salmonlips]

I have the thinnest possible case on mine because i bought a thin phone so it would be thin.  It has basically the silicon bumpers on it and i have dropped it a lot of times recently haha... safe!

[Obice]

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@Jen23 wrote:

If you have a toddler, you'll definitely be needing a case!🙈

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I can't say that I do have any kids but I can definitely see the need for a case with kids.

[Jen23]

If you have a toddler, you'll definitely be needing a case!🙈

[cyrusrivers]

well i use a case because i'm kind of accident prone but it's been a super long time since i've busted up a phone (hence the ottorbox defender cases)

the last phone i kinda messed up with an old nokia lumia 920.. the ONE time i didn't have it in the case and it takes one fall. screen was cracked but it still works! these days use it more like a digital camera than anything else haha

[jimbobs]

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@Korth wrote:

@jimbobs

What you say is true.

But the earliest mobile devices were expensive because the technology was expensive. 

I agree. As a user of mobile phones from the very early days (I worked in the telecom industry), I noticed some strange attitudes to them. On the one hand, those that had them were coy about having and/or using one. On the other, people that didn't have them said they didn't need or want them. Among those that had mobiles, there was great competition about models and the physical size of the phones. That competition is still there but to a lesser degree. As the phones are very similar in style, it's hard to differentiate and recognize models. Even those knowledgeable about phones find it difficult to recognize different models without a close examination.

[Korth]

@jimbobs

What you say is true.

But the earliest mobile devices were expensive because the technology was expensive. Today's mobile devices can be manufactured at a handful of dollars per unit - in terms of raw hardware - ignoring all the middle-man corporate supply chains, licenses, and patent fees which are embedded in the price - and ignoring the artificially-inflated "value" built into the branded price structures.

I think the real difference between a cheap mid-tier smartphone and a premium flagship top-tier smartphone is probably much, much less than the $$$$ difference which is passed on to the consumer. And I think the price gap (for brand and fashion) will continue to increase even after the market is saturated with devices packed to maximum technological density (that is, devices which basically have fully equivalent hardware capacities and features).

Only time will tell. But we've already seen how aggressively revenue-driven the big players in these markets can be so I doubt they'll ever be motivated to work at bringing prices down. 

[jimbobs]

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@Korth wrote:

@Obice

We've reached the point where an entire generation has grown up venerating mobile devices as status accessories. Consumers who buy phones for fashion, not tech. Manufacturers who build phones to be increasingly consumable and disposable. Reliability, durability, and longevity have all been sacrificed for style. Veblen goods, Giffen goods, conspicuous consumption. 

The automotive industry discovered how to embed and exploit consumers long ago - as did all the secondary, tertiary, aftermarket, and niche industries which are based on automotive products.

Your father's father might have observed all the same sorts of "funny" product/consumer trends long before cellphones ever existed. $1000 luxury smartphones and $50000 luxury cars might be apples and oranges, but they're boiled down to the same fruity sauce on the menu. 

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Mobile devices have been status symbols from the very beginning.  Even before today's  technology, the ability to communicate while mobile has always been a "thing".  In the early days, these were very exclusive and simply not affordable for most people.  The difference is that nowadays, both the devices themselves and the service plans are affordable.  Having said that, there are some devices that are extremely exclusive: Goldvish, Gresso and Bellperre International all manufacture exclusive high end phones.  Vertu used to do so but went out of business in 2017.

[Obice]

All very true.

I guess I'm out of the loop. I do my best to be presentable but stylish is not a word I'd use to describe myself.

[Korth]

@Obice

We've reached the point where an entire generation has grown up venerating mobile devices as status accessories. Consumers who buy phones for fashion, not tech. Manufacturers who build phones to be increasingly consumable and disposable. Reliability, durability, and longevity have all been sacrificed for style. Veblen goods, Giffen goods, conspicuous consumption. 

The automotive industry discovered how to embed and exploit consumers long ago - as did all the secondary, tertiary, aftermarket, and niche industries which are based on automotive products.

Your father's father might have observed all the same sorts of "funny" product/consumer trends long before cellphones ever existed. $1000 luxury smartphones and $50000 luxury cars might be apples and oranges, but they're boiled down to the same fruity sauce on the menu. 

[Obice]

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@cyrusrivers wrote:

I've always used a case. Especially with phones like the galaxy series. It's the otterbox defender 24/7 😅

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Once upon a time when I was a kid growing up and smartphones were only just becoming a "revolution" my dad was telling me how he found it funny that they make these "smart" phones so thin and then you "need" a case for them because they are so thin while they are thin to be portable so if you need a case wouldn't that defeat the purpose? Well here we are over 10 years later and it's all so very commonplace.

I betcha that if they made phones more durable and took cases out of the equation that they would just up the price to make up the difference and phones would last about the same amount of time.

What I find most funny is how some of us spend over $1,000 for something designed to break. I wonder if the lot of us go to a car dealer to buy a car and have breakage (no pun intended) in mind or if they expect it to last given the higher cost.

In fairness vehicles do last longer but I'm also comparing apples and oranges whilst the same sort of logic applies. You buy it, it ain't going to last. "Nothing is perfect" as I am told and what an excuse that is to just accept what goes on.

[cyrusrivers]

I've always used a case. Especially with phones like the galaxy series. It's the otterbox defender 24/7 😅

[Korth]

I view phones as disposable, consumable items. This doesn't mean I just throw them (and my money) away on a whim, it means I only expect good phones to last a few years before needing replacement (and I expect cheap phones to realistically require more frequent replacement).

Although I admittedly don't understand the appeal of flagship phones and mobile data addiction. I can have more "freedom" (access to high-capacity high-speed data) by spending $$$$ on mid-end computer-plus-broadband than on top-end phone-plus-data-plan. All I really need my phone to do is clock, calendar, camera, contacts, text, and talk - cheaply - and reliably, without breaking what already works through "updates" and lockouts.

I recently bought an "expensive" phone case, intended to last years and outlast devices. Seems better for my needs than automatically including another case in the price of each phone. 

[Obice]

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@Korth wrote:

Impact-resistant glass still cracks, chips, and shatters when dropped hard enough or often enough.

Scratch-resistant glass still scratches and hazes when abraded against other objects (even softer objects) often enough.

Chassis plastics (and their pretty surface finishes) tend to be much softer, much easier to damage than glasstop screens. Not just from normal wear-and-tear, but also cumulative exposure to light (mostly) and air (mostly oxygen and solvent fumes), and vibration (seriously) - the material simply ages over time - and hard polymers might still take a kabillion years to fully erode or biodegrade but they only need one or two seasons to get old, look faded, feel weak and brittle.

If you buy expensive $$$$ phones with the plan of reselling for $$$ when you're done then a case and screen protector are crucial.

If you just want your phone to last a few years without looking ghetto then invest in scratch-protection, drop-protection, and spill-protection. Some people hardly ever pull their phones out of their special velvet pockets, they hardly ever need phone cases. Some people casually stuff their phone (and keys, coins, cards, wallets, gadgets, cosmetics, whatever) in their pockets/purses/bags, they need some kind rugged Otterbox/Rhinoskin kind of coverage. Some people (like me) treat phones roughly, like any other tool on site, and need robustly ruggedized stuff to prevent breakage. 

That being said... no sense in buying $1 protector which is even shoddier than the materials it's pretending to protect... and no sense in a $300 case for a $100 phone (with a $50 screen). 

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Makes sense.

I think that when it comes to Apple people expect greatness because that's exactly what Apple attempts to reflect as their business model. If you use their products, you will receive a great product.

But if you Google hardware or software issues with Apple there is tons and tons of undeniable threads of disgruntled Apple users and the irony is the users come back after being treated like they don't know what they are talking about because the big man is lying to them.

Speaking of Google, look at their phones and antics overall. No better than Apple, perhaps worse in light of Stadia.

It's for these reasons that I do not wish to buy new phones because lets be honest here... They aren't worth what they are sold for and the companies d**n well know that, but if we're willing to buy into it they are more than happy to put on a smile and take the dough.

[Korth]

Impact-resistant glass still cracks, chips, and shatters when dropped hard enough or often enough.

Scratch-resistant glass still scratches and hazes when abraded against other objects (even softer objects) often enough.

Chassis plastics (and their pretty surface finishes) tend to be much softer, much easier to damage than glasstop screens. Not just from normal wear-and-tear, but also cumulative exposure to light (mostly) and air (mostly oxygen and solvent fumes), and vibration (seriously) - the material simply ages over time - and hard polymers might still take a kabillion years to fully erode or biodegrade but they only need one or two seasons to get old, look faded, feel weak and brittle.

If you buy expensive $$$$ phones with the plan of reselling for $$$ when you're done then a case and screen protector are crucial.

If you just want your phone to last a few years without looking ghetto then invest in scratch-protection, drop-protection, and spill-protection. Some people hardly ever pull their phones out of their special velvet pockets, they hardly ever need phone cases. Some people casually stuff their phone (and keys, coins, cards, wallets, gadgets, cosmetics, whatever) in their pockets/purses/bags, they need some kind rugged Otterbox/Rhinoskin kind of coverage. Some people (like me) treat phones roughly, like any other tool on site, and need robustly ruggedized stuff to prevent breakage. 

That being said... no sense in buying $1 protector which is even shoddier than the materials it's pretending to protect... and no sense in a $300 case for a $100 phone (with a $50 screen). 

[Obice]

I am proud to say that my phone can withstand falls without a case and it is from 2014 when aesthetic wasn't everything. I have dropped it from my bed many times and it is absolutely fine. I dropped an iPhone from chest height once and the screen was obliterated.

[ShawnC13]

Agreed with the above.  They make phones look so good it is a shame to have to cover them up.  On vibrate, without a case, my phone would shake itself right off of the table

[Obice]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Obice wrote:

You know the irony of a phone case? They make phones thin deliberately so they are light and yet they are delicate because they are thin and thus a case is often necessary.

Or... In my case, I have an iPhone (that I don't use because of this) that might shut off in cold weather just because the battery gets too cold and the aluminum body is partly to blame.

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No. The problem is how slippery the darn things are. The spouse's iphone, my Samsung S7, countless others. It's ridiculous. It's to be held on to with ones hands!! My lovely old retired Blackberry's had this entirely useful kind of non-slip backing on them that your hand is able to reasonably hold on to.

But no now there's this massive market for cases and little flip out holder doodads etc. Just. Make. A. Non-slip. Back.

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(...profit margins falls as they release gripped phones and/or cases...)

[Anonymous]

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@Obice wrote:

You know the irony of a phone case? They make phones thin deliberately so they are light and yet they are delicate because they are thin and thus a case is often necessary.

Or... In my case, I have an iPhone (that I don't use because of this) that might shut off in cold weather just because the battery gets too cold and the aluminum body is partly to blame.

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No. The problem is how slippery the darn things are. The spouse's iphone, my Samsung S7, countless others. It's ridiculous. It's to be held on to with ones hands!! My lovely old retired Blackberry's had this entirely useful kind of non-slip backing on them that your hand is able to reasonably hold on to.

But no now there's this massive market for cases and little flip out holder doodads etc. Just. Make. A. Non-slip. Back.

[Obice]

You know the irony of a phone case? They make phones thin deliberately so they are light and yet they are delicate because they are thin and thus a case is often necessary.

Or... In my case, I have an iPhone (that I don't use because of this) that might shut off in cold weather just because the battery gets too cold and the aluminum body is partly to blame.

[3s_Plenty]

I always do, but then i had my last phone shattered by my grandson(toddler, total oops) i use otterbox and won't use my phone without one that has some drop coverage. I also do a screen protector.

However years ago before grandkids, yeah i kept my Iphone pretty good without much other than a silicone case.

[jimbobs]

Simple answer is no, a case is not imperative.  Longer answer is that it depends on the user, their personal habits and their lifestyles. 

For example, I have never, ever used a case with a phone.  After two or three years of use, my phones all look pretty good.  Other people I know, their phones are banged up with scratches and dents after only a few weeks/months of use.

[dna2016]

@Obice I have a case on my phone only because the case came with the phone so figured might as well use it.  My opinion there's 2 parts to your question. 

First part is protecting the front part of your phone -> pretty much all phones now will have Gorilla glass or some form of highly protective glass technology now, so a case or screen protector is not needed at all.  If the glass breaks it's because it was dropped from a high enough distance or the phone landed on something that would break the glass regardless if you had a screen protector or case on it or not.  So my opinion case is not needed for the front.

Second part is protecting the back part of your phone -> If you were to get a case I recommend a rubber/silicone type case, as when you drop the phone in these cases the rubber/silicone will absorb some of that shock in the impact, whereas a plastic case does not.  Phone has a better chance surviving with a rubber case, but keep in mind there's still no guarantees with this.  And lastly, many phones have the rear camera slightly protrude outside of the phone, so when you put your phone down that glass lens part will be resting on the surface and could get scratched from any pebbles or whatever.  With a case on the rear of the phone, that same lens generally will not protrude beyond the case, so when you place the phone down, the lens part isn't resting on the surface and reduces the chance of getting scratched.

Just my thoughts, but in all I wouldn't go out of my way to get a case, if you have one and you like it then doesn't hurt to use it, but if you don't like the case then there's no need to use it, unless you get an Otterbox your phone can crack/break/shatter etc., regardless (if it's dropped from a high enough distance anyways).  

[GinYVR]

@ObiceYes "gorilla glass" has been around for quite a while and the process is well known... they are glass they went through a chemical process. The glass protector serves as a sacrificial layer of the phone's screen if there is any impact. The softer the glass, the easier it is scratch but it is less brittle, so less prone to shatter.

[pcouturier]

Glass screen protector and a simple cellphone case sleeve. On my motorola, I have a clear sleeve case, very thin but protects very well...cheap on ebay.

[Obice]

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@GinYVR wrote:

Glass screen is a balance between scratch proof and being shatter proof. Glass protective covers are more or less the same thing, I would recommend get a cheap protective glass cover and replace it a few times vs buying one expensive one shot deal.

One great thing about glass protective screen is it is so easy to apply vs the old style plastic screens.

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Are you referring to a screen protector, like one of those "claimed-to-be" 9H hardness gorilla glass screen protectors?

[will13am]

Case and screen protector for me always. 

[GinYVR]

Glass screen is a balance between scratch proof and being shatter proof. Glass protective covers are more or less the same thing, I would recommend get a cheap protective glass cover and replace it a few times vs buying one expensive one shot deal.

One great thing about glass protective screen is it is so easy to apply vs the old style plastic screens.