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Smartphone cases – love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit that there’s now a gigantic consumer industry dedicated to the design, manufacturing, and marketing of smartphone cases. They come in all shapes and sizes for different phones from a ton of manufacturers, and at this point it’s probably safe to say that there’s a case available for every smartphone that’s being sold right now.
As such, some people will deem them necessary, given how fragile a lot of modern smartphones are. On the other hand, other users might opt to use their smartphone without the need for a case. With that in mind, we asked the team here at Phandroid about their thoughts on whether or not they use protection on their smartphone – let’s see what they have to say!
The Case for Going Caseless
Our Editor-in-Chief, Nick Gray has made his thoughts about the matter perfectly clear – as far as cases go, he’s always used his smartphones as they are, without the added weight and bulk.
“I sometimes use a case when I travel, but rarely have a case on my smartphone in regular day-to-day use. I’ve been using smartphones since before Apple ‘invented’ the category and have only once cracked the back glass (RIP HTC U11), but have never broken or cracked a screen.” Nick adds that while his devices do get wear and tear over time, it allows him to appreciate the physical design of the phones as they were meant to be seen.
Better Grip
“Yes I use a case, not because I want to, but it’s because modern phones use too much glass and metal and it feels so damn slippery” – Tyler, one of our writers feels that he will sooner or later drop or crack his phone if he doesn’t have a case on, and it isn’t exactly a secret that modern smartphones tend to be more slippery than their older, plastic counterparts.
As for his case preference, Tyler tends to go with first-party accessories: “I always favor first-party cases, which at the moment is the Apple Leather Case. I find that first-party cases always have the best fit and are usually designed with the device’s aesthetics in mind.”
Securing an Investment
Given the sky-high price of a lot of modern smartphones these days, it’s perfectly understandable why some users might go with a case from the get-go, as it does reduce the risk of unnecessary expenses for phone repairs and such.
Our writer Spec goes into detail: “I am way too clumsy with my dexterity issues to not have a case and screen protector on at all times. I rotate between a few. I have a clear everyday one and one that is a wallet for traveling. Is it a bummer? Yes. Would I like to be without it? Yes. But when phones are in there thousands these days for high end flagships I can’t reasonably secure my investment any other way. So it’s an essential part of my everyday.”
A Middleground
While most cases offer added protection at the cost of covering up your phone’s smashing (pun intended) good looks, there are cases out there which still allow you to enjoy your smartphone’s design. Writer Ajit used to go caseless, but had to switch things up a bit once he upgraded.
“I never felt the need of using a case with phones like the Moto E, Moto X Play, and Xiaomi Mi A1. But when I started using expensive phones boasting their glass backs, I had no choice but to go for cases. It is simply because I don’t want to take the risk (no matter how low it is) of using a phone with a broken or even a scratched glass back. However, I do prefer transparent cases because they allow me to ‘show off’ the phone and its color without putting it at risk.”
A Matter of Looks
Personally, the only times that I’ve ever used a phone caseless was with my old Nokia Lumia phones, and to an extent, the Nokia 6.1 from 2018, all of which featured non-glossy textures all over. I’ve always favoured matte finishes on smartphones, but given the abundance of glass devices these days, I’ve had to resort to using a case for added grip, and to reduce scratches and scuffs on my devices.
For phones like the newer (and glossier) Pixel models, as well as the iPhone 14, I’ve found that using textured and matte-finish cases helps with overall handling, as well as peace of mind from knocks and bumps.
Check out the Cases that we Use!
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