Weekend Open Forum: Do you use a case with your smartphone?

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,240   +192
Staff member

open forum smartphone case

Back when I got my first cell phone (Nokia 5110), the idea of protecting it with a case wasn’t exactly mainstream. I recall there being a few leather “sleeves” that you could slide your phone into but these really did little to protect a handset at times when gravity took over. Granted, phones of yesteryear were also much more durable and had tiny screens that weren’t prone to cracking, but I digress.

The market has changed drastically since that time. Virtually everyone has a smartphone of some sort and with the average cost of a high-end smartphone sitting somewhere around the $600 mark and our increased dependence on these devices, the desire to protect the investment is greater than ever.

With this week’s open forum, we are curious to know whether or not you have a case on your smartphone. It’s almost criminal to cover up a sleek and sexy gadget with a bulky case but if you’re the clumsy type or you simply want it to last, it’s the price you have to pay.

Sound off in the comments below!

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I had a slim case on my original MotoDroid, fell face first on rocks and broke the screen. I took it apart and put a new digitizer and screen in it... breaking the power button.

I had a Blackberry Curve 8520 with no case. Turned out fine.

Got a Droid Incredible, had a Trident Kraken protector on it, amazing case, loved it better than my sisters OtterBox. I dropped it on asphalt, from a roof top, in decent sized puddles of water, manure, loved the case. The belt clip broke a year after I got it and I wanted another, but Trident no longer sold anything for the Incredible. They sent me out an Iphone belt clip, in which I called back and said it did not fit. They sent me out three more clips, each for different types of phone and one worked fine, I called back to see where to ship the other three back so I didn't get charged for them, the rep told me I did not have to send them back, that they were just happy I found what I needed.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 now for a year with no case, but it does have a screen protector. I have dropped it about five feet in the air a few times, hit it with the cherry of my cigarette a bit, had it rained on while in my pocket, slammed drills on it as well as other tools. It is fine without a case. I do admit though, the keys in my pocket have scratched the battery cover up, but hey, whatever.

At work, we have the Galaxy Note 1, and it uses the OtterBox. I tell you, I hate using the thing because the case makes it so much larger, it holds rain water in to the phone, doesn't seem to protect the screen, scratches real easily, and customers have difficulty signing their contracts with the screen protector on.

Mind you, the majority of the damage on my own personal phones is while on military duty, excluding my S3 as I am no longer serving. The work phone is with Dish Network, so I guess they take quite a bit of abuse on average.
 
I have a defender series otterbox on my Droid Bionic. It feels like a brick but protects the phone. The phone itself looks brand new if I take it out of the case.
 
I like to find a balance between protection and looks.

Right now on my S4, I have a BoxWave Blackout case, which is very slim but offers a bit of protection. I actually like the smooth dull black look on the back more than I like the silly pattern on the S4 cover, and it raises the screen off the ground to keep from scratching the phone sceen-down on rough surface. I feel like it makes the phone look nice and finished off, and it feels more solid.
 
I have always seemed to have a case for my phone, from my Rugged patent pending case with heavy duty metal clip on the i530 and then into a i560 I think it was with another rugged yet cheaper case.

Once I moved into the smartphone world, which I am still behind in simply because I cannot afford it otherwise, My LG Vu (cu920) crappy phone had a generic leather pouch for it, at upgrade time I got myself a Galaxy 1 Captivate, and got a Otterbox impact for that for a great deal from someone who doesn't know how to read packaging labels at Wal-Mart.

Most recent upgrade has been to the galaxy S3 and being the nicest phone I have had, it recieved an otterbox defender, clip has broke, and the edges of the rubber part of the case are way loose but it still stays on the phone, I can't really say that the case has saved it or not, but I am intending on getting one of those 7000mAH batteries for it, would like to see a couple days use out of it for a change, about sick of these small batteries in these phones so you are forced to wear out the aging micro usb port and have to replace it with a new phone...
 
I've used a case on 1 out of the 8 phones I've had. It was a Galaxy S with the rubber skin that came with it. I had to use it because the buttons were too easy to press without it, and it made it more comfortable to hold in landscape mode.

With my current phone, no. I think it looks too good to put a case or a skin on it.
-LG P930
 
No phone cases here for my feature phones in the past or current smartphone.
nokia 5110 (sold)
nokia 3210 (sold)
nokia 3315 (traded)
nokia 6110 (dead)
nokia 7210 (plastic screen has 'flakes', working, stored)
nokia 70 (dead)
nokia 5320 (plastic screen has 'flakes', working, stored)

bb 8890 (currently used)
Samsung galaxy y (currently used)
 
I've never used a case in my life, I've gone through my smart phones without additional protection.

My Samsung S3 screen cracked when I dropped it and got an iPhone 4S, my iPhone is scuffed and dented but still alive. I've recently got a S4 but the screen just shattered last week. Currently using a Sony Xperia Z, dropped it on the pavement but no damage so far:)
I'm terrible at caring for my phones and usually drop them but so far so good, bad experience with my samsungs so I'm very disappointed with their build quality...
But to cover up my $500-600 devices with an ugly case, NEVER!!!
 
I've never used a case in my life, I've gone through my smart phones without additional protection.
My Samsung S3 screen cracked when I dropped it and got an iPhone 4S, my iPhone is scuffed and dented but still alive. I've recently got a S4 but the screen just shattered last week. Currently using a Sony Xperia Z, dropped it on the pavement but no damage so far
prekesh-happy.png

I'm terrible at caring for my phones and usually drop them but so far so good, bad experience with my samsungs so I'm very disappointed with their build quality...
But to cover up my $500-600 devices with an ugly case, NEVER!!!

Glad your head attached, cuz u prob drop it to somewhere. ...

Now back on topic, I own S3 since it showed up, dropped it once or twice indroos still as new... Used case first week as I bought it, but didn't like the feeling so never again ..
 
Yes. I use a slim protective case for my iPhone 4. Thus far it has been a very good investment, as I've dropped the phone from considerable height onto concrete & hardwood 5-6 times now and have yet to damage anything.
 
I had a case for my previous phone and every time it dropped, I didn't have the mask on :(
 
I prefer one of those slips with a tab you can pull, to remove the phone / tablet etc
Best of both worlds in my mind... its protected whilst transporting, and when you are using the phone / tablet, it is displayed in all of its naked awesomeness!

Granted if you drop the device whilst in use, your screw*d but hey :)
 
It's funny this got posted this week. I just got my first smart phone galaxy s2 (on a budget). It looks too sexy to put a case on it. Also, doesn't gorilla glass protect against scratches?
 
Covers ruin the design of the phone. Used a screen protector its ok. I do have a cover for my tab but never used it just have one in case I have to carry the tab in a bag.
 
I use a case and as I have dropped my phone a few times it seems a wise precaution. It also helps keep it clean as I put my phone in my pocket.
 
I have never got a case for any of my phones, all my past feature phones (mostly nokia's and samsungs) were just invincible, my iPhones (3GS, 4s, currently using 5) have never had cases.

My 3GS is battered on the corners but the screen is fine and it still works absolutely fine, 4s was very resilient against bumps until I was cycling one day down a hill, hit a log that fell out of a tree in front of me and landed, hip first, onto the phone at a good 30mph, the screen was on but the underside was smashed to hell, so it was still perfectly usable, you just got a cut hand from doing so!

My iPhone 5 is only a month or two old and still all ok, I personally don't understand putting cases on my phones (especially my iPhones) since they are made of all these fine materials and built in such a way they feel nice to hold, why ruin that with a cheap £10 case?
 
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