60 replies

1. Adam Argyle 7 min later

   @zachleat i never use a case; you completely change the form factor to a chunk and ruin the design

   i'm not some super careful person, but i havent broken a phone. i've chipped edges here and there, but never that big shatter scenario.

   meanwhile tho, most my friends use cases, and they've broken lots of phones.

   **theory**:
   people drop their phone more when they buy a case.

   1. caleb 15 min later

      @argyleink @zachleat it's the same argument as bike helmets :p

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhzH6mEpIps

      1. Keith J Grant 22 min later

         @calebjasik @argyleink @zachleat I can replace a phone. I can't replace my skull

         1. caleb 23 min later

            @keithjgrant @argyleink @zachleat true, true, they're definitely much more annoying to replace

            1. Adam Argyle 31 min later

               @calebjasik @keithjgrant @zachleat people also arent taking the case off when they're in the house and putting it on when they go for a walk hehe

               1. Toni / Link 1 hr later

                  @argyleink @calebjasik @keithjgrant @zachleat I do that 😅

   2. Keith J Grant 21 min later

      @argyleink @zachleat Exactly. I think I’m on my sixth or seventh smartphone, I've never used a case.

      One of them took a brutal faceplant into cement and instantly turned the screen to confetti, but I was being dumb and carrying it and an armful of other stuff in from the garage at the time. It should have been in my pocket. All the other phones have died "from old age"

   3. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

      @argyleink this is an incredible theory. I prefer a silicone back to the slick metal or glass. The thing slides out of my pocket too easily without

      1. Adam Argyle 1 hr later

         @zachleat Agree they can be slippery

         Idea / bad idea: rubber lined pockets

         1. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

            @argyleink you’re on to something here.

      2. Snugug 8 hr later

         @zachleat @argyleink I find my Pixel impossible to hold; slippery smooth plastic. My iPhone I can comfortably hold though

   4. Robb 1 hr later

      @argyleink @zachleat Very much the same. I will say that my current phone is something of a liability as it's *so* unnaturally slippy but, despite throwing itself from countertops a few times, I've had no major mishaps yet.

      1. Adam Argyle 1 hr later

         @Robb @zachleat Sounds like phones need to put a couple no-slip strips on the back. Agree they can be slippery

   5. Vadim Makeev 19 hr later

      @argyleink @zachleat I like how my phone feels without a case. Sometimes, I take it off and enjoy this feeling… until I put it on a slightly angled surface, and it starts slowly sliding off 🙄 So I put it back in a rubber case, and it almost sticks to any surface. Including my pockets: it’s a pain to take it out 🥲

      @media not (location: pocket) {
      .phone {
      display: rubber;
      }
      }

      1. Adam Argyle 20 hr later

         @pepelsbey @zachleat @media CSS the world!

      2. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

         @pepelsbey @argyleink @media haha, same problem. My silicone case is great but now I can’t get it out of my pocket 😅

         1. Adam Argyle 3 days later

            @zachleat @pepelsbey @media Silly Strips:
            little silicon strips you can put on the back of your phone to prevent slipping. comes with a free can of silly string.

            1. Zach Leatherman 3 days later

               @argyleink @pepelsbey and that’s why—sharks—I’m asking for $2M for 1% of the company

2. Slasher Calavera 🔪💀 9 min later

   @zachleat always, just in ca— uh, to be on the safe side

3. Amelia Bellamy-Royds 17 min later

   @zachleat I voted "do not use", but my phone actually came with a simple silicone case that I use. I just think of it as part of the phone rather than an accessory.

   1. Thomas Broyer 27 min later

      @AmeliaBR @zachleat Same with my previous phone! (was way too slippery without the case too) New phone fortunately has more grip with a fake-leather texture.

   2. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

      @AmeliaBR oh wow—it came with a removable case? What model?

      1. Amelia Bellamy-Royds 3 hr later

         @zachleat A Moto G Play. Nothing fancy, just clear silicone that covers the back & snugly grips the sides.

         It's starting to turn yellow and otherwise scuffed up after a few years. My phone is shockingly dark & shiny if I take it off! I could take off the screen protector, too, and it would look brand new. It would still be a laggy, tired 4-year-old inexpensive Android phone, though.

4. Alexis Deveria 20 min later

   @zachleat I went without a case for many many years but one day I figured my luck would probably run out so I started using one...

   That said in 13 years I've yet to crack a screen!

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

      @Fyrd impressive run!

5. Thomas Broyer 23 min later

   @zachleat Did use one to have more grip, but it was a bit too big. Removed it a few weeks ago and I don't think I'll get back (well, except it allows me to also attach an accessory… which I only use once in a while… (Xiaomi photography kit))

6. Jerry Tromp 25 min later

   @zachleat never used a case, never wrecked a phone 🤷‍♂️

7. Private reply 28 min later
8. Christopher Kirk-Nielsen 28 min later

   @zachleat I use and need a case: I'm not always clumsy, but when I am, I yeet my phone and it breaks the sound barrier, landing corner-first against concrete or some other highly dense surface.

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

      @chriskirknielsen yeeted to the sound barrier is wonderful imagery 🏆

9. Simeon.__proto__ 33 min later

   @zachleat I've broken too many screens even with a case to seriously consider going caseless

10. Dave Letorey 37 min later

    @zachleat I use a case (quad lock) to attach it to my bike.

    1. Zach Leatherman 1 hr later

       @dletorey nice! we like a bike hud

11. Max Böck 1 hr later

    @zachleat I just have a silicon back thingy. I've chucked my phone around pretty hard but never managed to actually crack the screen

    1. Max Böck 1 hr later

       @zachleat I also have a pet peeve about people who keep the factory screen protector on. It's a phone not a fabergé egg, just touch the damn screen

       1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

          @mxbck I wonder how many my flat screen tvs in the wild still have that protective film on it 😬

          1. Max Böck 2 days later

             @zachleat [blocked]

    2. Erik Kroes ✅ 2 hr later

       @mxbck @zachleat I replace screen protectors regularly because the amount of cracks I get 🤷

12. Ben 1 hr later

    @zachleat I used to be a no-case person who never dropped a phone. Then I dropped a phone and shattered the back. I put a case on to protect my fingers and did nothing else for years.

    When I bought my new phone, I thought… I like having an unbroken phone and I’m getting clumsier. So I got a rubber edged case.

13. Khalid ⚡ 1 hr later

    @zachleat I never used to have a case until I was in Mexico, placed my phone on a table, and it slid off and landed flat screen-first onto a tile floor.

    1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

       @khalidabuhakmeh 😬😬😬

14. Marijke Luttekes 2 hr later

    @zachleat I have one of those Otterbox ones, and it's helped a lot so far. I have a habit of dropping stuff, and without a case I wouldn't have had a working phone anymore.

15. Evan Deaubl 2 hr later

    @zachleat Used to be in the "no case" group, but just changed to the “with case" group about a month ago after I started getting really dropsy with my current phone (twice in 1 week, luckily not breaking it on either one). Dropped it a couple more times since then, so made the switch at just the right time…

16. Christian Alder 2 hr later

    @zachleat Case all the way for me. I've never dropped a phone to cause it damage but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I used to work in a warehouse environment so myself and anything on me was prone to a bit of bruising 😅

    More recently I've also been using a case that allowed me to easily mount it in a bunch of different configurations, bike handlebar, car, tripod - Initially had a QuadLock but I'm now on the Peak Design case/mount system. I'm more limited in case design but it I like it enough.

17. Julia Miocene 2 hr later

    @zachleat I use PeakDesign case with the magnet for a bicycle. With no need to ride a bike I would leave my phone naked.

18. Private reply 3 hr later
19. Naiyer 3 hr later

    @zachleat I started using a case when the phones started getting glass backs. Never had a case on phones with plastic or metal backs. Call it a coincidence.

20. Stuart Langridge 4 hr later

    @zachleat I don’t _want_ to use a case. What’s the point in deliberately including “prettiness” and “get a cool coloured one” in my criteria for choosing phones if I’m then going to swaddle it in ugly plastic? But unfortunately the point is “otherwise if a breath of wind touches the corner then the screen insanely cracks like the Lady of Shalott’s mirror” and also “if you put it down on anything fabric it slides off”. So a horrid transparent case it is.

    1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

       @sil this is where I’m at too 😭

21. Tim Severien 5 hr later

    @zachleat I’m actually not clumsy, but my sweat pants are. Without a case, I’d have at least 6 cracks in the last 12 months.

    1. Erik Kroes ✅ 12 hr later

       @timsev @zachleat it's the pants. Sure.

22. kaiserkiwi 17 hr later

    @zachleat Since Apple finally dropped these slippery edges with the 15 Pro it's not needed anymore. The phone has more than enough grip now.

    1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

       @kaiserkiwi is this a “buy a new phone” reply 😅

       1. kaiserkiwi 2 days later

          @zachleat Absolutely not. It's an "I'm glad this slippery era is over" reply.

          Every person should use their phone as long as possible. We produce enough waste. For me it just was time again. But I probably won't switch until the iPhone 20. 😅

23. Sara Joy 19 hr later

    @zachleat I was also anti-case until they got suuuper slippery. One slid off the sofa, and fell flat face down (not even corner first) onto a wooden floor (not even concrete!) and the screen shattered.

    I just don't trust the strength of the screens any more. I had several Moto G phones that had rubberised backs and could be juggled without worry, survived loads of falls.

    I also wish I just didn't drop them in the first place, but eh 🤷

24. Krzysztof Hankiewicz 22 hr later

    @zachleat I've never used a case until about 2.5 years ago my dog flung my phone out of my pocket to the sidewalk while greeting me, shattering the screen. The replacement is sitting in a hideous, but seemingly indestructible Dbrand Grip. It's ugly, it makes the generally comfy Pixel 6 nearly impossible to use one-handed, I absolutely hate it, but I can't afford not to use it 🙃

25. Miguel 1 day later

    @zachleat I like to live dangerously

26. Erin Kissane 1 day later

    @zachleat I live in my brain, not using a case would be extremely expensive lol

    (I always use a cheap case, I always drop my phone all the time, I have never so much as cracked a screen)

    1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

       @kissane look, I’m not saying I’ve never tethered my phone physically to my body but I won’t deny it either

27. maxfenton 1 day later

    @zachleat always a Spigen tempered glass screen protector on phones, tablets, camera LCD screens