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No Case, No Screen Protector - 1 Month Later

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It’s been a full month since I went completely caseless on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’ve always used a case, for protection and because I like how a phone feels in one. This is the first time I’ve committed to going caseless and stuck to it, and it was a rough start.

Why I’ve always used a case

A bare iPhone is thin and slippery and likes to jump out of my hands. A case adds grip and thickness that feel more secure, and gives me a mental break from worrying about little scratches on a counter or desk. Cases also really help in drops. This same iPhone fell about 6½ feet from a ledge in my shower onto tile in an Apple silicone case and only got a small dent in one corner. It still works, and not even the screen protector cracked.

Getting used to it

At first, it was really stressful. I worry about the tiniest scratches, especially on the display, so I had to change how I handle the phone. It takes a bit more force to pick up and hold securely. I hated the feel at first, coming from soft silicone cases, and resting it on my pinky was more noticeable.

Setting it down on surfaces made me cringe. The actual sound isn’t awful, just something solid on something solid, but in my brain it was nails on a chalkboard. A month in, that screech is getting softer, and I’m much less careful than when I started.

How it held up

To my surprise, I can’t see any new scratches, dings or dents just looking at it. The only dent is the one from the shower drop, in a case.

Look really closely in the right light, though, and there are a few tiny imperfections in the oleophobic coating on the display that weren’t there before. It lives alone in my pocket or on a MagSafe charger, I haven’t been to the beach, and I don’t lay it face down, so it must be dust in my pocket. I never see them in normal use. Had I spotted them on day two, I’d have been upset, but finding them a month in, I’m mentally okay with it. There’s also a spot on the side button I can catch with a fingernail, but I can’t say whether it was there before.

The frosted back glass looks perfect, and so does the titanium frame. It’s fared better than I expected, though a bigger drop is inevitable.

People notice, too. I get a lot of “whoa, I can’t believe you’re doing that with an iPhone.”

CalDigit sponsored this video, with its cables.

What I like

  • You actually get to see and feel the iPhone. Apple talks so much about materials and design each year, but with a case you never experience them. I used to case it right away and only take the case off to clean it.
  • The buttons feel better. I’ve spent a lot of time and money hunting for cases without squishy buttons. Without a case, you get the full tactile click.
  • It slides in and out of pockets easily, especially sitting in a vehicle, without pulling the pocket liner out.

What I don’t

  • It slides out of pockets too, onto the couch or floor, especially in workout shorts. Luckily it’s landed on rubber mats so far.
  • It’s slippery on surfaces, and gets knocked off counters or chair arms if I’m not paying attention. It’s fallen onto a rug more than a few times. My fault, but a case helps.
  • It gets hot in your hand. Gaming or jumping between apps, or a few minutes in the sun, it heats up enough that I don’t want to hold it. A case probably makes it worse, but you don’t feel it.
  • No matte screen protector. For years I’ve used glass matte screen protectors that cut glare and reflections, making it much easier to read outside or in a bright room. Without one, I keep seeing myself or tilting the phone. If I stay caseless, I’ll probably use those again.

Verdict

I’m starting to care less about scratches, which is a bit of a mental relief. If I had to choose today, forever, case or no case, I’d slap a case on, but that’s a harder decision than it was a month ago.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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