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iPhones are BETTER with a case!

8:06 video

For years, I’ve wanted to use my iPhone without protection, and I keep failing. No matter how the new iPhone looks or feels or what it’s made of, I can’t convince myself to use one naked (the phone, of course). It took me a long time to admit it, but I’m a case person, and I like it. There are three reasons, and you can’t have them.

1. Fear and anxiety

These devices are absolutely beautiful. Look how elegant a metal and glass sandwich can be: smooth and shiny, and like any nerd, I want to touch it. But I can’t stand the idea of damaging it. With a naked iPhone, I use it differently: I’m more protective and deliberate about how I hold it, where I set it down, and everything around it that could leave a cosmetic blemish on my iPhone, and therefore my soul. This is no way to live, and I can’t just enjoy my iPhone.

A tiny scratch in the oleophobic coating will drive me nuts every time I look at the screen when it’s off, even though I can’t see it when it’s on. Scratches on the frame or buttons? Forget it; it might as well be garbage. My neurotic tendencies and vanity make using it naked almost impossible, so if I can protect against 99% of what will scar it, I will.

2. Look and feel

Cold, slick metal and glass looks and feels good, but can get boring. I like change: a case to fit my mood, the day’s activities, even my outfit.

  • A day outside taking pictures, or at a theme park, where dropping is more likely: a heavier-duty case to protect my precious.
  • A nice dinner: something more elegant.
  • At home or the office: something minimal, like Pitaka’s StarPeak MagEZ Case 4, the thinnest and lightest MagSafe aramid-fiber case, with a built-in metal camera lip, 3D texture grip and chamfered edge. It’s the Milky Way Galaxy design by Jonathan James, a fashion editor and Paris art director, and there’s also an Over the Horizon design. Pitaka sponsored this video.

Grip. Metal and glass can feel like a wet bar of soap. I can’t count how many times my iPhone 15 Pro has slipped past a finger. Even the flatter sides of the 12, 13 and 14 were slightly too shallow and slippery to pick up every time without dropping it an inch and a half onto the table. A case’s grip lets me do the hand gymnastics to reach the other side of the screen without it slipping into the toilet. A naked iPhone can also slide out of my shorts pocket onto the floor, or onto a truck seat, which once ended with a phone cartwheeling out onto concrete.

3. Resale

I don’t keep every device and want maximum resale value. I keep the packaging as perfect as possible, don’t use the accessories, and want the buyer to pull out a brand-new iPhone. That makes them happy and gets me top dollar.

How I protect it

A case, of course, and there are plenty of options: thick or thin, bright or black, woven or silicone; protection from a fall of a few feet, off a building, or just micro scratches from pocket dirt. Most cases have a lip that protects the display when you set it face down. I also use a matte glass screen protector, which is much less reflective than regular glass and more durable than film.

What about AppleCare?

I know seven of you are yelling about AppleCare+ or other insurance. AppleCare+ without theft and loss for the iPhone 15 Pro is $200 for two years, or $10 a month, plus a deductible if you break it. How many cases can you buy for that? And just dropping your iPhone and damaging a corner or scratching the frame doesn’t count for a fix or replacement if it doesn’t affect use. You can’t swap your iPhone for every bit of cosmetic damage.

I used to buy AppleCare for almost every device, which added up to nearly $2,000, and I’ve only used it once: on my iPhone 14 Pro Max, which I was using naked and cracked the display. A leaf landed on my hand when I was walking and using it, I thought it was a big bug, I shook my hand, and the phone went with the leaf. That’s the one and only time I’ve broken or severely marred an iPhone.

Verdict

I’d rather buy a case, or several, and get the benefits: no anxiety, a customized look, better grip, and a pristine iPhone for me and for resale. I love the design and beauty of iPhones and want to keep them beautiful, even if I cover them 90% of the time. After years of trying to be a naked-iPhone guy, I’ve given up. I’m a case guy, and that’s okay. Actually, I like it better.

In this video

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