I have the same case and I love it! It adds very little bulk yet it feels well protected and very secure. The On/Off button & volume controls actually feel *easier *to use while in the case.
With it only being $12 on Amazon, there really is no reason not to buy one.
You need at least a bumper for sure, but not the plastic film on the face. I’ve never used the plastic film and I always carry my phone in my pocket along with loose change and other items. Never had a scratch.
Good point about the aluminum back, so get a bumper that covers the back too.
As for the $2 covers, a lot of them are cheap rubberized material and will lose their shape after a few weeks or months of handling. I recommend spending at least $20 on one, from a reputable merchant (so you can go back and complain if the thing wears out too soon).
Since we’re in IMHO, I’ll point out that I just got a Ringke SLIM case for my Nexus 4, and it fits and functions perfectly. It’s ABS or somesuch plastic with a slight matte finish; just enough to make it secure to hold on to, but slippery enough that it doesn’t stick to the lining of my pockets when I’m trying to take it out. It also fits far better than any third party case I’ve ever seen for any phone, and does the most important thing - it keeps the screen from touching whatever the phone is facedown on.
Your economic rationale boils down to “I’m going to have to shell out for something every once in a while anyway.” But if I could reduce the probability of my plumbing or my HVAC breaking with a $15 purchase, why wouldn’t I?
I have the Speck case, and I’ve dropped it enough times that there’s now some wear around the lip.
Should I get another Speck or should I go for one of the others that have been recommended here?
You wouldn’t if that protection required you to cover your house with a rubber sheath.
If you actually like having a cover because it adds to the device, then the decision is easy. If you think it makes for a worse device (like a rubber cover on your house would), then you have to ask how much you’re willing to pay not to have to suffer the cover. That’s all I’m saying. I read into your OP that you would rather not have a cover on your phone (since you are asking about the risks involved in ditching you cover).
What if I offered you a secret military cover made of unobtainium that is so thin and invisible that you can’t detect it at all! It’s perfect in its protection, and you don’t have any of the downsides of a “regular” cover because of this magic material. Would you buy that cover?
How much would you pay for it? $15 - definitely. $20 - definitely. How high you will go depends entirely on how much you dislike a regular cover. If you actually like a regular cover, then you wouldn’t pay anything for the Undetectable MagicCover because you’d rather the added grip or what have you from a regular cover. But if you don’t like a regular cover (implied in your OP?), then you would be happy to buy the Undetectable MagicCover.
Apologies for beating this dead horse, but to complete the thought…
The Undetectable MagicCover exists, too. How much does it cost? It costs this much:
p = probability that you will break your phone in the regular lifetime of the phone
c = cost to replace your phone
Cost of Undetecable MagicCover = p*c
If the cost p*c is less than what you would be willing to pay for the MagicCover, then you should get one. All you have to do to buy it is ditch your case.
So, you need to estimate p and you need to decide what you would pay for an Undetectable MagicCover to decide if you should buy one.
Completely separate from all that:
Your OP was about getting people’s input on p, the probability that the phone could break. My own impression is that p is actually pretty small. That is, my experience is that the iPhone is tougher than people give it credit for.
I’m very careful with my phone, but last week I dropped it and the angle it hit a marble floor at cracked the corner of my mophie case. If I didn’t have that case, my phone would have been toast.
I have that exact case too and think it’s great. My only quibble is that the thin bit of plastic above the dock connector slot has cracked at both ends and come loose, but that’s really my fault for jamming a connector in that was slightly too big for the hole in the case.
Oh, and the fact I can’t put my phone in a dock with the case on. That really sucks. But in terms of protection I think the Speck case is one of the best, unless you go for a monster rugged case like an Otterbox.
I have seen similar cases where the bottom part hinges off allowing you to dock the phone, but I can’t remember the make.
Yes, get a hard case. The protection is good. While it makes the phone feel less good, you can be assured of its safety. I have a hard case for my Galaxy Nexus, and I can literally drop it on the road, and shit won’t happen.
Dude, it’s not only dead, but they’re selling it at Ikea.
I’ve had excellent luck with Tech Armor. (My wife wanted screen protection on her new S3 and I didn’t bother to argue.) I’ve put on two of them, perfectly, in one pass, and I have put on enough of the things in the past to know that’s nearly miraculous.
She does carry her phone with keys, coins and other scratchy thingys, so I think she might actually benefit from them. I also found myself liking the screen feel, and that was after carrying an S3 for six months with a bare screen. It’s enough to make me suggest this brand for those who are unhappy with any other.
i always get my screen protectors from a shop. they apply it for you free of charge and they have experience and the miscellaneous tools on hand. the result is always a perfect fit and in return, i tip generously.
The screens seem pretty scratch-resistant, but if you drop it on a hard surface and it hits on a corner or edge, the screen will shatter. This happened to me a few years ago.
Fortunately Apple replaced it for free, but after that I bought a case and only took it out of the case once a month to clean it.
Get a case. Better to spend $10 to $30 on a case than a shattered screen.
I was highly suspicious when the apple store guy told me they didn’t stock screen films anymore because they didn’t recommend them but I’ve had my iPad 3 since release day, without a screen protector and I regularly have to dust dog hair out of the case and I need to clean my fingerprints off the screen at least a couple times a day. When it’s clean though, it’s pristine. On the iPad 2 I went through 4 screen protectors in a year because they would get scratched up and icky and I would replace them.
At Christmas when my phone was at the point it needed a new screen protector I took it off and it’s in the same condition.
Cases though - I would never have a naked phone, I’m way too clumsy.
Well… I think we all would LIKE to have a case just in… case… but the OP is asking if it was necessary. Is it a foregone conclusion that a corner drop will shatter an iphone 5?
The answer? Yes.
As a VM customer, I paid full price for my 4S. There was no way I was going home that night without an Otterbox. Those that have dropped phones consequence-free are simply lucky. I’m not a clumsy guy, and I take great care of my phone. But there’s no way I’m going to not invest in a little protection. And I have to say, the Otterbox is, as has been mentioned, ‘much’ protection, but man does it feel reassuring.
A friend of mine left her iPhone 4 in an Otterbox Defender on top of her car and drove away with it still up there. It hit the pavement sometime around the point that she hit 25 mph. She went back and found it and apart from a tiny chip in the side of the case, there was no damage. I thought that was a pretty good testimonial.
I do not have a serious protective case for my iPhone 5, though. The Otterboxes and the like are good protection but I just can’t handle all the bulk they add to my phone. I did buy a little slimline case just to protect the edges from getting all worn down, though.