I bought a gel casing for about $3 on amazon, and I have dropped my phone a couple times where it landed on a corner or flat on the screen (my case has a lip that absorbs full frontal impacts). Had it not been for the shell, I am assuming there could’ve been some damage. Also those plastic screen covers that cost about $2 for a pack of 5 are also a good investment.
I use an OtterBox on my Samsung S4. OtterBox offers 3 different different ones, Commuter, Defender and Waterproof. Mine is the less bulky of the 3. The more bulky ones do offer more protection but aren’t comfortable in my pocket. I’m very abusive to my phone, dropping it regularly, tossing it in my tool bag, and often am outside in rain or dealing with water. I’ve never had an issue. If I took the phone out of the case you couldn’t tell it apart from a brand new phone. I think I paid 20 Bucks for it.
Most cases include a screen protector, you can also get screen protectors separately. They are very cheap and are disposable, if they get dirty you peal them off and put on a new one. They are a layer thin plastic that sticks to the screen. It prevents scratching and is barely noticeable. I’d say it’s worthwhile even if you decide to skip the case.
The cost of cases from your provider is normally outrageous. With Verizon I get 25% off all accessories and if I got my case from them it would still be double what I paid on Amazon.
I went for the Defender as the larger case felt better in my larger hands. Plus I like the extra protection. Aside from a couple days getting used to the screen protector, it has been great. It’s more comfortable to hold now and more secure. The only downside is in my Contacts list the scroll bar on the far right is tough to access.
Another vote for Otterbox: when the husband had a very violent car crash 16 months ago, the car was a mess, and Tony still is. The phone survived. That said, I didn’t get another Otterbox for my newer phone, because the case made it hard to access the edges of the touchscreen.
But yes, get a case. Two phones ago, I was getting out of the car to go into a store to buy a case for my brand new phone. It fell out of my pocket, face down on the pavement, and shattered the screen.
There are all sorts of possibilities. I’ve found handlebar mounts and arm bands, but I’m a little paranoid about vibration (on the handlebars) or an armband coming off. I don’t wear a belt when I ride, so it probably wouldn’t be any more secure than an arm band. I don’t think I’ll really need to access it while I’m riding, just carry it with me (and have the antennae work so it can sense its location) so it can log the route and distance.
I got an S5, which is supposed to be pretty waterproof on its own. I’d rather not find out the hard way, and even if the sweat doesn’t get inside, drying on the outside probably isn’t going to be good for it.
If I get one super-waterproof case that I only use when biking, and another for everyday use, I can live with that.
I got a pack of those with my phone. Tried to put one on and couldn’t tell if it worked or not. It hadn’t. The part that was supposed to stay on the phone had peeled away with the backing layer. I really couldn’t tell if it was on or not, and I didn’t want to go scratching away at the face in case it wasn’t.
Hmm, they don’t seem to have the waterproof one for the S5. That’s a bit disappointing. And while I’m venting…
I just want a safe way to carry my phone when I’m riding my bike, I don’t fucking care what color it is!
I have an Otterbox Defender. Yeah, it was pricey and it’s not the prettiest to look at. And the belt clip is crap. But when I take it out, my 3G looks brand new.
I had a Lifeproof case for my iPhone 4S and I loved it. We found a deal online for a genuine case for $20; they retail for about $80. They are absolutely waterproof. To make sure, they have you submerge it in a sink of water for two hours before putting it on the phone.
My husband tried an Otterbox for his 5S but you couldn’t access the pull-up mini-menu, and the thumb recognition didn’t work. I looked at someone’s Lifeproof for his 5S and the thumb recognition did appear to work. It doesn’t work for me naked every time, so I believe him when he says it’s not 100 percent. I’d like another Lifeproof but haven’t seen a deal. Right now I have a nice one made by Spigen; it has a hard outer cover and a soft shock-absorbant material beneath it. I think it was about $20.
Moshi makes a fantastic screen cover for phones and tablets. Only the outer “border” is sticky and the rest just sits right on top of the glass. Plus it’s easily removable and even washable. It’s difficult to even tell that you’re using a screen protector.
I have a Mophie for my iPhone 5s. Not only does it do a decent job of protecting the phone from damage, its also a battery which just about double the battery life of my phone.
They’re useful for:
Protection against falls
Making your phone look different to others, which is handy if your partner or colleague has the same make of phone
And - depending on the case - making the phone more comfortable to hold. The rubberised cases are incredibly comfortable in your hand. You’re also less likely to drop them in the first place. Most cases are more comfortable to hold than the phone itself.
Ziploc sandwich bag. You’re not going to answer the phone while you are riding anyway, so you don’t need super quick access to it. Just start the Strava app or whatever and stick the bag in your jersey pocket.
You can also keep your cash dry in the bag. Clerks give you the stink eye when you pay for a coke with sweaty dollar bills.
I was wondering if that would work, or if the bag would block the phone’s antennae.
I doubt the bag or the jersey would block a GPS signal. I don’t know for sure since I have a garmin edge unit on my handlebars and don’t use my phone to track my ride. But the ziploc certainly protects the phone, and the price is right.
You could try it once and see. A sandwich bag is no substitute for a case, but it is good to keep sweat away from it.
Big fan.
Don’t buy one at the Verizon or AT&T store, buy it at the little shop around the corner in the mall with young women with wild colored hair at the counter. A few bucks well worth the price, and they apply the screen cover (sold separately) for you while you wait. Takes them about 50 seconds, would take you or me considerably longer, the first few times.
Plus, like I said, the young women with wild colored hair. What’s not to like?
I put my phone on top of my car one Saturday morning when I went out to bring in my trash can. Then I drove to get breakfast forgetting about the phone. I was driving 45 MPH when I saw the phone fly off in my rearview mirror - it slid on the road, hit the curb hard enough to flip a few feet into the air and landed in the grass. The shell was dinged up a bit but the phone was completely undamaged and worked perfectly.
I generally prefer any of the big three original hair colors, but handy advice, in any case.
Me too, especially at my age, but when it’s just window shopping or people watching, it’s all good. Same for tattoos: I’m not a fan personally, but I’m happy to admire anything creative or artistic in others. Or should that be “on others”?
You could just skip the shell and get one of these:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I547ZKAATT
(my old Rugby flip-phone is still going strong… 6 years after I bought it)