In a world where phones are getting more expensive, more and more people are turning to protective cases as a way of ensuring the safety of their device. Research shows around 80% of the world's population that own a smartphone use a protective case regularly.
However, many people still ask whether a case is really necessary. When you are spending sometimes over a thousand dollars on a phone, should it not withstand some wear and tear without damage? Should you let a case ruin the aesthetics of the design of your smartphone?
These are both interesting questions and are very valid! In this article we take a look at the benefits and downsides of using a protective case to decide whether it is really necessary.
Drop Protection:Unfortunately, no matter how careful you are, gravity is just stronger than you! You'll probably drop your phone at least once or twice (or many more) in the years that you own it. How much protection you need, though, depends on the type of phone you have. If you have a lower-range $100 phone, you will be less likely to purchase a case and the phone is probably more likely to have a plastic casing, resulting in less chance of it shattering if broken. However, if you are using the latest iPhone 13 or Samsung Galaxy S21, these tend to be a little more fragile due to their high glass and metal composition. Adding a case to your phone case help to protect your phones during impact and reduce the risk of your screen shattering or other similar damage significantly.
The cost of a high quality case to protect your phone from drops and reduce the risk of damage is often around 1/4 of the price it would be to repair a broken screen! When you compare using a case to not using a case when thinking about this price difference, the maths definitely leans towards protecting your phone!
Extra Grip: Even a cheap case can decrease the chance of you dropping and damaging your phone. With many new phones now becoming extremely aesthetically pleasing, the casings tend to be made out of more slippery materials such as glass or matte finish metal. Although these are great to look at, they are less practical, especially if you have a large phone such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Adding a case to your phone will increase your ability to grip your phone well and reduce the chance of you dropping and damaging your phone significantly.
Camera Lens Protection: Most smartphones these days have cameras built into them which are often one of the key features and selling points. With this comes the downside of flush, or even proud, camera lenses, making them more prone to scratching and damage just from simply placing your phone on a table. One tiny scratch can dramatically affect your camera quality and make photos look terrible, spoiling the key feature of your smartphone. However, most cases now take into account the camera lens and work to protect this feature by being big enough to limit its connection with surfaces.
Resale Value: If you own a high-spec phone, there is a high chance that eventually you will want to upgrade and sell your old device. If you have not protected it with a case over its lifetime, there is a high chance that it will be covered in small scratches and dents that you will not be able to remove. This will dramatically decrease your phone's resale value when you could've spent $20 on a case and made an extra $100 when selling it at the end of its life!
Added Bulk: This is the most common reasons, and doesn't really require a lot of explanation. A case is going to add more bulk to your phone. Silicone ones make it harder to slip into your pocket, and a lot of people think they cover up the design of the phone, which is often one the main selling points of a device!
A Case Won't Save You From Every Drop: Although cases will save you the majority of the time, it unfortunately won't save your phone from breaking during some heavy falls. Just because you have a case and an unbroken phone doesn't mean the two are directly linked. A high quality case will protect you from breakage better than a cheap hard case, but no case is completely immune from damage - it just depends on how your phone hits the ground.
Extra Cleaning: When you put a case on your phone, you're adding a bunch of extra nooks and crannies for dirt to get in. And, while it's easy to clean off, it is a bit of a hassle! If you don't clean it regularly you will quickly end up with a very dirty phone.
Ultimately, it all comes down to personal preference, how accident prone you are, and what phone you have. If you are into the outdoors, play sports, or work in the trade industry, you might want to take a closer look at using a case to protect your phone. These environments are prone to device damage!
If you're particularly careful, you might get away with a less intense form of protection such as just using a tempered glass screen protector. However, our recommendation would be to try out a case and protect your phone as much as possible. You can always take it off and try both ways to see which method you prefer, but using a case might just save you from that one accident that could end up being an extremely costly repair!
If you have any more questions around device protection or are looking to purchase a case, get in touch with our DeXTech team! We have a range of cases available and would love to help you out.
Here at DeXTech, we are here to help you with your technology requirements. We stock a wide range of Apple products, from the iPhone 4s all the way through to the iPhone XS, plus the iPad range. Along with this, we carry a huge range of Android smartphones and tablets, including Samsung, Pixel and LG. With these devices on hand we are able to offer technical support every step of the way from assisting to get your device setup to dealing with issues such as network issues or software troubleshooting. We have a helpful team who can lend a hand via our tech support email address: support@dextech.co.nz. Do not hesitate to reach out!