Do we need cases and protectors?

D

I am using galaxy s4 for 7 months. I dont use any covers, cases as i think it messes with the look of the phone and makes it look bulky. But regarding screen protector i keep changing it every 2 months.
So does gorilla glass need screen protector? Is it prone to scratches?
Also i have seen in some forums that screen protector reduces damage during fall.
What do you people prefer?

Personally, i never use phone covers/screen protectors. I relate it to encasing your brand new car with plastic covering in the seats. Sure your seats will look new a bit longer but it totally ruins the seating experience.

When companies spend millions of dollers on R&D and Production cost to come up with fancy polycarbonate plastc, Glass, Aluminium alloy etc etc..whats the point of covering it up with a ugly case. My finger is pointing at those guys with HTC One. You spend so much extra for the looks while completely covering it up and making it ugly. My other finger points at the girls who use iPhones 5s with pink floral gay as hell plastic encasing. Why dont they just buy the cheaper 5 c instead ? Its not like they are gonna need that 64bit computation power(or finger scanner)

As for the screen protectors, the good ones are quiet expensive (minimum Rs350) and they need to be replaced every month since it wears out a lot. The cheap Rs100 ones are a NO NO... Moreover, all these screen protectors hamper the viewing experience. And like i stated before, why downplay the utility of awesome picture fidelity of those awesome 1080p IPS displays with screen protectors.

The phone i have used the longest is the Samsung Galaxy Ace.(3yrs) banged it, tossed it around, had battery changed twice due to bloating and swelling..still the screen looks good, the body is top notch except for the cheap chrome sides which have worn off. In fact the matte-grey layer that got exposed looks better than the chrome plating it had before.

Phone casings are overrated.

The only casing i will ever use is those transparent glass like casings. At least it will show of the expensive body work of the phone. But then the good ones are expensive and STILL they are 10 times more fragile than the phone itself.

As for Gorilla Glass, they are way more durable than you think. Like i gave my Galaxy Ace experience.. NO scratch after 3 years of torture. Its the screen protectors that scratch easily making you enter an infinite paranoid induced loop of buying over and over and over and over again....

ico said:
A small sand particle can scratch the screen.

Sand/quartz is harder than glass. Iron is not.

Mohs scale of mineral hardness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Found this quite interesting

just be a little careful..my 3 yr old phone has none, but the newest xperia tablet z has a nasty scratch !
cases, screen guards are only for the first month...

how much life does a phone have. Maximum of 3 years and most of the guys changes it every year. So using a screen guard and using the phone like an old piece for 1 or 2 years and then dumping it, its better to use it new for one year and a little older the next year and then change it eventually.

I haven't used any screen guard in my samsung mobile past 1 and half year and it looks more shiny and appealing then phones of my friends who use all kinds of shits to protect there mobile. And buy using the casing and protection layer you just increase the overall cost of the mobile.

D

Yes gorilla glass cant withstand sand test. Some guy in a forum mentioned that as sand and dust particles enter our pocket it causes scratches which may be very minute.
Regarding the R&D point i agree with mikael. I like to show off my phone as it is however cheap or costly it may be. But nowadays it is the mentality of every samsung user to use an ugly case on an average looking phone for so called protection.
Every product is going to wear at some point of life. Besides this phones dont have good resale value so why to worry so much unless you have the habit of constantly dropping your phone.
For matte finish screen protector i say no but for the ultra transparent ones which cost 100 bucks(depends on place, shop) it does not hamper viewing but gets weared which effects in sunlight.

R

Use of cases do hamper the beauty and comfort of using a phone.I have a case which I use only when I travel for long hrs, like a night trip back home... Screen protectors are a need and can make your phone look new when changed. A single hard scratch on the glass can ruin your affection for that gorgeous device. Instead put a good screen protector and keep changing when it wears off.

I'd say use of cases depends on the phone. My sister had the original Samsing Wave and an unlucky fall from waist height caused a big crack on the screen and the body got dented. My Lumia 720 on the other hand has fallen many times from shoulder height and gone tumbling on it's corners, still the small cracks on the corners are not visible from a distance (maybe that's because it's nokia).

Can't comment on protector since I've never used phone without them.

I used a leathery pouch for old Galaxy Y and it got torn too much during 2 years of use that I had to replace it. No damage to the phone though.

Using a transparent TPU case for E970 because it restricts the phone from slipping off my hands accidently because of glass body. I'm also using a matte anti-finger print screen protector which actually works keeping smudges and finger prints off the screen.

Who changes screen protector after every 2 months? My trusty old LG P500's screen protector eventually wore off after 2 years! I've been using the phone without a screen protector ever since and my phone is shinier than before.

However, I do use a leather pouch that protects from scratches when the phone is in my pocket. Pouches are better than cases because they don't spoil the phone's look while still providing protection.

when i got my new xperia x10, it slipped from my hand and fell on the road....in 3 steps like it jumped 3 times...phone, battery, backcover in each direction
imagine...new phone and within a month...felt heartbroken....no case and there was damage to the body of the phone and scratch on screen proector(preapplied)

so changed 3 cases(lether, flip and tpu) and more than 10 screenguards till now.

and recently a nokia lumia 520 fell from 3rd floor... no case and digitizer cracked...
everything else working good

Screen protectors are definitely needed!!!

About the mobile cases, it depends on how clumsy you are!!! :-D

powerhoney said:
Screen protectors are definitely needed!!!

About the mobile cases, it depends on how clumsy you are!!!

STARTED to be clumsy after getting a case and ah,,, peace of mind...
I"m using a S-LINE TPU case with Xperia M and I'm confident that it can handle drops well and i have dropped 3 times,clumsy....

Risk compensation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia relevant

I use case and scratchguard not to protect the phone exclusively, as I change phone every 1-2 yrs, I do it to keep its resale value, upgrading is an expensive habit, good resale value helps