Smartphones are the hub of our digital lives – and an expensive one at that, with many selling north of $1,000. Even a lower-end device is worth encasing, given its essential nature and the cost of repair or replacement, writes Dwight Silverman.
For five years, I harangued my former Chronicle colleague Cory Heikkila for not using a case with his iPhones. And every time I’d bring it up, he waved off my warnings that he was flirting with disaster.That is, until disaster struck. Well, near-disaster, anyway.
Kind people in the crowd passed the phone back to him. Heikkila said there were “shockingly few scratches.” The screen was intact. Too many smartphone buyers opt for the cheapest case, or they consider style over protection. You don’t have to spend a lot for quality protection, and your phone can still look good, even swaddled in a case. Here’s a quick guide to buying a decent smartphone case.High-end smartphones such as Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup use glass on the back as well as for the display, and either side can shatter in a drop.
A naked smartphone is typically slick and can easily slip out of your grasp. A decent case should provide some friction and be more “grippy” than unprotected metal and glass. Many cases use a material called thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU. This has some of the elasticity of silicone but still has more flexibility than other plastics. It’s also water and heat resistant, as well as recyclable.If you’ve got a stylish phone, you may want to show it off in a clear case. I’m partial to these, and I usually buy one for my latest iPhone. They’re either made of hard plastic or a clear form of TPU — and sometimes a combination — but they have one big downside.