Why You Should Protect Your Phone

Smartphones can like a combination between real functionality and flashy fashion accessories. Some of us cannot even leave homes without carrying their smartphones. It is true that we love smartphones, because they indeed deserve love and care for everything they do on our behalf, but it does not change the fact that we also like to do stupid things with them. According to Kelton Research Smartphone Protection Survey commissioned by T-Mobile, from all smartphone owners who have damaged their phones, 37 percent of them scratched the screen, 29 percent of them spilled a drink on the phones, and 29 percent of them dropped their phones down the toilet. Based on that research, it is easy to conclude that protecting your smartphone from potential damages is necessary, but some owners actually refuse to do so.

Modern smartphones, particularly the premium-grade ones, are built from stronger materials than their lower-tier counterparts. Some are made from composite materials, other are built from metal; the screen is scratch-resistant, and the entire construction is rigid and tight enough to withstand occasional bumps, accidental drops, and water. It is worth mentioning, however, that not everybody can afford to spend multiple hundreds on a phone. The more affordable versions usually cut corners in terms of design, camera, and certainly hardware. If the outer case of the phone is made from plastic, while the screen is not actually tough enough to withstand scratches, an additional smartphone case will help you protect the investment.

Let us take an example from outside of the smartphone world: the helmet. You can find many different styles of helmets with different shapes, colors, graphics, and additional functions such as Bluetooth. Regardless of those additional features, the main function of a helmet is to protect your head (and everything inside it) from damages in case an unfortunate impact happens between the head and hard objects for examples concrete, car, somebody else’s head, stones, bench in the park, etc.

Of course, a smartphone (even the most expensive one) is less important than your brain, but you can apply the same basic principle. Injuries can still happen, but wearing a helmet is always significantly safer than not. Just like choosing a helmet, your smartphone case should be carefully selected. One of the most important characteristics is shock-absorbent. Some materials that provide such advantage include TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) and silicone. Thicker case is better for protection, but you may not like the added bulkiness, so there is a compromise to make here. Rigid hard materials can be very thin, but there is no way it can absorb energy from impacts. In most cases, rigid case can only distribute the energy from bumps and drops directly to the smartphone, rendering the case useless. Hard case may look good, but it’s all flashiness in terms of protection, unless you get one made of carbon fiber or high-grade stainless steel.

Before we dive deeper into smartphone case favoritism, let us not forget that no smartphone case can completely protect from damages. Apart from the added bulkiness, bad quality case can even damage the phone and accumulate dirt or debris. You may have to take the case off sometimes indeed, especially when you need to clean debris and dirt accumulating between the case and phone. Since you will also keep the phone in your pocket or purse, you don’t have clean it quite often actually. Another important thing is compatibility. If the case is not specifically designed for your smartphone model, it can interfere with docking, hardware buttons, camera, headphone jacks, and other functionalities. It will be irritating if you have to take the case off every time you need to recharge the battery or take a photo.

Well-designed smartphone case made from shock-absorbent materials can provide adequate protection from damages due to occasional bumps and drops, but you should not encourage yourself to drop it intentionally to the floor. When the case is on, you don’t get to enjoy the actual phone’s case, but at least you have better chance of keeping all its parts functioning properly. Dropping it once or twice will not result in visible damages, and scratches are highly unlikely if the case also covers the screen.

Some smartphones have sleek slippery finishes, so the additional grip from the case also prevents you from dropping it. Moreover, the smartphone market is quite unforgiving these days with newer phones are launched every other months (if not weeks). Phone makers promise new better things with faster processor, better design, more comfortable buttons, bigger screen, louder speakers, and more. Some of us think of new phones as irresistible temptations, but they can always save money by selling their existing devices. If you are one those who always have to switch phones anytime the new one is available, investing in smartphone case can help sell your existing devices more easily and quickly. Buyers appreciate that you take care of the phone, prevent any damage, and make it look like any new device. You also have the chance to get better price, and use the money to buy a newer phone.

In addition to protection, some smartphone case models offer more functions including but not limited kickstand, several slots to store library cards, and built-in compartment to store earphone. Some of them feature good-looking designs and rubber bumper around the outer body for better protection as well. There are many styles available from plain colors to printed graphics to reflect your personality, so it does not appear that you carry a phone everybody has.