I recently dropped my phone from 1-2 feet onto the sidewalk and destroyed the screen. I'm getting my fixed phone back from Samsung tomorrow. I won't get into how much of a hellstorm that was, but it ended up costing me around $162 (vs the $70 they quoted me before I sent it in).
So, needless to say, the whole ordeal has put in the market for some quality protection. And, I've got some questions and a lot of confusion.
1. Hard Covers: What's the point? I'd get it if there was a rubber support system inside that essentially floated the phone inside, but how does snapping a hard case over a hard body fix anything? The AT&T rep recommended it over a soft case, but I just don't get the physics of the option.
2. Soft Covers: Besides most being ugly, they seem too thin to really absorb any hard hits enough to protect the phone or the screen. Even the AT&T rep agreed. Oh yeah, and almost none of the cover's are advertised as being able to protect from a drop. Just scratches and dings.
Who cares about scratching their phone so much that they'll cover the parts they'll scratch? Cant you cover the scratches once/if they happen with a cover?
3. Otterbox: Only one of the Otterbox covers are advertised as protecting against drops. It costs $50 and isn't even available yet. If it's protection was like that of a surge protector, with an ingrained insurance policy, then that'd be a perfectly acceptable price. But that essentially works out to being a $50 deductible against a bad drop, and since it doesn't protect the screen itself, anything that hits the screen is going to damage the phone as if it were naked anyway.
4. Zagg InvisibleSHIELD:
a. Okay, so first, is it really invisible? Is it impossible to tell that you've got something over your screen? No bubbles, and you cant see the edges of the film? It doesn't ruin the touch screen responsiveness at all, and it doesn't affect color or image quality?
b. How often do you have to change it even if you don't scratch it. Does it get worn out? Does the touch quality degrade? The screen itself is very smooth and touching it is very natural and smooth. Is the film not rubbery and "Grippy"?
c. What's the deal with "full body shield". Is that purely about scratches? Does the ZAGG film protect from drops? I know that may sound stupid but I've seen some recent materials that can absorb crazy amounts of pressure. Remember that guy on Pitchmen who hammered his hand as hard as he could with that jelly product of his placed over his hand?
5. What about all-around cases? Leather, etc, whatever. It sorta seems like adding the step of removing them from their case once you've removed them from your pocket/backpack/whatever then you're adding to the chance that you'll drop it because of complicating the task.
6. Besides Otterbox, is there any case that looks good, is inexpensive, and actually protects against at least 90% of drops?
As crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to think that running naked is still the cheapest and best way to run. I'm just going to be crazy afraid everytime I handle it vs being afraid while also being dissatisfied with the appearance/handling.
That said, I did buy a Body Glove universal "mesh smartphone case" which has a clear window to the screen and looks to do a decent job of protecting the phone for a drop on all sides. I may remove the window plastic to expose the screen if it seems to offer decent access. I will almost certainly remove the belt clip. And I am not happy that it doesn't have the kickstand option that the bodygloves online do. But it seems decent enough to start with.
I'm sorry that this was a long introduction/rant/inquiry but I am really at my wits end. I don't understand how most of these expensive cases really do anything besides protect the parts of the phone being covered from being damaged. And I'm not sure how any of the ones currently on the market offer any protection against a drop.
All responses are welcomed, even if you just want to take a moment to tell me how stupid I am.
So, needless to say, the whole ordeal has put in the market for some quality protection. And, I've got some questions and a lot of confusion.
1. Hard Covers: What's the point? I'd get it if there was a rubber support system inside that essentially floated the phone inside, but how does snapping a hard case over a hard body fix anything? The AT&T rep recommended it over a soft case, but I just don't get the physics of the option.
2. Soft Covers: Besides most being ugly, they seem too thin to really absorb any hard hits enough to protect the phone or the screen. Even the AT&T rep agreed. Oh yeah, and almost none of the cover's are advertised as being able to protect from a drop. Just scratches and dings.
Who cares about scratching their phone so much that they'll cover the parts they'll scratch? Cant you cover the scratches once/if they happen with a cover?
3. Otterbox: Only one of the Otterbox covers are advertised as protecting against drops. It costs $50 and isn't even available yet. If it's protection was like that of a surge protector, with an ingrained insurance policy, then that'd be a perfectly acceptable price. But that essentially works out to being a $50 deductible against a bad drop, and since it doesn't protect the screen itself, anything that hits the screen is going to damage the phone as if it were naked anyway.
4. Zagg InvisibleSHIELD:
a. Okay, so first, is it really invisible? Is it impossible to tell that you've got something over your screen? No bubbles, and you cant see the edges of the film? It doesn't ruin the touch screen responsiveness at all, and it doesn't affect color or image quality?
b. How often do you have to change it even if you don't scratch it. Does it get worn out? Does the touch quality degrade? The screen itself is very smooth and touching it is very natural and smooth. Is the film not rubbery and "Grippy"?
c. What's the deal with "full body shield". Is that purely about scratches? Does the ZAGG film protect from drops? I know that may sound stupid but I've seen some recent materials that can absorb crazy amounts of pressure. Remember that guy on Pitchmen who hammered his hand as hard as he could with that jelly product of his placed over his hand?
5. What about all-around cases? Leather, etc, whatever. It sorta seems like adding the step of removing them from their case once you've removed them from your pocket/backpack/whatever then you're adding to the chance that you'll drop it because of complicating the task.
6. Besides Otterbox, is there any case that looks good, is inexpensive, and actually protects against at least 90% of drops?
As crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to think that running naked is still the cheapest and best way to run. I'm just going to be crazy afraid everytime I handle it vs being afraid while also being dissatisfied with the appearance/handling.
That said, I did buy a Body Glove universal "mesh smartphone case" which has a clear window to the screen and looks to do a decent job of protecting the phone for a drop on all sides. I may remove the window plastic to expose the screen if it seems to offer decent access. I will almost certainly remove the belt clip. And I am not happy that it doesn't have the kickstand option that the bodygloves online do. But it seems decent enough to start with.
I'm sorry that this was a long introduction/rant/inquiry but I am really at my wits end. I don't understand how most of these expensive cases really do anything besides protect the parts of the phone being covered from being damaged. And I'm not sure how any of the ones currently on the market offer any protection against a drop.
All responses are welcomed, even if you just want to take a moment to tell me how stupid I am.