From the old indestructible Nokias, passing through a Sony Ericsson, a Nokia Windows Phone, and then the Moto G4. Until my previous phone.
My previous phone was a Moto G6, with glass in the back. In the second day, it fell from my lap and the back-glass broke completely, but stood in place with glass dust all over. I had to use a case (that is shipped with the phone, probably predicting this). I was pissed, always hated. All of that because of a useless aesthetic product decision.
Then I bought the latest iPhone SE, my first iPhone ever. I use it without a case and it fell, from various heights, probably more than 30 times now. The screen is intact, just a few scratches in the corners. I am pretty happy about it.
Edit: just in case anyone wants to know, I don’t like cases solely because it makes the phone larger. The “how easily and comfortably it fits in my pockets” is my main criteria. I don’t care about aesthetics much, consequently I also don’t care if my phone has scratches on its sides. That’s one reason I changed to the iPhone SE (small phone + great chip + privacy considerations). I would only ever consider buying the iPhone Mini out of these iPhone 12 line.
The 12 seems to be similar to the 5 (and the iPad Pro), so let's see if it's any better to use without a case.
And easier to crack the screen when it lands on the edge. I'm pretty sure I didn't drop my 6S more times than I dropped my iPhone 5 or 4S, but I cracked my 6S screen three times, whereas I never cracked my 5 or 4S screens at all.
The iPhone 8 with it's full-glass enclosing has been surprisingly sturdy, surviving even rough drops with only a scratch. Plus if it breaks, I get two replacements with AppleCare, and the process is ridiculously smooth.
Even my five+ year old phones are in perfect condition, despite their primary users being my toddlers now.
However when carrying the phone in my pocket or bag I always use a fabric sleeve with microfiber inner lining. To me this approach is the best of both worlds: The pure device when in use, but protection when carrying it around - Plus, instead of having to put the device down on hard surfaces the sleeve serves as a soft bed for the phone. And the microfiber lining keeps the display clean.
All my past iPhones looked pretty much pristine when I sold them on ebay.
I occasionally drop it from my pocket onto not-too-hard ground without damage and I bent the corner a bit dropping it on tarmac when I was drunk once but otherwise it’s unscathed. Maybe I’m just super lucky.
Did the same for my 6S, and cracked the screen three times. The third it cracked time I upgraded to an iPhone XS; but my wife insisted I get a case, and it was hard to argue against.
I'm really glad they've moved back to the (apparently) more robust form factor of having squarish metal edges. I look forward to not having to use a case the next time I update.
From my first day of using them together all I could think was "I want this connection method on every tablet and phone"
Also, btw, the iPhone 12 MagSafe doesn't prevent you from using a case.
The glass repair guy down the street must love me.
If it really protects the phone like they said it will (even 2x, not 4x) then this would be a revolutionary upgrade for me.
Although I don't use iPhones (Androids).