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Comment by selykg | Hacker News Reader

Probably not everyone. But for me, after spending $1400 I’m putting it in a case. My Xs Max is nearly two and a half years old now and I took it out of the case for it’s scheduled cleaning and after wiping it down and getting the built up pocket crud out of the crevices where the case and phone meet, its like brand new.

I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing. Battery is excellent. iOS doesn’t seem slow at all.

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> I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing.

A year should be no problem. I just replaced my iPhone 6s and Apple Watch 0 in February. If I hadn’t decided I wanted the NFC functionality I would have simply replaced the battery.

I don’t bother with a case because it’s often simply my pocket, which is a case I guess.

> after spending $1400

Damn, I feel silly, I have bought 9 phones over the past 3 years and still haven't spent that kind of money...

The reason for putting it in a case is not the price tag. People buy 100k cars and don't cover the outer surfaces with protective plastic.

The problem is Apple builds the phone in a fragile manner, prone to breaking and scratching. It's true of other phones too.

> People buy 100k cars and don't cover the outer surfaces with protective plastic

Yes, they do. Look up Paint Protection Film. Ceramic coating is also very commonly used to protect the car's paint, plastics, and glass.

Is it as common as putting a case on your phone? I doubt it. My point is that Apple and others can easily make far more durable phones for the price they ask, and not need literally everyone to use a case.

I'm not sure how common it is in general, but for people who care about their car's paint it is common, and I imagine people who buy $100k+ cars are probably the type that have their cars detailed regularly by a professional.

Doesn't matter though. It's not in phone manufacturers' best interests to make durable phones. They need to make trendy phones, as that's what the majority have voted for (with their wallets). And Apple users have it the worst, as the lock-in leaves them with no alternative phone manufacturers).

Even with protective cases many flagship phones won't be very useable after 2 years anyway, as the battery life decreases, the OS and apps do more and more things, and flash storage starts to fail/slow.

> Even with protective cases many flagship phones won't be very useable after 2 years anyway, as the battery life decreases, the OS and apps do more and more things, and flash storage starts to fail/slow.

My iPhone disagrees with this. I've used it pretty heavily for over two years now and it's still going strong. I see no reason why I can't get at least 3 out of it. I figure I make it to fall of 2022 and it'll be nearly 4 years old before I replace it.

I distinctly remember people at Nokia laughing at how the first iPhone didn’t stand up to any of their robustness tests. Obviously they were wrong and people bought them (due to the fit and finish of the software, not robustness or battery life) and the first iPhone feels like it was much more durable than the latest generations with their protruding cameras, glass on two sides and edge to edge screen.

Yeah the new phones are laughably non-robust. Use an iPhone without a case or protective film for a year and I guarantee you there will be micro scratches on the back glass.

They don't design the phone to be used without a case. People use cases because of that, not because of the price tag.

Who cares about micro (or even macro) scratches on the back? It’s the front you look at.

Speaking personally; I bought a iPhone 12 mini near launch, got a nice leather case for it because I dislike the camera bump but still managed to get a scratch (which I can feel) on the screen a mere week in.

I’m pretty careful with my phone too, has its own pocket doesn’t mix with anything. I’m actually quite displeased; especially as scratch resistance was a touted feature.

EDIT: never mind. It was drop resistance. Not scratch resistance.

I want the shock absorber of my $1000 device to be changeable, not built into the phone so that when I go to sell it, it looks like a banged up Nokia brick with shredded rubber bumpers with a faded scratched screen I can barely read anymore.

You don't hold a car in your hand and stare at it all day. But also, cars are mostly painted with a clear coat that can be buffed or sanded and buffed to remove imperfections.

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