Comment by safety1st | Hacker News Reader

Comment by safety1st | Hacker News Reader

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One interesting point he made in there was that with his phone costing only €99, he doesn't feel like he needs a case. Who cares if it gets damaged? Just buy another €99 phone.

Any phone that requires a case is going to be bulkier than one that doesn't so this automatically means that the iPhone will be bulkier in the pocket than his budget Android.

If you go the budget phone route you'll probably buy a new phone more often because why not. They're cheap. If next year's model is a decent upgrade you'll probably get it.

I run into people with iPhones that look like they've been through hell despite the case, glass cracked in three places, edges scuffed, outdated model... because frankly they can't afford a new phone all the time so they have to live with this one. But they'll say they just HAVE to have an iPhone and would never consider Android.

Personally I'm somewhere in the middle of the two extremes with a Samsung A5 that costs a couple hundred bucks. Maybe I should ditch the case.

I use an old cheap android but do choose to use a case, not because of the cost of a replacement, but because I don't want to spend time and effort in finding and setting up a new phone.

And personally, I find it better ergonomically with a little more thickness. One auxiliary benefit is that I can throw it around without caring.

I used to think so but my current android has terrible heat management. Maybe bad battery or I may have doomscrolling for too long. The battery got bloated without me noticing it.

One drawback of the smartphone ecosystem is that as far as the aftermarket is concerned, there are two smartphone brands: Apple and Samsung. I broke the display on a Pixel 3a XL in New Orleans, looked around for a repair shop, and found one -- that refused to fix my phone if it wasn't one of those two brands.

iPhone users can walk into Target and find all manner of cases and other accessories with a variety of styles designed to fit their phones. Samsung users enjoy almost as much diversity. For my replacement Google Pixel, I had to go to Amazon and get a plain case from China that almost looks 3D printed.

Go to AliExpress instead and you will find thousands of different types of cases for peanuts.

AppleCare and better materials all but obviate the need for a case.

These days, dropping an iPhone is unlikely to result in cracks or display damage. The glass on these phones is really strong. However, if that does happen and it gets bad enough to need replacement, with AppleCare, you basically tap a few taps in the Support app and a new phone will be at your front door the next day.

Totally different story if you don't have AppleCare, but I think that it's a no brainer given the cost of these devices.

I think this depends on you as a person. I say this as someone who swears by apple care as I have managed to break 2 phones without taking them out of my pocket:

1. Setting up some light deck and resting it on my thigh, heard a crack, phone smooshed

2. Intoxicated managed to bump the corner of the railing for my mum’s stairs slap-bang in the middle of the phone screen, through my jeans. Phone looked like it had been hit by a bullet

Apple care is a lifesaver for this sorta stuff but AFAIR you can only get it for the first three years of a device. After that you’re on your own

I do have my phone in an apple silicone case, and a cheap screen protector. However, my previous phone a 12 pro in the same setup survived flying out of my pocket at 65 mph on a motorcycle with 0 damage. (I think it got very lucky, and landed flat, screen side down, where the edges of the case somehow protected it). Thankfully it narrowly avoided being run over by a car when I turned around to find it.

I’ve been amazed at what iPhones after the 6 have been able to survive. My 7 which I have kept as a backup is still kicking except for the camera being destroyed by vibration.

However, I do keep my phone in a back pocket usually and mostly take it out of my pocket if I sit down.

> AFAIR you can only get it for the first three years of a device. After that you’re on your own

They have a monthly plan now that renews indefinitely. It's pretty recent so I wonder when they will start cutting those off (like I can't see them still supporting phones that have entered their "legacy" status)

I have a Samsung that was less than $100 USD new. The only things that bother me are that it only has 2.5G WiFi, the camera is average, and it is slow to boot up.

It still costs more than a screen replacement, but at least if I buy a new one, I know I'm not getting a dodgy screen.

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