It has been a full month since I decided to strip it all down to nothing and go completely caseless on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I have always used a case on my phones for protection and because I generally like the feel of the device better with a case. This is the first time ever that I have committed to, and have stuck to, going caseless and it was a bit of a rough start for me.
The Shift to Caseless: Adjustments and Realizations
In previous videos, I have mentioned that I really just like the feel of an iPhone with a case better than a naked iPhone. The iPhone by itself is thin and slippery and likes to just jump out of my hands. A case gives me additional grip and thickness that just makes the iPhone feel more secure and comfortable in my hand. Plus, the case gives me a mental break from worrying about where I am putting my iPhone and I don't need to worry about the little scratches and stuff from placing it on a counter, desk, or whatever.
Then there is the real value of added protection from actual drops and falls that can occur with everyday use. Cases do a pretty good job of keeping your device looking new and the screen from getting cracked. Even if they don't 100% protect your iPhone, they can still help like when this iPhone 15 Pro Max fell about 6 and a half feet from a ledge in my shower to the tile floor.
Life Without a Case: The New Normal
At first, the idea of forgoing a case was really stressful. I am constantly worried about my devices getting the tiniest of scratches, especially on the display, so learning how to handle my phone without a case was first priority. An iPhone without a case is a slippery son of a gun so I had to change my flippant actions like taking it out of my pocket and just picking it up off a surface. It takes just a bit more force to be able to pick it up or hold it, securely, compared to an iPhone that has a case.
At the beginning, I hated the feeling of the naked iPhone. Besides being slippery, I have just been used to silicone type cases which have a softer feel to them and steadying the iPhone on my pinky is more noticeable.
Placing it on surfaces has also been an adjustment. The sound of placing my naked iPhone on a surface made me cringe thinking about little scratches that could come from it. It’s more like a mental nails on a chalkboard sound because the actual sound is like putting something solid on another solid thing…I guess. It doesn't sound awful but, in my brain, it's a terrible screech. But that screech is getting softer after a month, and I am definitely less concerned or careful with it today than when I started. After some time of being caseless, you just kind of let go of the idea of getting small scratches. And that is probably because after a month, you have to look really hard to notice any defect.
Reflections and Insights After a Month
After a full month, to my surprise, I am unable to see any new scratches, dings, or dents just looking at the device. On the bottom corner I do have a dent from when this phone fell 6 and a half feet with a case on, but other than that it looks great.
If you start to look really, really close and you are in the right light, there are some imperfections in the oleophobic coating on the display that were not there when I started. This phone lives in my pocket by itself or on a MagSafe charger, I haven't been to the beach, and I do not lay the phone on its face, but whatever tiny pieces of dust or whatever may be in my pocket have added a few hard to see dings and scratches.
Again, these are tiny, and I never see them in regular use or without specifically looking for them. Had I seen these on day 2 or 3 of this experiment I would have been pretty upset and questioned this whole thing, but since I just noticed a few days ago when I went looking for them, I seem to be mentally OK with it.
There is also a spot on the sleep button that I can catch with my fingernail but it's really hard to see even with a macro lens and I can't say if that was there before or after this started. The back glass looks perfect, I can't find a single flaw and I am sure that is because of the frosted texture. And that goes for the titanium frame, as well.
But overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has fared better than I expected over the last month. I think a bigger drop is inevitable so we will see how that fares.
One other interesting insight with this experiment is that I get a lot of interesting looks and questions from people, friends, co-workers who notice that I am running caseless. There is a lot of “whoa, I can’t believe you are doing that with an iPhone”, which is understandable.
Benefits and Downsides of Going Caseless
The biggest benefit I have found after being caseless for a month is simply that you get to use and see the actual device. How much time does Apple talk about the design and materials of the new iPhone each year? With a case on, you don't get to experience the feel of the new metals and see or show off how premium it is.
In the past I would toss a case on the new iPhone right away and then maybe take it off to clean or marvel at the device for a few minutes every few weeks or months before covering it all back up again.
The buttons also feel better. I have spent a lot of time and money previously on cases trying to narrow down ones that have good buttons that don't feel squishy. When naked, you don't need to worry about feeling squishy… The buttons just feel good, and you absolutely know when you push one because you get the full amount of tactile feedback.
Final Thoughts
So, this has been an interesting month for me, and I am definitely starting to care less about my iPhone being naked and getting scratched, which is a bit of a mental relief. If I had to choose today to use my iPhone forever with a case or without and there was no going back, I would choose to slap a case on, but that is actually a harder decision to make today than it was just a month ago.
