Never used a case on my iPhone 5.

That's good. We need a control group.

No case on any of my iPhones since the 2G, not sure how you're getting "thousands" of scratches on there, I have a few, none noticeable under normal conditions and a light ding on the edge. It's not that hard to do.

Not for me. I keep a case on and underneath my iPhone is in the same condition as when I bought it. I actually like the thickness that a case provides--the iPhone 5 is a bit too think for me to hold comfortably.

My preference for each phone I own is to use it without a case.

I'd rather take the time & be mindful & careful with it for the sheer pleasure of using it as it was designed to be used.

Of the 30 or so smartphones Ive owned, which includes every iPhone, only the 5 has had a finish so poor I have to baby it.

Perhaps Apple will build some durability into the next iPhone.

Interstella5555 said:

No case on any of my iPhones since the 2G, not sure how you're getting "thousands" of scratches on there

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I'm not sure why you think your usage is indicative of everyone else's. Usage varies. It's easily possible for one to have little to no scratches and for another to have many scratches.

I use a bumper case with screen protector on front and back and its perfect. No scratches and I've had mine since launch day, the phone also looks very good looking with the bumper case and skinny. ( my iPhone is white and the case is red)

WAM2 said:

Well after having had my iPhone 5 since launch and never using a case on it, I can say it is quite banged up. Specifically the top glass on the front above the front camera there is thousands of deep scratches, a nice deep scratch right on the front glass in front of the screen, and on the back I have no issues with the black coming off but the diamond cut edge is really beat up with dents and scratches, specifically by corners and right above the mute switch on the front. My only major damage is the bottom left corner has the diamond cut edge bent slightly up from dropping it. Other then that no cracks or anything even after several drops on tile and even rocks and concrete. This is my daily work phone so it's used heavily, and I just prefer the look and feel of the bare phone over a case.

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interested in seeing the phone pictures

If your glass is that scratched, I seriously have to wonder what the heck you are doing to your phone...

mono1980 said:

If your glass is that scratched, I seriously have to wonder what the heck you are doing to your phone...

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By rubbing it on sand and asphalt... >=D

Just last week I decided to take off the case on my iPhone 5 and rock it "naked". The moment I took it off, I said to myself:

What a beautiful piece of art.

No exaggeration. It truly is one of the most meticulously crafted phones. One shouldn't cover it with cheap plastic, which ruins the beauty. You don't cover your car with a plastic wrap, either. It's scratched, and has got some minor dings here and there, but I truly used and enjoyed my phone, and they are testaments to that. Nothing can be kept as new once you open the box, it will all start aging, so why not just use it as it is meant to be?

A few years down the road, when I look at the phone again, I'll have that nostalgic feeling that it was a phone that I liked and stayed with me for a year or two.

Now if you're planning to sell it, that's a different story, and I fully understand people's concerns on this.

I've owned iPhones since shortly after the original introduction and I usually keep them for a few years. There have been only two times that I've dropped my iPhone from a standing height and on both occasions that broke the screen (the first time was with my original iPhone and it was even in a case, the second time it was my iPhone 3GS without a case and the screen completely shattered). Both of those phones continued to function after their fall and the only damage to the iPhone in the case was that a few rows of the LCD screen stopped working (i.e. the glass did not break).

Now I have an iPhone 5 and I keep that in a Speck hardshell case without a screen protector and after about seven months of daily use it is still cosmetically flawless (the phone, not the case).

YMMV, but the lesson I've learned after many years of iPhone use is that if you drop an iPhone on a hard surface from even waist height it's quite possible that the glass or the LCD will break. However, with reasonable care (without dropping) the glass does not scratch. Thus, the only reason I keep mine in a case is to try and protect it in the event of a fall (will I be three-for-three for breakage, I hope not).

Pictures or it never happened.

I've had a caseless white 5 since December and there are only 3 little nicks on the edge (where the shiny bit is around the device).

Not bad I think.

Interstella5555 said:

No case on any of my iPhones since the 2G, not sure how you're getting "thousands" of scratches on there

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Because he isn't using it the same as you are?!

I prefer the look of my nice iPhone 5 once I take it out of the banged up case.

I think various people notice different size scratches to a different degree. I guarantee you all who say you use your phone naked all the time that I can find some light scratches somewhere on the phone. I might have to look for them, but they are there. Some people notice the hairline scratches easily, and some don't. My screen certainly has scratches, but they are tough to spot. Can only see them in the right light, and when the screen is turned off. As such, they don't bother me. Some people would be bothered by this, and for them I recommend cases and screen protectors.

That's funny, I know several people who own iphones 5, every single iphone 5 I hvae seen so far seems to have at least a little bit of the back of the phone scratched off, except the people with cases.

Simplicated said:

Just last week I decided to take off the case on my iPhone 5 and rock it "naked". The moment I took it off, I said to myself:

What a beautiful piece of art.

No exaggeration. It truly is one of the most meticulously crafted phones. One shouldn't cover it with cheap plastic, which ruins the beauty. You don't cover your car with a plastic wrap, either. It's scratched, and has got some minor dings here and there, but I truly used and enjoyed my phone, and they are testaments to that. Nothing can be kept as new once you open the box, it will all start aging, so why not just use it as it is meant to be?

A few years down the road, when I look at the phone again, I'll have that nostalgic feeling that it was a phone that I liked and stayed with me for a year or two.

Now if you're planning to sell it, that's a different story, and I fully understand people's concerns on this.

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I always see these stories of people going "naked", but I always wondered if people are aware that you can get a "naked" iphone and spend ~$15 for a front and back screen protector (a nice clear one) and still protect it and have your nakedness. Seeing the original post could have been prevented by spending a tiny amound of money which would of stopped most of those scratches from happening and would have still been enjoying a naked phone.

vampireszombies said:

I always see these stories of people going "naked", but I always wondered if people are aware that you can get a "naked" iphone and spend ~$15 for a front and back screen protector (a nice clear one) and still protect it and have your nakedness. Seeing the original post could have been prevented by spending a tiny amound of money which would of stopped most of those scratches from happening and would have still been enjoying a naked phone.

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considering how cheaply iphone 5 is made i wouldn't be surprised if a screen protector, while peeling it off, would take away the whole paint from the phone

This is such a non-issue. Get one of those ultra thin cases like the Caudabe Veil and be done with it. My wife uses one on her white iPhone and it looks fantastic. No more scratches and you're not covering up the design with some tacky case. End of story. Next thread please.

vampireszombies said:

I always see these stories of people going "naked", but I always wondered if people are aware that you can get a "naked" iphone and spend ~$15 for a front and back screen protector (a nice clear one) and still protect it and have your nakedness. Seeing the original post could have been prevented by spending a tiny amound of money which would of stopped most of those scratches from happening and would have still been enjoying a naked phone.

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I do have a front protector on, do notice that, most of the back protectors are still made with plastic and ruin the feel of the phone.

Smartass said:

considering how cheaply iphone 5 is made i wouldn't be surprised if a screen protector, while peeling it off, would take away the whole paint from the phone

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Your really picked the right username. No it doesn't.

My iPhone 5 has been caseless from day one, and it is pretty much pristine. The only scratches I can see are on the Apple logo. The rest of the phone looks like new.