For each iPhone I've had, I've typically used a few cases for different purposes. You might like one or more of these.
I usually get a nice leather one, like the Apple leather case (I like saddle brown the most, but the other colors are nice too). I've dropped my previous phones in the Apple leather case multiple times and the phones never suffered any damage, not even a scratch.
But still, if I'm at the gym or hiking or even walking a lot around a new city, I want more protection.
My protective case of choice is the Spigen Ultra Hybrid in Crystal Clear, for $13. I've used this case for all of my previous iPhones for the past 4 years. It's perfectly clear and doesn't yellow over time, because Spigen uses something other than TPU for the back. It's not quite as protective as an Otterbox Defender, but it's still
very protective, with cushioned corners and a raised lip on the front and little raised bumpers on the back. I've dropped my previous iPhones many times in this case, including on concrete, and there has never been any damage.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GTF17NV/
Here's another clear Spigen case. It's thinner and hardly noticeable, but it's less protective. But it still has a raised lip around the front, and tiny cushions in the corners. I really like it. I've never owned this model for previous iPhones, I only just got it for my Max. Unfortunately the user reviews say that it starts turning yellow in 3 to 6 months, as it's 100% TPU. But it's cheap, and it really shows off the beauty of the iPhone while providing protection that's probably as good or slightly better than the Apple leather case.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GTCJLW1/
Finally, QuadLock for bicycling. I've used QuadLock cases for my last few iPhones and will probably get one for my new Max. QuadLock is a system with multiple mounts - I have the bicycle and car mounts and they're very secure and durable. They make cases for every iPhone model plus some non-Apple phones. Every one of their phone cases attaches to every one of their mounts. So if you upgrade your phone to a different size, you have to get a new case ($30) but can use all of your same mounts. I bike a lot and heard about QuadLock from a bicycling publication a few years ago. At that time, I had a 6S Plus (or maybe a 7 Plus?) and gave the QuadLock system a try. I was impressed with how secure the bike mount is, and also the phone cases themselves are very good: they're reasonably thin yet very protective. I got the QuadLock car mount and like it a lot, but it's a bit overpriced and only works with the QuadLock case, whereas there are lots of cheap vent mounts that work with any case. But if you bike a lot, I really recommend you check out the QuadLock case with bike mount. I really, really like being able to glance down and see full Google Maps in bicycle mode.
https://www.quadlockcase.com
