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iPhone 12 mini Caseless 12 Mini

J

jm31828

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 28, 2015
1,394
898
Bothell, Washington
I have gone back and forth on cases for my 12 Mini- which one is the right one, should I use one at all, etc.

I tried an Apple leather case that just looks and feels great- but beyond feeling guilty about the expense, I can't help but feel that the mini is the best phone to simply use naked- putting any case on this really takes away from how gorgeous it is. The size and flat edges really make it easier to pick up and grip as well, so there is far less chance to drop it.

So, I am considering just using a screen protector and no case at all.

What are others out there doing- are others in the same boat, rocking the 12 Mini caseless?
 
Apple_Robert said:
I am slowly transitioning to completely caseless. At the moment, I am using the new Apple leather sleeve.
Click to expand...
How do you like the sleeve?

For me, I do have a cheap fake leather sleeve pouch that I put the phone in when I am going out of the house- so it is protected in my pocket or in the car, so short of dropping the phone when taking it out of this pouch, I feel like a case is kind of unnecessary besides maybe protecting against a rogue scratch.
 
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The mini is easy to use naked, but I am still using a minimal case. Coming from the eight which is like a bar of soap. I Plan on keeping this for a while so I do want some protection. No screen protector though
 
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Using a frameless case so width is the same and 95% of the protection. Unless you drop it on its side right on a rock.
 
ESR screen protector only. Caseless. I have a pitaka mag case but never put it on. It’s the easiest to hold since the 5S.
 
The 12 mini is really easy to handle to IMO it’s the easiest one to use without the case out of the new lineup. Actually in years! But I’d still at least put a clear case on it and a screen protector.
 
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JW313 said:
ESR screen protector only. Caseless. I have a pitaka mag case but never put it on. It’s the easiest to hold since the 5S.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I am still amazed how securely I am able to pick it up and hang onto it. I was handling my 11 again this weekend before selling it and was surprised all over again just how slippery and hard to hold onto that thing was- with the rounded edges and the huge size.
 
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jm31828 said:
I have gone back and forth on cases for my 12 Mini- which one is the right one, should I use one at all, etc.

I tried an Apple leather case that just looks and feels great- but beyond feeling guilty about the expense, I can't help but feel that the mini is the best phone to simply use naked- putting any case on this really takes away from how gorgeous it is. The size and flat edges really make it easier to pick up and grip as well, so there is far less chance to drop it.

So, I am considering just using a screen protector and no case at all.

What are others out there doing- are others in the same boat, rocking the 12 Mini caseless?
Click to expand...
I never used cases until I got the first big iPhone the 6 plus. I don’t ever recall dropping the 3.5 and 4 inch iPhones so I think with the mini it’ll be easier to hold and not drop. I say go for it. Get a screen protector though cause of scratches.
 
For those who are going caseless, are you using screen protector on the back also? I wonder if a tempered glass for the back would help eliminate the danger of breaking the glass.

The only thing left would be damaging the bezels, but if they get ugly you can always throw a case or bumper on it later to cover it up.
 
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I’ve gone careless with all my phones. I usually buy one  leather case for each phone I’ve had since the iPhone 5S but this year I’ve decided to forgo a case this year.
 
Gregintosh said:
For those who are going caseless, are you using screen protector on the back also? I wonder if a tempered glass for the back would help eliminate the danger of breaking the glass.

The only thing left would be damaging the bezels, but if they get ugly you can always throw a case or bumper on it later to cover it up.
Click to expand...
I’m using a screen protector not to guard from cracking or breaking, but scratches. I don’t care about the back of the phone.
 
interestingly when i handle my mini without a case it feels a little too light and almost insignificant. I also really dislike how quickly the back glass gets slimy. Most people comment on the stainless steel rails getting finger prints on the pro models but the sides are a much smaller portion of the phone than the entire back glass.

Subjectively, without cases on I prefer the in hand feel of the pro model over the mini. It just has a premium feel, the stainless steel sides and the matte back glass. With cases on each some of that disappears lol
 
I've been going back and forth whether to put a case on it or not. If I was to get a case it would have to be fairly minimal since for me the point of the mini is to have a very small footprint. Another thought I had was just getting a pouch of some sort for it for times I want it to have a little protection.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
If the glass on the back is as soft as the glass on the front, I wouldn’t advise going caseless to be honest.

Check out the Caudabe Sheath, it’s a super thin case and their Veil version is even thinner again.
Click to expand...
The way I see it, I will use a screen protector since the screen is what I am touching all the time when using the device. I will not do anything with the back. I do put my Mini in a pouch when carrying it out of the house, so it is protected in my pocket- and it never gets laid down onto a desk or table without being on something soft, such as the pouch or a microfiber cloth or something.
I do "baby" my phone to keep it looking nice so I doubt any scratches would occur on the back.
 
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Lotuskid said:
interestingly when i handle my mini without a case it feels a little too light and almost insignificant. I also really dislike how quickly the back glass gets slimy. Most people comment on the stainless steel rails getting finger prints on the pro models but the sides are a much smaller portion of the phone than the entire back glass.

Subjectively, without cases on I prefer the in hand feel of the pro model over the mini. It just has a premium feel, the stainless steel sides and the matte back glass. With cases on each some of that disappears lol
Click to expand...
Fortunately I have the white mini, so it does not show any of the fingerprints on the back that pretty much any other color would.
 
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After the beautiful iPhone 4 I used case on the iPhone 6. After it, I went naked kost of the time with my past 7 and 8 plus and the same with my XS, despite collecting cases for each one 😂 in my opinion caseless is always better: you just need peace of mind about small scuff or scratch.
 
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I'm going caseless. Got AppleCare in case (no pun intended) of major damage and will hopefully not sweat the inevitable scratches.
 
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xJohnyyx said:
I'm going caseless. Got AppleCare in case (no pun intended) of major damage and will hopefully not sweat the inevitable scratches.
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I have seen a lot of people here talk about buying AppleCare. That seems quite expensive, I suppose I would just buy a case vs buying AppleCare if it came down to those two choices- and if I was going to go caseless on any other iPhone I would have to choose one of those.

But with the 12 Mini, it seems easy enough to pick up and hold securely, that I can be confident going caseless. (it helps I suppose that I an insanely careful with it- even when it is in a case I am putting it in a pouch when I go out of the house, if not in a case it sits on a cloth or some other soft object when being set down, etc.... knock on wood, I have never in 9 years dropped a phone- so I totally get that it is subjective to how each person is with their devices.
 
xJohnyyx said:
I'm going caseless. Got AppleCare in case (no pun intended) of major damage and will hopefully not sweat the inevitable scratches.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I am doing. It gives me some peace of mind, and allows me to enjoy using the phone as it was designed. Also, the mini without a case is as mini as possible!
 
I just can't do it, more power to those of you who can. It's just too small for me, and I've got fumbleitis. I've lost the handle on it three times (onto carpet/rug thanks goodness) in a week already while waiting for my case to be delivered.
 
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