Dropped 8+ Twice...

[PhillyGuy72]

Get this case quick.

This thing looks like the size of my 2006 Garmin GPS I had in my car...lol

 

[dannyTO]

it somehow slid off the box on its own and fell about 3.5 feet onto the hardwood floor.

Didn't you know one of the features of the 8+ was that it comes alive while it's unattended?

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Silicon case is the way to go (IMO)
If you have your phone on vibrate without a case on an equally shiny surface it is likely to move around quite a bit & even without that a moments inattention (as you know) with these modern slippery items could end in tears.

I think so too! GRIP is the reason. (Lot of people complain about "it attracts a lot of lint")..ok, so just wipe it down? IDK.

I did get a Apple IP7+ Leather case for my 8+...wanted to go with something new, different. But after 10 days of trying to 'break it in' this thing is still way too slippery for my liking. I packed that away and I picked up another Silicone.

 

[phillytim]

I always go Spigen, most usually the Slim Armor cases - my phones have easily survived things such as a corner-drop on a sidewalk.

Have been curious about the Apple leather cars - would love to grab a Gold 8 Plus and an Apple Saddle Brown leather case. That's probably what I'd try this time around if I decide not to hold out for the XS next near.

 

[naturalstar]

Enough drops and eventually something will happen, like the glass cracking at the very least.

I would occasionally drop my previous phone. Not all the time, but enough to where my husband would tease me about “my tablet” (the Plus) needing to be held with two hands at all times. I solved this by getting more grippy type cases.

Anyway, I eventually had some exterior corner dings by the right speaker holes that I didn’t notice right away. I had been experiencing some issues with calls on speaker where people would say they couldn’t hear me, but as soon as I was off speaker, they could hear me fine. Can’t say if the accumulated drops over time caused it, but outside of those accidental drops, I was never rough with my phone.

Point being, you may be causing damage to your phone and not experience it right away. I’m pretty sure these phones aren’t meant to dropped over and over and over and survive every time. Given the glass exterior, you’ll probably crack that first... and internal damage could present right at that point also. Who knows?

But you should get a nice shock absorbing case. Or at least AppleCare. Yeah, actually both.

 

[sdwaltz]

I’m seeking input from those who have dropped case-less iPhones and lived to tell the tale...

First drop - day 1 with my brand new 8+ - I had it charging on top of the box. I did not account for the new slippery-ness of the glass back, and it somehow slid off the box on its own and fell about 3.5 feet onto the hardwood floor. Great news - not a single scratch or ding and everything worked fine.

Second drop - today (not even a week later) - Fell out of my bag while taking out my iPad about 5 feet onto a hardwood hotel deck. Once again - not a single scratch or ding and everything seems to work fine.

Of course I’m worried that although there is no physical damage, there is no way to really tell if there is internal damage.

For those of you who’ve dropped case-less iPhones and haven’t had external damage - have you noticed any internal damage pop up days/weeks/months/years later? Is there any way to tell?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

It's nearly impossible to damage the internals of these things. Same with even laptops, with the exception of laptops that still use HDD's (the only moving part)...and even then, tough to do.

 

[OneMike]

You may need to look into a case ASAP. That aside, in most cases damage will pop up immediately. Not over time.

 

[Seth Matthews]

LOL - please don’t take these comments so literally. As I use the statement, ‘on its own’ means without my intervention or the intervention of another human. As the laws of physics and friction contribute, what likely happened was that the tension of the charging cord was very light but just strong enough to pull lightly on the phone. With such limited friction between the glass and the box, it likely slid and fell.

And in return, not trying to be snarky, but to label my comment as “cease to amaze me” and “ridiculous” is also strange. Those are strong words and statements. “Ridiculous” would have been me saying “Gosh, I put my iPhone on the counter and a little leprechaun jumped out from nowhere, stole my phone, threw it to the end of the rainbow, and it came back damaged.”.

Fair enough.

 

[wacky4alanis]

I used to always avoid cases until the iPhone 6. It was just too slippery, and I dropped it twice in the first few days (luckily onto soft carpets both times). At that point I decided it was time for a case and bought the Apple silicone. That's what I have used ever since - minimal design and pretty decent protection.

As for having a phone slide off on it's own, my old iPhone 4 did exactly that! The glass back was so "slidey" that it slid off the corian sink in our bathroom. Unbeknownst to me, the sink top was very slightly off level. After a couple of minutes, the phone slid enough (without anybody touching it) to fall several feet onto a hard tile floor. It sounded really loud and awful, but the phone was completely fine.

The iPhone 8 is the first phone since the 6 that is grippy enough to use without a case, but I will probably keep the silicone case on it. I'm used to it by now, and the added protection is worth it.

 

[Irock619]

Thanks to everyone for your responses and reassurance. Just looking for some honest, non-snarky feedback here from one human to others. I appreciate your insights!

Not a whole lot of moving parts in these phones. Youre probably fine if there was no external damage.

 

[Bigserver1]

I do feel like the 8+ moves on its own a bit. I’m having a hard time keeping mine on the wireless charging pad I bought. When I’ve woken up the phone has slid off the charger and I’m at like 60% lol. No missed calls, and I have it on DND, so I know it’s not vibrating off.

I also notice when I put the phone on the arm of my couch, it slides ever so slightly. Can’t tell if it’s just the glass back, or what, it’s odd. Hopefully I’ll find a way to keep it on the wireless charger at night. I do really love this phone though.

 

[seeforyourself]

I dropped mine twice as well. I think mine has a hairline crack coming from the corner of the screen right between the top of the display (hard to notice).

Also my iPhone has a TON of scratches on the screen, though the aluminum body is in perfect condition - looks new.

I had my iPhone SE without a case/screen protector and it had NO scratches.

This iPhone 8 Plus is SO much more vulnerable to scratches on the display. I will take pics of my screen if I can. It’s so bad....

I’m going to exchange this phone anyways soon within the 14 days, due to the fact that the ear piece crackles like crazy during calls.

 

[cynics]

For those of you who’ve dropped case-less iPhones and haven’t had external damage - have you noticed any internal damage pop up days/weeks/months/years later? Is there any way to tell?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Its virtually impossible to damage the inside components without damaging externally short of water or EMP or something obvious and unrealistic. Don't worry about.

 

[blairian89]

Man, I hope that you bought AppleCare+! You can always call Apple Support or visit an Apple Store, explain your situation, and they can run a diagnostics test to see if everything inside of the phone is functioning as it should be.

If for some reason it is not, they will be able to then move forward with assisting you in repairs or replacement of the device.

Typically, if everything is functioning like it should be, there is likely no internal damage. These phones are pretty stout and everything internally is glued / mashed together, so there is little chance for internal damage without external damage present. (Water or electrical phenomenas notwithstanding)

Outside of that, I would say thank you to your guardian angel and purchase a case / screen protector if you're worried about the phone and its safety...otherwise, be more careful with it. You have gotten lucky thus far.

My brand new 8 slid out of my gym shorts when I sat down the day after launch and landed flat on its back. Cracked the back. That was an expensive experiment and a full replacement, and the phone now resides in a case.

 

[44267547]

Not a whole lot of moving parts in these phones. Youre probably fine if there was no external damage.

And starting with the iPhone 6s, Apple has been using more Adhesive than hardware to hold parts together. So everything is usually tightly knit together.