Question Re: Cases & Scratches

[scan]

I will be receiving my iPhone anyday now and I have a general question. I see a lot of threads on cases, and I've gone through the apple store's selection on cases but I haven't found one I Like. I've always liked my phones in the past to be naked. I never liked hiding them or changing the integrity of the phone with a case. With that said, is a case really needed for the iPhone? Meaning, I know that the old iPod's scratched really easily. Is it the same with the iPhone?

After reading the reviews on the cases, is there a case out there that doesn't scratch the iPHone or does what it's suppose to? i.e. Not have to jam the headphone in order to take off the case

 

[andyblila]

I don't want to pay $700 to replace the phone if I drop it so I use a case. I like the incase slider. It protects well, doesn't scratch, and has rubber pads on the inside for some shock absorption. It also looks pretty good.

 

[Eluzion]

I was the same way. I had the 1st gen iPhone pretty much since it came out and never used a case (just a screen protector). It held up very well and even survived three drops (one on marble floor, one at the grocery store, and once on a sidewalk). I guess I got lucky and it never landed on the screen. It only left a very minor dent and scratch on the chrome trim around the screen and one or two marks on the rear cover.

I just picked up a 3G iPhone last night and based on what I've seen in reviews, they scratch extremely easy. I did a lot of searching around and was considering invisibleSkin (or something similar) since I like the iPhone for it's thinness. However, looking back I've come to realize I've dropped every phone I've owned and just got lucky with my previous iPhone. With that nice big glass display, it's just too easy to crack if you ever drop it.

I ended up settling for the Incase Slider Case (black matte) which you can see here:

http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/slider-case-cl59055

I combined this case with a Power Jacket Glossy screen protector (both the case and screen protectors you can get from the Apple store). Again, I'm not a huge case fan but I am extremely impressed with this case. The fitment is perfect and the added bulk is tolerable (I believe it's 1mm thick). It also covers the chrome frame around the screen which adds a slightly raised "lip" around the screen which is great for protecting it against a drop. If you look on YouTube, you can find some reviews on the case which will give you a better idea of what it's like.