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Tips for Going Naked

I got the brown leather apple case and I love it. It's the only case I've ever liked. I usually go naked. It also makes the iPhone 5 a lot less slippery I don't know why but I feel like apple designed this phone to slip out of your hand easily. It's almost too smooth.
 
Ayr said:
iPhone 4 and onwards were definitely a huge improvement. I only have a couple of scratches on the back of one with years of naked use.
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Anodised slate finish of iPhone 5 scratches off extremely easily. I had a couple of specks of dirt in my case and my newly replaced iPhone ended up with some equally sized scratches in a matter of days due to this.
 
I do all three that the OP lists. At work, I use an small powder coated aluminum speaker basket as a heatsink under the phone to draw away heat when charging. In my car I use a surgical mask to place the phone on.

I'm going to miss my 4s, loved the feel of glass on both sides.
 
Infinitewisdom said:
People who say they don't have scratches on their phones just aren't looking hard enough. I've gone naked on my 5s for a little bit and, to the undiscerning eye, it looks pristine. But look carefully and you'll find hairline scratches on all sides and small chips.

The thing I'm most concerned about with these bigger phones is that they're even easier to drop just by virtue of being bigger. So going naked will be even tougher.
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Just a couple of days ago, my son was looking at my phone and said he needed to take lessons from me on how to care for his phone. He was looking at the logo on the back, even the word 'iPhone' near the bottom of the back of the phone and couldn't find anything. His own phone looks quite good, but those micro scratches are evident if you look closely.

I dunno. Maybe I just always get blessed with the invulnerable phones. But it seems like having the same result, phone after phone, I've got a decent idea what I'm doing. I hope, anyway! :)
 
My solution

To the OP,

My solution is to buy the clear TPU Gel cases that sell on eBay for a pittance. They display the product nicely, protect it from bumps and falls (and it has protected my 5 from falls), and cost less than $5.

Now that the camera protrudes from the phone, the gel case also helps stabilize the phone while laying down.

Good luck! :apple:
 
I hate cases, it genuinely frustrates me when I see people with their lovely thin ipad airs, struggling to use/grip it properly because they've put it in a huge thick bulky case. An iPads not even like a phone where you might use it while absent mindedly doing something else or putting it in your pocket with your keys etc.

For my new phone I plan to have a case for travelling/nights out etc but for day to day use it will be naked. Can't see the point in paying a premium price for a thin light phone and then making it thick and heavy!

----------

Also worth adding is only scratches my 5S have received have been due to grit in the case.
 
I use to always go caseless, but then I got really anal about scratches on the back, and I worried too much about where I set my phone and what I did with it all of the time. I just put a case on it so I could stop thinking about it. In the beginning I'll probably go caseless, but as soon as I find a good looking thin case, I'm getting one. With my ipad I go caseless, but I carry it around in a sleeve.
 
I would be going naked as I mostly have been with my iPhone 5 (except for a vinyl skin on the back to personalize it), but that pesky camera bump... sigh. I know it's supposed to have a sapphire layer but I just don't trust it as a balance point when laying flat. It seems it would inevitably lead to some damage, perhaps the outer ring?

And so I grudgingly ordered a couple cases (one thin, one more for protection) to see how I like them.

Another option I have considered if I miss going naked too much is to get a sleeve like Waterfield sells.

http://www.sfbags.com/collections/iphone-cases/products/iphone-case-suede-jacket
 
I've always just used a sleeve to put the iPhone in when it's in my pocket, but whenever it's not in my pocket it's either sitting inside the sleeve or sitting on top of it (ie, never directly on a hard surface). The phone is still mint condition 2 years later.
 
Ayr said:
If anything it might save the back getting scratched up a bit.
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As I indicated in my OP, one of my three cardinal rules is that I never lie the phi down on a hard surface, specifically to avoid the back/edges from getting scratches. Always on a soft surface. The fact that the camera protrudes slightly won't impact me at all.
 
My 3G/3GS had a case because of the black, shiny, plastic back. We all know those would scratch. Since the 4, no case or screen protector. Never cracked or damaged my screen. I have dropped one or two of them a couple of times. No issues. No sense buying a mobile device like the iPhone and covering it up in a case that makes it 5x thicker.

To each their own. I just use common sense and have never had an issue.
 
The *only* issue I see with this new device is that, when pulling it out of your pocket, it's just not the same complete and firm grip as the 5 (and it's predecessors), not matter how big your hands are. I worried it'll slip as I'm pulling it out. I've also never used a case. I may get a lifeproof as I would love to have it for the springs and yak trips. But I, too, love the naked look and feel, nor do I want it covered during it's year with me.
 
zbarvian said:
A) Go out at night, after most curfew hours.
B) Avoid street lamps and busy roads.
C) Wear shoes if needed

Worked for me in the past.
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eoblaed said:
I was seriously going to add 'Use sunscreen' as bullet point number four to the OP, but the post was getting long enough as it was. ;)
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Sunscreen at night? GTL in the daytime bro. Leave the nighttime for going naked.
 

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Phil A. said:
Is that a scuff in the second picture?
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When I first took the pic, I saw that, but it's just a reflection of something else in the room as far as I can tell. Probably my head. Or the hutch nearby. Or a passing dragon. Not sure.
 
eoblaed said:
  • Whatever pocket it occupies, it occupies alone. Nothing else in that pocket. Nothing. Not even receipts. Ever.
  • I never set it on a hard surface. This includes tables, counters, nightstands, car hoods, etc. When I set it down, it's on something relatively soft: a book, paper, fabric, napkin, the smart cover of my iPad, even a coiled up cord.
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  • I think these two are the single biggest factors in keeping your iPhone in pristine condition if you do not intend to slap a case on it. I've seen people pull wallets and especially keys out of the same pocket their iphone is in (I literally cringe when I see that). I make a conscious effort to never put my iPhone on a hard surface that I know will scratch it. Therefore if I'm out, my phone is probably in my jeans pocket, not on a stick bar top.

    But really it's your phone, you can do whatever you want to it. I like to keep my phone in very good shape since I usually upgrade my iPhone each year.
 
My iPhone 4 has been in a case since the first week. Still looks brand new. To avoid grit getting in and scratching it, I take it out on occasion and wipe it and the inside of the case off.

I'd love to go naked, but my part of the house is tiled, and my fingers don't always want to work like they used to. So, it gets dropped on occasion.
 
My phone shares a pocket with a handkerchief, which yes is old school but great for wiping sweat, cleanups, etc. It also is a great cushion and a folded hankie is great to put the phone on when it comes out on a table.
 
lordofthereef said:
Sorry, but if you are claiming you had the 3G and 3GS without any scratches on them whatsoever, I am not inclined to take you seriously. The backs of those phones scratched if you looked at them wrong.

The later phones have stood up much better.
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I had a naked 3G for two years with only swirl marks, so it's possible. I sit every iPhone I've ever had screen-down on my desk, though, so that may contribute. That said, it did have those unsightly spiderweb cracks in the casing from the dock connector that many of the 3Gs had. Not the best design.
 
I've been debating a case or not for my iPhone 6.

I had an iPhone 4 and was causeless. then got the free bumper. I liked that but i had to remove it to charge or something often and it snapped. I never bought another case. I dropped it once onto a sidewalk from waist-high pocket. everyone around looked wide-eyed. When I picked it up, the screen was fine (maybe a tiny crack/chip on the corner.

the iP4 was really in nice condition. I got a 5S as a work phone for 6 months...no case and fine. Then back to iP4. a few months back while taking family portraits, i pulled my phone out to see a large arcing crack in the rear glass...hard to notice until just the right light. I guess when i sat down (phone in rear pockets normally) I must had sat one something odd.

I feel I want a small case for some protection but hate the bulky ones (otter box looks awful) and thought about just doing AppleCare+.

BTW, I have done the toe-kick, or toe-stop on a phone drop. I figure it might help the impact somewhat.

My new phone comes Friday!!!
 
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