Why I Never Use A Case On My iPhone

This weekend some of my family members were in town to visit. My sister-in-law saw me holding my iPhone and said, “It scares me to see you holding your phone without a case.” So it seemed like a good time to write a post explaining why I do that. Let me say up front: You should probably put your iPhone in some sort of protective case. I should probably put my iPhone in some sort of protective case. But for most of my time as an iPhone user over the last decade (with a few exceptions) I’ve never used a case on my iPhones.

I remember being out to eat with some friends soon after the original iPhone debuted. I was debating what kind of case to buy for my iPhone. My friend Bran looked at me and said, “John, if you had a Porsche, would you keep it covered all the time?” Immediately I knew he was right and since then I’ve almost never had a case on any of my iPhones.

Look, what my friend said may not speak to you. But when I look at my iPhone 6S I realize that it’s one of the most beautiful objects I’ve ever possessed. It feels wrong to me for it to spend its entire time with me entombed in a case that’s not nearly as well designed. Am I taking a bigger risk of it getting damaged? You bet, and that’s why I’m not sure I would ever advise anyone else to do what I do. But I just enjoy experiencing the look and feel of the iPhone without the obstruction of some other company’s crummy case.