Phone Cases: Protecting Your Calls

When choosing a new case to protect your phone, consider the risks you face in everyday life. Check out Groupon's run-down of the different variations in phone-case design.

According to experts cited by the New York Times, the two biggest culprits for cell-phone breakage are tripping while texting and dropping the device in the toilet. As such, many cases are designed to protect your phone from the two kinds of drops—vertical and water. Many cases sport a hearty exterior shell, usually made with tough but light polycarbonate plastic intended to absorb the shock of a fall. Some also include silicone bumpers on the edges to soften any sudden landing. These designs tend to sacrifice aesthetics for maximum protection, however, much like how football quarterbacks wear helmets to hide their handsome faces from the paparazzi. As for the second danger, if your phone seems prone to take a swim, plenty of waterproof cases are available that will keep your device safe from catastrophe even if it’s entirely submerged.

Aside from those two major risks, phones are still vulnerable to day-to-wear wear and minor scratches. If the risk of dropping your phone isn't your main priority, there are plenty of inexpensive cases that will still minimally protect your phone while keeping it looking sleek. For those needs, silicone sheaths, socks, and regular plastic covers generally do the trick. Phones look sleekest without a case, but most are made of slicker, flat materials that can slip from your hand easily—a drawback that the grippy sides of many cases look to rectify. As for scratches, many cases include screen protectors in the form of an adhesive plastic film that covers the glass. The benefits are unclear. Most modern smartphones already use glass that's chemically strengthened to resist scratches, but the film has been shown to keep the glass from shattering during big falls.