Other Pristine or Practical: which camp are you in?

[Applewatch42]

I am in the "pristine" camp, which is a tad unfortunate considering I own a Jet Black AW 10 (which is in good condition,) but when I see my brother's devices, I think to myself "HOW IS IT ALREADY SCRATCHED!?"

 

[BeatCrazy]

I’ll pay more for a flawless phone.

For a 4 year old flawless phone? An iPhone 12 is $150 for average condition... you gonna pay $500 for a mint one?

 

[mrseppkusheep1]

Sure…I'll try and remember them all.

I try to adhere to the following…

• Always use two hands when working with the phone. One handed to answer calls is okay. I text with two hands (one to hold the phone, the other to type).

• Always have a designated spot to set the device down on. I use business card holders on my desk and on my night stand. In the car, my phone goes in the center console cupholder or the center console itself if both cupholders are being used. If you're out, and there are no designated spots (say a restaurant), then unless there is a clean spot, something will go under the device (like a napkin). Otherwise, it stays in a pocket or resting under your thigh. When I was still working at the office, I had a business card holder there for my phone too.

• Transferring your device from a pocket to your hand or a designated spot, or vice-versa is when it's in the most danger. Most people drop their phones during this maneuver. Never let go of the device until you are sure it's secure (I've missed a pocket a few times).

• Put the device away when in crowds. Short of an emergency phone call or text, there is NOTHING worth having your phone jostled out of your hand. If you must use it, stand out of the way if you can. If you can't, protect it with your hands. In certain crowd situations I will actually cradle my phone with both hands to protect it.

• If you need to do something with your phone while out, make sure you're in a space where you won't get jostled and that you aren't trying to do more than one thing at once. I almost dropped my phone once because I was trying to push a grocery card and check an email. I forcefully made myself stop, pulled the cart over to the side and then with two hands checked my phone. You need to know when NOT to proceed with an action that may endanger your phone.

• Identify any potential hazards to your phone in your current environment. For instance, we have leather chairs in our house. I don't set my phone down on the arms of those chairs because leather is slippery and the phone can slide off.

• Pay attention. If you are under the influence of an OTC or prescription drug that makes you drowsy, force yourself to concentrate on what you're doing with your device. I've dropped two phones this way because I had taken an antihistamine and was not paying attention.

And this is the tricky one.

• Become spatially aware of where your phone is relative to your body, your hands, etc and it's orientation. If you know where your phone is in the space around you and how it is oriented you can (hopefully) avoid smacking it into things or having it smacked out of your hand(s).

Lastly…and this one was hard for me to learn. If the phone is starting to drop, do NOT be afraid to put your fingerprints ALL OVER the screen to prevent it from dropping! I hated fingerprints on my screen, but I decided that it's much easier to wipe off fingerprints and save my phone then it is to replace it.

The entire point of all this is to be thinking about your phone and any danger to it. Anticipate danger, be proactive in protecting your device. Most people do NOT want to think this way. It's exactly why a lot of case users use cases. It's intense focus and concentration, and until you get it down where it becomes second nature you'll question why you aren't using a case instead.

But eventually it does become second nature and you'll find that you are instinctively protecting your device

If I can remember any more 'rules', I'll come back and post them.

thanks for telling me lol. I'll give it a try

 

[VisceralRealist]

I'm in the pristine camp until the first scratch happens; then I stop caring.

 

[nburwell]

Especially now that we have young kids, I use my iPhone more as a tool than worry about nicks and scratches. Now if I drop and crack the device, that is a different story (but that’s why I have AC+). 8-9 years ago, I definitely cared about ensuring my iPhone was in pristine condition.

On the other hand, my wife couldn’t care less about the condition of her iPhone. She has a screen protector and case on it, but she still beats it up on a daily basis.

 

[Andeddu]

I am in the pristine camp as I collect my older used devices.

I have a 6S, OGSE & 8 all in “as new” condition despite all being well used. I plan on adding my current 13 into my collection and upgrading to a 17 once it is out.

I always use cases & screen protectors and properly clean my device & case 1/2 times per month.

 

[Thisismattwade]

I have my iPhone 13 Pro in an Otterbox case. It’s a tool for me, but one I very much like to use/see and would not want a screen crack getting in the way.

(I’m convinced this thing is unbreakable anyway. Never had an issue since launch day.)

 

[S.B.G]

I'm all about practicality before keeping a device pristine. I buy these things to use them, not put them on a pedestal for others to admire. If they get a little worn or a scratch in them, I'm fine with that so long as it still does what I need and want it do.

 

[leifp]

My 15Pro has a screen protector (mainly so I have a matte screen) and a protective coating (Gelaskins; love their stuff) on the back. Principally so the phone is grippier. If the iPhone came with a matte screen option and a much less slippy back, I’d probably skip any covers

 

[VineRider]

I'm probably somewhere in between. I do use a case on my phone, but no screen protector. I do like to keep my hardware in as good a shape as possible, but I do not obsess over it. Just the case and keep the keys away from the screen and I am good to go.

 

[NickArchiver52]

Practical. I like usual marks/scratches/etc. I think it gives my devices character. I do have a case on my 16e but that's about it.

 

[eyoungren]

thanks for telling me lol. I'll give it a try

If it turns out not to be your thing, no worries. I create rules for myself in my life for various things because at some point I ended up screwing myself over. Losing my wallet at 16 and having to replace all my cards (including my license) made me force myself to set keys, wallet, etc down in one spot. I've locked myself out of my car over six times in the 1990s because I forgot the keys inside. So they now reside on a key clip that has to be attached to a belt loop or in my hand before I lock the car. On and on.

Up to you.

 

[iPhone-Guy]

I definitely am protective of my phone (16 Pro), UAG case, screen protector, AC+, and even lens protector (One of the main reasons I upgraded was the camera). I wouldn’t say I am obsessed over the condition of the phone but rather the safety of it. I have heard too many stories of people ruining their phones and even with AC+ there is something keeping me from going no case and I can’t figure it out. Even if I did go no case is would want to keep a screen protector but that takes away from the great looks. The rules @eyoungren mentioned are nice but I am much more active with my phone and definitely couldn’t stick with the two hands rule (I even text and play music on bike rides). In the end I know it is a tool but I really do want to show it off and use every little feature it has

 

[eyoungren]

I definitely am protective of my phone (16 Pro), UAG case, screen protector, AC+, and even lens protector (One of the main reasons I upgraded was the camera). I wouldn’t say I am obsessed over the condition of the phone but rather the safety of it. I have heard too many stories of people ruining their phones and even with AC+ there is something keeping me from going no case and I can’t figure it out. Even if I did go no case is would want to keep a screen protector but that takes away from the great looks. The rules @eyoungren mentioned are nice but I am much more active with my phone and definitely couldn’t stick with the two hands rule (I even text and play music on bike rides). In the end I know it is a tool but I really do want to show it off and use every little feature it has

Yes, if my life was more active or I had a physical job, I'd have a case on my phone. At least during those activities. But that's one of the reasons I chose a career involving computers. The job I had in my mid to late 20s would have destroyed my phone in minutes without a case.

 

[williamofockham]

my wife has destroyed more cases than iPhones. I've destroyed one, a scammer called while I was playing golf and the phone magically few in a water hazard - odd don't you think.

 

[Spock]

That's a good question for Apple designers.
Let's talk about the AirPods case. Beautiful when pristine, impossible to keep scratch-less (even with a case).

It infuriates me when designers choose the wrong materials for a product. Or low quality ones.
When a product is well designed and with the correct materials, it will be in a pristine state if used with normal care.

I swear if you looked at the back of an iPod it would scratch.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I got a couple I’d snap scratches on the screen of my iPhone 8 Plus, and they would annoy me so badly whenever I used it, so when I got my 14 I got a screen protector for the first time since I had a 3GS. The screen protector on the 3GS was one of those horrid plastic ones. It was awful to use so I peeled it off, and swore off then until I got my 14.

I use cases on and off, depending on my whim. If I’m going out and I know I will be using my phone while doing things out in crowded situations, such as going to the football where I will regularly pull out my phone to look at game stats and reasons for bizarre umpiring decisions when sitting in a stadium with 50,000 other people, or when I’m playing bass at church and I know I will want to put my phone on the music stand, then it’s case on.

Other than that, I’m just careful. I don’t feel like I go over the top, but I’ve subconsciously developed behaviour similar to @eyoungren and my 14 is till in perfect condition. My screen protector has recently failed, and I’m trying to decide whether or not to replace it, and can’t make up my mind.

 

[diego.caraballo]

I swear if you looked at the back of an iPod it would scratch.

😂😅 I remember taking the plastic film of the back of the iPhone 3G and 0.1 seconds later there was like 15 scratches already.

 

[digimc]

I am just so use to putting my iPhone in a case that I almost never think much about the phone. I use to, back in the day when I was younger, I would take the phone out of the case every few weeks and wipe it down. But these days I plop it into the case and I never even give it a second thought.

As for screen protectors I haven't used one since the 3GS days. Just don't like the way they feel. Since I usually keep my iPhones for several years, I really don't fret too much if they get a few scratches.

 

[azhava]

I'm a little of both, I guess.

My phones get a screen protector and go in a case first thing when I remove them from the box, before I even turn them on. I do my best to take care of them and don't abuse them, but I don't baby them either - which is exactly why I use cases and screen protectors. They're not precious art objects to me, they're tools. I'm not going to drag them down a gravel road behind my truck, but they don't rest on velvet pillows either.

I wipe the screen down regularly because I hate a dirty, smudged phone screen, and I take them out of the case every few weeks, wipe the phone down and scrub the case to remove all the dust, grit, skin oils, etc. I usually keep my phones 2 to 3 years, and when I trade them in they look like they just came out of the box - but it's not because I baby them, it's because I let the case and screen protector take all the abuse rather than the phone itself.

They stay pristine because I'm practical.

 

[mac_head]

I’m team pristine and my phones have always looked flawless. Until the iPhone 6 Plus I didn’t use any case and screen protector and they always withstood my daily usage. However, when iPhones started to have glass backs I switched to having a case..

 

[cjsuk]

Hygienically clean yes. Pristine no.

Some of the people who I see put cases and screen protectors on their phone have the most utterly disgustingly dirty phones.

 

[alecgold]

I remember a time when I didn’t obsess over keeping my phone flawless. Back then, it was just a tool — practical, essential, and bound to pick up its share of scratches and dings. I’d throw on a case, sure, but screen protectors? Never felt necessary.

Somewhere along the way, though, a switch flipped. Now, I catch myself obsessing over keeping my gadgets pristine, especially my electronics. Reading through MacRumors threads lately, I realize I'm not alone. It feels like a lot of us here share that mindset — wanting perfect devices, noticing every tiny scratch, chip, or imperfection.

Then there’s my wife. For her, devices are purely tools. A slightly uneven display? A scratch or dent? She barely notices, let alone cares.

Which category do you fall into? Sometimes, I wish I could be a little more like her — less worried, more free.

EDIT: I couldn't find a more appropriate place to post this than in the iphone subforum but request mods to move it where they deem fit.

It’s simple: I want to use them for a long time, so I care for them. I use a case, but not a huge one. I use a screen protector and I put it in a front pocket without anything else. This way after a few years it’s still nice and keeps on working. But it’s not because of an attachment to my phone, I do the same with my iPad, with my tools, car, house.
I try to take care of them and use them as intended. And wear and tear is a fact of life when you buy the right tools and use them (a lot, 2-3 hours phone, 6-9 hours iPad, daily).

 

[James6s]

I used to slap a screen protector and case on my new iPhones out of the box, which I feel completely ruined the look and feel of them - metal and glass feel so much better than plastic & rubber. But I persisted to keep my phone in as good condition as possible.

I have also dropped a phone once IN a case and it scuffed the frame from the impact onto a wooden floor.

Nowadays I’m using my current iPhone 16e completely naked. I did install a screen protector at first but an air bubble appeared and I took it off - the screen looked so much better and feels faster and more responsive.

I have AppleCare in case the unexpected happens and it’s gets damaged, but I’m totally enjoying the naked look and feel of it. It’s also a nice size to hold onto without fear of dropping it when using one hand.

I’m very carful with it, like which pocket it’s in & make sure nothing else is in there like keys, dirt etc.

Also the oleophobic coating on the iPhones screen is far better than any screen protector.

100% naked camp ⛅👌🏻😃

 

[DCIFRTHS]

Keeping a device pristine by always keeping it in a case and covering it with a screen protector defeats the purpose, to me. If that’s the intended mode of use, they might as well make the phone more rugged in the first place. Since I like my devices light and unencumbered, not hiding what is nice about their design, I leave them naked, with whatever consequences that entails.

I agree. Unfortunately, I haven't reached that level yet...