Image: Max McCaskill
I hate phone cases. Yes, I know it’s a bit strange, and this is a potentially dangerous and costly position to hold in the smartphone world. But at the same time, it has never made sense to me why I would take so much time to agonize over picking the right color phone just to hide it behind a big plastic case. Not to mention how much larger it makes the device feel in my pocket.
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For the past four years, I had an iPhone 14 Pro, and it never saw the inside of a phone case. Thanks to its stainless steel body and Ceramic Shield, it was resistant to scratches, scuffs, and cracks. It honestly felt like the future. I never cracked the screen, and the only cosmetic damage I ever caused was a few nicks in the metal frame after I dropped it directly on a concrete garage floor.
I loved my 14 Pro, but it was slowing down, so I decided it was finally time to upgrade to the new iPhone 18 Pro. While I thought the new AI software features or camera hardware would be the hardest things to adjust to, it turns out the phone’s weaker body is actually my biggest gripe.
I had my new iPhone 18 Pro for less than a day before I scuffed its Burgundy aluminum finish. How did I do it? It slid off my bed from a height of around two feet. The kind of drop that wouldn’t have touched my 14 Pro has already proven too much for my new phone, and it means that after four years I’m officially back in the market for a new smartphone case.
Apple has proven it can build a strong enough iPhone to make cases redundant for most people. Unfortunately, the glory days of stainless steel and titanium smartphone housing are over, and Apple is back to making phones I’m terrified of dropping.
Hi there! I'm Max, and I'm a wireless industry expert. What does that mean? For one thing, I get paid to play on my iPhone. But more than that, it means I've spent years reviewing carriers, testing smartphone hardware, and reporting on the news that impacts your phone bill.
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Most people automatically put their smartphones into a case the day they buy them, which is a smart move. However, if your phone is always in a case, you may not have noticed how much work companies like Apple have put into strengthening their phones. Ceramic glass shields, stronger metal housings, and a high degree of water resistance have become standard across the market. Think about it: Compared to a decade ago, how often do you hear about someone destroying their screen so badly that the phone is completely unusable?
For Apple’s Pro models, the company has generally used even stronger materials. The iPhone 11 Pro through 14 Pro used stainless steel, and the 15 Pro and 16 Pro were made of titanium.
When I purchased my iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, I was slow to select a case for it. I liked seeing the new Deep Purple color and struggled to find a case that would show it off. After a few weeks passed, I simply grew accustomed to carrying my iPhone without a case, so I never bought one. Plus, coming from the aluminum base-model iPhones, I was surprised to see no damage after dropping it a few times.
Going caseless was a major gamble because I’m not easy on smartphones. I take them everywhere I go and expect them to work no matter what. Rain, mud, sand, and dust are all common conditions I spend time in, and I’ve overheated and even frozen phones in the past.
In the four years I used my iPhone 14 Pro, I took it on activities like:
- Hiking in the mountains and deserts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Peru
- Kayaking and camping in rural North Carolina
- Wading in trout streams and cutting bait on boats while offshore fishing
- Lounging on beaches where it was slathered in sunscreen and covered in sand
Through all of this, my iPhone 14 Pro was never housed in a case, but its screen never cracked, and it took a major drop on concrete to actually impact the stainless steel. I was extremely impressed with how strong Apple had made the phone, and saw the upgrade to the titanium body on the 15 Pro and 16 Pro as evidence that Apple was making them even stronger. Truthfully, I assumed this trend would continue and that Apple was working toward marketing a caseless iPhone at some point in the future.
However, with the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple introduced an aluminum body, and users immediately noticed a difference. The phones showed scuffs extremely easily from things like keys or coins in pockets. Drops also meant deeper dings in the metal itself, showing bright silver aluminum streaks on the sides of the phone. The iPhone 18 Pro largely kept the same aluminum unibody design, meaning this was not a one-off decision.
After I upgraded from my iPhone 14 Pro, my new Burgundy iPhone 18 Pro lasted less than a day before I scuffed it. It was charging near the edge of my bed, then slowly slid off and clipped my nightstand on the way down. While it only fell around two feet and landed on a carpeted floor, that was enough to put two silver scuffs along the edge of my phone. Coming from an iPhone that felt virtually indestructible, that was a deeply disappointing result.
The iPhone 18 Pro has only been out for around two weeks, yet there are already plenty of social media posts from people sharing experiences just like mine. And the top comment under every one of them is almost always some form of “that’s why you buy a case.” However, that response feels like a bit of a cop-out, especially since some of this damage is happening to people who are using cases.
I think it’s fair to complain that the most expensive iPhone Pro lineup Apple has ever built has a weaker body than phones that are two or more years old.
Clearly, there are plenty of factors that go into these types of decisions, from the cost of materials to weight to cooling needs for new processors. However, if your phone is subject to damage from simply having coins in your pocket or falling off a bed, that’s a legitimate criticism and something to consider when buying. Scuffs and dents can impact the trade-in value of your phone and even make it uncomfortable to use if the damage is severe enough to cause sharp edges.
Overall, I’m still happy with my iPhone 18 Pro, and I don’t think its aluminum body is a reason to completely avoid buying the device. While I hate that I’m having to hide it in a phone case, I think the device itself will continue to work fine. That said, I am more leery about actually taking the phone out into the world with me. A case is not a guarantee of avoiding damage, and if a two-foot fall from a bed can scratch my phone, who knows what a day in the great outdoors might do to it.
More from WhistleOut on the iPhone 18 Pro:
Wondering about Apple's newest smartphone lineup? We’ve got you covered.
- iPhone 18 Pro Guide: Everything You Need to Know: We’ve got all the specs and pricing for Apple’s newest Pro series.
- Best Waterproof Phone Cases: Getting a new iPhone 18 Pro? You definitely need a phone case. Here are some of our top picks based on factors like strength and water resistance.
- iPhone 18 Pro vs. 17 Pro—Is It Worth the Upgrade?: Want to upgrade but aren’t sure which model to pick? We can help you decide between Apple’s newest Pro models.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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